O.A.R.
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....of a revolution. (or O.A.R.) is an American rock band consisting of Marc Roberge (vocals & guitar), Chris Culos (drums & percussion), Richard On (guitar & vocals), Benj Gershman (bass guitar), and Jerry DePizzo (saxophone, guitar & vocals). Due to massive online distribution over campus networks, the band has become a hit among college students, with many songs relating to the bandmembers' personal lives at Ohio State University and growing up in Rockville, Maryland.
Background
The band was founded in 1996 by Marc Roberge and Chris Culos, who then each recruited Richard On and Benj Gershman. The four of them graduated from Thomas Sprigg Wootton High School in Rockville, Maryland, then moved to Columbus, Ohio to attend Ohio State University. While at Ohio State, they met Jerry DePizzo, from Youngstown, Ohio. Without any formal marketing or advertising plans, news of their songs such as That Was a Crazy Game of Poker, City on Down and Night Shift spread by word of mouth alone. The band played as many shows as they could despite the price, extending from the fraternities and sororities of Ohio State through any audiences that cared to take them on. This exposure paid off. Their third album Risen debuted at #11 on the Billboard top internet sales chart. The following year in 2002, their fourth album Any Time Now debuted at #156 on the Billboard Top 200 list. On October 5, 2006, a press release declared that O.A.R. had officially sold in excess of 1.2 million albums over their career.[1] The band attributes much of its popularity to the taping and subsequent trading and downloading of their live shows.
The band performs the theme song for the ABC show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. During a two-hour special that aired on December 11 2005, they provided a streetside concert, including a live performance of "So Much" the Extreme Makeover Home Edition theme, in front of the newly redesigned Los Angeles Free Clinic.
On January 14 2006 O.A.R. reached a new peak of popularity by drawing roughly 18,000 fans and selling out New York City's famed Madison Square Garden, which earned them a review in the New York Times. O.A.R. continues to grow in popularity. Their music videos "Love and Memories" and "Lay Down" have been featured on VH1 and MTV respectively, and they played three nights at the Gorge with the Dave Matthews Band. After having "Love And Memories" as their first "real" radio hit, "Heard The World" was named in September 2006 as their second single off "Stories Of A Stranger". "Heard The World" has been top 10 on many Maryland/D.C. radio stations as "Love And Memories" still gets consistent air play on major radio stations.
O.A.R. performed at the 2006 Major League Baseball All Star Game in Pittsburgh during All Star Sunday, singing one of their top hits, "Love and Memories". They also performed at a rally to benefit Darfur in Central Park on September 17, 2006.
O.A.R. in 2006 also received their first "official" award. O.A.R. (Of A Revolution) received a "Woodie" from MTV. Their video "Lay Down" won the Woodie for streaming video. O.A.R.'s acceptance speech can be seen on the MTV website.
O.A.R. made a return trip to the famed Madison Square Garden (MSG) on Saturday January 27 2007, being supported by Gomez and Matt Nathanson. This show closed out their 2007 Winter tour which started in Ohio only a few weeks earlier. The concert is viewable at MSN for free. (Video of concert)
In a message to their fans, Jerry DePizzo, the band's saxophone player, announced that they are currently working on a new record and should be ready early 2008 and they are really excited about it. Marc Roberge also stated on 27 December 2006 that they have over 20 new songs written and in the works.
On June 15, 2007 the January 27th concert at Madison Square Garden was released as a DVD/Double Live CD.
In June of 2007 the band's song "Wonderful Day" and "One Shot" was used extensively by ESPN during its coverage of the 2007 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament and College World Series.
The band is conducting a USO tour around the Persian Gulf in late August 2007. [2][3]
Members
- Marc Roberge – (1996 - present)
- Chris Culos – (1996 - present)
- Richard On – (1996 - present)
- Benj Gershman – (1996 - present)
- Jerry DePizzo – (9/21/2000 - present)
Discography
Studio albums
Live albums
Featured
[Compilation Name (Year, Song Title)]
- Bonnaroo 2003 (2003, "Risen")
- Rock For Relief (2006, "James")
- MLB '06: The Show (2006, "Of A Revolution")
- Mixclusives: Volume 6 (2006, "Love & Memories")
- The Target Red Room VOLUME:5 (2006, "One Shot (Live)")
- Kyle XY Soundtrack (2007, "Wonderful Day")
- Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur (2007, "Borrowed Time")
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pop 100 |
Modern Rock |
Adult Top 40 |
Adult Tracks |
Adult Recurrents | |||
| 2003 | "Hey Girl" | - | - | 26 | - | - | In Between Now & Then |
| 2005 | "Love and Memories" | 98 | 30 | 18 | 17 | 2 | Stories of a Stranger |
| 2006 | "Heard The World" | - | - | - | - | - | Stories of a Stranger |
| 2006 | "Lay Down" | - | - | - | - | - | Stories of a Stranger |
Notes
- ^ Press Release (2006). "O.A.R. Makes History With Over 1 Million Sold" marketwire.com (accessed October 6, 2006)
- ^ O.A.R. is overseas now and has played multiple shows for the troops."USO Tour Schedule 2007" (accessed August 25th, 2007).
- ^ Video from Kirkuk Regional Air Base (8.28.07)"YouTube" (accessed August 30th, 2007).
External links
Official
Other
- O.A.R. @ Haystack
- Billboard.com Band Profile
- oarsa.org setlist archive, lyrics, and fan site
- Live recordings by O.A.R. at the Internet Archive & Taping policy
- Everfine Records
- Lead Singer Marc Roberge interview with the Cornell Daily Sun