Liberty’s Jerry DePizzo talks about the evolution of a revolution Milestone year for O.A.R.

January 28, 2016 at 12:05a.m.

One of the perks of being the saxophonist in national touring band O.A.R. is that once in a great while Jerry DePizzo can bring the incredibly popular band back home for a Northeast Ohio gig.

That’s exactly what’s taking place when the Liberty native and the rest of the “That Was a Crazy Game of Poker” band perform Feb. 4 at Warren’s Packard Music Hall.

It’s an important year for O.A.R., which is still touring its latest effort, “The Rockville LP,” as well as celebrating a milestone anniversary. Also, the band is looking ahead.

The Vindicator talked to DePizzo about all of the above and more regarding the island vibe roots rock act.

Q. First of all, when’s the last time O.A.R. played the Youngstown area?

A. This will be the band’s first time performing at Packard and the first time the band has been in the Youngstown area in, it’s got to be over 10 to 12 years. We played, I think, the Varsity Club back in 2000 or 2001. It was packed. I remember my mom getting up on stage because she liked “Hey Girl.”

Q. Looking back, was that cool or embarrassing having your mom on stage?

A. Yeah, any time your mom gets up on stage, I wouldn’t define it as cool.

Q. Regarding the upcoming show, are you instituting a no-mom-on-stage policy?

A. It’ll be well attended by the family, and I’m really excited to see everybody, but we don’t need to have a no-mom-on-stage policy anymore. I think everybody knows we stay on stage and everybody else is off stage. Also, my mom likes dancing in the seats.

Q. Recently, O.A.R. played a show at a Baltimore Ravens game. [NOTE: the majority of O.A.R. members are from Maryland]. Considering the football team’s history, were there mixed emotions?

A. I will always be a Brownies fan, first and foremost. Growing up in Youngstown, I know a lot of friends who rooted for the Steelers, a lot of friends rooted for the Browns. And there were some Cincy guys thrown in there, too. I’m a hopeless romantic, so I always root for the Browns.

Q. Even though you joined a few years later, 2016 marks the 20th anniversary of O.A.R. Any plans scheduled to celebrate the milestone?

A. We have a great tour schedule coming up this summer. We’re really excited about it. O.A.R. is a summertime staple, and we’re not going to disappoint. We’re going to go out there and play some really long sets. We’re excited about that. We also have an anthology that is slated to come out this year. It’s going to be a collection of music from our 20-year history and new material as well.

Q. Let’s start with the new stuff. How would you describe the material?

A. We have working titles right now. I think it’s the evolution of O.A.R. “The Rockville LP” is the most honest record from the band in the sense it has the least amount of filter in it. A lot of it is a DIY project in the sense that at that point we’ve been making records for 18 years, so we feel very confident in our ability to do so. It was a very hands-on record for the band. So the new stuff will be an evolution. I think what you’re going to get is the most honest and raw interpretation of O.A.R. yet.

Q. O.A.R.’s current tour is targeting the diehard fan. Can you explain?

A. It’s the “You Pick the Set Tour.” We developed a mechanism for people who participated in our presale tickets that the audience got to vote. We play a different set anyway, so we figured why don’t we put it into the audience’s hands? So the audience votes for 15 songs at each show. It’s been fun. We did this in December as well, and it was fun to put these sets in the audiences’ hands and figure out how to make them flow.

Q. That’s a pretty unique and interactive tour concept. How is it turning out?

A. I was concerned at first it was going to be 15 deep cuts. There was a concern about the pace and the flow of the evening. But after seeing four or five shows already going into it, there’s probably a two-song deviation from what we would pick ourselves. So they did a good job of picking a set with a good balance of classic O.A.R. stuff, new stuff and deep cuts.

Q. Finally, we know which song mom is voting for.

A. [Laughs] Yes, mom is voting for “Hey Girl,” absolutely.