by Jim Hanas & Mark Jordan
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Gerry Finney |
Blues exploders or blues exploiters? A friend of mine once claimed that the Rolling Stones were one while Led Zeppelin was the other, although I can’t remember which was supposed to be which. The question invariably comes up, however, when considering Garrett Dutton, a.k.a. G. Love.
Combining heartthrob-worthy good looks with a musical hip-hop/soul/blues hybrid, the Beastie Boys got nothing on G. when it comes to copping black forms. But, make no mistake, he’s not exactly Vanilla Ice.
His eponymous 1994 debut, G. Love & Special Sauce, had some compelling tracks, including the staggering “Baby’s Got Sauce” and the chant-a-long “Cold Beverage.” That record was followed by the Jim Dickinson-produced Coast to Coast Motel, and their latest, Yeah, It’s That Easy.
Admittedly, there’s something profoundly cheesy about Dutton and his band, even beyond his school-girl-targeting pseudonym. Their latest offering even has an interactive portion devoted to a video called “Cookin’ With G.,” in which “G. Love takes us through the preparation of one of his favorite gourmet meals, from the initial trip to the fish market to the mouth-watering finish.”
Anyway, don’t let all that get in the way of the fact that he writes solid and incredibly catchy songs that he, in turn, delivers with flair, taste, and an easy style. He and Special Sauce will be at the New Daisy Friday with opening act the North Mississippi All-Stars. – Jim Hanas
Allow me to plug a good cause for a friend for a second: A little over a year ago singer/songwriter Gerry Finney lost his mother to cancer. Then, three months later, Gerry himself was diagnosed with lymphoma and Hodgkin’s Disease. A year later, Gerry is in remission and doing great.
This Friday, Gerry, with the sponsorship of McKenzie’s, T.J. Mulligan’s, and the Flyer, will stage the first Joan Finney American Cancer Society Benefit at McKenzie’s on Germantown Parkway. The event will begin at 6 p.m. with a silent auction that will include sports memorabilia signed by Penny Hardaway, Elliot Perry, and Michael Jordan. That will be followed by a live auction at 8 p.m. and live music by Joe Norman and friends after that. Tickets are $25 per person, $40 per couple and all proceeds will go to the American Cancer Society in the Finney family name. n – Mark Jordan