Soul mainstay Lester Chambers carries on his signature anthemic, funky performance style as part of Moonalice, a Roger McNamee-led psychedelic rock outfit whose musical style carries on the legacy Chambers began decades ago.
In this episode of Positive Vibes Only, the current iteration of Moonalice — which co-stars Chambers as well as his son, Dylan Chambers — performs "Love, Peace and Happiness," a euphoric and improvisatory call for unity and mutual respect. The younger Chambers takes lead vocals in this performance, which finds the band jamming out onstage to a rapt audience. Meanwhile, his soul-legend dad sits beside him, singing along and taking the spotlight for one verse.
"Together we stand/ Divided we fall/ Love, peace and happiness/ Is here for us all," the elder Chambers sings, against a pulsing backdrop of electric guitar and vocal harmony.
Chambers' involvement with Moonalice dates back to 2017, when — as McNamee explained to Relix earlier this year — he invited the soul great to perform with Moonalice in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Summer of Love. They performed both Moonalice songs and Chambers songs, including "Time Has Come Today," the iconic psychedelic rock hit that Chambers released in 1967 with the Chambers Brothers. The two acts immediately clicked, and from there, both Chambers and his musician son became permanent fixtures of Moonalice.
Chambers wrote "Love, Peace and Happiness" alongside three other Chambers Brothers members — Joe, George and Willie Chambers — and the song is, in a sense, a sequel to "Time Has Come Today."
Chambers says it's also a fitting embodiment of everything that Moonalice represents and stands for. Diversity and inclusion are key elements of the band, which features a large cast of characters of all identities onstage.
"Moonalice embodies the idea that we can live together, we can walk together, and we can have understanding and enjoyment through music," he told Relix. "Peace, love, respect and happiness. That's what it's all about."
Press play on the video above to get a taste of that collaborative magic for yourself, and keep checking back to GRAMMY.com every Sunday for more new episodes of Positive Vibes Only.
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