2/2/2008 5:04:00 PM
O.A.R. is ready for a revolution
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| O.A.R. is making several university stops this week including Old Dominion on Monday and Virginia Tech on Tuesday before heading down under for an Australian tour in March. |
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By CARRIE PITZER
News Staff Writer
Between technological advances and the upcoming presidential election, it's a revolutionary time for the nation.
And there's no better time for Of A Revolution (O.A.R.) to start achieving major airplay for a sound that's already sweeping the Internet.
O.A.R., which is making several university stops this week including Old Dominion on Monday and Virginia Tech on Tuesday before heading down under for an Australian tour in March, reached the masses through online distribution beginning during their college days and has watched that escalade in recent years.
Although the band relishes those fans and their support, the jam band from Maryland via Ohio State is looking for more with its next release, due out in late spring.
"We have songs for the radio, and we have songs strictly for the fans. We made it a point this time to make sure the songs that we wrote that are fan tracks are songs that don't have any boundaries and not limited to a radio format," 28-year-old guitarist Richard On told the Daily News on Saturday.
"It's weird these days the songs that you don't have to be too creative with, as far as the structurally and arrangement-wise, are the songs that get played on the radio. The songs that we're really creative with are the songs we're making for our fans. It's just odd to me that's how radio works now," he said.
Although it would seem O.A.R. has had to dumb-down its music in an attempt to gain airplay, On said the band understands that's just the world we live in today. What's important, he said, is O.A.R. is still able to make records, write songs and structure them however they want.
O.A.R. isn't looking to conform to gain more fans. They simply don't have to. Although O.A.R. has really only had one so-called radio hit in its career - "Love and Memories" in 2005, the band has sold more than a million records.
More importantly, it sells out arenas, including twice selling out Madison Square Garden, an experience fans can live time and again thanks to their 2007 live release.
"The relationship with our fans is where we co-exist. It's not like you're in a crowd and you're looking up at the band and the band is looking down at the floor with a separation between the two," On said. "For our shows, it's important everyone feels like we're all in this together. The night isn't going to be great unless we're all on the same page. The way the band started was with that mentality, and I think everyone needs to realize their importance."
O.A.R., which is made up of On, Mark Roberge (vocals, guitar), Chris Culos (drums, percussion), Benj Gershman (bass guitar), Jerry DePizzo (sax, guitar, background vocals) and Mikel Paris (keyboard, bongos), has flourished thanks to technology and old-fashioned word of mouth.
Fitting, O.A.R. does plenty of spreading the word about issues, too. The band is part of several charities from Serve2, helping with hunger and poverty, to U.S.O. tours, where they played for soldiers in Iraq.
O.A.R. is also active with HeadCount, an organization urging voter registration through nonpartisan means. On said this is an especially volatile time for young people to become voters regardless of which political party they support.
"Everyone has a right to do their own research and believe what they want to believe," On said. "I think it we realize it's more important for young people to define themselves as individuals and find out what they believe in. That's more important than trying to persuade someone with your views."
As for the possibility of having the nation's first African American president or first female president, On called that fantastic, although he's quick to say he doesn't talk publicly about candidates.
"I don't want to push my views or really talk about how I feel, but I think this is a really exciting time for our country. A lot of people are saying this country isn't ready for an African American president or a female president, but I think this country is ready for anything that will shake things up," he said. "I think it's just not a very good time right now. There's a lot of confusion, and I see the reaction that the people who support them - just from watching the polls and their speeches on TV - to see the reaction from the crows and how excited their supports are. I think there's something special about that."
Just like this seems to be a special time for O.A.R. The band is still riding the success of its 2005 album "Stories Of A Stranger" but can't help but feel the excitement for their next release, especially as members leave the studio behind and interact with their fans again with upcoming tour dates.
"We're definitely ready to be back out on the road," On said. "We're excited to be playing these cities again and are preparing a summer tour. I can't say where we're going to be going yet, but it's definitely across the country."
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