G LOVE Interview (SoHo)

“Ain’t Nothin’ But A G Thang”
Written by Jason Reed
July 8, 2017

G. Love has epitomized the quintessential “laid back” bluesy musical stylings (while combining his own unique hip-hop infused lyricism into his musical “sauce”) since his eponymous and titular album in 1994 on Epic Records. G. Love is so “laid back” in fact that I always thought of him as a “West Coast G” like his fellow compatriot and surfer Jack Johnson. However, it wasn’t until recently that I learned more about his East Coast roots, growing up on the streets of Philadelphia and later Boston; those early formative years shaping him into the beloved singer/songwriter he is today.

I had the chance to sit down with G. Love before his performance at SoHo in Santa Barbara, California recently to ask him about coming up on the streets of Philly (alongside other musical luminaries like the Roots, Schooly D, DJ Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince, etc.), working with Ben Stein on Comedy Central in the 90’s,  his ongoing collaborations with Jack Johnson and new band Jamtown, along with his recent performance at Radio City Musical Hall in honor of the Queen of Soul,  Aretha Franklin.

Now that everything’s said and done, I now think the “G” in his name stands for “gentleman” since G. Love was just that. Humble, approachable and full of manners, it was clear that G.Love’s momma raised him right and that he’s still got the “sauce” that made him famous more than two decades go (seriously, you can actually buy a bottle of his sauce here!). Be sure to check out G. Love on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram).