When I first heard the title track, "Fixin to Die" on a member-supported radio station, I stalked the online DJ set-list to see what brilliant artist was putting out such a fun, foot-stomping, physically addictive song. When I found out it was G. Love, I swallowed my pride and confessed to anyone willing to listen that not only had I seriously misjudged the man, but I was clinging on to an outmoded impression of him. Must be a Philly thing.

"Fixin' to Die" kicks ass. And I don't just mean the song. G.Loves newest venture,Fixin to Die, produced by the Avett brothers, puts a whole new label on G. Love: Serious Bluesman. It's a wonder he kept this energy bottled up for so long. Perhaps the roots crowd will finally embrace him as one of their own. He has earned it in blood price.

Philly native G. Love is best known for his sloppy, hip-hop bluesy infusion that helped define a genre. Not to mention some of his performance antics. I have it on good authority he once powered up his band's amps from the kitchen outlet of a popular Philadelphia bar for an impromptu live performance. So it may come as a small surprise that G. Love can nail the down-and- dirty Delta-styled blues with panache and grit.

Or maybe it's exactly what you would expect of this talented multi-dimensional artist.

G. Love has had a prolific musical career spanning over the course of 19 years. With nine group albums to his credit, and three solo releases, including 16 singles, it may come as no surprise to rabid followers that G. Love can masterfully deliver the straight blues, a style he has been itching to record for over a decade. Whether the moon and planets came into perfect alignment this year, we are all benefactors of G. Love's newest journey. If this is the true G. Love, I am anxious to hear more.

antiMusic caught up with G. Love as he prepares to embark on a U.S. tour, which kicks off in ubber talent-saturated Nashville TN, on March 1, and ends in Houston, TX on March 26, in support ofFixin to Die. The tour also includes a stop at SXSW. Hats off to you, G. Love. Enjoy your cold beverages. You've earned them.

antiMusic: You helped define an entire music genre, affectionately referred to as hip-hop blues. Talk about how this effort is different from your previous works in terms of lyricism, melody, and arrangements?

G. Love: Before I stumbled upon the hip-hop blues I was deeply rooted in delta blues and folk music. Fixin' to Die is a record that I've been trying to make for 15 years and is reflective of the musical influences and the time of my life that shaped my career.

antiMusic: How is it reflective of your past efforts?

G. Love: It's kind of full circle. Learning the Delta Blues and the styles of Bob Dylan and the Beatles led me to my own unique approach of music when I combined them with hip-hop. For this record I returned to my roots.

antiMusic: What kinds of risks have you taken with this body work? What experiences have contributed to the inspiration behind the album?

G. Love: The major risks associated with this record involved leaving my comfort zone. I recorded without my band, my normal studio team and although I knew and loved the Avett Brothers' music, I don't think anybody really knew what would happen when we were going into the studio. All I knew was that I had to be prepared when I went into the studio so I really put a lot of time into preparation.
The inspiration in the recording process came from the spontaneity of learning new tunes with a new unit, the encouragement and open-mindedness of Seth and Scott Avett, and from being very connected to the body of work and the songs we were working with.

antiMusic: Talk about recording at Echo Mountain Studios?

G. Love: When I first walked into Echo Mountain I was literally floored. It's this old converted church and it's just beautiful to look at, with high, vaulted ceilings and sun coming in through stained glass. It's set in the heart of downtown Ashville that is an incredibly musical town. The minute we started recording you could tell it was on.

antiMusic: You've mentioned thatFixin to Die was an emotional recording session. Can you tell us more about that?

G. Love: A lot of these songs are about family and important life experiences. Some of the songs I wrote in high school, the newest song I wrote 2 weeks before the session. It was also an emotional recording session because there was so much at stake. Our last record was a real commercial failure and I knew on this record I had to do something that was going to connect. So for me, I was putting everything I had into it. It was basically like, win or go home.

antiMusic: The collection of songs onFixin to Die is mostly originals that you have written over the last decade. Can you talk more about the muse/inspiration behind songs like, "Milk and Sugar," "Home," and "Heaven?"

G. Love: I recently got engaged, so the love songs are for my fianc�. Finally finding the right girl to marry also made older songs like 'home' more poignant because a lot of the values and emotions I had been romanticizing over the years were finally coming true.

antiMusic: What is it about the present that has given you the push to finally release and record the songs?

G. Love: I knew I had to make a change. I had to stop trying to be something I wasn't and just be someone I am. SoFixin to Die was all about recapturing the spirit and music that led me into a lifelong pursuit of roots and blues music.

antiMusic: Why did you choose the songs you did to cover? IE, Paul Simon's, "Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover?"

G. Love:Fixin to Die is an old Bukka White tune. The version I play was learned off of Bob Dylan's' version. I've been playing that one for about 12 or 15 years in my acoustic sets. Over the summer tour it recently worked its way back into my set. "You've got to die" is an old Blind Willie McTell gospel song that Seth Avett brought to the table. "Pale blue eyes" is an old velvet Underground tune. Lou Reed is hands-down one of my favorite songwriters of all time and this tune is a song that I've had in my repertoire since my days of basking in Philly. We weren't sure we were going to record it but on the last day in the studio we had a couple hours leftover so we decided to cut it. "50 ways to leave your lover" is a tune that my manager has been trying to get me to cover for years. I finally broke down and learned it then gave it the hoedown section at the end, which to me made this uncoverable song acceptable to perform and record.

antiMusic: What perception of you as an artist are you hoping to influence or change as a result of this album?

G. Love: I'm not trying to change anything I'm just doing my thing better than I've ever done it and keeping my recording approach as honest as possible.

antiMusic: Why do you think the roots worlds has been slow to grab onto you?

G. Love: I started as a street performer who made his way into the coffee house circuit in Philly, Saratoga Springs and Boston, and so the roots circuit in fact is where I got my start. Unfortunately a lot of the powers that be in roots music are sometimes narrow-minded when it comes to influence such as hip-hop so a lot of doors were closed to me. Even the Philadelphia Folk Festival where I was a volunteer as a teenager and near my hometown has never booked me in my 18-year career as a bluesman. It is what it is, but hopefully onFixin to Die people are going to see that the delta blues lives on.

antiMusic: Do you think listeners carry an inaccurate image or outmoded image of you in their minds? How do you plan on changing that?

G. Love: It's not really up to me how people think of me or perceive me; it's just up to me to make great music. This is my 11th record, everybody loves something different.

antiMusic: What has been you most successful experiences/ and accomplishments as a songwriter/musician?

G. Love: The first one, just being able to be a recording artist and to tour the world playing streets, dive bars, festivals, and stadiums and having people sing along. The ultimate reward as a songwriter is being able to look out into the crowd night after night and realize that the songs you've written have had an impact on people's lives.

antiMusic: Talk about the music that has influenced you on your journey from when you first started to where you are now. How have your musical tastes changed an how does that affect your own music?

G. Love: When I was a kid I was listening to two kinds of music, hip-hop when I was hanging out with my friends and blues and classic rock when I was learning my guitar. So I can honestly look back and say that KRS1 influenced me just as much as Lennon and McCartney.

antiMusic: Talk about working with Scott and Seth Avett on the album?

G. Love: I've never met two more genuine musicians or people as the Avett Brothers , they're just good people you know? They were always ready to try something new; they had strong opinions and gave me good advice, but were never overbearing or unsupportive. The whole studio atmosphere was just pure creativity and openness and it's a testament to those cats as producers.

antiMusic: You've shared the stage with the Avett brothers before, playing blues and such. Talk about how your friendship began, and what it has grown into?

G. Love: Well we had only met a couple times backstage at shows and festivals. When it came to music we got along just fine. When you go into making a record with someone it's a whole different level of hanging out. Lets just say I feel like the third brother.

antiMusic: Where do you see yourself headed as an artist?

G. Love: I see this record bringing it all back home for me. For me it's about playing, performing and recording the music I love with good people and for good people. I'm definitely on my blues kick right now and I'm letting it come out. I think it's safe to say that stylistically I'll never try to hold myself to one genre but I can say that through recordingFixin to Die I realized that the best way for me to make records is to make them as down-home as possible.