Of a Revolution

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 This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this article if you can. (August 2008)
O.A.R. (Of a Revolution)
O.A.R. performing at Cornell's Slope Day in 2004
O.A.R. performing at Cornell's Slope Day in 2004
Background information
Origin Rockville, Maryland, United States
Genre(s) Alternative rock, jam, Pop Rock, Reggae Rock
Years active 1996–present
Label(s) Lava, Everfine
Website www.ofarevolution.com
Members
Marc Roberge
Chris Culos
Richard On
Benj Gershman
Jerry DePizzo

Of a Revolution, better known as O.A.R., is an American rock band consisting of Marc Roberge (vocals, guitar), Chris Culos (drums, percussion), Richard On (guitar, backing vocals), Benj Gershman (bass guitar), Jerry DePizzo (saxophone, guitar, backing vocals). Due to massive online distribution over campus networks, the band has become a hit among college students, with many songs relating to the band members' personal lives at the Ohio State University and growing up in Rockville, Maryland.

Contents

[edit] Band History

[edit] Early years

The band was founded in 1996 by Marc Roberge and Chris Culos, inspired in part by Roberge's older brother who plays drums for the band Foxtrot Zulu. They then recruited Richard On and Benj Gershman. The four of them graduated from Wootton High School in Rockville, Maryland, then moved to Columbus, Ohio to attend The 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. 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. 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 Top 200 list. They received offers from various major labels, but signed with Lava Records because they promised not to change the band.[1]

[edit] Mainstream success

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" also received airplay on VH1 and MTV.

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 Madison Square Garden, which earned them a review in the New York Times[2]. 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.[3] The band attributes much of its popularity to the taping and subsequent trading and downloading of their live shows.

O.A.R. performed 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 street-side concert, including a live performance of "So Much", the Extreme Makeover Home Edition theme, in front of the newly redesigned Los Angeles Free Clinic.

O.A.R. performed at the 2006 Major League Baseball All Star Game in Pittsburgh's PNC Park 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.[4]

O.A.R. received a "Woodie" award from MTV in 2006; their video "Lay Down" won the Woodie for streaming video.

In 2006, the band's song "Love and Memories" was featured in the movie She's the Man.[5]

O.A.R. made a return trip to Madison Square Garden and performed on January 27, 2007, supported by Gomez and Matt Nathanson. This show closed out their 2007 Winter tour which started in Ohio only a few weeks earlier. On June 5, 2007 the concert was released as a DVD/Double Live CD.

In June 2007 the band's songs "Wonderful Day" and "One Shot" were used extensively by ESPN during its coverage of the 2007 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament and College World Series.

The band conducted a USO tour around the Persian Gulf in late August 2007.[6][7]

In the summer of 2008, O.A.R. launched the "All Sides Tour" to promote their new album of the same name, which began June 15 in Manchester, TN at Bonnaroo and concluded August 31 at the Gorge as an opening act for the Dave Matthews Band.

The first radio single for All Sides, "Shattered (Turn the Car Around)", was released for download on June 13. It surpassed "Love And Memories", peaking at 2 in Adult Top 40.

In June 2008 the song "This Town", also from All Sides, was used extensively by ESPN during its coverage of the 2008 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament and College World Series.

O.A.R.'s song "Wonderful Day" is currently being used on nationally airing Ford commercials.

In December 2008, VH1 named the music video for "Shattered" as number 18 on their Top 40 Videos of 2008, saying that "O.A.R. is no longer this well-kept secret; they finally have broken through to mainstream."

In 2008, their song "Love is Worth The Fall" was used in the film Twilight and included on the soundtrack.

O.A.R. performed three songs for Fox News Channel's New Year's Eve coverage in Times Square in New York on December 31, 2008: "Shattered", "Living In The End", and "This Town".

On January 9, 2009 O.A.R. lead singer, Marc Roberge, did a charity concert to benefit the Connecticut National Guard at Hopkins School in New Haven, CT. He performed many of the band's hit songs solo (accompanying himself with an acoustic guitar)---including Love and Memories, Shattered, and This Town.

On March 1, 2009 the song "This Town" was used in a NASCAR racing promotion featuring the band.

O.A.R. has done a cover of Led Zeppelin's "Fool In The Rain" available on iTunes and all the proceeds from the song go directly to charity.

In 2009 OAR was chosen to headline the pre-race concert at the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race

The band plans to record a new live record sometime in the second half of 2009. Roberge noted in an interview with Billboard.com that they hope to release it in time for the holidays.

[edit] Members

[edit] Discography

[edit] Studio albums

[edit] Live albums

[edit] Compilations

Compilation name (year, song title)

[edit] Singles

Year Title Peak chart positions Album
US US
Pop

[8]

 US
Mod

[8]

 US
Adult

[9]
2005 "Love and Memories" 116
[10]		 98 30 17 Stories of a Stranger
2006 "Heard the World" — — — 24
"Lay Down" — — — —
2008 "This Town" 119
[11]		 90 — 17 All Sides
"Shattered (Turn the Car Around)" 36 35 — 2
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or have yet to chart.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Interview with Marc Roberge Songfacts. Retrieved January 10, 2009.
  2. ^ O.A.R. - Review - Music - New York Times
  3. ^ Press Release (2006). "O.A.R. Makes History With Over 1 Million Sold" marketwire.com (accessed October 6, 2006)
  4. ^ Musical Groups Big & Rich and O.A.R. to Appear at Save Darfur Now. "Musical Groups Big & Rich and O.A.R. to Appear at “Save Darfur Now: Voices to End Genocide” Rally in New York City’s Central Park on September 17" savedarfur.org (cached; accessed July 3, 2009)
  5. ^ She's the Man Soundtrack [1]
  6. ^ O.A.R. have played multiple shows for the troops."USO Tour Schedule 2007" (accessed August 25th, 2007).
  7. ^ Video from Kirkuk Regional Air Base (8.28.07)"YouTube" (accessed August 30th, 2007).
  8. ^ a b "Artist Chart History: Singles". Billboard charts. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/retrieve_chart_history.do?model.vnuArtistId=407336&model.vnuAlbumId=1153094. Retrieved on 2008-07-26. 
  9. ^ "Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks". Billboard charts. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/searchResult.jsp?exp=y&Ntt=O.A.R.&Ntk=Keyword&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&nor=10&an=bbcom&N=37+4294126218. Retrieved on 2008-07-26. 
  10. ^ Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles
  11. ^ Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Of a Revolution
Marc Roberge • Chris Culos • Richard On • Benj Gershman • Jerry DePizzo • Mikel Paris
Studio albums
Live releases
Compilation releases
Singles
"Love and Memories" • "Heard the World" • "Lay Down" • "This Town" • "Shattered (Turn the Car Around)"
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Of_a_Revolution"
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