Ravinia 2019, Issue 7, Week 13

6:30 PM FRIDAY, AUGUST 30, 2019 PAVILION THE MIGHTY O.A.R. SUMMER TOUR ROZZI † –Intermission– AMERICAN AUTHORS –Intermission– O.A.R. † Ravinia debut O.A.R. Formed in Rockville, MD, in 1996, O.A.R. (short for Of a Revolution) initially comprised high-school friends Marc Roberge (guitar/ vocals), Richard On (guitar), Benj Gershman (bass), and Chris Culos (drums), expanding to a quintet with the addition of saxophonist Jerry DePizzo while the group attended Ohio State University. The original quartet recorded and independently released its debut album, The Wanderer , in 1997, quickly attracting a fan base among college students with the songs “That Was a Crazy Game of Poker” and “Black Rock.” With DePizzo in the mix, O.A.R. soon returned to the studio to record Souls Aflame (1999), which broadened the group’s popular- ity enough for it to hire producer John Alagia (a veteran of albums by Dave Matthews, Ben Folds, John Mayer, and many others) to oversee the recording of Risen (2001). Even without ma- jor-label backing, the album debuted at number 11 on Billboard ’s Internet sales chart, also reach- ing number 44 on the Top Independent Albums chart. O.A.R. signed with Lava Records shortly thereafter and immediately began work on In Between Now and Then , which debuted at num- ber 54 on the Billboard 200 upon its release in 2003. The band continued to ascend the charts with 2005’s Stories of a Stranger (as well as a pair of live albums, 2004’s 34th & 8th and 2007’s Live from Madison Square Garden ) and the Top 40 and alternative rock hit “Love and Memories,” setting the group up for its top-20 breakthrough with 2008’s All Sides . The album also became a top-five rock chart hit on the strength of its platinum-selling single “Shattered (Turn the Car Around).” O.A.R.’s 2011 follow-up King achieved similar success with the single “Heaven,” as did the band’s 2014 album, The Rockville LP , with lead single “Peace.” The group released XX in celebration of its 20th birthday, pairing live and studio favorites with two new singles, the writ- ing of which were documented on the Qello se- ries Evolution of a Song . The latest O.A.R. album, The Mighty , was released this spring. O.A.R. first appeared at Ravinia in 2015 and are making their second return to the festival. AUGUST 26 – SEPTEMBER 2, 2019 | RAVINIA MAGAZINE 105