Kansan reporter Andrew Wiebe got the opportunity to talk to G Love and Special Sauce front man Garrett Dutton III (AKA G Love) about his hometown, musical taste, love of performing and everything in between while the band toured through the Midwest. Here is what transpired. G Love and Special Sauce will perform tonight at Liberty Hall. Tickets are $20.

Q: First of all, I know you were born in Philadelphia. You performed on the streets there just like other notable musicians such as John Coltrane and the Roots. What do you think it is about Philadelphia that inspires such great musicians?

A: It’s like a nitty-gritty city I’d say. You’ve seen the movie Rocky right? I really feel that the spirit of that movie kind of embodies Philadelphia. Kind of an underdog city sandwiched between New York and DC. It’s a real working class town and it’s rough and rugged. It’s very integrated racially, especially in the music scene. I find that there are a lot of different people doing different stuff. We came out of there, the Roots came out of there and the Goats came out of there. And when these three bands came out in the early nineties, there was no else around the world doing that much live hip-hop. And all these three bands came out of like a 20-block radius, so I think it’s just kind of interesting. And the thing about Philly is it’s just like a founding town of hip-hop. You know, some of the first rappers were all out of New York and Philly. Then because Philly is so integrated, it’s allowed a lot of music to creep in to it. It has also allowed white boys like me, who are musicians, to be able to rap for some reason. I don’t know, to me it’s really interesting. Some of the first live hip-hop bands came out of Philly so that to me says something about the town. I’m not quite sure what it is but I wrote it in a rap and it went like this, “white boys rapping, black kids playing rock.” That one line kind of sums up everything that can happen in Philly.

Q: It’s hard to kind of pigeon hole your music into a genre. If you had to explain to someone what your music is like, what would you tell them?

A: Hip-hop blues.

Q: What are your biggest inspirations and influences musically?

A: Kind of a lot of Delta blues like Robert Johnson, John Hammond, Mississippi John Hurt and Mississippi Fred McDowell and that list can go on. And then a lot of hip-hop. I like Eric B. & Rakim, KRS-One, De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest. I like a lot of stuff like that.

Q: Your first release was in 1994 with the self-titled album but you have stuck around for so long, you are still touring and have developed quite a following. What do you think it is that has allowed you to have such longevity in the music business?

A: I think just continuing to write songs, being a songwriter and still having something to say. Then on top of that, just having a great band that loves playing. Through those two things we’ve been able to make a connection with people and that what it’s all about you know, just connecting with an audience. We certainly have an amazing audience and they’ve stuck with us through thick and thin. Slowly but surely it just keeps on growing little by little. It’s really been an amazing run. This is our 15th year. We do about 150 to 250 shows a year so we keep coming around and every time we hit the stage we give it 150 percent.

Q: What was your first show like

A: The first show was on a Friday night, opening up for this band in Boston in 1993. It was just like an opening slot but it was a sold out show and we played for a full house. I just remember after I got off that show I felt like we just played the coliseum or something I felt so high off the music. We hit man. We hit, it was good. Early on every gig led to another gig because whether you liked it or didn’t like it, it was definitely different than anything anyone else was doing. So inevitably one gig would always lead to another and that led to getting a record deal. Then we’ve been going since that first gig. I don’t know. I’ve just always loved music. I love music, and it’s my life. I love playing music in my room. I love being alone and playing music, but ever since I’ve been a teenager I’ve got this buzz and euphoria from being on stage in front of people. For me it’s like some sort of natural body high and emotional high I get being on stage in front of people.

Q: What is the most talent musician you’ve ever played with?

A: The most talented musician I’ve ever played with? Wow, I mean fortunately I’ve played with so many talented people. I’ve played with everybody from Dr. John to John Hammond. I have gotten the chance to work with a lot of my mentors you know. I’ve gotten the chance to play with so many great bands. I can’t really say there is one. I mean I can list a lot of people that I’ve played with. John Hammond and Dr. John are two of my older mentors that I have gotten the chance to jam with. There are a lot of great MCs I’ve worked with and other bands like my peers. Like Ben Harper, Marc Broussard and Jack Johnson. There are just too many great musicians out there to choose.

Q: What are you listening to right now? What is in your CD player or on your MP3 right now?

A: Right now I’m listening to the rough mixes from my recording sessions, just kind of going over them with a fine toothed comb and making sure which songs I like the best and if anything needs to be changed. I’m just listening to that right now and kind of working.

Q: I read some interviews with you where you talked about liking socially conscious music. Specifically, you mentioned enjoying Atmosphere. What do you think about hip-hop today and where it is going?

A: Atmosphere is dope. I think that their production is sick, and Slug is an ill MC. I really dig what he says and his voice and everything. I’m definitely a big fan of that shit. As far as where hip-hop is going? I don’t know. I mean hip-hop to me is pretty banging. I don’t listen to new hip-hop the way I used to listen to old hip-hop. Like I definitely dig Jay-Z and Kanye West and everything like that, but I don’t really buy their records. When I’m out or something at a club, I definitely enjoy their songs and stuff. But I don’t sit around and listen to Kanye West and Jay-Z when I’m at home. I’m kind of still stuck on what, to me, is like the golden age of hip-hop which is just like those bands I mentioned earlier. Like ’86 to ’94 is kind of what I’m stuck on.

Q: It seems like you are really a workhorse. When I checked your Web site you have one break this summer but other than that you are always on the road. What is it like touring with G Love and Special Sauce?

A: It’s a lot of fun. We have a great crew and we’re all family. We have our little problems sometimes but mostly it’s all love. We have a good time out here. A lot of dudes get married then every couple months they have this fishing trip weekend or whatever, you know? It’s kind of like our whole lives are like a fellas weekend. Were out here just running around on a bus, having a great time and we get to play the music every night. As long as you put the time into your craft and make sure the music is good then everything is a lot of fun. When you are on the road you have two things − you have music and then all the bullshit that goes along with playing. So as long is the music is good you can put up with the bullshit.

Q: I don’t know if you remember your show here last year at UnionFest, but it was just ridiculously muddy and people were slopping around in the mud, painting themselves in mud and generally just getting in a groove with your music. What do you think the average G Love crowd is like?

A: Super cool, funky and awesome [laughs]. Just good people, we have a great crowd.

Q: What has brought you back to Lawrence for the second year in a row?

A: We’ve always had a great vibe in Lawrence. It a town that we were in, tripping on acid and opening up for Blues Traveler 15 years ago. That was one of those weird, crazy nights in our career. Lawrence is pretty spooky with Stull nearby and there is always a weird vibe in Lawrence. Especially back in the day, we used to have these crazy vibes going in Lawrence but crazy good. It’s just always been a town that we fit and toured through pretty consistently. I think we were playing Lawrence for five years before we actually played Kansas City proper.

Q: Are there any plans in the future or desire at all to play at Wakarusa here?

A: Yea, definitely. I’m down to play whatever.

Q: When you go about setting up a tour, how do you decide where it is you are going to be going?

A: That’s not really my call. When you have a band, you have support people and that includes a booking agent and management. They have done a really great job. You basically want to play every place enough that you can keep something going but not too much that you oversaturated it and people get sick of the music, sick of you coming around or just take it for granted that you are coming around. You’ve got the whole world and you’ve got to make sure that you get to every place hopefully once a year. So that gives you a lot of touring to do. It’s all pretty carefully planned out.

Q: You are going to be going to Europe and Australia later this year. What is it like performing outside the U.S. and what kind of reaction do you get from the people there?

A: Great. Europe has been really good and this summer is going to be amazing because we are playing over in Europe with Jack Johnson so that’s going to be 15,000 to 60,000 people a night. It’s going to be probably pretty insane. Then Australia, we are doing more shows with Jack down there but we are also doing some of our own shows so that will be cool because we will get to do the super-huge shows and then do some club shows of our own which should be good and some really great festivals. They have some of the best east and west coast blues festivals there so I’m looking forward to that. That should be great.

Q: Just kind of about Jack, he appeared on your album in ’99, Philadelphonic, and now you are signed to his Brushfire record label and touring with him. What is your relationship with Jack Johnson like?

A: It’s great. It’s definitely always been a strong, musical based friendship and we’re all family now. I mean some of the best people in my life I’ve met through playing music. It’s kind of been the catalyst for everything that has happened in my life especially the last 15 years or so. Jack is a beautiful cat that I’ve got to know really well over the years and I just remember when I met him the first day. I heard his song and I said ‘a college kid that has good songs,’ then I was like ‘wait a minute there’s something special going on here’ and it sure was. I’m just really happy that things worked out so well for him and anything I ever did to help him he’s repaid me a thousand times and he continues to support what we do. So it’s a good relationship.

Q: Before you go overseas, you are going to take a break from late March to late June. What does G Love do in his time off?

A: G Love will probably spend some good quality time with my kid and do some stuff with a band called Brodiva. We wrote a few songs with them, including the ‘Milk and Cereal’ song that’s a big thing on the Internet. I’m kind of planning on trying to produce their record during that time, at least for a week or so.

Q: Does your family tour with you or how does that work?

A: My family doesn’t tour with me. I know some people that do bring their families on the road. It’s kind of where you’re at financially. Yeah, I’m not together with the mother so that’s not really going to happen for me. But it’s a hard thing juggling being a father and being away a lot. It’s kind of a tradeoff. Everyone has to make a living and support their family and for guys that are on the road it’s a different thing. You know well be gone for three weeks or a couple weeks or whatever its then come home for a couple of weeks so its kind of a tradeoff. When I’m home, I’m with my kid 24/7. It’s just different. Most dads come home and get a couple hours with their kids then go sleep every day, maybe see them for a minute in the morning. So I don’t get that everyday interaction but when I’m home I get solid, all-day long interaction, so that’s good.

Q: It seems like you’ve really embraced multimedia. You’re doing your blog on your website then some stuff on Youtube and a DVD that you also put out. What are you trying to accomplish with those things and how did you get into putting out so much different stuff that’s not just strictly your music?

A: My manager kind of started me on both those things. He was like ‘why don’t you do a blog?’ I wasn’t really into it at first then I wrote a couple and it was a tremendous outlet, just a different kind of writing than song writing. I like to write. The blog has been cool. I try and do it at least a couple times a week, although I’ve been a little lazy on it lately. I don’t know, I really do enjoy it. Just kind of reaching out and saying what’s on my mind in a different way than I do with my music. The Youtube thing has been really awesome because this is a way that I can play a lot of music that I maybe don’t get to on stage every night and show people different sides of me than maybe they see on stage every night. And also show other people that I think are cool or funny that are out there. What was the goal with it? I mean definitely the Internet is a great way to do viral marketing and stuff like that. In a way it’s really cool because ‘hey you know what, I don’t have a lot of videos on MTV. But guess what? I can put as many videos as I want on it.’ In a way it’s liberating as a musician. I put it all on my computer and just do it myself. I do it at home. I do it in the hotel. I do it on the street. I do it wherever the hell I am. It’s just like a real-life creative outlet for me. And hopefully it spreads what I’m doing too; to people that can’t get out to the show.

Q: You talked a little bit about viral marketing and that sort of thing and the Internet and the role its playing. Kind of along that same line, with all the downloading and music being shared, where do you see the music industry going in the future?

A: The music industry is totally fucked. [laughs] That’s basically the quote right there, yeah. It’s just a time when innovative people and innovative bands are going to find ways to exist and make a living doing this. Music is great. Everybody loves music but the people making the music, whether they are just starting or are established artists, they need to make a living doing it. If you want to play music, you can sit in your room and play music. If you want be in the music business and put records out and tour, that’s not music. Yeah sure, when you are on stage or in the studio that’s music. But everything that goes along with it from booking the gigs to doing interviews, anything else that does not directly involve singing or playing guitar, that’s the game. So you need to learn how to play the game if you are going to try and be a musician. That’s the thing. The people that you see on tour and making records have figured out ok, ‘the music is true in me, I’ve got something to say and I know how to play the game and keep my shit together.’ There are so many talent people that you are never going to see. They might have great music but they don’t have the focus or the drive to make that happen on a different level. And nowadays the music industry is in such a flux that it’s the very innovative people who are going to succeed. We won’t need a record deal to do this or we won’t need to put out a hard copy of a CD to do this.

Q: Where do you see G Love and Special Sauce in 10 years?

A: I see us going down the same road were going up now. Hopefully our thing will be growing exponentially, which it seems to be doing at a slow rate. I see myself making records and touring and doing the same thing. Hopefully just continuing to do it better and better and writing great songs and continuing to strive for the elusive musical perfection.

LINKS

Official G Love and Special Sauce Web site

MySpace page

Music video for "Beautiful"

Music video for "Hot Cooking"

Music video for "Cold Beverage"

Music video for "Kiss and Tell"

Music video for "Booty Call: Closed Captioned"

Music video for "Baby's Got Sauce"

Brushfire Record's Web site