“The concepts of superstition and mysticism have always fascinated me, especially from a songwriting point of view. A lot of my favorite songs from back in the day were written about these concepts (“Born Under A Bad Sign” by Albert King, “Voodoo Child (Slight Return)” by Jimi Hendrix, “Bad, Bad Sign” by Joe Cocker, etc.). For years, I’ve wanted to contribute my own song to that zeitgeist but I didn’t want to force it. Luckily, the inspiration hit in 2017 after I found myself in a rather strange situation,” describes L.A.-based pop, funk, soul guitarist, and vocalist Dylan Chambers about his volcanic new single “Mystical & Paranoid.”
Chambers has an insatiable appetite for the golden-era soul and the performer’s high-level energy at 2021’s BeachLife Festival earned him recognition from GRAMMY-nominated artist G. Love, who puts his own spin on a verse and even contributes harmonica to Mystical & Paranoid.” Glide is premiering the powerhouse soul number (below) that rips with a Bruno Mars modern pop flair and boisterous rhythmic counterparts that swings with the vibrant tightness of The J.B.’s.
On “Mystical & Paranoid,” Chambers links up with frequent collaborator and producer Stefan Litrownik (Boyz II Men, Andy Grammer), turning out infectious and compact funk grooves with sparkling brass, nimble guitars and wailing harmonica provided by G. Love.
“I was at a funeral for a songwriter friend of mine, whose son had passed. I was there alone, paying my respects and at the reception, this a beautiful woman appeared out of nowhere and initiated a conversation with me. We stood outside on the balcony underneath the full moon talking for a while and I felt hypnotized by her presence. Maybe it had to do with the sad event that brought us together, or the fact that it was an eerie fall night, but we had this weird, unexplainable connection that felt sort of spooky. I was having trouble trusting it because – well, we were at a funeral and everything just felt off. In the days that followed, I just couldn’t let go of it and ended up writing “Mystical and Paranoid,” adds Chambers about the mystical.
“For years, I played the song at just about every venue I found myself at. It’s been one of my go-to’s for a while. Then in 2021, I connected with G. Love who I shared a bill with at the BeachLife Festival in SoCal. We talked about collaborating on something together and I sent him “Mystical and Paranoid” the next day. With his bluesy background, I figured he might dig it and be into contributing something to it. Luckily he liked it and ended up adding his own second verse as well as some harmonica. It’s truly an honor to have him on it. I’ve been an admirer of his work since I was a teenager first learning how to play the guitar in my bedroom so it’s pretty special to have him featured on this one.”
