Dakaboom

The journey began twelve years ago in a typical American high school, but until separate cruise lines beckoned the two to “Come sail away, come sail away, come sail away with me,” Ben McLain and Paul Peglar never realized what they would soon create.

After hanging up their life vests, the two friends reunited to create the comedic singing act, Dakaboom.

“We spent five years performing for just our friends,” McLain said. “It takes time, dedication and it just started out as a fun thing we love doing.”

The “two peas in a pod” mixed Peglar’s renowned falsetto and McLain’s operatic tone with their real life experiences to create the act.

“Signature, we do acapella duets, which I don’t think anyone else does…But that is not exclusively the show,” Peglar said. “People say we are very hard to define because we do a lot of different stuff, so they say ‘What do you do?’ ‘Oh it’s music, it’s comedy, it’s just – see it.‘”

Dakaboom has been on a tour of the East Coast in support of their first album, “Get Awesome,” which included the April 3 performance at Grand Valley State University, hosted by Spolight Productions. Touring, promoting and the occasional acting gigs are part of the duos normal careers.

They live, as roommates in Los Angeles, and were some familiar faces to a few GVSU audience members. Peglar held a role in the TV show, “Glee,” along with landing a spot in the recent movie remake of “Fame.” The duo has also performed on the show, “The Sing Off.”

But it’s not all about the fame and money, although they said it would help them snag more ladies. Peglar recently learned an important fact about all women – they love cheesy love songs. So, with to the best of his knowledge, Peglar developed his own heartwarming love song.

“…One of their videos is cheesy love songs, but incorporates cheese names, like Gouda and Mozzarella and stuff like that, ” said Erika Noth, Spotlight Production member.
However, not all of these two studs experiences are used in their act.

“Well a lot of what we want to include is unfortunately not appropriate,” McLain said. “I could think of a number of things that are not appropriate, but we like to use, like stories that are entertaining that we tell each other like ‘Oh my god this just happened to me, I have to tell you about it.’ But we want to stay appropriate and not talk about that girl I just hooked up with, or maybe we do want to talk about what happened.”

As Dakaboom looks to the future McLain plans to remain in California and Peglar prepares to move across the country to the New York. But since McLain “Ain’t never had a friend” like Peglar, Dakaboom plans to stick together, as long as fans keep supporting them.

“That is the end of the show but our CD is for sale on Facebook,” McLain said. “The CDs are not free but hugs are always free.” - Grand Valley Lanthorn

The journey began twelve years ago in a typical American high school, but until separate cruise lines beckoned the two to “Come sail away, come sail away, come sail away with me,” Ben McLain and Paul Peglar never realized what they would soon create.

After hanging up their life vests, the two friends reunited to create the comedic singing act, Dakaboom.

“We spent five years performing for just our friends,” McLain said. “It takes time, dedication and it just started out as a fun thing we love doing.”

The “two peas in a pod” mixed Peglar’s renowned falsetto and McLain’s operatic tone with their real life experiences to create the act.

“Signature, we do acapella duets, which I don’t think anyone else does…But that is not exclusively the show,” Peglar said. “People say we are very hard to define because we do a lot of different stuff, so they say ‘What do you do?’ ‘Oh it’s music, it’s comedy, it’s just – see it.‘”

Dakaboom has been on a tour of the East Coast in support of their first album, “Get Awesome,” which included the April 3 performance at Grand Valley State University, hosted by Spolight Productions. Touring, promoting and the occasional acting gigs are part of the duos normal careers.

They live, as roommates in Los Angeles, and were some familiar faces to a few GVSU audience members. Peglar held a role in the TV show, “Glee,” along with landing a spot in the recent movie remake of “Fame.” The duo has also performed on the show, “The Sing Off.”

But it’s not all about the fame and money, although they said it would help them snag more ladies. Peglar recently learned an important fact about all women – they love cheesy love songs. So, with to the best of his knowledge, Peglar developed his own heartwarming love song.

“…One of their videos is cheesy love songs, but incorporates cheese names, like Gouda and Mozzarella and stuff like that, ” said Erika Noth, Spotlight Production member.
However, not all of these two studs experiences are used in their act.

“Well a lot of what we want to include is unfortunately not appropriate,” McLain said. “I could think of a number of things that are not appropriate, but we like to use, like stories that are entertaining that we tell each other like ‘Oh my god this just happened to me, I have to tell you about it.’ But we want to stay appropriate and not talk about that girl I just hooked up with, or maybe we do want to talk about what happened.”

As Dakaboom looks to the future McLain plans to remain in California and Peglar prepares to move across the country to the New York. But since McLain “Ain’t never had a friend” like Peglar, Dakaboom plans to stick together, as long as fans keep supporting them.

“That is the end of the show but our CD is for sale on Facebook,” McLain said. “The CDs are not free but hugs are always free.” - Grand Valley Lanthorn

Post-show interview with Dakaboom - DancePlugNetwork

Post-show interview with Dakaboom - DancePlugNetwork

High school friends with a dynamic per­for­mance, Dakaboom is a duo unlike any other.
Ben McLain and Paul Peglar, the men behind the singing, became friends over a decade ago. The two synced up to cre­ate a unique per­for­mance of com­edy, beat box­ing, singing and a cap­pella. Think Pitch Perfect, except two guys run­ning the whole show with a piano.
Dakaboom graced Williams Auditorium Feb. 5 for a small crowd wait­ing to find out what exactly “musi­cal com­edy” entailed.
Peglar started out on the piano as McLain leapt off the stage and into the crowd to ser­e­nade and dance with one lucky lady. They did their own ren­di­tion of “I Can Do Anything Better Than You,” a Dakaboom FAQ, 50 tele­vi­sion theme songs in under five min­utes and a fake com­mer­cial pro­mot­ing themselves.
“We got Midwest swag­ger and if you get us danc­ing we got moves like Mick Jagger,” McLain boasted as the two con­fi­dently moved their way through each song.
Each used his own strengths to cap­ti­vate the audi­ence. McLain beat boxed his way through the night, at one point cre­at­ing an entire musi­cal arrange­ment with just his voice and the use of a recorder. Peglar flaunted his falsetto and his cheesy song mak­ing abilities.
McLain also coached Peglar on how to get the ladies, despite some awk­ward attempts.
“I like the moments where we get to really be uncom­fort­able and kind of make the audi­ence con­fused or a lit­tle unset­tled,” Peglar said.
Tiffany Newman, Ferris fresh­man in foren­sic biol­ogy and biotech­nol­ogy, said, “I didn’t expect so much audi­ence involve­ment. That was funny.”
Personal expe­ri­ences and real life exam­ples were woven through­out the per­for­mance. One skit that reviewed the perks of sin­gle life was a hit.
“Truth per­me­ates our show a lot. It’s how we come up with mate­r­ial and keep it hon­est for us,” McLain said.
Growing up, both McLain and Peglar were involved in music. Peglar started play­ing the piano at the age of eight (and has become very pro­tec­tive of his piano ever since).
Meanwhile, McLain started choir at age seven before learn­ing how to beat box by imi­tat­ing the music he lis­tened to on the radio (despite his par­ents’ objections).
After being close friends through­out high school, McLain attended the University of California, Irvine for vocal per­for­mance while Peglar pur­sued musi­cal the­ater at the University of California, Los Angeles. After col­lege, the two became room­mates before start­ing Dakaboom.
Peglar, now an actor and musi­cian, appeared on the first sea­son of Fox’s “Glee” as the orig­i­nal piano player and is also a music direc­tor at The American School in Switzerland.
McLain records and tours with the band Sonos, which appeared on the 2011 sea­son of NBC’s “The Sing Off.”
“A lot of the come­di­ans that come here don’t relate to the stu­dents that well, and they actu­ally did,” Newman said. “They’re just really funny and they have a wide vari­ety of stuff in their act.” - Ferris State Torch

High school friends with a dynamic per­for­mance, Dakaboom is a duo unlike any other.
Ben McLain and Paul Peglar, the men behind the singing, became friends over a decade ago. The two synced up to cre­ate a unique per­for­mance of com­edy, beat box­ing, singing and a cap­pella. Think Pitch Perfect, except two guys run­ning the whole show with a piano.
Dakaboom graced Williams Auditorium Feb. 5 for a small crowd wait­ing to find out what exactly “musi­cal com­edy” entailed.
Peglar started out on the piano as McLain leapt off the stage and into the crowd to ser­e­nade and dance with one lucky lady. They did their own ren­di­tion of “I Can Do Anything Better Than You,” a Dakaboom FAQ, 50 tele­vi­sion theme songs in under five min­utes and a fake com­mer­cial pro­mot­ing themselves.
“We got Midwest swag­ger and if you get us danc­ing we got moves like Mick Jagger,” McLain boasted as the two con­fi­dently moved their way through each song.
Each used his own strengths to cap­ti­vate the audi­ence. McLain beat boxed his way through the night, at one point cre­at­ing an entire musi­cal arrange­ment with just his voice and the use of a recorder. Peglar flaunted his falsetto and his cheesy song mak­ing abilities.
McLain also coached Peglar on how to get the ladies, despite some awk­ward attempts.
“I like the moments where we get to really be uncom­fort­able and kind of make the audi­ence con­fused or a lit­tle unset­tled,” Peglar said.
Tiffany Newman, Ferris fresh­man in foren­sic biol­ogy and biotech­nol­ogy, said, “I didn’t expect so much audi­ence involve­ment. That was funny.”
Personal expe­ri­ences and real life exam­ples were woven through­out the per­for­mance. One skit that reviewed the perks of sin­gle life was a hit.
“Truth per­me­ates our show a lot. It’s how we come up with mate­r­ial and keep it hon­est for us,” McLain said.
Growing up, both McLain and Peglar were involved in music. Peglar started play­ing the piano at the age of eight (and has become very pro­tec­tive of his piano ever since).
Meanwhile, McLain started choir at age seven before learn­ing how to beat box by imi­tat­ing the music he lis­tened to on the radio (despite his par­ents’ objections).
After being close friends through­out high school, McLain attended the University of California, Irvine for vocal per­for­mance while Peglar pur­sued musi­cal the­ater at the University of California, Los Angeles. After col­lege, the two became room­mates before start­ing Dakaboom.
Peglar, now an actor and musi­cian, appeared on the first sea­son of Fox’s “Glee” as the orig­i­nal piano player and is also a music direc­tor at The American School in Switzerland.
McLain records and tours with the band Sonos, which appeared on the 2011 sea­son of NBC’s “The Sing Off.”
“A lot of the come­di­ans that come here don’t relate to the stu­dents that well, and they actu­ally did,” Newman said. “They’re just really funny and they have a wide vari­ety of stuff in their act.” - Ferris State Torch

People constantly ask frequent-flyer-mileaged cabaret reviewers, “What’s the best new act you’ve seen recently?” My answer is now: “Dakaboom!” I hear you say, “Daka-who????” They’re new, a twosome from California. With their loopy humor, they cracked up the audience and they were crackling with crackerjack, jack-in-the box energy. Impressing mightily with versatile musicianship that includes seemingly every musical genre, at least a passing glance or cheerful sneer at each, except perhaps Bulgarian folk tunes and Gregorian Chant. (But give them time—they’re young.) Most material is self-written, taking in pseudo-hip hop (autobiographical “F.A.Q.”), pop, glossy R&B, all informed by and inflected with musical theater savvy. They are Paul Peglar (right) (with a killer falsetto and also the versatile pianist, bespectacled and curly-topped) and Ben McLain (working against his leading man looks to play the sad puppy dog loner—and body/vocal percussion).
Taking turns in nerd mode, or as “brotherly” advisors to each other, they pretend-pout, fume, lamenting being “Desperate” in perennial singlehood. There’s lots of chatter and patter—neatly scripted—and they can wallow in silliness, then soar with heavenly harmonies. They concentrated on material from their terrific new debut CD, Get Awesome, but included some showpieces that showcased their richer vocal ranges and acrobatic singing and non-word sounds, swoops, and sound effects, making Dakaboom a human boombox and thinking outside the box for sure. Uproariously funny, endearing, polished but fresh, and multi-talented multi-taskers of music, these real-life “best buds” are budding—nay, bursting with talent. - Cabaret Scenes

People constantly ask frequent-flyer-mileaged cabaret reviewers, “What’s the best new act you’ve seen recently?” My answer is now: “Dakaboom!” I hear you say, “Daka-who????” They’re new, a twosome from California. With their loopy humor, they cracked up the audience and they were crackling with crackerjack, jack-in-the box energy. Impressing mightily with versatile musicianship that includes seemingly every musical genre, at least a passing glance or cheerful sneer at each, except perhaps Bulgarian folk tunes and Gregorian Chant. (But give them time—they’re young.) Most material is self-written, taking in pseudo-hip hop (autobiographical “F.A.Q.”), pop, glossy R&B, all informed by and inflected with musical theater savvy. They are Paul Peglar (right) (with a killer falsetto and also the versatile pianist, bespectacled and curly-topped) and Ben McLain (working against his leading man looks to play the sad puppy dog loner—and body/vocal percussion).
Taking turns in nerd mode, or as “brotherly” advisors to each other, they pretend-pout, fume, lamenting being “Desperate” in perennial singlehood. There’s lots of chatter and patter—neatly scripted—and they can wallow in silliness, then soar with heavenly harmonies. They concentrated on material from their terrific new debut CD, Get Awesome, but included some showpieces that showcased their richer vocal ranges and acrobatic singing and non-word sounds, swoops, and sound effects, making Dakaboom a human boombox and thinking outside the box for sure. Uproariously funny, endearing, polished but fresh, and multi-talented multi-taskers of music, these real-life “best buds” are budding—nay, bursting with talent. - Cabaret Scenes

The Starbucks at the Student Union was filled Tuesday evening with students eager to see the post-modern vaudeville duo Dakaboom.

Dakaboom, comprised of Ben McLain and Paul Peglar, mixes comedy and music to entertain audiences.

The event was sponsored by the Residence Hall Programming Board (RHPB). Emily Sherwood, the president of RHPB said that she first saw Dakaboom at the regional programming conference where they emceed the event.

“We felt like they were a great mix of music and comedy,” Sherwood said.

According to the duo’s website, McLain has made appearances on “General Hospital” and has performed on “The Sing Off,” NBC’s a cappella competition, with vocal band Sonos. Peglar is an actor and musician, appearing as the original piano player during the first season of Fox’s “Glee.”

Dakaboom performed a variety of songs Tuesday night, including a song answering frequently asked questions about McLain and Peglar and Peglar’s cheesy love song:

“Before you, things were worse, but now they’re cheddar.”

They also performed 50 TV theme songs in under five minutes, a video of which was posted on YouTube last November by Dakaboom now has over 38,000 views. The performance includes snippets of TV theme songs ranging from “Happy Days” and “Gilligan’s Island” to “Family Guy” and “Friends.”

Between the songs were humorous tales and banter between McLain and Peglar. At one point during the show, Peglar said that he had been made fun of as a kid.

“Imagine going through grade school and middle school with the initials ‘PP,’” he said.

McLain responded by saying, “You must have been pissed.” Sherwood said that reactions from students were very positive.

“Students seemed to have loved Dakaboom and their unconventional, quirky style,” Sherwood said. “They definitely made people laugh and I speak from experience when I say their show was interactive.”

Sherwood was taken up on stage early in the show by McLain and was sung to, an event which she described as delightfully terrifying.

“We just loved having them both here, and they were so much fun to work with,” she said. “Dakaboom gave us an amazing show that we hope will draw more people to our events.” - the buchtelite

The Starbucks at the Student Union was filled Tuesday evening with students eager to see the post-modern vaudeville duo Dakaboom.

Dakaboom, comprised of Ben McLain and Paul Peglar, mixes comedy and music to entertain audiences.

The event was sponsored by the Residence Hall Programming Board (RHPB). Emily Sherwood, the president of RHPB said that she first saw Dakaboom at the regional programming conference where they emceed the event.

“We felt like they were a great mix of music and comedy,” Sherwood said.

According to the duo’s website, McLain has made appearances on “General Hospital” and has performed on “The Sing Off,” NBC’s a cappella competition, with vocal band Sonos. Peglar is an actor and musician, appearing as the original piano player during the first season of Fox’s “Glee.”

Dakaboom performed a variety of songs Tuesday night, including a song answering frequently asked questions about McLain and Peglar and Peglar’s cheesy love song:

“Before you, things were worse, but now they’re cheddar.”

They also performed 50 TV theme songs in under five minutes, a video of which was posted on YouTube last November by Dakaboom now has over 38,000 views. The performance includes snippets of TV theme songs ranging from “Happy Days” and “Gilligan’s Island” to “Family Guy” and “Friends.”

Between the songs were humorous tales and banter between McLain and Peglar. At one point during the show, Peglar said that he had been made fun of as a kid.

“Imagine going through grade school and middle school with the initials ‘PP,’” he said.

McLain responded by saying, “You must have been pissed.” Sherwood said that reactions from students were very positive.

“Students seemed to have loved Dakaboom and their unconventional, quirky style,” Sherwood said. “They definitely made people laugh and I speak from experience when I say their show was interactive.”

Sherwood was taken up on stage early in the show by McLain and was sung to, an event which she described as delightfully terrifying.

“We just loved having them both here, and they were so much fun to work with,” she said. “Dakaboom gave us an amazing show that we hope will draw more people to our events.” - the buchtelite