Most junior High school bands break up over the name of the band itself, but not Of A Revolution. This group, started by guitarist Marc Roberge and drummer Chris Culos, has gone through high school and college at Oklahoma State University to produce one of the most popular independent bands ever.

Without the aid of a major record label, O.A.R. gathered a massive underground following of college students, and sold 250,000 records. This past Tuesday they played in Fort Collins and Jerry DePizzo, saxophone, took the time to answer a few of my questions.

DY: Where did the name “Of A Revolution” originate?

JD: Around 1995 or 1996 Marc and Chris had just gotten back from Israel, and they had a new perspective on things. And out of that came the name.

DY: All of your lyrics are very thoughtprovoking, how do you go about writing them? Are there any specific goals or process?

JD: Marc writes all the lyrics. He writes from the point-of-view of personal experiences. Whether it is story-based or speaking to an audience it is always personal and direct. He never writes about anything that he has not experienced. That is what helps us connect with our fans; they can relate.

DY: You guys are very successful considering you are an independent band. To what would you attribute your success?

JD: We stayed clear and focused and level headed. We have a good team of people around us, from manager to staff. We have a very passionate fan base.

DY: How would you describe your unique style of music?

JD: Island vibe roots rock. Which includes reggae, rock blend, and folk traditional.

DY: Prior to O.A.R. you were in a few other bands and played a few other instruments. What is your favorite instrument to play?

JD: Saxophone would be my favorite. I can play the guitar, drums, and bass but I would need to practice them a couple weeks before I played them in a band.

DY: Who were some of your major musical influences growing up?

JD: I listen to a wide variety. I like Beastie Boys, Run DMC, Motley CrCB

DY: What is your favorite album?

JD: Live at the Fillmore East by the Almond Brothers. Whenever I’m home I listen to that when I go to bed. It’s been that way about three years.

DY: You guys are on the road a lot, what is it that you like best about touring?

JD: I don’t know man; it’s just something I love to do. When I was a kid I didn’t dream of making videos or records, I just enjoyed playing in front of people. It’s a real amazing way to make a living

DY: Where is your favorite place to play?

JD: Out West because I’m from Ohio. I like the scenery. But any time we play the House of Blues, we’re in Vegas right now and tonight we’re going to play the House of Blues, and playing there is always the same. All House of Blues are pretty much the same. They’re all really cool, we always have a good time there. And then outdoor stuff like in Colorado and Arizona is fun. We are always well received and that’s very cool.

DY: O.A.R. has a large college fan base. I’m sure while touring you have seen some crazy stuff. What’s the most insane thing you have seen a fan do?

JD: This last summer we were playing this tour called the Jeep Festival and we were somewhere in the Carolina’s. After we played every night, we had this signing booth where if fans wanted anything signed we would accommodate that. Some guy rolled up in a wheel chair and pulled his leg off and stuck it on the table for us to sign. It was his prosthetic leg, and that was the wierdest thing I have ever signed, and probably one of the wierdest things I’ve ever seen.

DY: Your new album, In Between Now and Then, comes out May 27. What can fans expect to hear?

JD: We were listening to it on the bus the other day and the crew had never heard it and they were like, ‘what show is this,’ because we record all our live shows. And we were like, ‘this is the new album,’ so we thought that was a good sign. It has a live vibe; it has 13 tracks, 12 of which have never been in studio before. Some of it is the same and some is different from our old stuff. I hope people like it because I like it. I’m proud of it.

DY: Along with the CD there is going to be a DVD available. What will be on that?

JD: It has three songs from New York City. Surround sound. Behind the scenes footage on the road, and a documentary of the making of the new album. It is almost an hour long. It gives a lot of insight into the process.

DY: When you recorded Risen you were able to work with producer John Alagia, who has worked with such bands as Dave Mathews, Ben Folds, Vertical Horizon, and John Mayer. What was that experience like?

JD: Very cool. The way we got hooked up with him is our drummer Chri’s dad does business with John. Chris’ dad told him to listen to us, then John kind of did us a favor. I don’t think he quite knew what to do with us. But we got through it and we learned a lot. For the next album we prepared, which we had never done before. As a result came a better record. For our next record, we want to learn from this one and try to make the next one better.