O.A.R. is headlining Madison's Freakfest event this Saturday evening to kick off the Campus Consciousness Tour.
O.A.R. is the featured band of the third annual tour this year. Guster's Adam Gardner and his wife Lauren Sullivan created the Campus Consciousness Tour in 2006 as part of Reverb, their environmental non-profit organization.
We take very seriously our greening efforts in trying to scale back our impact on the environment, and we like to provide educational resources for people,"" O.A.R. saxophonist Jerry DiPizzo said. ""It's an interesting and unique way to engage people in greening efforts. ""
Middle school friends and classmates, singer Marc Roberge, guitarist Richard On and drummer Chris Culos formed a band as eighth graders. Three years later, bassist Benj Gershman joined them, forming O.A.R. (Of a Revolution) in 1996. After the four of them graduated, they began attending Ohio State University. This is where they met up with DiPizzo.
""I played at sound check, which turned into the show, which turned into a few shows, which a couple years later turned into joining the band,"" DiPizzo said.
The band started touring colleges while still attending OSU and has included at least one annual college tour ever since.
""The reason why we do that is because the majority of our audience demographic is college-age people,"" DiPizzo said. ""It's more of a stripped down, skin-and-bones version of O.A.R., and the quality of the show relies upon how well we play and how well we communicate with the audience.""
The band is kicking-off its environmentally conscious tour in Capitol Square only a few days before the presidential election. Despite O.A.R.'s support for the environment, band members prefer not to vocalize their individual preference in candidates.
""We all have our feelings about who we should vote for, and I think the band as a whole is in unison on it,"" DiPizzo said, ""But we're not a band that likes to stand up on a soap box and kind of preach.""
Even though DiPizzo doesn't endorse a specific candidate, he does emphasize the importance of voting in this election.
""I would just say that you should search your conscience and go out there and vote for somebody who you think is inspiring, is going to be able to lead and is in the same line of issues as you,"" DiPizzo said.
O.A.R. released its latest album, All Sides, this past summer and it is representative of the group's musical and personal history. The album includes tracks such as ""Shattered,"" ""War Song,"" and ""What is Mine.""
""War Song"" emerged out of the group's USO Tour of Iraq and Kuwait in 2007. The bandmates were inspired by the difficulties the soldiers face when returning from the war and trying to transition back into society.
""A lot of them struggled with coming back and trying to be normal again. You can't blame them,"" DiPizzo said. ""I don't feel that the military... I don't feel society as a whole really, does enough to support these people.""
O.A.R. is a fitting headliner for Freakfest since the band members have an ongoing reputation for their Halloween costumes and performances over the years.
""One year we were in Cincinnati, maybe in 2004, and the band went as Guns N' Roses,"" DiPizzo said. ""Obviously Guns N' Roses does not have a saxophone player so I went as Kenny G.""
Despite the fact the band remains undecided about their costumes for the upcoming performance, the fusion of rock and reggae will be a nice addition to the Halloween celebration.
""It's been awhile since we have been in Madison and with a festival title like ""Freakfest"" the door's wide open, so we're looking forward to the evening living up to its name,"" DiPizzo said.
