O.A.R.

 

OAR is an American rock band consisting of Marc Roberge (lead vocals & guitar), Chris Culos (drums), Richard On (lead guitar), Benj Gershman (bass), and Jerry DePizzo (saxophone and guitar). Due to massive online distribution over campus networks, the band has become a college hit, with many songs relating to the bandmembers' personal lives at The Ohio State University. 

O.A.R. was founded in 1996, by Marc Roberge and Chris Culos, who then, while attending the summer session of Alexander Muss High School in Israel, recruited Richard On and Benj Gershman. The four of them graduated from Thomas Sprigg 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 Liberty, 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. The band played as many shows as they could despite the price, extending from the fraternities and sororities of Ohio State through any audiences that cared to take them on. This exposure paid off. Their third album Risen debuted at #11 on the Billboard top internet sales chart. The following year in 2002, their fourth album Any Time Now debuted at #156 on the Billboard Top 200 list. 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.  The band attributes much of its popularity to the taping and subsequent trading and downloading of their live shows.  See OAR LIVE!  Purchase your OAR tickets today!