For a band that got signed to a major label, O.A.R. isn't content to stay the course. In an interview with the River Cities' Reader, Jerry DiPizzo, the group's saxophonist, talked mostly about what he and his collaborators would like to do better.
Preparing to go into the studio later this year, the band is trying to plan more. For last year's In Between Now & Then, the group's debut on the Atlantic-owned Lava label following four independent releases, O.A.R. started prepping two months before recording and had tested most of the material on the road.
Now, a good six months before heading into the studio, the band is already making decisions about where it wants to record and with whom. And it plans to keep new material mostly under wraps – out of its live shows.
"Our mindset is much further out" now, DiPizzo said. As for withholding new material, he noted that the band feels it should have held more back with the last record. "Most [of the songs] had been played out live," he said.
O.A.R. - which stands for "Of a Revolution" - has always excelled in live performance with its feel-good jam-band vibe infused with reggae and ska, as Quad Citians will learn with the group's show on Thursday at the Adler Theatre. But that's only one part of a successful band's life, with radio and recordings being the other components. And that's why O.A.R. is so focused on bettering its writing and preparation.
Self-improvement is a theme with DiPizzo. "One thing we could improve upon is our songwriting process," he said, "having a better idea of what you want going in. ... We're constantly looking to improve, ... to convey our ideas and message in a straightforward manner."
In the past, songwriting has started with small nuggets from singer-guitarist Marc Roberge and guitarist Richard On that the group expands upon together. Now, DiPizzo said, the group is looking to begin with fully formed songs, with each member adding parts at the tail end of the process.
DiPizzo said he's not sure whether this change will result in leaner songs in the O.A.R. mold or a different sound altogether. "We really haven't tried it yet," he said.
This level of critical self-evaluation might make O.A.R. seem like a work-in-progress, which it most certainly isn't. The band has been remarkably successful. With energetic live shows and a fan-friendly approach, the group has generated sales of roughly 150,000 CDs for two releases, and its major-label offering is at about that level. Led by the hearty, inviting vocals of Roberg and with warm island grooves, O.A.R.'s feel is instantly pleasant.
But radio has been elusive, in part because the band - which formed in 1998 - came on the scene a little late for the "adult alternative" boom of Hootie, Dave Matthews, and Blues Traveler.
The jam-band trappings are also a problem. DiPizzo noted that a staple of the band's live show, "That Was a Crazy Game of Poker," is "in its shortest form seven or eight minutes long" - in other words, not exactly radio-friendly.
But the band isn't sure how to break into radio and get the sales windfall that results. "If I knew, I'd probably be doing it," he said.
Surely, the band could take the Grateful Dead path, making its money and its reputation through touring, but O.A.R. has bigger aims. "You want to be successful on all levels of what you do," DiPizzo said.
He added that O.A.R. knows that its success will hinge on how much work the band does. "There are no fingers to point" if something fails, he said. "It's your fault."
O.A.R. will perform at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 29. Tickets are $27.50. For more information on the band, visit (http://www.ofarevolution.com).
