Rock band O.A.R. has been making waves with their 2011 album “King.” The band embarks on a tour in support of the album, which began last night at the Marquee Theatre in Tempe.
Before the concert, drummer Chris Culos talked with The State Press about the album, the tour and his thoughts on the future of the band.
Rock band O.A.R. has been making waves with their 2011 album “King.” The band embarks on a tour in support of the album, which began last night at the Marquee Theatre in Tempe.
Before the concert, drummer Chris Culos talked with The State Press about the album, the tour and his thoughts on the future of the band.
The State Press: What was the influence and inspiration for your new album?
Chris Culos: To be honest, it was the most fun we’ve ever had preparing for a record because we went to each band member’s hometown for a week and rehearsed and recorded in each band member’s hometown.
It was also fun because you just got to spend time in the guy’s city and go out to their favorite restaurants or just grab a drink … It was kind of cool because we spent so much time on the road together that when we all break and get to go home we don’t get to see that part of each other’s lives too much.
To do that kind of thing just made it feel like we were all in a very good place - a very fun, productive kind of mindset with the writing.
We actually recorded the album in New York where two of the guys from the band live now. In that sense, it was a kind of different way for us to go about the writing process.
Bands record each instrument one at a time and, when that’s perfect, you go on to the next thing and that’s how these major label-type albums are built - but it doesn’t always play to our strengths.
We found this studio that was big enough for us to all see each other and all play together and we just set up and recorded live and a lot of the songs have takes that are just live off the floor.
SP: Are you excited to get back on the road for tour again?
CC: Oh my god, we can’t wait. We have so much fun on the road and we’ve had a nice break, so we’re all rested up over the holidays and just really excited to let loose.
We’ve been having so much fun since the album came out. We’ve been playing a few of the new songs, but we’ve also been revisiting a lot of older songs and some rare things that people who’ve seen us in the last couple of years know that we’ve really been trying to bring back.
In that sense, we’re going to make this one of the most entertaining tours that we’ve ever been able to pull off.
SP: What is your favorite song to play live off of the new album?
CC: I think my favorite one to play live is also probably my favorite song that we recorded for the record, and it’s called “The Last Time.” It’s one of those songs that really didn’t need to translate from being a studio song to a live song.
It was actually written like how we would play the song onstage and then we recorded it in the studio. So when we go to start playing it live, it just kind of comes across naturally. We just kind of feel like it’s one of those songs that we own when we play it.
SP: What song has gotten the best response off the new album during your shows?
CC: The song “Heaven,” which was our first single. People were curious to how we were going to play it live. It had more of a drum loop like an electronic drum sound. It had a full choir, all these things that you weren’t really expecting O.A.R. to have on tour, but we were able to play with it. I think it was a really uplifting moment that our audience was pretty much really digging.
SP: Do you enjoy touring in Arizona? What are you most looking forward to about Wednesday’s show?
CC: I have such a soft spot for (Tempe). We’ve been going there since the band first started. We’ve played general venues and all these parties from back in the day. My wife went to ASU, so cruising around campus and (visiting) some of my favorite restaurants in the world. I’m so excited to come back.
The first night of the tour is always fun because everyone’s just excited to be back out on what we call summer camp… The first night there’s always a smile on everyone’s face, you’re looking around going kind of ‘I’ve been waiting for so long, it’s been a few weeks.’ Those nights are always really special.
SP: What are the band’s plans for the future?
CC: We have a lot of plans. We’ve already had some announcements for our spring tour, (and) we’re putting together the summer tour right now. Summer’s always a big one for us. We’re probably going to record a live CD this summer and then we’re going to get back in the studio sooner than later. These days, bands are putting out music a lot more quickly and we just basically want to get our music out there to as many people as we can, and I think these days, the more music you put out, the more engaged the audience is And it’s fun for us too.
Reach the reporter at okhiel@asu.edu.
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