O.A.R, (Of a Revolution), is just about ready to kick off their Tailgate Tour starting November 3rd and travel across seven states. The band consists of Marc Roberge, Chris Culos, Richard On, Benj Gershman, and Jerry DePizzo. The American rock band has released seven studio albums, all of which have achieved great success on the Billboard charts. I had a chance to speak with Jerry DePizzo about touring, new albums, and how the band has remained together since 1996;
Jerry DePizzo met Culos and Roberge while attending Ohio State. The two band members started the band in 1996 during high school in Rockville, Maryland. DePizzo says each band member feels the band is a “special thing.” He commented on how the band has remained together for 17 years, “It is our passion, it is what we always wanted to do. We are good buddies so I think that really helps. We go out there and we work hard; its what we love to do.”
Something that DePizzo finds an important aspect to success in the band is reinventing their sounds with every performance, album, and song. “Every time we hit the road or walk into a studio, it’s lets give them something new and different, or a side of the band they haven’t seen before. We have a lot of people that come out on the road to see us, not only year after year, but show after show. It’s not uncommon to see people that say ‘this is my 50th show, this is my 100th show,’ and that’s really special. So to reward those people, you give them a different show every night and give them a different look, and continuously try to reinvent yourself.”
The band is well known for their summer tours that provide great entertainment and sound to their fans. They just finished their 29-date Sounds of Summer Tour in August that ended in Holmdel, NJ. Allen Stone and Andrew McMahon joined the tour for a majority of the shows. “We were out with Allen Stone…he’s a fantastic guy and Andrew McMahon, an artist who we have been on the road with for the past 10 years. It was just that package together, and was a ton of fun. We’ve been going out for the past ten years every summer and it’s been one of the most fun and enjoyable ones.”
What DePizzo enjoys most about touring; “Honestly getting up on stage and entertaining people, getting that energy from the audience is probably my favorite for me. We spend all year ramping up for the summer tour and put all this excitement into it. We go out there and see some familiar faces and some new ones. It’s great, just going out and playing for people. It is what I always wanted to do.”
The tour featured hit songs, old songs, as well as new songs in which all the fans sung along to. With shows in over 15 states, the shows are always set to provide a different vibe and energy. “They end up being different, absolutely. Every audience is different which means every show is different. You never know what you’re going to get when you get up on that stage every night. We are fortunate. We’ve put on some great shows and people respond really well to them.”
The Sounds of Summer Tour returned to Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado. “Red Rocks is amazing. I always say put your least favorite band at Red Rocks and you’ll have a great time, it’s that magical of a place. We enjoy going there and doing the show and it’s always our kind of energy and kind of excitement.” Back in 2012 O.A.R. released their “Live on Red Rocks” 2012 CD and DVD. “I think we are known as a live act. We want people to take that experience home with them. We hang our hat on the fact we are a live act. We go out there and we are known for our shows. We do that and after a new record of material and after a couple summers under the belt, the songs have evolved.”
O.A.R. announced they would be having a 10 date Tailgate Tour. They will be performing in Florida from November 15-17. Fans will get to hear debut performances of songs from their new albums. “We have been working everyday on our new record. We are excited to get out there and play that kind of stuff. We are really looking forward to getting down to Florida on the 13th through the 17th. We always circle that with a big red circle on our calendars. We love coming down to Florida, it’s always a blast for us. It took us a couple years to figure out we should go to Florida in November; it’s a little colder than in July or August. We like the outdoor experience and the tickets are selling really, really well.” To date, O.A.R. has released seven studio albums. All which have received great recognition, including their third studio album, which reached #11 on the Billboard Top Internet Sales chart. Their album “All Sides” from 2008 debuted at #13 on the Billboard Top 200, and provided them with their first certified platinum single (Shattered.) Fans can look forward to a new album release according to DePizzo. “It is going to be based around this song called “Peace.” That’s kind of the genesis for the record in the sense, everyone out there has to find their own peace and solace, and that slice of harmony. Every song is kind of based off of that.”
On choosing songs for the album, DePizzo described, “I think the good ones rise to the top when it comes down to it. You have certain feelings about every tune and whether it should make it or not. Sometimes there’s debate and most of the time there’s clear-cut winners. I think you write as much as you can and you find the stuff that means a lot to you and that’s what you record and release to people.“
DePizzo believes the album will be released before next summer. Although each album has provided different themes and had different meanings, DePizzo says, “I don’t think we make records to have one be different than the other. We challenge ourselves to do different things, but they are still our quintessential O.A.R. material.”
