Dakar

By Julia Corrie (Aug. 30, 2021)

Educators and software engineers by day, punk rock stars by night… Dakar is an up-and-coming Jacksonville-based band that transcends 90s alternative rock as a genre, drawing influence from blues, reggae, and classic rock in their sound.

Their band’s origin story began at Westside High School in Jacksonville, 25 years ago. Darrell Edmunds and Alejandro Soto played in a Ska band together, and lost touch after some time. In 2006, Darrell met David Benfield while working on the morning show at a local news station, and started playing music together.

Luke, Dakar’s drummer, connected with Darrell at an educator's conference in 2012, and hit it off instantly. It wasn’t until years later that they started playing music together, and the rest is history. They started off playing one-off gigs in random spots, gaining their footing as an official music group.

Earlier in 2021, they put out a Craigslist ad in search of a bass player, and none other than Alejandro Soto responded. Their reunion as band mates ended up being like riding a bike, because as Darrell said, “We definitely became a cohesive unit when Alejandro joined the band.”

When coming up with a band name, it was an uphill battle. Based in the Murray Hill neighborhood of Duval County, there are many street names with Northern and Western African influences. Coincidentally, the space where they work on their music is on Dakar Street. They wanted the name to be something short and sweet, and it ended up being the perfect fit for the band. 

“Everywhere you look in the room, it harnesses creative energy.” David described their studio space, where they spend the vast majority of their time writing songs, collaborating on every element of the process. When David or Darrell come up with an idea for a song, they bring it to the guys and automatically ask them for their opinion, and try to focus their vision for the piece. 

“The entire idea is always fleshed out by every band member, because we all bring something different to the table,” Darrell said. Alejandro noted that he loves pulling his baselines from Ska music, because there is something funky about it that he finds fun to work with.

Growing up, the guys were always listening to bands such as Queens of the Stone Age, Green Day, Bad Religion, Dead Kennedys, and the Smashing Pumpkins, to name a few. While their band’s genre was originally classified as 90’s alternative rock, it has evolved into its own sound, while dipping into a few different sub-genres as well. 

Dakar’s members all have an incredible kindness to them, and it is one of the most important qualities to them as they continue to grow within this industry. They noted how they take every opportunity they can to make connections with other bands, or venue owners, so that they are able to leave strong impressions and lasting impact with their music. “Walk your path with love and kindness, and the rest will take care of itself.”

Check out Dakar’s upcoming shows:

11/19: StartNow showcase at Colonial Oak Music Park, St Augustine

11/20: The Justice Pub in Jacksonville

12/4: Hardback Cafe in Gainesville

For more information, visit their website at https://www.dakar.band/

Instagram: @dakartheband

Photography : Christy Whitehead Photography