Benj Gershman has been groovin’ with O.A.R. since most of us were in middle school, and he and his band are bringing O.A.R.’s unique brand of college rock to Nashville on Sept. 15. Before he rolled into town, Gershman talked to Music Editor Avery Spofford about living the college life, road tripping and commandeering the occasional golf cart.
Versus Magazine: The band has been together since 1996. What made you all come together to form O.A.R.?
Benj Gershman: In 1996 I was lifeguarding with Chris Culos, our drummer, and all summer we talked about music. At the end of the summer we realized that his band was looking for a bass player and that I was a bass player looking for a band, and at the very beginning of that school year we had our first practice. It was just an instant fit, it felt right, and we enjoyed playing together. We ended up rehearsing and writing music every Tuesday and Thursday that year.
VM: How do you think that developing your music while the band members were enrolled in college influenced the band's sound?
BG: I'm a year younger than the other guys, but everyone else went to Ohio State in 1997. It was a decision we made together in order to do everything we could to keep the band going. Going to the biggest school in the country just seemed to make sense if we were going to do that. I think that being in school provides a lot of different cultural influences and people who you can be exposed to music from or through, so I think we became more diverse as far as what influenced us individually and as a band. It really helped bolster our love for music and playing music together.
VM: Your latest studio release, "All Sides," is in stores now and is your best-charted album yet. What do you think it is about this album that has made it so popular?
BG: I think there's a lot about the album that's appealing. I think that our first single, "Shattered," is the first song we have that really seems to make sense on the radio as far as the way it is recorded and produced, which I think is going to help the album be successful on the mainstream level. I also think that the album as a whole has a lot of great music and will stand the test of time - it represents all sides of O.A.R. and all sides of our music and influences, both individually and as a band. I just think there's a lot there, and hopefully the album will speak for itself and I won't have to say too much.
VM: How has the band's sound changed with this latest release?
BG: I think that we're really maturing as a band in a lot of ways. We're realizing what needs to happen for the overall sound to come out unified and direct and like O.A.R., the O.A.R. that we want to be. I think that we're at a point where we understand that, and that's what's making us grow.
VM: Do you think that your emphasis on live performances and albums is better for the band, for the fans or both?
BG: The live part of O.A.R. is essential to O.A.R. That's who we are. The studio stuff is a representation of that and a part of that. It's a moment in time displaying that. But I think that the live thing is so essential, the most essential.
BG: Tiring. Being on the road is not easy. We're lucky enough to have a bus and travel comfortably in that regard, but it's still a lot of work and not the easiest thing to do for months at a time. We realize that's the nature of the business we're in, so we make the most of it and try to stay healthy. Exercising, eating right and doing other things that seem commonplace can really add to life on the road.
VM: Do you have any funny stories from touring life that our college readers might enjoy?
BG: Our first summer, we played a festival at a venue in Boston. We were all kids just out of college having fun, really not taking what we were doing too seriously, and we managed to commandeer a golf cart. I was taking it for a little ride, and I ended up flipping the cart after the show. ... Fortunately, no one was hurt, but it was a fun memory.
VM: You guys just played Bonnaroo, and now you are coming back to our area on Sept. 15 to play at the Ryman. How do you feel about performing in a more conventional venue such as the Ryman versus at a huge outdoor festival like Bonnaroo?
BG: We welcome it; we look forward to it. It's a great thing to do. Bands have to perform in different types of venues all the time, and for us it's a really good thing to switch it up like that; it keeps us on our toes. The Ryman is a historic venue, and there are only so many places you can play that have genuine history, so it's exciting to be coming back to one that has so much.
VM: The band has come up with a new way to offer music to fans: through a USB bracelet. What exactly do you have planned with this new innovation?
BG: The USB bracelets are a new way of purchasing O.A.R.'s music. Basically, it's a rubber bracelet that has a USB drive with our new album, "All Sides," on it. This summer we had our live shows available as well, so fans who purchased the bracelet got both the album and the show they attended. We're adding some extras to it, and it's basically just another way that people can purchase our music and have an experience with it. It's also a marketing tool - if people wear the bracelet, someone might see it and ask about it. There are a few different sides to it.
VM: This time last year, the band did a U.S.O. tour of Kuwait and Iraq. How was the trip, and how did it affect the band?
BG: The trip itself was life changing. It was very meaningful to be there. I've never felt like our music was more appreciated - the people we met over there were so genuinely happy to receive our music and have us there. Whether they knew our band or not, they were just happy to be entertained for an hour or two, which was really a cool feeling for us and reminded us why we're so lucky to be entertainers for a living. Marc (Roberge) and Richard (On) wrote a song for the album called "War Song," which is about what soldiers go through and how we think they should be treated when they get home from serving our country, and I think that they were affected personally by it. There's a lot to it.
VM: What is something that the band struggles with in the industry today?
BG: Staying current. From the biggest band to the smallest band, everybody wants to stay current in the music industry today and stay on top of things. Everyone wants to have people be aware of their music while maintaining their art in the way that they want to be represented. I think that's just something we push for and that we try to make happen - staying current with our music and with who we are as a band.
VM: Which bands, new or old, do you most enjoy seeing live?
BG: I just saw Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers for the first time at the Mile High Music Festival in Denver, Colo., and they were ridiculous. It was such a great show. I caught the Foo Fighters at (Madison Square) Garden a little while ago, which was also unbelievable. There's a band we toured with called Ozomatli, and they have one of the coolest and most energetic live shows on planet Earth. It's really great music with sounds from all over the world. If you can't enjoy their show and their music, there's just something wrong with you.
VM: Which bands are you listening to right now?
BG: The new Coldplay is pretty cool, and I've been listening to the Fleet Foxes a little bit. I also like to throw on some old school Beastie Boys, some older stuff like that.
VM: If O.A.R.'s music could serve as a soundtrack for any movie, which would it be?
BG: "Old School," maybe? I don't know. ... That's a good question. A documentary about O.A.R.?
VM: What does the band have planned from here?
BG: We're just going to keep touring, playing music and writing music, trying to just be a band. We're just going to be a band for as long as humanly possible.
