G. Love and the Whale Guitar

Last Saturday, some of the Ocean Alliance staffers joined Jennifer Long and the Whale Guitar crew for a night out at the House of Blues. Marine Coordinator Dan Albani, his girlfriend Kristen, Programs Manager Rebecca Siswick Graham, and Robotics Coordinator John Graham were able to attend the G-Love and the Special Sauce concert despite the short notice!
Jen and the Whale Guitar had been tweeting up a storm online to gather interest for the Whale Guitar and for conservation efforts – and Garrett, aka G-Love, was sold on it! Just 24 hours before the event, the musician sent her a private tweet and expressed his interest in the guitar. He invited her to bring it to him at the end of the show and agreed to give it a spin. Our staffers and Jen’s crew even got to hang out in the VIP section while they watched G-Love. John and Rebecca are both from Philadelphia, as is G-Love, who referenced Boston’s earlier Bruins victory over the Philadelphia Flyers.
G-Love and the Special Sauce played their signature hybrid mix of hip hop, blues, and jazz for two hours of what Dan described as “non stop entertainment,” and his set included classics like “My Baby’s Got Sauce” and “Cold Beverage”. The show ended with G-Love inviting the opening act on stage for a group cover of Weezer’s “Say it Ain’t So”, which was sung in equal parts by G-Love and the crowd. It was an awesome end to the performance which left fans whistling, and clapping even after G. Love and crew left the stage.

After the show ended, the Ocean Alliance staff and the Whale Guitar crew were ushered across to the backstage entrance and plopped down at the front of the line. Jen and the Whale Guitar (which was designed by William Schaff, and built/luthiered by Rachel Rosenkrantz) led the way, with WHALE! emblazoned across the front of the guitar case in neon yellow, which drew a lot of attention from curious bystanders.

 
 
As Dan Albani described, “unexpectedly, G-Love popped out of the door behind us, almost walked into Jen, looked down and asked what was in the case. Jen explained the whale guitar, and face lit up and he nodded with recognition. At that point, he asked Jen to pop open the case and take out the guitar. While Jen and her husband prepared the guitar, G-Love went and met with the long line of fans, some of which shouted inquiries about the guitar towards our group. With the guitar hooked up, G-Love slipped the strap over his shoulder, shredded for a couple minutes, and exclaimed ‘This feels REALLY nice, actually! Very NICE!'”

 
G. Love added his signature to the Whale Guitar and said goodbye. Our staffers had a fantastic night, it was a pleasure to watch the Whale Guitar being used for its intended purpose, and we hope to join Jen and her crew for the next signing! It’s clear that many artists are eager to promote conservation efforts, and that Ocean Alliance and The Whale Guitar Project have the potential for a great partnership. We are excited to be a part of the Whale Guitar’s journey!
– OA Staff