3 O.A.R. Deep Cuts for Any Jam Band Music Fan To Sing Along To

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, jam band music was rising fast in the minds of many music fans. The style that Dave Matthews Band made popular in the early 90s blossomed into something bigger later in the decade, helped along by college campuses and file-sharing programs.

Videos by American Songwriter

One of the beneficiaries of the rise was the Maryland-born group O.A.R. Along with a handful of other groups, O.A.R. brought their acoustic-driven jam band music to the world. Here below, we wanted to highlight three of their tracks. Indeed, these are three O.A.R. deep cuts for anyone to sing along to. Even if you’re not the biggest jam band fan, these songs might just resonate with you.

“Dareh Meyod” from ‘In Between Now And Then’ (2003)

The first three O.A.R. albums were indie, lo-fi. They sounded—in the best of ways—like they were recorded in a small studio in the closet of some friend’s house. That was the charm they offered. Then in 2003, O.A.R. released a much slicker LP, In Between Now And Then. And the first song on the album, “Dareh Meyod”, is a classic. Just the depth of sound, the mood, the performance—A+ stuff.

“Toy Store” from ‘The Wanderer’ (1997)

When O.A.R. released their debut LP, The Wanderer, in 1997, they soon became darlings on the college campus music scene thanks to rollicking songs like “That Was A Crazy Game Of Poker”. But on that same debut LP, there was a quieter song, a more thoughtful and reflective track than the one about the card game. That was “Toy Store”, a nostalgic jam band song if there ever was one.

“Hey Girl” from ‘Soul’s Aflame’ (1999)

For some reason, O.A.R. would record the same song multiple times on different records. One of those repeats was “Hey Girl”, a fun song about a first date and a possible long-term romance. “Hey Girl” may not be the deepest of deep cuts for O.A.R. fans, but it sure is a song you can sing along to. And when that saxophone kicks in—chef’s kiss!

Photo by Scott Dudelson/WireImage