Connect with us

Entertainment

Lovin’ Every Minute

G. Love is keepin’ it real for 20 years and counting. It can be hard to believe that Garrett “G. Love” Dutton has been making
music now for over two decades. Yet, the G. Love & Special Sauce
front man continues to churn out new tunes and records—both as a solo
artist and with Special Sauce—that are unique, inventive and tend to not
fit too neatly into any specific genre.

Published

on

G

It can be hard to believe that Garrett “G. Love” Dutton has been making music now for over two decades. Yet, the G. Love & Special Sauce front man continues to churn out new tunes and records—both as a solo artist and with Special Sauce—that are unique, inventive and tend to not fit too neatly into any specific genre. With the 20-year anniversary of G. Love & Special Sauce’s debut release Back In The Day occurring this year, as well as the celebration of Dutton’s own 40th birthday, G. Love has a long, prolific legacy to look back on and a bright, ambitious future to look forward to. Even now, after a summer on the road with 311 and Cypress Hill, G. Love & Special Sauce are wrapping work on a new studio full length with acclaimed producer Ryan Hadlock (Ra Ra Riot, The Lumineers). While the future most certainly remains unwritten, one gets the feeling from talking with G. Love that he has absolutely no intentions of slowing down or letting up in coming years and that the new Special Sauce record will be only one of many future releases from the talented Mr. Dutton and his friends.

I see that you just got off the road with Special Sauce from the Unity Tour 2013 with 311 and Cypress Hill, how did the shows go?

Man it was great, you know. Cypress Hill is one of my top—I mean, that first Cypress Hill record is one of my top five hip-hop records, and really one of my top 10 records of all time, probably. I have listened to it for like, 20-plus years and so I was really stoked to get out and uh, rub shoulders with those guys, and share the stage and get to see them every night. 311 we’ve known, and have been playing with them for twenty years as well so they’re just like family. So it was a good time. It was a five-week tour so we were busy all summer, great shows coast to coast, and now I’ve finally got a couple weeks off with the family.

When you and Special Sauce play these days, how do you go about building your set list?

Well, it’s funny, on that tour, you know, Cypress Hill kind of does a show, you know? And, they mix up their set a little bit, but, they’re doing a show and 311, they also do a real show and so there wasn’t as much pressure for me as it is if we’re on, like, a jam band tour with say somebody like Umphrey’s McGee or Widespread Panic where you’re really gonna mix up the show every night. So on this tour I kinda felt good about kinda putting a show together and over the course of the summer the set changed and kind of developed into a different thing but yeah, we kind of dialed in a set and kind of rode that. I wanted to keep the tempos hot and keep the energy hot and choose songs that would, you know, push me and the band to just stay constantly engaged and on our toes and full of energy, you know?

Absolutely! Did you find yourselves drawing more from older material or more from the newer stuff?

Both, definitely. We’re working on a new record and I definitely try to showcase at least three of those tunes a night and get in our hits and also kind of span over all the records. So, you know, I wanted to kinda tailor towards, like, the Cypress Hill and 311 crowds and especially the Cypress Hill crowd because, you know, it’s more of a hip hop crowd.

I’ve noticed that you have a run of upcoming acoustic dates. Do your goals with the acoustic shows differ from the ones you have when you perform with Special Sauce? 

Yeah, that’s kind of how I started doing the acoustic thing, that’s been my roots as a performer and every part of my music, and as a songwriter as well it always starts with me and an acoustic guitar. And one thing that, and I’ve always kept it as part of my Special Sauce show even, is that I always perform at least one to five acoustic solo tracks during that show. But to be able to get on and do my acoustic show is a real special thing for me. I’m able to really play a lot of different repertoires, you know? I can switch gears at any moment.

I’ve always been attracted to just, you know, one man and a guitar: Robert Johnson, John Lee Hooker, early Muddy Waters recordings, all the Delta Blues, John Hammond. And when a performer can really get on and, you know, get a crowd just completely captivated with just one guitar, to me, that’s the highest as a musician and I’ve really, you know, taken a lot of pride in the fact that—not even pride, but just care, love and passion into that acoustic show.

You’ve been known for your collaborations with Jack Johnson, Citizen Cope and The Avett Brothers—even Slightly Stoopid, is there anybody that you’re hoping to work with in the future?

I’d say I’m really psyched about this Citizen Cope thing because I’ve always been a fan of what he does, but, again, getting there to see him play multiple times, I really have become this, I mean I’ve always respected him listening to his music, but he really won me over on a lot of different levels and I really think he’s one of the best artists of our generation. I think he’s, lyrically, got a lot to say. I’m always amazed at the way people approach music, you know, and what it is performance wise to everybody. You know, the way that Jack Johnson approaches music is so different, especially on stage, than I approach it and Cope is more, I think the way he approaches it is kind of similar to Jack; like a really laid back thing.

So, I’ve learned a lot from watching those two guys in particular and we also collaborate well, Jack and I, because I feel like, you know, we’re a lot different in the way we approach music that it’s very complimentary when we share the stage together or record together and I’m hoping it’s going to be a similar thing with Cope.  So I’m looking forward to that collaboration and the Kristy Lee collaboration is well underway and then there is a million people that I hope to work with. I’d love to get a chance to work with Jack White someday and Dan Auerbach as well because I feel that we all share such a knowledge and affinity for the Delta Blues.

You’re also known for your eclectic tastes and blends of an array of styles and genres, is there anything you’ve been listening to lately that’s kind of been affecting what you’ve been writing or are there any styles or themes you hope to explore with future records?

Well, you know, it’s interesting, in my car, all I listen to is the Dead station. [laughs] So that has been really cool to reconnect with the Dead after not really listening to too many bootlegs for a while. And the other thing that’s really influenced me in the past year and a half or two years has actually been reading, and I kind of started reading more autobiographies like the Keith Richards autobiography, the Phil Lesh autobiography and the Gregg Allman autobiography in particular. It all really reconnected me with those groups and it’s interesting to hear about their recording processes and the processes that they all went through.

You mentioned that you’re recording a new album, is it a solo record or is it a Special Sauce record?

Yeah, actually it’s a Special Sauce record and it’s a trio record, although, there is overdubs on the record on some of the tunes. So, it’s cool man, it’s a pretty eclectic record, like all of our records, but it really feels cohesive. We did it with Ryan Hadlock and we went out to Seattle for a 10-day session and then I went out for another 10 days to kinda do the vocals and some of the overdubs and we did one more session in L.A. in September. But so far, I really left there feeling like, “Wow, this record’s really gonna be a game-changer for us!” And I feel like it’s really great, our last record, Fixin’ To Die, was more blues oriented and it was produced by The Avett Brothers and it really had an Americana feel to it, and this record’s kind of going back more into the funkier side of town and the blues. I really kind of, reconnected with my blues stuff so I think the blues, on this one, is heavier and the hip-hop is heavier and I think we have something real special in the works. So next Spring, it’s gonna drop.

Are there any final things you’d like to say or projects you’d like to mention?

Well, I guess the only other side thing, the main side thing we have right now is our hot sauce, G. Love’s Special Hot Sauce, and that’s coming out with three new flavors in the next six months so we’re really excited about that. Just remember, put it on your food not your baby even though your baby’s got sauce, don’t put it on her! [laughs]

 

Serious Green

What are your thoughts on the cannabis movement that’s going on?

You know, it’s interesting. I’ve always been an advocate for marijuana and a supporter of it, you know, and, to me, for so many different reasons it’s just great to see, you know, Colorado being legalized and I feel like Massachusetts is close to being legalized and I was just up in Seattle recording where it’s legal. So, you know, you see a real kind of swelling, and marijuana, in general, has become such a huge part of our culture; a lot of it through music and the youth cultures, and just the acceptance of it is so much more in tune with the positive aspects of marijuana, for both medical and recreational use, as opposed to alcohol and other drugs.

It was interesting to see that CNN program really getting in depth. And there’s a lot more research and getting to the bottom of, like, let’s really do the research and, you know, Israel is the top researcher, I think, for the [benefits] of medical cannabis. So the more concrete science and research that’s done behind it [the better]. I’d like to see people, when they are trying to talk about legalization and stuff, just really get away from the partying aspect of it. I mean, I have a song called “Who’s Got The Weed?” and it’s a party track about smoking weed, it’s not about legalization, it’s about, well, I like to smoke weed, you know what I mean? And everybody at my shows does, but that’s not necessarily helping the political cause per-sé. I’d like to see people just take it more seriously and present it in a serious fashion.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *