Fans streamed in and out of the Charter One Pavilion all day Saturday, buying everything from t-shirts to airbrushed tattoos on their way to catch a few songs of each band on the stage. At a festival known for showcasing artists on the rise (past performers include Maroon 5, Marc Broussard, and Howie Day) since it's inception in Cleveland, OH in 2002 the bulk of the festival-goers knew better than to miss a new act. With bottles of Gatorade and a cool lake breeze to help them through the day, the less than capacity crowd grew steadily as the day turned to night and the stage emptied in anticipation of the headlining act, O.A.R., the featured artists on the Everfine Records label.
Before thoughts of joining a label were anything but dreams, the friends Marc Roberge, Richard On, and Benj Gershman honed their style of reggae infused upbeat rock in the basement of drummer Chris Culos' childhood home. Later they added saxophonist Jerry DePizzo to help round out their characteristic sound, and by the time the guys graduated from Ohio State University they were three albums into their career as a tour-heavy independent group. Word of their infectious live performances spread across the country and the band played in front of over 230,000 fans last year alone. With the upcoming Oct. 4 release of their latest album, “Stories of a Stranger,” the stage was set, literally, for O.A.R. to deliver on past promises and future hopes.
Opening with two of their oldest and more popular songs, “The Wanderer,” and “Old Man Time,” gave lead singer Marc Roberge the opportunity to sweep the crowd into his tell-tale vocals and enthusiasm. It was a surprise, then, how quickly the crowd was subdued as the band played the track, “Love and Memories,” from the upcoming album. The crowd's desire for familiar material was immediately obvious as, “Love and Memories,” is an interesting track, set off from the classic O.A.R. style, more evocative and tender than their meandering rhymes tend to be.
As the set moved along it became clear that what O.A.R. does best was not going to be found in their instrumental jams, but in their heart expanding vocal melodies, which sounded worn and uninspired during the band's oft-celebrated live improvisations. Perhaps it was because they were at the end of their latest tour or because they were the last band during a long day of music, but O.A.R.'s set list only proved their unique blend of styles to be a cliché through its repetition. Songs, “Wonderful Day,” a live staple appearing on the next album for the first time in studio form, “On Top of the Cage,” and, “Mr. Moon,” were formulaic examples of the band's desire to rush into a climax of sound as early and often as possible. While their biggest hits, “That Was a Crazy Game of Poker,” “Hey Girl,” and, “City on Down,” did their part in lifting the people off of their feet, it wasn't enough. The band never took it easy on stage, they just didn't seem to have anything left to give their loyal fans.
In a final moment of clarity and celebration, O.A.R. invited all the musicians of the festival on stage to play the last song of their encore together. A ragged group of rockers representing more than a few of the day's acts took the stage with the one band that made it all possible. The first chords of The Rolling Stones', “You Can't Always Get What You Want,” spread over the audience like a smile. Lead singers, guitarists, and drummers alike shared the microphone, taking up the call for the, “Feeling Better Than Everfine Festival,” a spoken hope that in one song all apologies would be accepted, all shortcomings forgiven, and all memories would be lasting. It acted as a thank you from the bands to the audience that brought them there.
All in all, it seemed a day about appreciating music in as many diverse and disparate forms as you can get it, not technical proficiency. Sharing the stage with O.A.R. were ten other bands all happy to have any part of the stage they could get. While everyone but O.A.R. and Pepper played from half a stage, techs readied the other half to keep down time to a minimum and keep the show running smoothly. Some names like Michael Tolcher and Citizen Cope may already be familiar, but the two bands to catch on the rise are The Southland from L.A. and State Radio from Boston. While Pepper has potential like a supernova was once a star, their brash and drunken onstage antics did nothing to help their sound and simply rolled their Hawaiian punk rock sound into the ditch.
The, “Feeling Better Than Everfine,” festival was, unfortunately, one of few musical highlights. In a festival known for presenting artists before they have made it big, all that was truly clear by the end of the day was that these bands just aren't there yet.
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