  loving portraits: Dominic Episcopo His band's Okeh/Epic records debut, G. Love and Special Sauce, still sells close to 2,000 copies a week internationally (according to Soundscan) and his second album, Coast to Coast Motel, is doing well at 700-1,000 a week. The first album blended hip-hop elements with a spare, folky guitar sound and featured songs about shooting hoops, drinking a 40 and hangin' with the homeys. The second was bluesier, spirited by a Crescent City groove. Despite the steady sales, Special Sauce has had a rocky history. Infighting between bandmates has made Love seek other players and other projects, including King's Court, a country, pedal steel-driven group; The Philly Cartel, a band that mixes Philly funk with Boston folkiness; and The All Fellas Band, G. and his buddies, jamming. In the last year, Love has recorded a bounty of work including solo acoustic material, songs recorded in New Orleans, music at Philly's Tongue and Groove studios, and a session with Dr. John at Philly's Sonic Studios. Of that material, Love will release an album due out in April or May of this year on Okeh/Epic. When Love walks in, he's wearing a Kangol cap and leather jacket. He's as lanky and limber as a b-ball star at six-foot-four. He yawns, smiles and sits down. We pour over a menu. G.: Yo, you like wheat glute? Me: What? Oh, mock meat right? Yeah, how about we split an order of Chicken Dynasty? Sounds good to me. Where did the name Love come from? Ask me what the G. stands for. What does the G. stand for? Garrett. Uh... what does Love stand for? It just feels nice. Any special plans for Valentine's Day? When I play, I like to hand out roses to all the ladies. Where'd you get the name The All Fellas Band? It's all the fellas! Cats I went to high school with. There's Johnny Valentine, Smiley Lam and the Catman. It's so fresh. Me and these cats have been together since we've been six years old. You look at all the greatest bands of all time, the Beatles and the Stones, and they're like high school buddies which is what we are. Do you get a lot of groupies? I don't really know 'cause with The All Fellas Band we have our own draw, our own crowd. It reminds me just like when Special Sauce was starting out. You wanna build a following, get a weekly gig, meet like a couple cute girls that love to come every week, watch people start coming to your gigs, and then more girls come 'cause they see other girls there. Then the guys come 'cause the girls go. Did you ever date a groupie? Yeah, my girlfriend who I was in love with for two years. I guess I met her at a gig, you know? We almost had a family together. I got no problem dating groupies... It gets lonely on the road. Are you doing OK financially? Yeah, you're buying this, right? Just kiddin'. How did the original incarnation of Special Sauce break up? We did a Special Sauce tour in the spring last year and at the end of that tour we had a falling out. We played this daytime gig at this Boston area college. We were playing a lot of stuff - my band's awesome, they can play whatever. So I started calling tunes out. My drummer ended up getting pissed off and walking off stage. It was a bad scene. But it takes two to tango. Of course I was being an asshole, too - but it's my band. It's my right to be an asshole. Oh, man, this restaurant is all peaceful, and I'm being all loud. After that, you and the Philly Cartel went on the H.O.R.D.E. tour with Joan Osborne and Dave Matthews. What were they like? Dave Matthews, Joan, Rusted Root? I guess everyone thought my shit was gonna be the shit that broke. It was so hip, or like different. I remember Dave Matthews comin' up to me and sayin', "Yo, I'm Dave Matthews from The Dave Matthews Band. I really dig your music." I was like, "Great homey, I'm eating, you know." Nah, I wasn't like that, I was psyched. But you did break big. Dave Matthews sold out the Spectrum. I was at the Grape Street last night, y'know? Yeah, but you're funkier. Actually, he's very talented. If you see him work a stadium-sized crowd then you really appreciate what he does. I love the song "Outtasite" on the Flirting with Disaster soundtrack. I played that song on the talent show at Germantown Friends School when I was 16. That was my first performance. It was still like the biggest cheer I've ever gotten. Do you go out much? Nah. I don't go out a lot, so when I go out, I want to have a good time. I don't even care if the music's horrible. Cause I can like make fun of it, or dance to it. I don't really know how to dance, I dance alone. But, I like dancing. Name three things you love. Sushi, my dog... Three things - like anything? My music, of course. There's other things I love, too, but I'm not gonna tell you all my hobbies. Why don't you? I like to keep that part of my life separate. You know, the pornographic-related stuff. [He giggles.] This chicken is darn good. It tastes just like chicken. Tastes just like chicken... Anyway... I'd like to do a soundtrack for a porno. I've got no problem with pornos, you know. I don't love pornos. Pornography is something I strongly recommend avoiding. It's like a drug. You can really like mess up the way you make love - there's nothing really tender about it which is really what making love is. Hey, it's almost Valentine?s Day. My advice is just find a good woman, find the right person to be with and stop touching myself. It's evil. It's not evil. The way I do it is evil. Nah... Any tips for young lovers? Don't cheat on your partner. It creates irreversible scars or guilt in a relationship. If you've got a girl you plan on keepin', leave the tea bag in the pot so it can still keep steepin'. Huh? Don't go tea-baggin' around. How about tips for being sexy on stage? I don't really feel sexy on stage. Some people say, "Yer so smoov," and I feel so clumsy. I dunno, when I go on stage I've always dressed up, whether it's dressin' up really classy, really cheesy or really wacky. I was reading Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and there was one line like, "And we definitely need Acapulco shirts, we need to dress up like human peacocks." That's the way I envision the way I should look when I play. What's the classy G.? I got a nice selection of suits. I do all my suit shoppin' in Philly at Mr. G's corner. On Third and Market. That's where The All Fellas band gets their suits. My picture's in there wearin' one of their suits. [He reads his fortune cookie.] "From now on your kindness will lead you to success." That's a good one. "You will soon be honored by someone you respect." That's nice. "You will inherit some money or a small piece of land." Two? Yeah, two good ones. That's very good luck. You wanna check out this cool Chinese store real quick? Where I get a lot of cool stuff from? Clothes? Stuff. Cool. At the Chinese Arts and Crafts store, Love bought a tiger-and-dragon wallhanging and some Tiger Balm. While waiting in line he told me a story about how some Jamaican dude rubbed Tiger Balm on his forehead once and how good it felt. Then, Love walked me part of the way back to my EarSHOT office and smoovly kissed my cheek goodbye. Gee. Love!
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