Of a Revolution (O.A.R.) due to massive online distribution over campus networks, become a hit among college students. The band is also well known for its live performances, they often creates variations to songs at each concert, making it rare to hear a song played exactly the same way twice. The band incorporates jam elements in their concerts, resulting in many of their live songs running anywhere between 5 and 18 minutes each.
Founded in 1996 by Marc Roberge and Chris Culos, recruited Richard On and Benj Gershman and one year later recorded their debut album “The Wanderer” at Gizmo Recording Company in Silver Spring, Maryland.
They graduated from Wootton High School in Rockville, Maryland, then moved to Columbus, Ohio to attend Ohio State University where they met Jerry DePizzo. In 2000 they returned to Gizmo Recording to record “Soul’s Aflame”, their second album.
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. Over the years, the band played as many shows as they could, expanding from the fraternities and sororities of Ohio State to any audiences that cared to listen. Finally this exposure paid off: their third album “Risen” debuted at #11 on the Billboard top internet sales chart. The following year, their fourth album “Any Time Now debuted” at #156 on the Billboard 200 chart. They received offers from various major labels, but signed with Lava Records because they promised not to change the band.
In 2005, O.A.R. released their fifth album, Stories of a Stranger, which debuted at #40 on the Billboard 200. It produced the singles “Love and Memories,” “Heard the World,” and “Lay Down.” “Love and Memories” was the band’s first single to chart and receive significant radio airplay, peaking at 98 in the Pop 100, at 30 in Modern Rock Tracks, and at 18 in Adult Top 40. The music videos for “Love and Memories” and “Lay Down” received airplay on VH1 and MTV. The video for “Lay Down” received a “Woodie” award from MTV for streaming video.
It was also the beginning of a shift in the bands fundamental style. Many of the tracks on the next “Stories of a Stranger” and subsequent albums have displayed a willingness by the band to move away from the reggae, ska, and jam band inspired sound which made them popular. Featuring shorter run-times, less acoustic instrumentation, and more pop-inspired arrangements.
The seventh studio album by O.A.R., “King”, was released on August 2, 2011 and it’s a nice, flowing and sparkling merge of pop, rock and raggae elements, it has something from the spirit of The Police to the sound of bands such O.M.C. (Otara Millionaires Club), OPM (Open People’s Minds) or The New Radicals.
16 tracks, smells like a summer album, but it has a nice aroma, a sweet perfume, it just feels good, feels alright. Revolution? Can’t wait till the summer ends?
Yet again, O.A.R has released a phenomenal album. It’s the perfect blend of their signature lengthy, jam track sound with a fresh, redefined catchiness. I absolutely love it! But let’s face it they have grown A LOT since the band they were when they first met in college. I always try to imagine what world touring, professional recording, and playing music for a living does for a bands new material… and I feel that if everyone embraced it as maturity we’d all be a lot happier! Anyway, I love the album, I think O.A.R has always been consistent with putting out incredible music. I love the music video for Heaven as well… just further proves my point that they are still O.A.R! 🙂