Above: G. Love continues to create. He appears in a new Jack Johnson documentary and is part of a blues trio called Mud Kings. Photo by Karen Lee Hillis.
By Roger Hillis
G. Love & Special Sauce have been wowing crowds for more than three decades with their mix of hip hop and blues; and the trio’s head honcho (driver’s license name: Garrett Dutton) is busier than ever with a myriad of projects. The group has added a second leg to its tour celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Lemonade album which will take up most of the month of August. But before that, G. Love will be part of the collaborative Rolling Together Revue tour with surf-rock troubadour Donavon Frankenreiter and indie-rock quartet Moon Taxi. Included will be a coastal Sussex County stop at the annual Rocking the Docks concert series on the grounds of the Cape May-Lewes Ferry terminal at 6 p.m. on Sunday, June 21.
G. Love has also recorded an upcoming funk-blues album under the name Mud Kings along with lap steel virtuoso Robert Randolph and R&B vocalist Aloe Blacc.
While G. Love has always been synonymous with his hometown of Philadelphia, he now calls Massachusetts’ Cape Cod home. While much of his year is spent traveling the rock ’n’ roll circuit, he says he treasures the moments he can enjoy some rest and relaxation with his family.
O&A: How is Cape Cod life treating you?
G. Love: I love it. I love surfing and being by the water, so we made that move. Things are slow in the winter, which is something you get used to. This morning I went fishing and dropped my kids off at school. Then I went surfing. Then I came home and cooked up a big pot of soup. Now I’m picking up my kids, and then I’ll probably go fishing again. For me, this is like the perfect day at home.
O&A: Frankenreiter and Moon Taxi on the bill. There will be some jamming going on?
G. Love: Yes. The way it’s going to work is, Moon Taxi will come out and open with a set of their own stuff. Then Donavon and I are going to play a mini-acoustic set. And then Moon Taxi is going to back us up for an electric set. It’s pretty sick! It’s definitely going to be a lot of fun. Donavon is one of my best friends. Hopefully we’ll get some surfing in.
O&A: The first time Robert Randolph played the Bottle & Cork in Dewey Beach, you were in the audience and jumped up on stage with him to jam — and then you ended up playing an unannounced solo acoustic show next door at The Starboard the following day. How did that all come about?
G. Love: That’s kind of a legendary story. I grew up in Philly, and usually went to the beach in Avalon, New Jersey. But I have family in Dewey. My cousins live there, so I’ve been known to take the Cape May-Lewes Ferry across to visit them. We went to the Cork for Robert’s show, and I’d played the Cork before. I thought the doormen would let me in for free. They said they didn’t care who I was, so I shelled out the thirty bucks for a ticket. Whatever. But it was fun catching up with Robert and jamming with him. The owner of the Starboard, Monty (Steve Montgomery), asked me if I’d be interested in playing an acoustic set at his place the next day. It ended up being a lot of fun, and I’ve done it many times since then. It’s like a total party vibe. And one of the cool things is that Monty never has a cover charge. It’s just a gift to his customers. And he does a lot for the community.
O&A: You played the inaugural Oceans Calling festival in Ocean City, MD in 2023. The Lumineers headlined that day and had one of those long metal ramps that stretches out into the audience, but they didn’t connect the section that attaches to the stage until right before they went on. I watched you take a flying leap over the pit with your wireless microphone so that you could perform out in the middle of the crowd. Was there any blowback?
G. Love: There were 60,000 people out there, so I just went for it. But, no, I didn’t get in trouble or anything. That whole day was incredible.
O&A: You came back out later that day for the all-star jam session, and did a hip hop set with DMC from Run DMC. Was that a “pinch me” moment?
G. Love: Absolutely. That was an amazing moment that I will never, ever forget. It was like a dream come true. To be up there with him paying tribute to Run DMC and also the Beastie Boys, those are the songs I grew up with. I know those lyrics like the back of my hand. By the way, I showed up the year before that when the festival got rained out at the last minute. There were all these people in town for the festival with nothing to do, so I started looking for someplace to play. Bobby Taylor from the Purple Moose Saloon on the boardwalk booked us, and it was great. People were going crazy. It reminded me of that first time playing The Starboard.
O&A: Your summer tour schedule has a few TBA’s listed; is there any possibility that something in Ocean City will be added?
G. Love: I think so. I have a strong feeling I’ll be doing something at Seacrets. (Editor’s note: tickets have gone on sale for a stripped-down version of the Rolling Together Revue featuring just G. Love and Frankenreiter that will take place outside on Seacrets’ beach stage at 7 p.m. on Sunday, June 14.)
O&A: You’re going to Hawaii for the premiere of Jack Johnson’s documentary, which you appear in. You two have quite a history.
G. Love: Yes, the film is called SURFILMUSIC. We had a good hand in helping him out when he first started playing music. I’ve always tried to help other musicians. One of my missions in life is to inspire people to play music. Jack has definitely ended up being the most successful.
O&A: As if you aren’t busy enough, you’re part of a new supergroup blues trio with Robert Randolph and Aloe Blacc called Mud Kings. Is that something that will be launching next year?
G. Love: Actually, as far as the album goes, it’s all done and we’re ready to start dropping singles. I just got the mastered version of the record, and it sounds absolutely amazing. It’s unbelievable. I think people are going to love it. For me personally, it’s just great to be a part of this amazing group of people.
— For tickets to G. Love’s June 21 show at Rocking the Docks, visit RockingTheDocksLewes.com
