DOES O.A.R. = J.A.M.?

The band O.A.R. (...Of A Revolution) was not at this year’s Bonnaroo Festival but surely has established their audience and approached their music in a similar fashion to those that were there. However, O.A.R.’s independent success is different from other artists in that it goes beyond almost any comparison. With a fanbase as loyal as any, the numbers speak for themselves. O.A.R. did 250 headlining shows in the last year, selling a total of a 100,000 tickets across the country. They play 2000-person capacity venues night after night, sometimes in the same city. With their own independent label, the band has also sold 185,000 copies of their three albums mostly through the Internet and at shows. Their previous studio album debuted at number 11 on the Top Internet Album Sales chart in Billboard Magazine. Recently they released a double live album that has already sold 35,000 copies since May.

Now if you’re scratching your head, the answer to how O.A.R. amassed such an army of fans was just simply through word of mouth and tape trading and/or file sharing. These are familiar methods to all that would be called 'Jam' bands. Yet what about the music itself? In a scene that is truly about the music, can O.A.R. really be called a ‘Jam' band?

Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with members of O.A.R. at a tour stop and get their opinions on the topic. Even though their new double live album, Any Time Now, is filled with songs extending to about 6-12 minutes with equal parts complex lyrics and instrumental passages, the band itself isn’t quite sure if the ‘Jam Scene’ is where they fit.

Marc Roberge, the band’s lead singer and guitarist, pointed out, “Technically, we don’t get up there and have a guy, whose, you know like Trey [of Phish], that’s up there just blowing your mind…The only reason why we would get thrown into the whole jamband thing is because just the collective feeling in the audience, the unity that the shows provide. In some respects, we are not a jamband at all; we’ve got some hooky, poppy songs. At the same time I feel like the communal vibe makes us like [a jamband].” Jerry DePizzo, O.A.R.’s saxophonist noted, “The way we built our audience is through a lot of touring which is a model a lot of jambands use. We take on a lot of the aspects of a jamband but its such a broad term…”

The band admitted that they all grew up listening to bands traditionally from the Jam Scene. However, they don’t want to feel like they are doing the community a disservice by playing more pop, song-oriented material either. “The jamband community is people that are really into music. They’re real critical.” Marc explained, “My brother’s band, Foxtrot Zulu, has been touring in that scene. So when I was young, few and far between bands will get let into that. It’s like an honor… I see on the Internet, some guys just hate us… So, hey, call us whatever you want, put us in any category you want, we’re still going to do the same thing…”

What some have actually criticized O.A.R. for is being too ‘mainstream’ in a Jam Scene that thrives on off-the-radar grassroots phenomena typically bred in jazz, funk and experimental music. However, along with O.A.R., artists like Jack Johnson, John Mayer, Telepathy, Howie Day, John Butler Trio, Pseudopod, Llama, Gabe Dixon Band, and Dispatch have also begun to cross over to more mainstream audiences to various degrees.

Marc points out “It not like you’re going to the mainstream, the mainstream is coming to the jam scene. And they did that years ago and its just regenerating. Look at the Dave Matthews Band, Blues Traveler, they didn’t change, it came to them.” Along with DMB and Blues Traveler, early 90’s artists like Spin Doctors, Big Head Todd, Rusted Root, Guster, God Street Wine, and The Samples all straddled Jam Scene credibility with mainstream acceptance. These artists were just as comfortable next to Widespread Panic on the HORDE Festival tours as Jack Johnson was at this summer’s Bonnaroo Festival. However for almost all these artists, as well as for O.A.R., success creates a backlash and “there are people out there who just dog you. The better you do, the more they dog you,” Marc explained.

It’s easy to hear in terms of musicality, O.A.R sure are not virtuosos like Medeski, Martin & Wood. Yet, it would also be unfair to categorize O.A.R. simply as a bland Matchbox 20-esque radio band either. “The thing about bands like us is that we connect with kids because we get out there and play what we know how to play, it is not going to sound polished…it’s not going to sound all technical…with effects and this and that. It’s just what we’re playing like you’d play in your basement. I think that is what this community is about now. It’s natural. It’s something that anybody could get up there and kind of be a part of…” Benj Gershman, O.A.R.’s bass player accedits his band’s success to “a new consciousness among music listeners [that] want to get into more unique music. It’s kind of a change of pace for everybody…”

It’s inevitable that as O.A.R.’s tours get bigger and word continues to spread, major record companies and mainstream radio will continue knocking on their door. The question is when and if they answer, will O.A.R. be presented to the public as simply an easy-to-swallow ‘jam band’ for the masses? Due to their deep respect for the jam scene, O.A.R. hopes that is not the case.

“We’re not trying to take anything away from the jam scene. [The jam scene] is a very special place to be. We’re not trying to take anything away from that by saying we jam out a little bit. We’re simply doing what we’re doing. We’re not trying to offend anybody but I just think it’s the vibe of the people…it’s about the ‘jam fans.’”

By SamJC and Marchelle