Garrett Dutton knew he was onto something special when he recorded his band’s 1994 self-titled album, “G. Love & Special Sauce.”
And he was right. The eponymous collection, which was certified gold after selling 500,000 copies, spawned the college radio hits “Cold Beverage” and “Baby’s Got Sauce.” The Philadelphia-born band is spending 2024 celebrating the album’s 30th anniversary by playing it in its entirety.
They hit the stage at The Coach House in San Juan Capistrano on Friday, March 1.
“I think everyone is excited to jam that first record out,” he said. “If you love that first record, this is the show to go to.”
The 1990s, Dutton said, were a prime time for creative music.
“It was a whole culture,” he said. “Alternative music was a new thing. There were a lot of different genres being created at that time. It was a vibrant era. I don’t think people realized the cultural impact of all that music that was happening at the time.”
On his end, he creatively mixed hip-hop and the Delta blues – and “it really clicked.”
“It was such a moment in time – personally and for music as a whole,” Dutton said.
“My generation was the first generation to listen to hip-hop like Run-DMC, Beastie Boys. The music influenced the whole garage blues band sound.”
He approaches songwriting like a DJ or hip-hop producer, flipping the script on traditional music.
“We’d take a sample off of a record, something I learned from a Robert Johnson or Muddy Waters record,” he said. “We play it, flip it in a different way, and put it in a song. The lyrical approach and delivery come from my love of the golden age of hip-hop, 1986 to 1994.”
Formed by Dutton (or G. Love, vocals, guitars, harmonica), drummer Jeffrey “The Houseman” Clemens and bassist James “Jimi Jazz” Prescott, G. Love & Special Sauce recently re-released the debut record remastered, expanded and re-released. The new version features 11 live recordings from the Knitting Factory in New York City in July 1994.
One constant in G. Love’s career is the cross-pollination of genres. Dutton said he and his musicians wear their influences on their sleeves.
“Look, we’ve done from folk to more straight-ahead blues kind of stuff, to reggae, rock ‘n’ roll, funk, jazz – a stew of American music,” he said.
He still has an affinity for those genres. When he’s in his car, he listens to LL Cool J’s Rock the Bells Radio, which features 1980s- and 1990s-era hip-hop; the Grateful Dead channel or Spectrum, all on SiriusXM.
“I check in on (Spectrum) to hear the tunes that are getting played now,” he said. “There’s a lot of wonderful music being made and a lot of great songs being released.”
One band he’s championing is Jakobs Castle, led by 28-year-old Jakob Nowell, the son of Sublime frontman Bradley Nowell. Jakobs Castle is supporting G. Love & Special Sauce on the tour and the two acts collaborate live on a Sublime track.
“Jakob’s a lot younger than me,” he said. “We are managed by the same management group. I’ve known his mother throughout the years. She’s come to shows and has been a fan. She always talked about how Jakob was doing music.
“It’s cool to connect. This is a huge story of one of the biggest bands ever. It’s cool to see Jakob at the beginning stages of his career.”
Nowell has been tapped to replace singer Rome in Sublime.
“It’s great to see him get the opportunity,” he said. “It’s a really exciting moment for his family, his legacy and his music. I think a lot of people are really excited. We’re stoked. He sounds a lot like his father, too.”