The Red and Black

G. Love will play harmonica tonight at Georgia Theatre. (Special - The Red & Black) [Click to enlarge]

The frontman of Philadelphia blues-funk band G. Love and Special Sauce is all about love - from his name to his musical philosophy.

"Basically just music is love," said G. Love, whose real name is Garrett Dutton. "I mean, I think that's the emotion that music brings out of people, whether it's the listener or the musician."

It's that easy going philosophy that defines the unique brand of music played by the band, which is rounded out by acoustic bassist Jimmy "Jazz" Prescott and drummer Jeffrey "Houseman" Clemens.

"That's why people like our music - they like our music because they feel it," Love said about his group that will play tonight at Georgia Theatre.

Love, who plays guitar and harmonica, started out on guitar when he was 8 years old and hated it. It wasn't until he was in his teens that he began improving enough to enjoy performing.

"You go to a house party and there'd always be a room where people were smoking out and jamming, and that'd be where I was chilling," Love said.

The trio formed in 1994, in which they released their self-titled debut album.

Love, who writes the band's songs, said inspiration for his song writing comes from his life.

"My music is my personal life, so there's definitely no separation there for me. That's what I'm about," he said. "Sometimes a good line will wake me up in my sleep or something and I'll get up and write it down, and then later I'll come back to those lyrics with a good groove."

He said a great sound, a great performance by himself and his band and a great crowd reaction all add up to what he describes as a "euphoric night." He hopes to be able to take people away from their reality when they come to his shows.

He said, "If I can do that for a couple hours and take them into a great place, and everyone is dancing and making out and drinking ... and having a good time, then that's what it's all about for me."

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