G. Love
Currently touring the UK and Europe in support of Fixin' To Die, G. Love took the time to chat to us about performing solo acoustic shows, the new album and his future plans.
-How have the UK dates been going so far?
So far, so good. We just did Glasgow and Manchester. It's been nice, man, good crowds. It's just been solo acoustic, so it's really...that's kinda my passion. It's nice to get back to those kinda roots.
-Are there any nerves going into a solo acoustic show?
Yeah. I mean, I get nervous before all of my shows. There's always a certain amount of pressure I put on myself to put on a good show. It's fun for me. I like the solo acoustic thing because I can take the show whever I want to take it at any minute. I can really interact with the audience a lot. It's a challenge. It's all en-compassing.
-Does it give you a bit more freedom with your setlist, because you don't have to consult anyone else in the band? You can just go where you want with it.
For sure. I can go wherever I want with the setlist. Well, I'm pretty free with the setlist with the band as well, cos we have a pretty big repetoire. Solo, even more so. I can take a U-turn or a left-turn, or I can just stop [laughing]. I can go where I want, and I don't have to worry about getting hit in the head with a drum-stick.
-How's the reaction to the newer material been on the shows?
Really good, man. On my solo show I do a number of tunes off the new record, I do some older Delta blues stuff. I do stuff from all my different records. I do a couple of covers.
Like, I do some hip-hop covers and mix it up. Definitely more of a hip-hop blues, but even more hardcore. The blues aspect comes across a lot harder when there's no drum beat. It's pretty unique.
-Is it easy keeping the setlist fresh for you, even though there are songs your fans will expect to hear?
For me, anytime you've got a hit and people want to hear it, that's usually cos it's a good song and it's fun to play, you know?
The cream always rises to the top with which songs you record, that go over well live. The more records that come out, the more you have to streamline, sticking to the hits that not only are hits on record, but really get a good reaction live.
I definitely play those hits. I enjoy playing them, they're good songs. There's always ways to make them fresh. I keep everybody including myself guessing about what's coming next!
-Looking ahead, you're back in the US in October. Are you looking forward to those dates?
[Laughing]Well, I just got over here! It just gets harder and harder for us to come over here, for so many different reasons. Everytime we get a chance, it's a good time. It's great to connect with fans.
Our first tour was in '94, so we've been coming over here for a long time. I just wish we could get over here more. The world's such a big place.
We've just continuously trying to find ways to make our touring work out over here. I think this is a good way to come over on a real grassroots level. Just some more intimate shows, to get the music across and let people know we're still around.
-How has life on the road changed since that first tour in '94?
I've definitely grown up on the road. My first tour was when I was 20, back in '94.
I love being on the road. I love getting to see the world and meet the people, eat the local food, drink the local wine, judge the local women!
Nah, on a serious note I enjoy my travels. It's all about the music. I love to play my guitar. Some nights, for sure, it can get to be a grind with all the travel.
As much as I love it, it can definitely wear you out. That's why I like to take a look before the show, bring that fresh energy to the stage and sing it out every night.
-How's the initial reaction been to your latest record?
It's been really good. It's been like a second chance to make a first record for me. With Fixin' To Die, it's a lot of the repetoire I was onto before I became G. Love.
I was a street musician playing in coffee shops. Really influenced by Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Delta Blues, and writing a lot of songs. Some of those tunes from that area are on the new record. It was really like opening up.
Let's not say it's a second chance at a first record, because your life always leads up to that first record. It's often a real statement for a lot of musicians, and it was for me as well.
But this is kind of another chance to make a first record because it's songs I've had my whole life. My whole life's been leading up to making this kind of blues record.
It was a really emotional record for me to make, and also a really easy record for me to make, because it's been in me for so long. It was like going home.
-How was it working with The Avett Brothers on the album?
The Avett Brothers are real gifted musicians, heavily influenced by blueglass, and old-time church songs and music from the south. Between the three of us, we really cover the roots of American and folk music, as traditional music.
They're great singers, I knew they would be able to help me perform a good vocal record. I think it's one of my best vocal records. We had a real honest recording session.
In 9 days we made the record, and we tried to make things as minimalistic as possible. All the performances are live. That's what was going down in the room.
Not breaking it all down in Pro Tools, not over-dubbing and getting carried away trying to be The Beatles. As far as a rock and roll band, The Beatles, Led Zepplin, really excelled in studio wizardry.
It's something you always strive to do, and sometimes you can get a little too fancy trying to achieve what they achieved.
For me, my best success in the studio has been stripping it down and going for live, raw performances.
-What does the rest of 2011 hold in store for you?
The record has almost been out for a year right now. After we do our tour in the US we'll go to Japan, and that kinda wraps up our year. We'll maybe go back down to Australia in December, but that pretty much wraps up our year of touring on this record.
At that point, I'll start to submit demos for another record. This record was a new chapter for me. I'm living the life I was singing about as a teenager. That just makes it more powerful.
I feel like the next record I want to make will go in that direction, even more streamlined to the Delta blues. That's where we're headed.
It's been a great year, a lot of touring. I haven't been this inspired in years. It's been a great musical year for me.
Female First - Alistair McGeorge
Currently touring the UK and Europe in support of Fixin' To Die, G. Love took the time to chat to us about performing solo acoustic shows, the new album and his future plans.
-How have the UK dates been going so far?
So far, so good. We just did Glasgow and Manchester. It's been nice, man, good crowds. It's just been solo acoustic, so it's really...that's kinda my passion. It's nice to get back to those kinda roots.
-Are there any nerves going into a solo acoustic show?
Yeah. I mean, I get nervous before all of my shows. There's always a certain amount of pressure I put on myself to put on a good show. It's fun for me. I like the solo acoustic thing because I can take the show whever I want to take it at any minute. I can really interact with the audience a lot. It's a challenge. It's all en-compassing.
-Does it give you a bit more freedom with your setlist, because you don't have to consult anyone else in the band? You can just go where you want with it.
For sure. I can go wherever I want with the setlist. Well, I'm pretty free with the setlist with the band as well, cos we have a pretty big repetoire. Solo, even more so. I can take a U-turn or a left-turn, or I can just stop [laughing]. I can go where I want, and I don't have to worry about getting hit in the head with a drum-stick.
-How's the reaction to the newer material been on the shows?
Really good, man. On my solo show I do a number of tunes off the new record, I do some older Delta blues stuff. I do stuff from all my different records. I do a couple of covers.
Like, I do some hip-hop covers and mix it up. Definitely more of a hip-hop blues, but even more hardcore. The blues aspect comes across a lot harder when there's no drum beat. It's pretty unique.
-Is it easy keeping the setlist fresh for you, even though there are songs your fans will expect to hear?
For me, anytime you've got a hit and people want to hear it, that's usually cos it's a good song and it's fun to play, you know?
The cream always rises to the top with which songs you record, that go over well live. The more records that come out, the more you have to streamline, sticking to the hits that not only are hits on record, but really get a good reaction live.
I definitely play those hits. I enjoy playing them, they're good songs. There's always ways to make them fresh. I keep everybody including myself guessing about what's coming next!
-Looking ahead, you're back in the US in October. Are you looking forward to those dates?
[Laughing]Well, I just got over here! It just gets harder and harder for us to come over here, for so many different reasons. Everytime we get a chance, it's a good time. It's great to connect with fans.
Our first tour was in '94, so we've been coming over here for a long time. I just wish we could get over here more. The world's such a big place.
We've just continuously trying to find ways to make our touring work out over here. I think this is a good way to come over on a real grassroots level. Just some more intimate shows, to get the music across and let people know we're still around.
-How has life on the road changed since that first tour in '94?
I've definitely grown up on the road. My first tour was when I was 20, back in '94.
I love being on the road. I love getting to see the world and meet the people, eat the local food, drink the local wine, judge the local women!
Nah, on a serious note I enjoy my travels. It's all about the music. I love to play my guitar. Some nights, for sure, it can get to be a grind with all the travel.
As much as I love it, it can definitely wear you out. That's why I like to take a look before the show, bring that fresh energy to the stage and sing it out every night.
-How's the initial reaction been to your latest record?
It's been really good. It's been like a second chance to make a first record for me. With Fixin' To Die, it's a lot of the repetoire I was onto before I became G. Love.