Meet Dev Zakar & Sam Casinelli | Dubz n Dutchz

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dev Zakar & Sam Casinelli and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dev Zakar &, why did you pursue a creative career?
The main reason why we decided to pursue a creative career is because it give us the control to express ourselves in the way we want. Our main goal in life is to be in control of our own business by not having to grind for other people success. Providing for our future families and ensuring our parents are taken care of for life, while doing something we are passionate about and genuinely love is the ultimate reason why we got into the world of producing and mixing EDM music.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
We have been fortunate enough to have been best friends since 2016, when we met in college at Rogers State University, where be both played baseball at the NCAA DII level. Our dreams were originally to play Major League Baseball and make the game we love our profession and the way we make a living. After college, Sam was fortunate to play baseball professionally overseas in Sweden, Belgium, Australia, and the Czech Republic, while Dev faced injuries in his last year of college, pitching through a torn Rotator Cuff and Labrum through the entire year. After 2 long years of Dev rehabbing his arm after surgery, we had the opportunity to play on a professional team in Poland, but this was right during the beginning of COVID-19, in March 2020, so travel restrictions barred us from playing. After our hopes of playing together on the same team professionally in Poland came to a halt, we decided to choose a different career path. We both finished our EMT school in different places, completed Fire Tech classes, and completed a Fire Academy in San Diego, CA. Now we are both focusing on producing music, DJing various shows, and trying to get picked up by Fire Departments in the area. We both believe in being a jack of all trades and not being limited to one area of interest in life. We’re extremely blessed for all opportunities that have come our way and are excited for what the future brings.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Dev:

I have only lived in California for 3 years now, so for the sake of this question, I will pretend that a friend is coming to visit me in my hometown of Honolulu, Hawaii. The best things that locals can show you when you come to our Aina is the amazing food we eat, the best hikes, best spots for waves, and the unique nightlife we have on Oahu. For Day 1, I would take us to the North Shore to check out the famous Ehukai Beach (Pipeline) and then to a great shore break spot fown the road, called Keiki’s. We would then drink some beers and eat some poke on the beach for lunch then hit up the iconic Garlic Shrimp food trucks on the way back into town. Day 2 would be going to the west side to cruise at my two favorite beaches for surf, Makaha and Yokohama Beach (Yoks). Makaha is one of the more well known “local only” spots, while Yokohama is the perfect place to camp out over night right on the beach. Day 3 would be taking you to the east side for sunrise to my favorite beach on the Island, called Sandy Beach, where you can’t catch a better shore break wave consistently on the island. We would again drink beers and eat poke all day on the beach then make our way over to Makapu’u beach, where I would take you down to the tide pools. Day 4 would consist of going to the North Eastern side of the island to the Kailua -Kaneohe area to do some hikes like, lani kai and the Pali Puka. To end the day we would cruise at Waimanalo beach park and, you guessed it, drink beer and eat poke. Day 5 would be hanging out on the south side of the island, which we call town. I would take you to my home break spot for body surfing at a spot called Point Panic, then hang around town and eat some amazing Hawaiian food at a place called Highway Inn. Then for the weekend, we would spend it on the south side and I would show you around the iconic Waikiki Strip to show you how unique it is than any where else. The food and nightlife are like no other and would not be hard to get into some trouble and have a great time in our version of the city.

Sam:

Growing up in San Diego, we spent most of our days eating burritos and hitting the beach. First stop on the trip would be my favorite taco shop, Karina’s. We would then head over to my favorite spot to watch the sunset next to moonlight beach. Day two would consists of delicious breakfast at my favorite bagel spot, garden state bagels. Then, back down to the beaches in the Cardiff area. After we would hit the seaside market and get the famous Cardiff crack tri-tip. Throw that on the grill while my sister cooks up one of her delicious deserts. Day three we would get coffee from of my favorite places, Philz Coffee. We would then head down to La Jolla to check out the tide pools and sea lions that hang out around the cove. Even enjoy a day of snorkeling and kayak adventures. Day 4 I would head a little more south in the Pacific Beach and Ocean Beach area for thrift shopping and more delicious cuisines. PB for good food and music at Firehouse. Board n brew for the wonderful sandwiches and OB noodles house for the delicious Pho noodle soup. Finish the day off with a signature crumbl cookie. Day 5 would be our signature dawn patrol with my dad where we go bodysurfing in the ocean for sunrise. Breakfast at his favorite spot 101 diner. Then back down to the beach for some beach volleyball at moonlight. Out to some of our favorite night life spots in Encinitas such as shelter and First Ave. Day 6 would consist of chorizo breakfast burritos from Mexico viejo. After breakfast we head down to downtown and the gaslamp area. We would need to check out the best attraction in town. The San Diego Padres. After the game, we would go to some of my favorite downtown nightclub to get dancing, Bloom, Nova, and Parq. Moonshine flats for the country vibes also! Day 7 would be a lot of relaxation by the pool and sauna while preparing for your trip home.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
People that we would like to give a shout out to are first and foremost God. We give all glory to God and all that He provides for us on a daily basis. We give Him glory for all the amazing opportunities he gives us, but we also give Him glory for the hard times in our life, that have taught us valuable life lessons to become the best version of ourselves. We want to give our parents a shoutout for instilling the qualities of hard work and dedication towards areas of our life that we are passionate about, and to never give up on what we believe in. And lastly we want to give a shout-out to our homies that always show up and show out in support for us at every show. As well as the mentors that we have gained in our journey, such as, Gainchanger (Joseph Goodman), DJ Bolo, Sam Blacky, Brohaun (Brody Curtis), and the Boys at Psychosis Events for showing us the way to be successful in the music game.

Other: Here is our link tree with links to all our sites 🤙🏽 https://linktr.ee/dubzndutchz?utm_source=linktree_profile_share&ltsid=e77956fc-8cf0-4f04-a7c0-5317460aa6dc