Ten years ago, four singers were working various jobs in Los Angeles and contemplating their futures.
“We were talking about following our own dreams,” said Daniel Tatar, one of the co-creators of The Company Men. “One conversation led to the next, and almost a year later, the group had their first performance. We were all starting families, so the stakes were high. We committed ourselves to building this group, and it’s thrilling to look back at the growth in the past decade.”
The Company Men will perform at 8 p.m. Feb. 18 at the Palladium at the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel.
“As demand for performances grew, we expanded from the four of us to multiple casts,” Tatar said. “This week, you can find The Company Men here at the Palladium and on several cruise ships. There has always been at least one of the original members connected with the group. The heart of the group remains the same, but there is space for each person to infuse their own style and personality.”
The group specializes in mashups of songs from today and different eras.
“There are so many different mashups that the setlist changes depending on the audience and length of the show,” Tatar said. “Whenever I do the show, I listen to the newest Top 40 hits and find new mashups to bring in. Actually, I’ve been working on a new one to debut at the Palladium. I’m sure everyone will recognize it.”
Tatar said many of today’s hits are heavily influenced by Motown.
“When we interweave songs, you can hear similar tempos and complementary note structures throughout,” he said. “But our mashups span various genres over the last eight decades.”
Tatar said choreography plays a major role in the concert experience.
“It captures the essence of the original Motown hits and visually represents the mashups between styles,” Tatar said. “We are constantly moving around, switching places, passing solos. All of that has to be carefully choreographed and rehearsed to keep a clean, precise show. From the very beginning, we have been lucky to have the same choreographer who helps tell the stories of each song through movement.”
Tatar said like the mashups, there are a lot of crossover vocal parts between the four singers.
“Depending on the arrangement, I sing baritone and tenor backup parts, but my solos are in the tenor range,” he said. “Much of it is in the pop/rock genre, like Katy Perry’s ‘Firework’ or Cee Lo Green’s ‘Forget You.’ But I also get to explore the softer, soulful sounds of Sam Smith’s ‘Stay With Me’ or ‘Just My Imagination’ by The Temptations. Lots of variety.”
Tatar said with singing 70 songs in 90 minutes, every moment is enjoyable to perform.
“A personal favorite is Michael Buble’s ‘Everything,’ where I can really connect with the audience,” he said. “That is something I really appreciate about live performances. Another song I love singing is Katy Perry’s ‘Firework.’ When my daughter was very young, she heard this song on the radio and excitedly yelled, ‘Daddy! She’s singing your song!’ I still love that.”
The Company Men were supposed to perform for the first time at the Palladium in April 2020, but the show was rescheduled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“As a Midwesterner myself, it is great to see communities with a deep appreciation for the arts,” Tatar said. “The (concert) season at the Palladium brings in some amazing and diverse performances from all over the country, and I’m very excited to connect with the audience here.”
For more, visit thecenterpresents.org and thecompanymen.com.
