When I heard G. Love was a-coming to town, I was overjoyed. When I heard he was touring with a band called King's Court, I was worried. Part of what made his last disc, Coast to Coast Motel so outstanding was the excellent rhythm section, especially the percussion. Houseman, as he is called, is a rarity among drummers. He plays his set like an instrument, not a metronome, and does much more than merely keep time. Whole dimensions are added to G. Love's admittedly simple-at-times blues-based guitar licks. The bass, though less remarkable, was also outstanding on the album. Arriving at the 8x10 club in Baltimore, I had no idea what to expect. Sitting through the opening act (Balto's own Gibb Droll band, pretty decent Matthewsesque stuff), I had plenty of time to worry. I shouldn't have. When King's Court took the stage, I was relieved to see Houseman at the drum podium - almost as much as I was to see the 6' plus G. Love in a shimmeringly garish 2 piece, which he later referred our attention to in a freestyle. I was shocked to see a 50 or so year'd veteran on bass, moses length beard, slicked back hair and all.
My worries all evaporated after the first 10 seconds or so. The band was tight as all hell, and nobody was dissapointed. G. Love's guitar was ALWAYS on the mark, as was the band. He does great things with music. I love the way he updates and twists some pretty straightforward blues tunes into songs deadheads can do their silly dances to - not that I couldnt have done with out the dancers. Highlights included G. Love's trademark easy manner with the crowd throughout, as well as killer jamming and freestyling on 2 favorites of mine: "Shooting Hoops" and "Nancy". "Cold Beverages" was, as expected, the ultimate crowd pleaser, with G. Love getting crazy with vocals (standard and new), and the bassist going insane pluckwise. The new tunes all impressed me, as did all the ones from Coast to Coast Motel_, and most from the debut album. The only problem I had with the show were the two love songs, one of which was a pretty much note-by-note version of my least favorite of his songs, "I Love You." I think he wrote that song, and still performs it for one reason: To get laid. That aside, there were a few bonuses during the show that I hardly expected. His basisst did a lead vocal turn which greatly impressed me. The centerpiece of the encore was a new song about a bum. Decent lyrics, but great musically. G. Love is only getting better.
A huge bonus: the hulking, incredibly gifted Kelly Bell, who did vocals for the G. Love-penned tune "Say One Thing," which Mr. Love penned just for one of Baltimore's best local bands, the KB Blues Band. The entire show was fantastic. I only had to drive 45 minutes to catch this show, but I would have gladly driven many times that. I can't imagine a better performance.
