(Enlarge) Garrett Dutton, better known as G. Love, the singer-guitarist of G. Love & Special Sauce, performs at Merriweather Post Pavilion, in Columbia, Saturday, July 25.

Last summer, when G. Love & Special Sauce performed at Pier 6 Pavilion in Baltimore, it was very much against doctor's orders.

"They wanted me to cancel my tour, but I just kind of plowed through and maybe that was stupid," confides the band's singer, guitarist and harmonica player, Garrett Dutton, better known as G. Love.

In 2008, the musician was diagnosed with an acute vocal hemorrhage. "The injury that I had, for a singer, was equivalent to an NFL player having a torn (anterior cruciate ligament)," he explains by phone from his home in Boston.

"When I wasn't on stage, I was on complete vocal rest."

Fifteen years of delivering the blues with his signature growl had taken a toll, so last November, the 36-year-old musician underwent surgery to repair his torn vocal cords. But not to worry: "I think I'm sounding better than ever," he declares.

Local fans can judge for themselves this Saturday, July 25, when G. Love & Special Sauce performs at the Merriweather Post Pavilion along with singer/songwriters Jason Mraz and Eric Hutchinson.

G. Love & Special Sauce, which also includes bassist Timo Shanko, keyboardist Mark Boyce, and drummer Houseman, were one of the first acts to mix hip-hop with the blues. On their self-titled 1994 debut, the band managed to channel both the Beastie Boys and B.B. King.

Their single "Cold Beverage," became a staple on MTV and college radio. "I call it the hip-hop blues," G. Love says of the band's sound.

"That's the cornerstone of what we do, but we also have rock'n'roll, reggae, and even country. It's basically a big soup of American and world music."

Over the course of 10 albums, G. Love & Special Sauce has found new ways to enliven that formula. From the horn laden hooks of "City Livin" to the acoustic sweetness of "Crumble," the band seems newly invigorated on its latest release, "Superhero Brother."

"I write all different kinds of songs," G. Love says. "They are heavy and light and funny and sad and everything in between."

Still, the musician will admit that it's the band's upbeat tunes that fans respond to best. "People like the fun party vibe songs," he acknowledges.

"When people come to a G. Love & Special Sauce show, they want to have a funky good time." The songs on "Superhero Brother" delivers that and more. But the band has not always been so successful.

After releasing 1999's critically acclaimed "Philadelphonic" CD, G. Love & Special Sauce saw its fortunes slipping. When its next album was met with tepid response, the band was dropped by its record label. Ironically, the decline coincided with the rapid ascension of Jack Johnson, a singer-songwriter who was introduced to the music world by G. Love & Special Sauce.

"I met Jack when he was this surfer kid fresh out of college," G. Love explains. "He played me his demo and I thought it was really good."

The band covered Johnson's "Rodeo Clowns" on the "Philadelphonic" release, and invited the younger musician to share in the vocals. The song became a hit, and Jack Johnson soon released his own album, the platinum selling "Brushfire Fairytales."

G. Love notes that it was "really awesome" seeing Johnson's star rise, but it couldn't have been easy watching his younger pal eclipse him. The musician brushes aside the suggestion of harboring some jealousy with a laugh: "It was interesting, to say the least."

He can afford to find the situation amusing now. When Jack Johnson formed his own record label, G. Love was one of the first artists signed, and in 2004, Brushfire Records released his first solo album, "The Hustle." "Lemonade" followed, and in 2008 the full band was back with "Superhero Brother."

They might not have had any platinum sellers themselves to date, but G. Love says the members are happy to be making their living as working musicians. "Sure, everyone would love to sell a million records, but the fact is that it's harder and harder to do that now," he notes of the current state of the music business.

With so many ways to access free music, artists today can't rely on album sales alone to expand their fan base. Getting people to fill the seats is what's most important in the new paradigm. Fortunately, live performances have always been this band's strong suit.

"Every night before a show, we come together for a hug and take a minute to let the rest of the day go so we can go out there and give it to the people," G. Love says.

"We put everything we have into the music. I can honestly say that I never take that for granted."

G. Love & Special Sauce performs with Jason Mraz and Eric Hutchinson at Merriweather Post Pavilion, Saturday, July 25 at 7 p.m. Tickets of $35 for lawn seating and $45 for pavilion seats are available at the box office, through Ticketmaster or by phone at 410-547-SEAT.

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