Issue date: 10/31/03 Section: The Verge

Of a Revolution (O.A.R.) is set to rock at Eastern on Sunday with their eclectic fusion of different jam-band stylings. O.A.R will make a stop in Charleston on their "back-to-grassroots" college tour to promote "In Between Now and Then," their first album released under a major label.

Although it's known that O.A.R. stands for Of a Revolution, very few people know the name's meaning. Bassist for O.A.R. Benj Gershman said the full name is actually "blank of a Revolution," but he would not say what word is really in place of blank.

"It's a secret and I can't tell you what it is," Gershman said. "We thought it would be cool when we first started out to have something mysterious."

Back when they did start, O.A.R. started as so many bands do, a few neighborhood friends getting together to play music. The first incantation of O.A.R. played their first gig, a junior high talent show, with a different name and a slightly different lineup.

Bassist Benj Gershman and saxophone player Jerry DePizzo were absent from the original band that included Mark Roberge on guitar and vocals, Richard on playing electric guitar, Chris Culos on drums and a temporary bass player.

Later when the band was in high school, they recruited Gershman and then rounded out the lineup in college with DePizzo.

Now O.A.R. has a recording contract with Lava, an off-shoot of recording industry giant Atlantic Records. Their recent album "In Between Now and Then" debuted at #54 on the Billboard Top 200 chart and Gershman believes they are improving with every show they play.

When asked what fans can expect at an O.A.R. show Gershman replied, "it's a new and improved O.A.R. We really learned about what it takes to put on a good show."

Gershman said the band spent the summer improving their showmanship on Sprite's Liquid Mix Tour where they shared the stage with a diverse group of artists including The Roots, N.E.R.D, Robert Randolph, 311 and more.

O.A.R. are on a cross-country tour that began on Oct. 17, in New Orleans and will end with a two night visit to one of Gershman's favorite venues, New York City's Hammerstien Ballroom. A press release referred to the tour's finale as "soon-to-be-legendary."

And "soon-to-be-legendary" isn't an exaggeration as O.A.R. sold out both shows the last time they played the Hammerstien. However, it isn't surprising that O.A.R. has a large fan base. Gershman and Roberge both have said they owe a large part of their popularity to the online music sharing program Napster and other file sharing programs.

Continued...

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