O.A.R.: Making the Grade
Respected jammers explain their barroom inspirations, Israeli reggae, and the song-writing expertise of their fans.
Some famous folk have passed through the hallowed halls of Ohio State University. There�s fractious college basketball coach Bobby Knight, pop artist Roy Lichtenstein, and Jesse Owens, the record-smashing athlete who ruled at the 1936 Munich Olympics. But we suspect the alumni association could also puff their chests up with pride over the achievements of O.A.R.
Marc Roberge (vocals) and Chris Culos (drums) were Maryland natives who, after landing at OSU, lured pals Richard On (guitar) and Benj Gershman (bass) to the Midwest to continue the musical explorations they began in Culos� Rockville basement. Later, Jerry DePizzo joined the band on sax. O.A.R. (meaning �Of a Revolution�) was born.
The quintet�s entrepreneurial savvy is worthy of an honorary MBA. They plied their �island vibe roots rock� on college campuses while still studying for their degrees. O.A.R.�s music was keg party-friendly � flexible skank distinguished by Roberge�s English 101 lyrics and the fluid lines of DePizzo�s jazzy sax and On�s blues guitar. Their sprawling song �That Was a Crazy Game of Poker� became a frat boy anthem.
They made a couple indie albums, and in 2001 refurbished some earlier jams (and songs) into the proper recordings on Risen. When it came time to prep their major label debut In Between Now and Then, they consulted the fans. After shows and on their Web site�s message boards, the guys asked what the O.A.R.-heads liked and didn�t like. The result is their attempt to step up to the Dave Matthews Band league while relating their own story so far. Lovelorn lead single �Hey Girl� was written when Roberge was just 16. The O.A.R. brand attributes are shown off on the rocking �Right on Time� and tight riddims of �Coalminer.� Seven-minute finale �White Chariot� even tells how they got their record deal. Aspiring jam bands should take notes.
With a new chapter opening, Roberge, Culos and DePizzo sat down with VH1 to wonder what happened to the Guns N� Roses element of their music, explain how a trip to Israel put them in touch with their Jamaican vibe, and demonstrate why it�s better to jam with a focus group.
VH1: I heard the first song you played together was Guns N� Roses �Patience.�
Chris Culos: We recorded �Patience� for a battle of the bands. That must have been like eighth grade.
Marc Roberge: We were 13 and we didn�t get in. They wanted a demo to see what you sounded like. Back then D.C. was better known for the heavier stuff and Fugazi was the biggest thing in the world. It was like all hardcore bands in the contest, but we�re totally not heavy. So we had a four-track from Chris' father and recorded �Patience.� We didn�t quite understand what they meant by �original music,� so someone else�s song was our demo. But it was fun. [Watch Clip]
VH1: �Hey Girl� has been a live staple for ages and you�ve cut it before. Why another version?
MR: We�re taking an honest approach to things. We know that people are familiar with this song and that it�s a catchy song. We�ve been playing it for seven years and we really feel that this is a great way to kick ourselves through the door that we�re trying to get through. That�s why you go to a major label.
VH1: How much has the song changed in that time?
MR: It�s completely different on each record and each performance. It�s ever-changing. On the new version, there�s a whole new third verse. It�s one of the first songs I ever wrote in my life and I felt real good that I could still record it. It�s a way for people to get that song and explore the record.
VH1: Do you guys road test the newer material?
CC: Absolutely. Fifty percent of the album is stuff we�ve played live before. We kind of test-marketed it by talking to people after shows, checking in on our message board seeing what people had to say. A lot of the songs went through transformations.
VH1: What song would you say has changed the most from when you first started playing it?
MR: �Whose Chariot.� It�s a long tune that you�ll never hear on the radio, ever. I can guarantee that because it�s seven minutes long. We would have these drunken nights at the Northberg tavern in Columbus, Ohio. We would create these tunes with just acoustic guitars and Jack Daniels. The song is about the whole record deal, using a lot of analogies and metaphors. But the kids really helped write it. The message board and the Internet dictated where the song went: I like this part, I hate this part. The fans took it as their own, so we put it on the record as a tribute to them. They pretty much �wrote� the parts. [Watch Clip]
VH1: You both went to Israel shortly before writing one of your earliest songs, �The Wanderer.� Is the traveling life a big lyrical inspiration for you?
MR: I don�t know anything about anything, because I�m 24 years old. I realize that I�m a blank chalkboard and I need to open my eyes a little bit. That�s what I did with this record. Growing up, you write about the adventures that you haven�t had yet. If you can write, people will believe it. This record was written from experience. There are songs about being on the road, about living in Columbus, about signing a record deal. It�s honest. For the first time, it�s true rather than imaginary experience. So in a way the traveling did affect the record.
VH1: You describe your own music as �island vibes roots rock.� Have you actually been to Jamaica?
CC: We played there! We like that island vibe, but I don�t think we�re trying to take anything from reggae music. It�s our own interpretation of it.
MR: The island vibe came completely from Israel. It�s a Mediterranean place. It�s a desert, but the beaches are beautiful, with cliffs and a blue majestic sea. Reggae�s huge in the Middle East. That�s all we listened to when we were over there. Reggae can really get its point across. The lyrics hit you hard and haunt you. The reggae vibe, the unified sound onstage, brings the audience in. We�re more interested in that [than the message]. In Jamaica, you feel that vibe a little bit, but I don�t think we have the experience or knowledge to truly speak about it, because we�re from Maryland! [Watch Clip]
VH1: Can you take a crummy situation and turn it into a memorable show?
MR: A great example was the Sheryl Crow tour. We had the five o�clock slot, playing a humongous amphitheater, and there were about 47 people in the audience. That starts the day off great. At the very first song this girl in the front row goes, �Hey, do you think you�re related to Dave Matthews?� I looked down at her and I�m like, �I�m just trying to work. If you think you could do any better why don�t you come up here?� Everybody else was like, �Yeah, get up there!� I was being a total jerk, and I wasn�t even picking on the right girl! But it turned into a good show, because by the end of our set there were a thousand or so people, and the lady who had said that was up dancing. The Dave Matthews comparisons used to bother me, but then I realized, �I�m being compared to one of the best touring acts out there!� So be it.
VH1: Does the term �jam band� turn into a stigma to you?
CC: There are so many good musicians in the jam band scene, that it�s a compliment.
MR: I don�t think we�re good enough to be a jam band! [Laughs.]
Jerry DePizzo: Any band that you say is a jam band - like Phish for example - will tell you they�re not a jam band. The label�s gotten so generic. If The Police were still playing today, they would be considered a jam band. Led Zeppelin would be a jam band. These days, any band that has a guitar solo in it or doesn�t play straight from the record is a jam band. That�s where we come into it. We make straightforward, fairly poppy records, and then on stage we deviate from that to give people two different sides of the story. The record experience is completely different from the live experience.
VH1: Is there a difference between an authentic jam and noodling?
MR: Like in any great story, there�s a beginning, a middle, and an end to a jam. A jam is when you can feel the group of guys working as a unit. Bob Marley and the Wailers in 1978 weren�t playing a million notes a minute, but there is that vibe and unified sound. That�s a jam, when you�re reaching that point of real involvement. That�s why we get thrown into the jam scene. We feel like we can find that peak and do it within our means. We don�t say that we can play every single musical note you can [ever] play fast-paced and crazy. Within our means we can join together in a unified sound. And that�s what a true jam is in my opinion.
CC: Absolutely. It�s like this pulsing feeling.
VH1: Who have you seen where you walked away thinking, �One day we gotta be as good as that?�
MR: We just played with Pseudopod; some of those musicians are unbelievable. We played with Marc Broussard and his bass player Calvin. They�re from outside of New Orleans and are phenomenal players! Sitting there watching these guys - just guitar, vocals, and a bass � blew me away.
CC: There�s the Paul McCartney DVD we�ve been watching, too.
MR: Yeah, McCartney really involves the crowd. You look around and everybody�s crying. My girlfriend went to the show while we were on tour, and she left like 40 messages [on my cellphone]. With every song, she�d be like, �Everybody�s crying!�
VH1: No one cries at your shows?
MR: Not unless they�re getting kicked by crowd surfers!
C. Bottomley and Jim Macnie/May 12, 2003
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