O.A.R.

The island-vibe roots rock sound of O.A.R. first developed in Rockville, Maryland in 1997 in the basement of drummer Chris Culos' childhood home. While still in high school, the band released their first album, The Wanderer, and by the time they had graduated from college, they already had three albums under their belts. Known for their energetic live performances, the band began touring throughout the country upon graduation. After selling over 300,000 CDs on their own, the band decided to join forces with Lava Records for their major label debut, In Between Now and Then. The album displayed their precision-crafted songs and rock-and-roll-meets-reggae sound that they had become known for. After three years of non-stop touring, the band was eager to showcase the growth of their live performance, and 34th & 8th was born. The album was named after the intersection of New York City's historic Hammerstein Ballroom where the band recorded the double-disc set over two sold-out nights (November 28 and 29 of 2003). In early 2005 the band returned to where it all began, Culos' basement, to find inspiration and begin work on their most recent studio release, Stories of a Stranger.