While giving a positive voice to mental health awareness, Dylan strives to live every day with a purpose. He is an incredible man with a courageous story overcoming the stigma of a bi-polar diagnosis. His music is self-reflective with a surf rock undertone native to his beachside hometown in the heart of the 805. That combined with his ability to speak and sing bilingually has garnered him a local and international following.
Since 2009, Dylan has worked with 5x Latin Grammy Winner, Kenny O’Brien, Oscar/Grammy nominated, Diamond Certified Producer Ronnie King, Grammy nominated musician David Elecciri Jr. and Chicano Rap Founder Multi-Platinum.
On, Sunday, December 19th, Dylan Garcia will host his first annual Mental Health Awareness Christmas Gala and Toy Drive at The Six Restaurant in Beautiful Downtown Ventura, CA.
Dylan stays true to his calling of giving mental health awareness a voice. This event brings the Red Carpet experience to Ventura, CA. Dylan will share his testimony of overcoming the obstacles of a Bipolar Diagnosis. Dylan will also be performing all his new music with a live band for the first time ever. There will also be other speakers touching on Suicide Prevention, Veteran’s PTSD and mental health awareness. All toys donated will go to the Salvation Army.
You’ve had an incredible year during the summer you released your brand-new hit single, “It’s A Vibe.” This track was produced by Tony G. and Ronnie King. Tell us about your single and why this collaboration is so important.
This record will always be special to me. Bringing two legends of this caliber together was the best part.
I’ve been working with Ronnie King since 2009 and Tony G is the pioneer of Latin and Chicano rap. I grew up listening to the music they created and it was definitely a dream come true for me.
The recording sessions were the most fundamental part of my musical career. I learned how to utilize my talent as an artist in ways I had only previously imagined.
I felt as though my musical experience elevated and I was proud of myself to perform in the studio during those sessions matching their professional level.
It was definitely a vibe.
Where do you draw your inspiration from?
Whether I hear a cool phrase in my mind that I must save to my phone at that moment or listening to a composition that really gets me going lyrically it just starts pouring out.
I also stay inspired by constantly challenging myself every day. The challenge is to be disciplined with my morning routine of waking up before the sunrise, grounding myself in a daily biblical devotional, reading for 30 minutes, working out and getting in the shower with the water ice cold.
I know it might sound a little crazy, but it works for me, it keeps me happy and my mind stays sharp for a successful day. I stick to my habits because I know I feel better after accomplishing the biggest tasks of my day while most people are still sleeping. That inspires me!
In November, you dropped your first Reggae Latino record “Hermoso Dia” which has garnered over 200k streams on Spotify. Why is this drawing so much attention?
That record was inspired by a 70’s band, “El Chicano”. The instrumentations and percussion of that record reflected a reggae sound that I had yet to hear anywhere musically. This was a Spanish remix of my original record “It’s A Beautiful Day.” I wanted to translate that record into Spanish because it sounds so much cooler, it flows so much better and the lyrics are much more powerful en Español.
This is the type of record that you want to start your day to. It’s positive vibes all the way around. I just think people gravitated towards it more because I released it during COVID-19 and Latinos needed to hear what I was saying. People needed to know to stay positive and be reminded that everything was going to be okay.
You have been a positive voice to mental health awareness. You have courageously has overcome the stigma of a bi-polar diagnosis. What do you want people to know?
This has been a 20 journey that began in college. It’s had it’s ups and it’s downs, but that’s life. I believe you just have to make the most of your circumstances. Getting control of my symptoms was something I wanted to accomplish. I wanted to stop having an excuse of why things didn’t work out. I didn’t want to blame my mental health as a reason why I couldn’t live a fruitful life. I stopped making excuses for myself and took accountability for my inaction and began taking action. Anything is possible if you really want to make better choices and make a commitment to healing and overcoming the stigma.
Being Latino didn’t make it any easier because this was something that wasn’t spoken of at that time in the Latino community. And to believe that was just 12 years ago, blows my mind as to how much has changed in regard to progress and awareness. If sharing my story can change lives, then I’m going to keep pressing on. Instead of feeling embarrassed and powerless, I see it as a challenge that I must overcome. I’ve always been a determined individual, so I put my daily focus on being the best man I can be for my wife, my son, my family, my business partners, my friends and life.
On Sunday, December 19th, you will host your first annual Mental Health Awareness Christmas Gala and Toy Drive at The Six Restaurant in Beautiful Downtown Ventura, CA. Tell us more.
I truly enjoy giving back to the community, especially during the Holidays and I want bring something special to my hometown of Ventura County. This is something I’m very passionate about and I’m just grateful for all the sponsors and the means to be able to put on this event. Thankfully, I was able to get the support of the Salvation Army and they will receive the donated toys.
This is very exciting for myself and my team and we look forward to doing something great for the community.
What can we expect on that day?
This will be a Red Carpet affair for all in attendance and everyone will be able to get their photo on the Red Carpet. The Six Restaurant will be hosting this event at their beautiful venue. Food and Drink will be available for purchase. Music will be provided by DJ Marco. I will be performing with a full band and sharing my testimony of overcoming the stigma of a Bipolar Diagnosis. There will also be testimonies shared by others on PTSD and Suicide Prevention. Come with the expectations of a spectacular evening and remember to bring an unwrapped toy as a donation to enter the event.
How proud are you of this event?
The fact that I was able to make this event happen, despite the obstacles, makes me extremely proud and it definitely gives me the confidence knowing that anything is possible when you live with intention.
What’s next for you?
I just wrapped up shooting my new music video with Dstructive Filmz for my upcoming record “Streets Be Talking” produced by none other than Tony G and Ronnie King. It’s set to be released on New Year’s Eve, Friday December 31st.