Jacksonville, Florida based rock band Dakar will be making their Lake Charles debut this weekend at Chuckfest, a free, annual music, arts and culture festival that is happening in downtown Saturday, Oct. 14.

Dakar will be headlining the Panorama stage at 8 p.m. David Benfield, rhythm guitar/vocals, said that the set will last at least an hour.

“We may go longer… You’ll just have to be there to find out!”

The four-person band is made up of Benfield, Darrell Edmunds, lead guitar/vocals, Alejandro Soto, bass, and Luke Jean, drums.

Dakar was founded after Benfield moved back to Jacksonville after living in Brooklyn, New York for almost five years.

“Darrell Edmunds and I have been close friends for nearly 20 years and decided to start working on some of the songs I wrote before leaving NY. We brought in our other dear friend Luke Jean to play drums and went through a couple of bass players before landing Alejandro Soto in 2019. The rest, as they say, is history.”

The name of the band was inspired after the street their studio was on when Dakar was formed.

“It’s also the capital of Senegal and has deep-rooted meaning in the local language, but, honestly, it’s a street name,” said Benfield.

Dakar brings an energetic and nostalgic ’90s alternative punk rock sound to the stage.

“Dakar is your analog fix in this digital world,” he said.

With influences like Queens of the Stone Age, Foo Fighters, Bad Religion, Soundgarden, Pixies, Green Day and Motorhead, it is no surprise that Dakar’s music is “guitar driven rock n’ roll with rather obvious punk and southern rock influences.”

“If it kicks ass, it’s in our head!”

During their Chuckfest performance, festival-goers can expect “big guitars, big personalities, ridiculous energy.” Their sound, recorded and live, is big. They pride themselves on giving audiences a professional, but fun, “full throat” rock performance.

“We have a blast onstage and it spills over into the crowd.”

Despite their tough, punk-rock style, Narrow Magazine – monthly print music magazine that covers local bands in northeastern Florida – describe Dakar’s members as having “an incredible kindness to them.”

“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,” according to Narrow Magazine.

Dakar’s debut full-length album “Say it Again” was released worldwide last month through their label Epictronic. It features 13 songs – including songs like “Not Gonna Be Your Sucka” and “Grab Your Reigns” – with a runtime of just under 50 minutes.

They have three previously released EPs: “Over the Line,” “Chase Scene”  and “You Wreck Me.”

They signed with Epictroic in June, and are planning a European tour for next summer.

Dakar’s music is available on all streaming platforms, such as Apple Music and Spotify.