Philadelphia blues fiends G. Love and Special Sauce are set to play at 8:30 tonight at The State Theatre.
Garrett Dutton, primarily known as G. Love, will be making his second performance this semester in State College. This time, he returns with jam-driven backing band, Special Sauce. The funky friends first got their start on the streets of Philly, G. Love said.
“I lived right downtown where everyone would walk around and there were a lot of street musicians there. I started playing there when I was about seventeen,” G. Love said about his solo start as a singer-songwriter.
After finding his crew on the streets, the band then headed up the coast, he said.
“We started playing the Irish clubs in Boston,” G. Love said, adding that gigs came from those that watched his street performances in town.
After meeting his drummer, G. Love said that one thing led to another.
“The rest is history,” G. Love said.
The band now consists of a power trio with a strong rhythm section made up of bassist Timo Shanko and drummer Jeffrey Clemens, also known as Houseman.
“After the twenty minute acoustic set at Rock the Vote, there was quite a stir. He really connects with college kids on a performance level,” The State Theatre Executive Director Richard Biever, said. “We try to do a wide variety.”
Biever added that The State Theatre’s mission is to be as diverse as possible when it comes to what type of music the venue brings to State College.
“We love stuff that appeals to college kids,” Biever said.
Students, like Matt Stowell, are excited for the show tonight.
“He’s a sloppy jazz type deal and just does his own thing,” Stowell said.
Stowell (freshman-landscape architecture) said that this should be a different experience for the audience.
“He is just always having a good time with his music, and this time he is playing with his band,” he said. “They are really jamming.”
The music has fewer boundaries when the backing band is there to rock, G. Love said.
“There is a much bigger choice of songs with the band,” G. Love said.
Although G. Love released a solo album most recently, he has five albums and years of road experience with the groove-driving duo. G. Love said he expects a different atmosphere with Special Sauce.
“It will be much more of a party,” said G. Love.
