What began as a vision in the eyes of junior high school students Marc Roderge (vocals/rhythm guitar) and Chris Culos (drums) developed into a daily ritual of two best friends meeting after school in an old basement to feed an insatiable interest in music that has now evolved into the truly original sound of O.A.R. Day in and day out, the two spent lots of time developing the sound that would eventually become their own unique musical indentity. They stumbled upon a true fusion of rock, reggae, ska, and folk coupled with carefully selected lyrics that take the listener on a journey through the eyes of a wandering soul. The music offers the listener a fresh sound that is worthy of its own genre---Island Vibe Roots Rock.
As the two visionaries matured, they entered the high school ranks and the duo quickly evolved into a band. The addition of guitarist Richard On further developed the sound as he added a melodic style of lead guitar to the mix. With bass player Benj Gerhman joining the group in early 1997, the band took on the name '...of a revolution." and began playing locally in Maryland. Before long the long name of the band got lost somewhere in the gorge of confusion. The name '... of a revolution.' was often abbreviated into O.A.R., but the band had understandably been deemed 'oar'. As easy as it was to say, the band certainly did not intend on being related to the rowing instrument of a boat therefore taking on the abbreviated name ---- O.A.R. (Pronounced "O" --- "A" --- "R") The vision that began in the basement years before had now found its final piece to move foreward.
Despite confusion with the band's name, the music had continued to spread as Chris and Marc headed off to Ohio State University in the Fall of 1997. Fueling off the underground success of their first album 'The Wanderer,' the band was looking to tour and continue to record music. During the summer of 1998, the band had recorded their second album 'Souls Aflame' with saxophonist Jerry DePizzo, who eventually became the fifth member and final piece of O.A.R. Over the following year, the band balanced their full time course load and was able to play throughout Ohio, also branching out to Arizona, Nevada, South Carolina and back home to Maryland. O.A.R. took pride in their unparalleled live show and was intent on playing as often as possible. The inspiration was fueled simply by the will to play to the people who had opened their ears and minds to the sound of O.A.R.
Their most recent album, 'Risen,' was released nationally by Everfine Records on February 6, 2001. The album combines re-worked previously recorded tracks along with new material exhibiting the band's growth over the years. The Summer of 2001 takes the band on a full fledged American tour that began with three Sold Out nights at Chicago's House of Blues to be released later as a live album. What began as a sound based solely on feeling has developed into a movement inspired by the vibe that is O.A.R.
"From their beginnings as a high school basement band exploring the irrepressible youthful urge to make noise to their current status as college rock phenomenon, O.A.R. has remained grounded and grateful at every step. The music, of course, is the key. O.A.R. play a lusty, driving train wreck of jam, roots rock, and ska with a liberal amount of reggae and honest, raw songwriting."
