Any great musician probably has a great personality to go along with it, and Tulane band Dar MaCar is no different. Dar MaCar is made up of five members, all Tulane students: Jeremy Regan (guitar and vocals), Ben Robinson (guitar), Eli Tsakiris (piano), Drew Berger (bass), and Seamus Gallivan (drums). I sat down with Eli, Ben, and Jeremy to get an idea what the band is about and by the end of the interview I realized that if they are anywhere near as fun on stage as they are in person, their performances are can’t-miss events.
Half of the time that I was with them they may as well have been speaking a different language because of the seemingly constant stream of inside jokes and subsequent laughter. But rather than being a frustrating experience of feeling left out, it was endearing because of the all the positive energy coming from them. With different personalities and different musical inspirations, I would not have believed in the chemistry they assured me they had if I had not seen it myself. Eli said that it was not something that was always there, but it developed naturally as the band spent more time together and now makes it much easier for them to create songs together. All five members write music and are currently working on tracks which they plan on putting together to make their first album of all original content. With five different backgrounds and five different songwriters, it’s no surprise that when I asked them what genre they fell under the refused to classify themselves under just one type of music. A jam band may be the closest description to their sound, but Ben described their group philosophy as always trying to “stay current and stay evolving.”
Dar MaCar has seen incredible growth since its inception in the fall semester of 2016, when they rehearsed in Ben’s Sharp dorm room, worrying that they would be forced to stop practicing due to noise complaints. Their first performance was in the spring of 2017 at Buffa’s, on a tiny stage where they didn’t have amps and had about five audience members. Now they’re booked practically every weekend, playing in front of full crowds with a group of loyal fans who come to all of their shows. They have busy schedules and when I asked them how they have time to make a set list every week the answer was simple: they don’t. They pick an opener and then after each song, they just read the crowd’s mood and decide on stage what to play next. That relaxed, nonchalant approach was also present during the interview and seems to be how they approach their rehearsal time as well. They all made it clear that this is something they love to do, and that is why they make sure to treat it as a passion rather than a job. Ben explained it as “making sure they get everything that is necessary to do done, and just letting the rest happen.”
The story of how they came up with the name of the band is a microcosm of how the band functions. One day while trying to refer to the Led Zeppelin song “D’yer Mak’er,” Seamus butchered the pronunciation, and it came out Dar MaCar. The rest of the group loved it and made it the name of their group chat. Later, when they booked their first “real venue” at Gasa Gasa this spring, they realized they needed a name for the band, and everyone agreed on Dar MaCar. That combination of spontaneity and collaboration is the backbone of their musical success.
Their next performances will be April 4th at The Willow and April 5th at Gasa Gasa, and you’re going to want to be there. They will also be performing at Pocket Park on April 26th as part of our Art and Music Student Showcase. Until then, you can check out their songs on SoundCloud.
About Michael Segal
Michael Segal is our former Entertainment section editor! After graduating in 2019, he started working as a client solutions associate for GLG's law team.
Michael Segal is our former Entertainment section editor! After graduating in 2019, he started working as a client solutions associate for GLG's law team.
