O.A.R. (band)

O.A.R. (Of a Revolution)
O.A.R. performing at Lincoln Theater in 2015
Background information
Origin	Rockville, Maryland, United States
Genres	Alternative rock, indie rock, roots rock
Years active	1996–present
Labels	Vanguard Records, Wind-up Records, Lava Records, Atlantic
Associated acts	Matt Nathanson, Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers, Brett Dennen, Foxtrot Zulu
Website	www.ofarevolution.com
Members	Marc Roberge Chris Culos Richard On Benj Gershman Jerry DePizzo

O.A.R. (short for Of a Revolution) is an American rock, jam band founded in 1996 in Rockville, Maryland. The band consists of lead vocalist/guitarist Marc Roberge, drummer Chris Culos, guitarist Richard On, bassist Benj Gershman and saxophonist/guitarist Jerry DePizzo. Together, the band has released eight studio albums, including their latest release, The Rockville LP, in June 2014. The band is well known for their live shows and extensive summer touring, and have released five records of various live performances to date. Four of the band members grew up in Rockville, Maryland and attended Thomas Sprigg Wootton High School. After graduating, they went on to study at Ohio State University where they met the fifth member, saxophonist/guitarist Jerry DePizzo from Youngstown, Ohio.

O.A.R. was founded in 1996 by lead vocalist Marc Roberge and drummer Chris Culos, inspired in part by Roberge's older brother, who plays drums for the band Foxtrot Zulu. They later recruited Richard On and Benj Gershman. In 1997 they recorded their debut album, The Wanderer, at Gizmo Recording Company in Silver Spring, Maryland with engineer/producer Gantt Kushner. Many songs from the album, including "Black Rock" and "That Was a Crazy Game of Poker", became staples of their live shows and are still played at most of their concerts today.

The four band members graduated from Wootton High School in Rockville, Maryland, then moved to Columbus, Ohio to attend Ohio State University. While at Ohio State, they met Jerry DePizzo, from Youngstown, Ohio. He joined the band as the saxophonist, completing the current lineup. In 1999, they returned to Gizmo Recording to record their second album, Soul's Aflame.

Unlike other similar bands, O.A.R. did not use much formal advertising/marketing plans to obtain an audience, instead choosing to rely on word-of-mouth alone. Throughout the next few 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 No. 11 on the Billboard top internet sales chart. The following year, their fourth album In Between Now and Then debuted at No. 156 on the Billboard 200 chart. They received offers from various major labels, but ultimately chose to sign with Lava Records.