Seba Dubar, the footballer who decided to become a rock musician and produce craft beer

Football and rockhand in hand, they are part of a generation, probably closer to the 80s or 90s.

While many players, probably a little younger, connect the changing rooms together football and cumbia within the concentrations. Seba Dubarbier (his stage name is “Dubar”), when he had to roll the ball in different fields around the world, in clubs in Romania, France, Spain or Argentina, his passion was undoubtedly rock. And forever, in a bloody way.

So much so that when he left the profession during the pandemic, after finishing his career at Banfield, he hung up his guitar and decided that it would be part of his way of life for the rest of his life.

The beginnings

At first he dedicated himself to writing songs and today he believes that the guitar is a sort of extension of his body: wherever he goes, he always takes one with him, even if it is small, the travel one, in the style that Manu Chao uses when he goes on tour.

With a family of three children and married to María Alejandra, daughter of the late coach Alejandro Sabella, between stays in Europe and returns to La Plata, his hometown, he remembers with nostalgia when his father-in-law kept his violas and violas in his house. many questions related to music.

“He saw me playing the guitar. I always brought the guitar to her house. And when I returned from Spain, I left several guitars there and with my parents, because I I am a collector of violas”, he comments.

At the same time, his wife’s support was no less when it came to kicking the board and hanging up his boots, because instead of dedicating himself completely to the family, His decision was to abandon the routes of rock & roll.obviously without neglecting their own.

“Luckily, my wife and I like the same things. He supports me in everything, we even have a craft beer business. It’s called Dubar Beer. We took a course together and founded a factory. She doesn’t care if I play guitar and have my own band. Plus, she’s happy,” she confesses with a strong smile.

At 37 years old, Seba Dubar has already released two albums: Puzzle (2022) and his brand new panel entitled Lack of controlwhich will be presented to The Roxy Bar & Grillon Av. Federico Lacroze and Álvarez Thomas, next February 23. And his enthusiasm comes to the surface:

“I will invite friends, music personalities who come from La Plata, but I prefer it to be a surprise. It’s just that music unites, I started doing that recently. Many people have opened their doors to me. I’m really enjoying this gift”, clarifies the former footballer.

Songs and shows

With self-referential songs, the man born in La Plata does not shy away from football or family or social issues in his lyrics.

“I have been playing for more than ten years, it happens that when I was playing I couldn’t dedicate myself because football doesn’t allow it. I wrote songs like walking Dead about the pandemic or songs like I’m going homewhich talks about when I left football.”

Regarding his writing method, he highlights something important within his individual process: “I tell millions of stories, even if I don’t have the method to write on the fly. The staff needs some maturing. The same thing happened to me a while ago with a ballad. It turns out that we were sitting in an armchair with my wife and I saw her sad, remembering her father. And through that moment of anguish, I was born here in the heart”.

Another of the extraordinary moments he had to experience in these few years of working as a professional musician, impossible to erase when He sang for the heroes of the Malvinas.

“It is a situation that all Argentines know. We are angry about what happened. I remember that April 2nd was approaching and Hernán, the guy who takes care of my networks, uploaded it to Instagram after I had composed suicide mission, the song in honor of those soldiers. The fact is that the news reached the ears of one of the Estudiantes students and he invited me to play for the delivery of cards to the ex-combatants.

As regards the incompatibility between football and rock, the singer expresses his point of view concisely:

“It happened to all of us who like music. For example, Daniel Osvaldo played for five years and left when we were at Banfield. Rock is frowned upon due to the issue of football discipline. It is associated with sex, drugs and rock & roll. People stick with that.

Always a rock fan

-When you were in countries like Romania, France or Spain, did you listen to rock bands from those places?

-I have always listened to rock, since my adolescence. For example, Grandpa’s Pastillas and Redondos. I also had my AC/DC and Rolling Stones era.

When I played in Romania I listened to Joaquín Sabina a lot, and when I was in France I listened to M Clan, Fito & Fitipaldis and Leiva, who I was lucky enough to meet personally here in Argentina, after a Los Guasones show. Viola showed me into the locker room and I greeted him. I told him I heard it often when I lived in Europe.

-And did you ever talk about music with Lionel Messi or were they just crosses on a European football pitch?

-Ninth. We never talked about music, but I wrote the song for him eternal disorder. We played against each other several times; for example, in the Copa del Rey. I was playing in Almería and we met four times. We exchanged shirts.

I have a beautiful anecdote: once we agreed to change shirts and when the match ended, a camera caught me to interview me and I thought “that’s enough with Lio”. So afterwards I went to take a shower and when I came out of the dressing room Messi was waiting for me outside and we also took a photo. This speaks to the great humility of him and how he is as a person.

Football and rock

As to why the footballer-turned-rocker returned from Europe to finish his career in Argentina and then focus everything on music, there is a valid reason, which he clearly explains.

“He was the captain in Almería, he had a five-year contract. Then the situation dragged on, I was sick for six months and I felt I had to go back. I came to Estudiantes, then I went to La Coruña until I returned to Banfield. Already at the time of Estudiantes I was writing songs, putting together demos, working on music”.

At the same time, there is something transcendental and what could have been controversial in the life of the musician from La Plata: in addition to playing for Estudiantes, when he started in professional football he did so wearing the jersey of Gimnasia Esgrima de La Plata; that is, rivals from times gone by in the city of diagonals.

Despite this, he never noticed the anger of the typical football fans who usually go to watch him play in the bars in the evening.

“I started doing gymnastics when I was 17. Of course, when I arrived at Estudiantes there were some comments on social media, but it never grew. I live in the neighborhood, I go out on the street and nothing happens. At the time, my old man was worried about this problem,” he analyzes and takes a break from the conversation.

Then he adds: “After all, I have friends who know me and everything is fine. They are two totally different worlds, that of football and that of nocturnal rock. No one ever mentioned the shows to me. Furthermore, mine is very bottom-up, with sacrifice. You go out to do it because you’re passionate about it, always with the bar high. “I’ve already played in San Miguel del Monte, Santa Fe and in my city.”

Of the new friends the world has given him, His relationship with the Young Beggars does not go unnoticedoutside the scope of the La Plata scene.

“When we opened for Jóvenes Pordioseros it was fantastic. It was then that I met Toti Iglesias, who seems like a phenomenon to me. As I told you, The Jokers are very close to me, mainly Maximiliano Timczyszyn, the guitarist, and Damián “Starki” Celdón, the drummer. Although the big moment was when I did my first reportage with “Carucha” Podesta, in Crónica Musical, “he laughs, then takes his time.

And he continues: “Bochi, guitarist of Las Pastillas del Abuelo, was right in the studio! I learned to play the guitar with his arpeggios! Obviously I went to tell him everything and took the opportunity to take a photo with him. “I was so happy!” he exclaims.

-Will former teammates from your football years see you play?

– Some children came. It happens that I usually play on weekends and in the world of football they play or concentrate. It’s difficult. But once Jonás Gutiérrez arrived. That time Joni was from the coast, he was on vacation and came anyway. A teacher!

Your craft beer

Between breaking the ice on stage and playing for thousands of people inside a stadium, Dubar struggles to find a connection.

“While I was playing football I already felt like someone playing rock. The moment I left football I was a little unsure whether to go on stage to play, to speak from above. It wasn’t easy at first, but over time I improved, regaining my confidence. The courthouse and the rock stage are different places,” she says.

-Finally, how do you combine your life between daytime project with Dubar Beer and rock at night?

-I go out to play when the dates appear, but the topic of beer is something I’m just as passionate about. Because when I arrived from La Coruña I was very clear that I wanted my craft beer. With our blonde we won a bronze medal in a competition. We don’t continue to compete because we are producing variants.

But then I assure you that the passion for rock and beer are absolutely compatible for me. In addition to family. I’m a person who’s always doing something, I’m everywhere: my thing is family, beer and rock. It’s that simple.