Last night I went to another show. I had been sitting at my bar a week ago when I saw that G Love would be in town. G Love is a blues/rap/rock singer from Philly. His band is called Special Sauce. They’re touring in celebration of their 30th anniversary. Sitting alone at the corner of the bar, maybe a little bored, I was feeling spontaneous. I thought, why not? I used to listen to G Love and I got nothin’ goin’ on next Wednesday….
I first listened to G Love in or around 1999 – that’s when he released his album Philadelphonic. I was in San Francisco in 1999 the day G was playing here in support of that album. I was out here with my father who was video taping some interviews with his former graduate school professor. A month earlier, I had just met my then girlfriend who eventually became my wife. I remember all of this because I remember saying goodbye to the girlfriend before the trip and I remember hanging out on Haight Street during the trip… My father and I were on Haight checking out Amoeba Records on when I saw that G Love & Special Sauce were setting up to play a free show at the record store. It turns out (as I learned from a woman at the concert last night) that was a tradition for a lot of bands: to play a free show at Amoeba the day of their concert at a larger venue. Internet research tells me he played the Fillmore in august 1999 which fits with the time period of when I was visiting. The woman I talked with went to that show at the Fillmore. Sadly, my dad wasn’t feeling well and we couldn’t stay for the free show at Amoeba. I was bummed.
G sings with, and presumably has, a Philly accent. I’m pretty sure he pronounces the word “water” like “wooder.” A lot of his songs are quasi raps that tend to be on the sillier side. He raps about liking cold beverages, he raps about booty calls, he raps about the 76ers and I-76, I-95, and I-676, the main freeways that head into, around, and through Philly.
One of his most popular songs is a song he sang with Jack Johnson, “Rodeo Clowns.” Here’s a live clip of them doing the song. G is the one sitting and you can kinda hear his accent.
I wasn’t sure what to expect from the show. If I’m being honest, I was almost dreading it. I like Rodeo Clowns, and I used to listen to Philadelphonic, but I’m no longer an active listener to his music. I was afraid I had outgrown it and would be regretting my decision to go to the show.
The opening act, a duo called Jakob’s Castle was decent. They use a computer to play bass and beats and they play along on drums and guitar. At times they sounded like the band Sublime (another band from my youth). Part way through the set, they said that they’re from Long Beach, and they’re going to take us back to April 26, 1992. This is a classic song from Sublime about LA and the Rodney King riots (though the song title is “April 29, 1992 (Miami)”). They did a really good cover of it. Which made a lot more sense when the played another Sublime song, “Garden Grove,” which Jakob introduced as another one of his father’s songs. As it turns out, Jakob, from Jakob’s Castle is the son of the lead singer from Sublime. He was 11 months old when his father died of a heroin overdose. It’s strange how bit of knowledge can change our perception. Knowing he was the son of the former lead singer elevated my feelings about their music and the rest of their set. Suddenly, I could hear his father’s voice and intonations coming through.
As for G Love, he put on a great show. He played a lot more blues music than I was expecting with jams and solos for the bassist and drummer. The place was packed, and there was fantastic energy in the room. I felt a strange sense of Philly pride and connection as he sang about the Sixers (Mo Cheeks, Dr. J, Moses Malone). I especially felt the Philly connection when he used the word jawn. It was a small venue with easy access to the stage, and at the end of the show, G Love stayed on stage to give a few autographs. I am not an autograph person (though I was as a kid), but I made my way to the front and had him sign my jawn hat – it felt like a Philly thing to do. When he saw it, he just nodded at me and said in his Philly accent “awww yeah…”
As I walked home, I had an extra bounce in my step. Not because of the autograph or even the show, but because it was nice out, I could smell the flowers and trees blooming, and I had been able to walk to another great outing. I kept thinking that the city is a really fantastic place to be. This is the fourth show I’ve seen since living here. All four have been at small and intimate venues that might hold between 500 and 1,500 people. All four shows (Galactic, G Love, Eric Lindell, and Too Many Zooz) were high energy performances put on by nationally recognized acts… but what struck me as I walked home was the fact that I can’t remember a time when I was in Philly (or Memphis) when I had access to so many different bands playing at so many different venues… and that’s on top of the access to the weather, water, beaches, parks, and museums.
I kept thinking, I could get used to this.