Roberge is an artist addicted to music, a characteristic that seems to diminish as bands get more famous. But Marc has it. And I can appreciate it.

If you haven�t heard O.A.R. check �em out. What do they sound like? Go to your record shop and put all the albums you can collect in your arms in a bag. Shake that bag a little and out comes the music of O.A.R. � an eclectic bliss.

I hear you just got married, congratulations on that. How�s the married life?

The married life is great man. It�s a wake up call in a great way. You have to start being responsible in ways you never thought you would have to be. It�s good though. I love it.

Have you been on the road again since you got married?

Yeah, we left a day after my honeymoon.

There are a lot of female fans of O.A.R. Is it different being married and having to deal with all the backstage craziness?

Um, I never really had the other side of it. I have known my wife since I was 16 years old. And we have been dating my entire career on the road. So, I never had that other side. I don�t know what I�m missing, but I don�t really care. I have seen the (bleep), and it�s almost just as fun to see it and be able to get on the phone with my woman and have a real relationship.

So, it�s obviously more comforting to you to have that stability at home.

Oh, completely. I�m not going to lie, no matter how tough of a guy you are, the road will get lonely.

Tell me about the new album. When do you expect it to come out? How�s everything going with it?

Well, it�s going very well. We have a bunch of songs, but we are not putting a date on this release yet, because every time we do it changes. We figured why don�t we not put a date on it, and kind of not put an end to it and just keep writing and recording. When it�s done, it�s done.

You guys are continuing to get bigger and bigger. I love you guys. But with all this love, and fans, and fame, has the writing process changed?

Oh yeah. On the last albums, we weren�t seasoned. We have always been a fun loving touring group and we hadn�t taken the craft of song writing, as sad as it is to say, as serious as we should have. And the result of that is that we had songs that developed songs on the road and at the show. When we made a song, we didn�t have the chance to go back and try things different ways because the kids had already heard it. But now, for the first time, the songs are getting worked out before going live with them. I have realized that this is a craft and it�s more than a job for money, but a chance to be expressive and openhearted.

Do you like it better this way?

I like it much better this way. I want to be proud of everything I put out there. And if it sucks to people who hear it, at least I can say I gave it my best. This way, there are no excuses.

Is there any (bleep) involved with being a part of a major label?

Not as much as you would think. To be honest we have a great A& R guy over at our label. He�s the one telling us to take our time and not rush things. I have never met an A&R guy who said to the artist take your time. That�s commendable. They are all about giving us our time. We all realize that this next album is going to be our defining record.

You guys are setting yourself up. The fans are ready for it. The world is ready for it.

(Laughs) Yeah.

OK, as much as I love you guys, I am a huge Dave Matthews fan. Help me understand the experience of being with them on the road.

I mean, just to put it in. OK, to understand it. One day I�m there and I�m walking to eat lunch and he comes up to me and says hello. So, we start talking and we talk about vocal warm-ups. This is me comparing with him and knowing that there really isn�t a difference. We are both at two different spectrums of success, yet we are both talking about not drinking too much coffee or smoking too much of that. That was really an equalizer.

I am, um, jealous.

The Dave Matthews Band as a whole is a great band to look up to. We are looking up to people who we are wanting to follow in their footsteps for a long time. And here they are being nice to us. That really felt good. I can�t describe the feeling I had on that tour.

Totally jealous.

OK, so you guys rock, but let�s say you ditched your style and became white rappers, what would you call yourself?

Oh, definitely, that�s a good question. (Laughs)

You don�t have a name ready for me?

I don�t have one ready for you. When I was younger I was over in Israel doing some studying and (bleep) and I was in that stage of high school where me and my friends thought we were rappers. And we called ourselves the 420 Dreads. And looking back on that it was the dumbest thing ever. So, I�m trying to keep that out of the press. (Laughs)

You don�t have your personal name?

I think I was Spark.

You should call the next OAR album Spark.

I could, but then I would have to hide in the closet. I�m not very good at rapping.

(Laughs).

� Nick Powills can be reached at SayWhatPOWILLS@aol.com. Visit Lumino's Spotlight section for more of Powills' Say What columns.

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