-- by Jon Wiederhorn, with reporting by Jason Gallagher
They started out in 1998 as five guys who jammed together while they were attending Ohio State University. Two independently released albums and two live discs later, O.A.R. had sold over 300,000 records through word of mouth and the Internet, and have just released their first major-label disc, In Between Now and Then.
"We would not be where we are if it weren't for the kids trading on the Internet," vocalist and rhythm guitarist Marc Roberge said. "And we wouldn't be where we are if we didn't allow taping [at our shows]. The Grateful Dead were very smart in that they involved everyone and made a community out of it. We're following suit; it's just a communal thing going on, and it's working."
Many musicians move from across the country to major cities like New York, Los Angeles and Chicago to make a name for themselves. O.A.R. — Roberge, lead guitarist Richard On, saxophone player Jerry DePizzo, bassist Benj Gershman and drummer Chris Culos — were perfectly happy to start out as a college frat band because they instantly had a built-in audience.
"Columbus, [Ohio], was such a great place to start a band because there's like 60,000 kids that go to Ohio State," said Culos, who started playing with Roberge more than 15 years ago while the two were growing up in Rockville, Maryland.
With their jangly pop and sing-along melodies, O.A.R. have understandably been compared to the Dave Matthews Band, but while the group writes its share of love songs and good-time drinking ditties, some of its tunes have more unusual lyrical inspirations. Roberge has written songs based on Steven King's "The Stand, "Hey Girl" is about a one-night stand he never had, and the new song "Whose Chariot?" stemmed from online interaction between the band and its fans.
"People come to the shows and write on the Internet what moved them and what didn't make any sense at all," Roberge said. "We listen to that stuff, and that was shown on the song."
In Between Now and Then is a musically mature LP full of simple, catchy island-vibe roots rock. It may be the group's most developed release, but it wouldn't exactly be fair to say O.A.R. have grown significantly with age.
"We've got tapes of us playing six years ago to 50 of our friends," Roberge said. "We are still using songs Chris and I wrote in the basement in junior high."
Three studio albums and two live discs into their career, it's clear that O.A.R. have found a devoted audience. Some of those fans, however, are still a little stumped by the band's name, which stands for Of a Revolution.
"We had an in-store [once], and [this guy] comes walking up with this paddle," Roberge recalled. "And he says, "can you sign this oar, Oar?"
"People get mad about it," added Culos. "They come up and say, 'No, you guys are not O.A.R., you're Oar. [I know because] I've been listening to you [for a long time]."
For a full-length look at O.A.R.'s "Hey Girl," check out the video premiere.
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