Interview with Benj Gershman of O.A.R.

The American rock, multi-instrumental collective Of A Revolution (better know as O.A.R.) are back with their seventh studio album, King, released August 2.

Now 15 years into their career, O.A.R. have sold nearly 2 million albums, had a platinum hit single with the song “Shattered,” sold out Madison Square Garden twice and are still keeping their audience engaged with King.

The band, comprised of Marc Roberge, Richard On, Benj Gershman, Chris Culos and Jerry DePizzo, took a new approach with this album and recorded pieces of it in each band member’s current city of residence. Trekking to Chicago; Columbus, Ohio; Wasington, D.C. and New York City, they hit various studios and wrapped all the sounds in one giant bundle for their new record.

“Our intention with this album was to make the record that we wanted to make,” Gershman explains. “We wanted it to have the energy that we think of as O.A.R. but also have it be new and fresh.”

O.A.R.’s sixth album, All Sides (2008) was home to their first platinum single, “Shattered.” In creating King, Gershman says the band dealt with the internal pressure to follow up with something equally appealing.

“We as a group always strive to get better as individuals and as a band. With that is an element of evolving,” he points out. “It’s really just one of those things – we wanted a lot of people to enjoy this new record, and we hope that even more people than before will appreciate this new album.

“We want it to have as much appeal to our core audience that’s been there for years as well as to those that have not really heard us before.”

Even after their cross-country-style recording, O.A.R. felt their project was missing one element needed to round it out into a cohesive whole. But before they could pin it down, a giant curveball took them wholly by surprise.

Nasim, Roberge’s wife, was diagnosed with cancer last September. In light of the diagnosis, the band decided it was time to take some time off and allow Roberge to be at home with his wife and family.

“Nasim is not only Marc’s wife; she’s a very close friend and we all consider her family,” Gershman says.

“It was a very rough time for all of us. We all knew we needed to give Marc the time he needed to be at home to be with his family and support his wife. In that regard, it was a no-brainer. They mean the world to us. We love them.”

A year later, with Nasim past the cancer scare, things have come full-circle. The album is now complete and on store shelves. This summer, the guys participated in the Dave Matthews Caravan music festivals, and now they’re gearing up to hit the road for their fall tour on the heels of King.

Though the past year has been fraught with emotion, O.A.R. recognize that something beautiful did emerge from it all – had the pain not prodded Roberge, he might never have written their single “Heaven” about the experiences of the frightening year.

The main yarn of the song asserts, “I don’t want to go to Heaven if I can’t get in.” The verses read like a love letter from Roberge to his wife in the middle of her illness:

“All I ever wanted was a shot at your love/ I know and I believe/ Everything we got is everything we need/ Love’ll get you higher/ It set my heart on fire/ I know it’s what you see/ Don’t wanna go to Heaven if they don’t want me.”

“I think everything happens time-wise for a reason,” Gershman concludes. “This album doesn’t make sense without that song on it. In a weird way, I think that’s what was missing. Obviously, we would choose health over having a new song in a heartbeat, but that’s what was going on and that’s what he was writing about.

“The emphasis of that song is choosing life, not choosing to let go,” he adds. “Accept fate and live the life you have. Own it! Always try to be in the moment, when you have every moment right in front of you.”

Widespread Panic

Friday, as the day settled into night, a very enthusiastic crowd made their way into the picturesque outdoor amphitheater, The Woods at Fontanel. Hippies young and old from near and far piled in with tie-dye, glow sticks and LED hula-hoops ready for Widespread Panic to break out amongst the Woods.

The kaleidoscopic stage lights that rapidly changed colors turned the outdoor amphitheater into an enchanted forest. The incandescent colors washed over the trees that surround the venue, making a perfect fall night even more inviting.

A strong sense of community is always found to be the pulsing heartbeat of a Panic show. Many concertgoers have made lifelong buddies simply by being repeat customers at the shows. Being a true Panic fan is a lifestyle that leads people all over the country trying to squeeze in as many shows as possible.

Even before the show started, the crowd acted more like a grand family reunion rather than a concert. Looking around, you might see a friend you hadn’t seen in a long time or perhaps a colleague or neighbor you didn’t know was into Panic.

The first song of the night, "Ain’t Life Grand," was the perfect opener, fully encompassing the theme of the night. Everyone in the crowd was beaming from ear to ear as they danced and sang the night away, making one realize just how grand life is after all.

The night seemed to slip away like sand in an hourglass, and before the crowd knew what had swept over them, the first set was complete.

As the band made their way into the second set, kicking off with "Greta," the crowd showed no signs of tiring. In fact, it was just the opposite: Everyone was getting revved up for what they knew the rest of the night would entail.

For more than three hours, Panic played true to their nature – performing the lengthy, jam-band style songs their fans adore. Everyone seemed enthralled by the music, including the little tykes that ran around dancing and bobbing their heads while viewing the show from the comfort of their parents’ shoulders.

One girl, who appeared to be five years old, had a mini sized LED hula-hoop that she tirelessly swung around song after song soaking in the affection and praise from those surrounding her.

Widespread Panic double encored with "Sharon" and "Walk On," and even after lead singer John Bell thanked the fans and assured them that the show was over, fans still lingered, just hoping and waiting for more.

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

Grace Potter and her Nocturnal band gave Nashville night owls a reason to stay out late Sunday and Monday nights. Their sold-out, debut headlining performance took a cool autumn evening and transformed it into a hot Tennessee night.

Before GPN took the stage, the string band Carolina Chocolate Drops brought the audience a knee-slapping performance. Their beatboxing and kazoo skills paired with their folksy vocals brought the audience to their feet for a standing ovation as they exited the stage.

As soon as Potter slung her hair and shook her hips for the first time, the audience was completely enthralled. Potter’s high heels complimented a little dress that exposed her never-ending, flawless legs. She strapped on her electric guitar and exuded such a sultry energy that both males and females were smitten. While Potter is the unquestioned leading lady, her bandmates also have an undeniable chemistry that makes it difficult to hone in on just one person.

The stage was dimly lit with strands of light bulbs draped from the ceiling and an oversized stuffed white tiger making you wonder if Siegfried and Roy were going to pop out at some point.

Potter danced like no one was watching – she slayed the guitar and pounded the keys; all while singing from the core of her being, throwing in sultry, shrill screams every now and then to make sure she kept the audience begging for more.

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any hotter, GPN came back out onstage for their encore, Potter kicked off her heels and got down to ZZ Top’s “Tush.” She then launched into crowd favorite “Paris.”

Before singing “You and Tequila,” Sunday night, Potter teased the audience saying, “I’m so sorry Kenny Chesney isn’t coming out to sing with me tonight. Sometimes I like to joke and say he is not coming when he really is, but tonight is not that night.”

Monday night, however, was that night. Potter started strumming Chesney’s “You and Tequila” and immediately told the crowd to calm down, assuring them that Chesney was in Spain. After the intro went on a little too long, however, Potter finally conceded to bringing out some help, and Chesney emerged from backstage. Needless to say, the crowd was more than satisfied by the end of the night.

Alison Krauss and Union Station



Friday night, the audience at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium was engulfed and swept away by the beautiful sound of Alison Krauss and Union Station, who came to grace the iconic stage with their daunting talent for two incredible nights.

A crowd made their way downtown to fill the pews of the Ryman, seeking out the voice of the woman who has sung her way to 26 Grammy Awards – more than any other female ever – accompanied by her illustrious band.

The opening act, singer-songwriter Angel Snow, wooed the audience with her powerful yet distinct voice. She was the perfect compliment to the main event, setting the tone for the evening.

The lights were dim as Krauss and her band quietly filled the stage, easing right into the first song of the evening and proving their prowess by immediately captivating the crowd’s attention. The set list catered to every type of fan, as the band played heavily off their album Paper Airplane but also highlighted songs of albums past.

AKUS transformed the Ryman into a farm filled with friends and family on a Tennessee Friday night. The backdrop was a photo montage of soothing images of the countryside. Those photos, paired with Krauss’ hauntingly perfect voice removed the audience from the hustle and bustle of the city and dropped them off in the middle of a serene landscape.

Though many of Krauss’ songs carry sad or melancholy themes, the beauty of the music pulls them into the realm of bittersweet. Even Krauss joked to the audience on this topic, saying, “A lot of times people will come up to us, and they will say, ‘Hey what’s up with you people and your sad songs all the time?’ Finally we just figured out we are just sad people.”

Toward the end of the night, Krauss stepped aside and let each band member shine through their own solo. Jerry Douglas, master of the Dobro, was the first to take the stage. Banjo player Ron Block followed, and then the man of constant sorrow himself – Dan Tyminski, who was the singing voice of George Clooney in the film O Brother Where Art Thou?

After nearly two hours of the melodic lull of Krauss’ voice like all good things, the show came to an end. Krauss encored with a medley of favorites consisting of “When You Say Nothing at All,” “Whiskey Lullaby” and “Down to the River to Pray.”

alisonkrauss.com



Sleeperstar

George Washington, The Vampire Diaries, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Baylor University have converged somewhere in the universe to create a one-of-a-kind constellation named Sleeperstar.

This alternative rock band formed while four of its members were still students at Baylor University, each a bit of a luminary in his own right. Nick Box, Chris Pearson, Shaun Menary, Jake Lester and Geoff Ashcraft (who recently started playing with the band) now make up the matter of this Dallas-based collective. Sleeperstar’s sound is a matchless mix of alternative rock tempered by a certain serenity. Their lyrics are honest and their posture is genuine.

The term “Sleeperstar” might not be a familiar one to you. In fact, if you didn’t indulge in astronomy classes in college and haven’t immersed yourself in too many planetary documentaries, it’s safe to assume you’ve never heard the term at all.

Lester says it all began with an astronomy professor at Baylor. This particular professor gave a lecture on the Hubble Space Telescope, explaining how the telescope allowed scientists to begin seeing things they had never before seen. This intrigued Lester.

“One thing they found was that certain collections of gasses, especially helium, would reflect light from stars around it, and the nebula wasn’t spinning around anything, so therefore it was not a star. They called this sleeperstar,” Lester explains.

He adds that he always thought this was an interesting story, and when he and the guys were rummaging around for band names, the term just came to mind.

Pearson chimes in, laughing. “The funny thing about it is, sometimes when we say our name, people think we are saying ‘Superstar,’ and one time we were introduced at a festival as ‘Sleeperhead.’”

The band, who declare their official day of formation as July 4, 2007, have played shows all over the country, specifically targeting college audiences. But they really struck a chord when the WB show The Vampire Diaries used their song “I Was Wrong” in an episode November of last year.

“We were 104 percent in shock when it came out,” Pearson says of the placement. “There’s no way to know ahead of time which scene they are going to use the song in. It’s at the mercy of the producers and show creators. We were very fortunate with the scene they did choose and immediately started getting emails saying it was the best scene in the history of the show.”

The song became an instant success on YouTube and launched the band into the top 40 charts in dozens of countries across the globe. The song, which Pearson says was very heavily based on truth, was literally an overnight success for the band.

Sleeperstar co-write all of their own music and say they are constantly writing. Their most recent album, Just Another Ghost, dropped in June of last year.

“Between the five of us,” says Lester, “we have more than 100 songs that we’re just trying to figure out how to put together as a single, creative work.” The band tentatively hopes to put out a new album in 2012 but don’t have the timeline nailed down quite yet.

“If we could, we’d put out an album a year for the next 20 years,” Lester adds. Sleeperstar love being in the studio and say they also love being out on the road. Whenever they’re in one of those two places, they seem to always have the other lingering in their minds. When it comes to their live show, Sleeperstar are perfectionists.

“I think what’s consistent about us is we really, really care about how things sound on stage,” explains Lester.
“Nick is really concerned with making a distinct, full live sound. We really put a lot of effort into it and are very proud of how things sound on stage.”

If that’s not enough to make you want to see these guys live, there’s also another gravitational force that will pull you in, and that would be Pearson. Not only is he a talented front man but he also has a rather unique show time ritual.

“I emphatically enjoy climbing things,” says an enthusiastic Pearson. “At a live show, any scaffolding or staging equipment I can climb is always fun. I don’t know why it is deep within me, but I loved climbing trees when I was little and somehow that is translated on stage.”

Sleeperstar are hitting the road soon to start playing several college shows, and they’re traveling the country in style. They named their tour van “The Washington” and their equipment trailer “The Kenobi” after a certain trilogy that shares a portion of their name.

“We thought it would be awesome to put one of our founding fathers, George Washington, together with our other founding father, Obi-Wan Kenobi,” says Pearson. “The American Revolution and Star Wars are a great combo. Last fall was the first time The Washington crossed the Delaware, which was a very funny conversation that took place in the van. I think Jake blurted it out, and we all just lost it – pretty magnificent.”

http://www.sleeperstar.com/

Maroon 5 and Train



From teenyboppers to housewives, Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena played host to a memorable ladies’ night out thanks to the vocal stylings of Maroon 5 and Train.

Throngs of female fans (and a few reluctant male counterparts) packed the arena for this perfect, midweek break, all eager to be entranced by the voices of Adam Levine and Pat Monahan.

As the audience stirred, expecting Maroon 5 to appear at any moment, “Moves Like Jagger,” exploded through the speakers. The crowd immediately jumped to their feet, singing and dancing right along with the band, sharing their enthusiasm from the floor.

With so many ladies in the audience Levine joked, “Let me hear the guys that are out there. I know there are only like four of you, but you are four of the smartest guys ever!”

Levine had the audience eating out of the palm of his hand throughout the entire performance. As if the ladies did not think he was cute enough, Levine would throw in a flattering line like, “Look at all those beautiful people out there. Turn on the lights. Incredible evening. You guys are very pretty down here, very beautiful."

Maroon 5 played a perfect combination of their classic songs and created enough room to throw in some new tunes from their latest project, Hands All Over, released in July.

One impressive feature from Maroon 5’s set was their ability to transform from their traditional pop-soaked songs to an all out rock concert by playing completely unexpected musical riffs. Sometimes I had to do a double take to remember see if I was actually at a Maroon 5 show. Lying beneath the casual pop persona of Maroon 5 is some true rock ‘n’ roll pushing its way to the surface.

The most captivating moment was when Levine divided the audience. The left side of the arena was instructed to sing, “I don’t mind spending every day,” while he gave the right side the line, “out on your corner in the pouring rain,” lyrics from their bouncy tune, “She Will Be Loved.”

For a moment everyone was standing and singing in unison. After the set, Levine tweeted: “Wow. Nashville was incredible! FIRE! Sweet dreams Tennessee.”

Before Train took the stage, the house lights were turned down so low the arena was almost pitch black as the crowd waited in anticipation. Suddenly, it sounded like a locomotive was invading Bridgestone. The curtains disappeared to reveal Train already on stage enticing the audience with “Parachute,” a song from their fifth studio album, Save Me, San Francisco.

Train created one memorable moment after another. Monahan brought out Martina McBride so they could sing her song “A Broken Wing.” Earlier this year the two collaborated during an episode of CMT Crossroads in Nashville.   

Another wonderful surprise was when Train covered the U2 song “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.” In addition to the raw, acoustic style, they included the alluring texture of a cello.

Whether he was walking out in the crowd singing “Marry Me” (like a magnet in a room of silverware) or stealing a video camera from the cameraman to show the audience what they looked like, Monahan made sure there was never a dull moment.

Just when the audience thought they couldn’t possibly love Train more than they already did, the band brought out the family of Chaz Allen, a United States soldier who stepped on an improvised explosive device (IED) in Afghanistan and lost both legs.

Chaz’s wife, Jessica, and their two daughters joined him on stage for a moment the family won’t soon forget. Monahan dedicated the song “Marry Me” to them and commended the family’s bravery. I’m not sure if even the most reluctant audience members were able to keep their eyes dry for that one.

Then Train played their smash hit “Hey Soul Sister” and encored with “Drops of Jupiter,: appeasing their fans as they rounded out the night. In the end, Monahan concluded, “Nashville by far has been the best night of our tour.”

The Decemberists



Phenomenal – it’s the only word that adequately describes The Decemberists’ riveting performance with Caitlin Rose at the Ryman Auditorium Saturday. From beginning to end, this show was unshakably captivating.

It’s not common to go to a show and be utterly blown away by the opener, but Nashville-born Caitlin Rose proved herself capable of doing just that. Her voice is almost reminiscent of Zooey Deschanel, beautiful and pure. She proved just how talented she is by closing her 30-minute opening act without a microphone and just on acoustic guitar. The drop of a pin would have rung out loudly that night as the audience sat in silent awe of such an incredible voice.

Then came the main event – a five-person indie rock band out of Portland, Oregon, The Decemberists were about to take the stage. The Decemberists are comprised of front man Colin Meloy, Chris Funk, John Moen, Nate Query and Jenny Conlee, who unfortunately is not touring with the band right now due to a battle with breast cancer. Temporarily replacing Conlee on this tour is Sara Watkins of the band Nickel Creek. The quintet captured the attention of everyone in the house during their two-and-a-half-hour set.

Before The Decemberists even hit the stage, a public service announcement instructed audience members to introduce themselves to the person sitting to their left, then the person to their right. With the audience comfortably acquainted, the announcement instructed them to close their eyes and imagine being in a rain forest. Now thoroughly relaxed, the audience was ready for the show as The Decemberists took the stage.

Before the band launched into their first song, Meloy jokingly warned the audience, "You are not at the Keith Urban concert. If you meant to be at the Keith Urban concert, you will be thoroughly disappointed."

The Decemberists opened their set with the song "Oceanside," and the crowd enjoyed the first handful of songs completely seated until Meloy addressed the audience, reassuring them that it was OK to stand up. From that point on, the atmosphere completely changed. What started off as a timid crowd was transformed into an extremely animated, eager audience.

Meloy, it turns out, is not only a talented musician but a jokester as well. He interacted jovially with the crowd and sipped red wine between songs. He told everyone how excited he was to have his family with him for this show and then added, "My son is probably the one sitting in the balcony playing on his iPad during the show."

The band made a point to direct people to their merch table, where they were selling $5 pins to honor Conlee in her fight against breast cancer.

As the night progressed, the audience’s enthusiasm seemed to escalate. Meloy’s energy transferred to the crowd and kept everyone entertained. He got down in the audience twice. Once, he jumped down with his guitar and started playing and singing, and the other time he came down to find someone to two-step with him.

Things really started to heat-up when, after a little two-stepping, Meloy belted out Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues.” To go along with a bluesy theme, Moen (the drummer) and Meloy switched places. Moen came out and teased the audience, telling them that he had had a bad day and was subsequently “forced to torture” the audience, which led into him lying on the floor of the stage and singing the blues.

As the concert came to a conclusion, The Decemberists ended with “The Mariner’s Revenge Song,” and the audience swayed from left to right. For a moment it felt like the Ryman had transformed into a pirate ship, filled with a bunch or drunken sailors conducting a sing-along.

The night ended with an “homage to summer,” as Meloy referred to it, encoring with the beautiful “June Hymn,” a fitting end to a beautiful and musical summer evening.