Abel Garcia III, who releases music and performs under the name Dylan Garcia, has been a musical force for more than a decade and a half. From acoustic singer/songwriter vibes earlier in his career, to bona fide funk and soul in his recent releases, Garcia has had a multilayered musical journey, taking the artist to performances at world-famous venues and afterparties for the Latin Grammy Awards. Garcia’s latest single, “Love Is True,” is a hooky-pop tune, and the music video for the song has Garcia dancing and singing throughout the desert at famed spots like a Coachella mural and downtown Indio. For more information, visit www.instagram.com/dylangarciamusic.
What was the first concert you attended?
K-Ci and JoJo from Jodeci, in 1997 at the Ventura Theater.
What was the first album you owned?
Too $hort, Get in Where You Fit In.
What bands are you listening to right now?
Dirty Heads, Slave, Chaka Khan, Juanes, Manuel Medrano, and FOR KING + COUNTRY.
What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone love, but you don’t get?
Skrillex.
What musical act, current or defunct, would you most like to see perform live?
Marvin Gaye.
What’s your favorite musical guilty pleasure?
Spending hours editing and mixing in the studio and catching things that the common ear wouldn’t catch, but I can definitely hear.
What’s your favorite music venue?
Whisky a Go Go.
What’s the one song lyric you can’t get out of your head?
“I’ve got heaven on my mind,” TobyMac.
What band or artist changed your life? How?
Mayer Hawthorne and also his funk duo Tuxedo, because it showed me that you could be quirky, but musically a badass. Musical nerds can be cool.
You have one question to ask one musician. What’s the question, and who are you asking?
Did you know that reading your book changed my perspective on life as a musician and artist? Thank you, to Duff McKagan (Guns N’ Roses).
What song would you like played at your funeral?
“Old Man,” Neil Young.
Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?
Mayer Hawthorne, Where Does This Door Go.
What song should everyone listen to right now?
“Love Is True” by … ME.