Good Poker Music

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PokerNews Staff

The PokerStars Caribbean Adventure just ended, but January is still jam-packed with poker tournaments all over the world — from Melbourne, Australia, for the Aussie Millions to Deauville, France, for the European Poker Tour at the end of the month, and everything in between. Because of the abundance of tournaments, we felt like it was our duty to get you pumped up to play your A-game — or try at least. After polling Team PokerNews, we've come up with 10 songs to add to your 'get-pumped-up-for-the-tournament-I'm-going-to-crush' playlist. Good luck at the tables.

Poker and the life of the gambler has always held a mystical appeal to singers and music artists, the game allowing for the ups and downs of life's crazy adventures to be metaphorically represented. Today we have a list of the top 5 ‘Best Poker Songs of all time' for you – read'em and weep! Over 50 songs by various artist all rock n roll genres. 80's, metal, alternative, classic, contemporary etc If looking for hip-hop, rap and pop check out my. Because of this, I usually have music playing in the backyard throughout the night to help set and maintain the mood. Consider pre-programming your playlist or using a service like Apple Music or Google Play since they offer a wide array of curated playlists perfect for cocktail parties and poker games. Explore albums and songs by moods on AllMusic. Good Poker Songs?? I want to make a cd to play while we are playing poker. 'crazy game of poker' by O.A.R(Of A Revolution) 0 0. Still have questions?

1. Eye of the Tiger — Survivor

Obv.

This Rocky video is way more convincing than the official video that features the members of Survivor stomping their way into a warehouse to jam in front of a gold lamé sheet.

2. All I do is Win — DJ Khaled

'All I do is win, win, win, no matter what. Got money on mind, I can never get enough.' Are there any other lyrics out there that are more pertinent to a poker player?

3. Taking Care of Business — Bachman Turner Overdrive

Poker players don't get up in the morning, they don't take a train to their grind station/local brick-and-mortar, nor do they get to work by nine, but they're certainly self-employed, and they take care of business. Minus the whole 'working overtime' part, because, let's be honest, poker players have a hard time showing up, let alone staying for overtime.

4. Killing in the Name — Rage Against the Machine Roulette machine tips.

The song is about racism in politics. We don't care. It gets the blood pumping. Just don't take the song title too literally if you suffer a bad beat while it's playing.

5. Public Service Announcement — Jay-Z

If you aren't nodding your head after 'Allow me to re-introduce myself, my name is HOV,' then something is wrong with you. And you don't 'check cheddar like a food inspector' either.

Poker Song

6. Machinehead — Bush

OK, we know this song's lyrics aren't motivational, but if this doesn't bring you back to your high school sports team's warm-up CD, and gets you pumped up, then we can't help you.

Music

7. Pop Your Balloon — Beastie Boys

'You've got the press, and I've got the plates. We pressin' up twenties by the crate.' If you get in the Mercier zone, it could seem like you're printing money at the tables.

8. Light Up — Drake

'Don't get impatient when it takes too long.' This song is a bit more motivational than the others on this list, but you can still ignore the lyrics, zone out, and enjoy the bass line. The first line, 'I've been up for four days, getting money both ways,' is quite fitting, as well.

9. The Fighter — Gym Class Heroes

Gym Class Heroes met in — wait for it — gym class. A lot of poker players look like they should be in gym class when they're playing live — except it would be hard to pass the physical fitness test in that massive hoodie.

10. Pumped Up Kicks — Foster the People

Pumped up kicks. Huh? What? Did you say something? Sorry, we get into a trance when we listen to this song. Did he just say we better outrun his gun?

Have any suggestions? Let us know below. And as always, follow PokerNews on Twitter for up-to-the-minute news.

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    Poker Top 10
O.A.R. performing at Lincoln Theater in 2015
Background information
OriginRockville, Maryland, United States
GenresAlternative rock, indie rock, roots rock, heartland rock
Years active1996–present
LabelsVanguard, Wind-up, Lava, Atlantic
Associated actsMatt Nathanson, Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers, Brett Dennen, Foxtrot Zulu
Websitewww.ofarevolution.com
MembersMarc Roberge
Chris Culos
Richard On
Benj Gershman
Jerry DePizzo

O.A.R. (short for of a revolution) is an American rock band, founded in 1996 in Rockville, Maryland.[1] The band consists of lead vocalist/guitarist Marc Roberge, drummer Chris Culos, guitarist Richard On, bassist Benj Gershman, saxophonist/guitarist Jerry DePizzo, and touring members, trumpet player Jon Lampley and keyboardist Mikel Paris. Together, the band has released eight studio albums, including their latest release, The Mighty, in March 2019. The band is well known for their live shows and extensive summer touring, and have released six live records with the latest release, Live From Merriweather, in November 2019. Four of the band members grew up in Rockville, Maryland and attended Thomas Sprigg Wootton High School. After graduating, they went on to study at Ohio State University. There they met the fifth member, saxophonist/guitarist Jerry DePizzo from Youngstown, Ohio.

History[edit]

Formation and early years (1996–2004)[edit]

After earlier iterations performing together as far back at middle school, O.A.R. was formed in 1996 by lead vocalist Marc Roberge and drummer Chris Culos, inspired in part by Roberge's older brother, who plays drums for the band Foxtrot Zulu. They later recruited Richard On and Benj Gershman. In 1996 they recorded their debut album, The Wanderer, at Gizmo Recording Company in Silver Spring, Maryland with engineer/producer Gantt Kushner. Many songs from the album, including 'Black Rock' and 'That Was A Crazy Game of Poker', became staples of their live shows and are still played at most concerts today.

The three of the four band members attended one semester at Alexander Muss High School in Israel, graduated from Wootton High School in Rockville, Maryland, then moved to Columbus, Ohio to attend The Ohio State University. While at Ohio State, they met Jerry DePizzo, from Youngstown, Ohio. He joined the band as the saxophonist, completing the current lineup. In 1999, they returned to Gizmo Recording to record their second album, Soul's Aflame.

Unlike other similar bands, O.A.R. did not use much formal advertising/marketing plans to obtain an audience, instead choosing to rely on word-of-mouth and touring alone. Their third album Risen debuted at No.11 on the Billboard top internet sales chart. They received offers from various major labels, but ultimately chose to sign with Lava Records in 2002. The following year, their fourth album In Between Now and Then debuted at No. 156 on the Billboard 200 chart.

Mainstream success (2005–present)[edit]

In 2005, O.A.R. released their fifth album, Stories of a Stranger, which debuted at No. 40 on the Billboard 200. It produced the singles 'Love and Memories', 'Heard the World', and 'Lay Down.' 'Love and Memories' was the band's first single to chart and receive significant radio airplay, peaking at 98 in the Pop 100, at 30 in Modern Rock Tracks, and at 18 in Adult Top 40. The music videos for 'Love and Memories' and 'Lay Down' received airplay on VH1 and MTV. The video for 'Lay Down' received a 'Woodie' award from MTV for streaming video.

On January 14, 2006, O.A.R. reached a new peak of popularity by drawing roughly 18,000 fans and selling out New York City's Madison Square Garden, which earned them a review in the New York Times.[2] On October 5, 2006, a press release declared that O.A.R. had officially sold in excess of 1.2 million albums over their career.[3] The band attributes much of its popularity to the recording and subsequent trading and downloading of their live shows.

Good Poker Music

O.A.R. during 2009 summer concert tour at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs, New York

On July 15, 2008, O.A.R. released their sixth studio album, All Sides. The first radio single for All Sides, 'Shattered (Turn the Car Around)', was released on June 13. It surpassed 'Love And Memories', peaking at 2 in Adult Top 40. In December 2008, VH1 named the music video for 'Shattered' as number 18 on their Top 40 Videos of 2008.

In 2010, O.A.R. returned to the studio to record their seventh studio album, King. The band introduced several of their new songs during the 2010 tour, including: 'Over and Over', 'Fire', 'Dangerous Connection', and 'Gotta Live.' King was released on Wind-up Records on August 2, 2011 and debuted at number 12 on the Billboard 200, the highest-charting debut for the band so far. The album's first single, 'Heaven', was released on June 7, 2011. On May 8, 2012, O.A.R. released a new single as part of a collaboration with Duracell in support of Team USA in the 2012 London Summer Olympics. The song is called 'Champions', and features rapper B.o.Boner, who contributed the vocals in the verses.

On November 19, 2012, O.A.R. released a live CD/DVD entitled Live on Red Rocks, which consists of footage and music from their performance at Red Rocks Amphitheatre on their 2012 summer tour.[4]

In an interview with Billboard magazine posted on January 16, 2014, Jerry Depizzo revealed that their eighth studio album would be released in May 2014, and that the lead single would be 'Peace'—a new song they played live many times on their 2013 summer tour. On March 21, 2014, the band announced via various social media sites that the new album, titled The Rockville LP would be released on June 10, 2014.

The Rockville LP debuted at number 13 on Billboard's top 200, #1 independent albums, #6 top current rock albums, and #7 current digital albums.[citation needed]

In May 2016, the band announced the release of a career spanning compilation to coincide with their 20th anniversary.[1] Entitled XX, the album was released on August 5, 2016 bundled with a disc of live performances and two new songs 'Follow Me, Follow You' and 'I Go Through'.[5] The band embarked on a two-month tour of North America.[6]

In 2018, O.A.R. returned to the studio to record their eighth studio album, The Mighty. The first single from the album is 'Miss You All the Time', released on October 12, 2018. The Mighty was presented and released to the public on March 29, 2019.

Charitable endeavors and other appearances[edit]

The band's Heard The World foundation was founded to support youth, education and sustainable programs both in the U.S. and abroad.[7]

On December 14, 2012, O.A.R. performed with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra at the Music Center at Strathmore. The concert benefited the Heard the World Foundation. Casino in louisiana.

In December 2009, Jerry DePizzo headlined a charity fundraiser for Music Loves Ohio in Columbus at The Basement.[8]

The band worked with SAIC, a US defense contractor, to raise money for the Paralyzed Veterans of America, a service organization focused on assisting veterans with spinal cord injuries and diseases, through digital downloads of the band's song 'Light Switch Sky.' Proceeds from downloads of the song through July 22, 2010 supported paralyzed veterans. The song was co-written by O.A.R. and their fans through a competition on Twitter.[9]

On October 4, 2012, the band headlined a 'But for Ohio State: Rock the Oval' concert at Ohio State University to help raise money for the school that the band's members attended.

O.A.R. and Phillip Phillips' 2014 Summer Tour benefited Habitat for Humanity.

O.A.R. performed live from Times Square on December 31st, 2014 at Dick Clark's Rockin' New Years Eve.

O.A.R. performed at the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games.

Members[edit]

Current members

  • Marc Roberge – lead vocals, rhythm guitar (1996–present)
  • Richard On – lead guitar, backing vocals (1996–present)
  • Benj Gershman – bass (1996–present)
  • Chris Culos – drums (1996–present)
  • Jerry DePizzo – saxophone, guitar, backing vocals (2000–present)

Current touring musicians

  • Mikel Paris – keyboards, percussion, backing vocals (2006–present)
  • Jon Lampley – trumpet, sousaphone, backing vocals (2011–present)

Former touring musicians

  • Evan Oberla – trombone, backing vocals (2011–2014)

Timeline

Discography[edit]

  • The Wanderer (1997)
  • Soul's Aflame (1999)
  • Risen (2001)
  • In Between Now and Then (2003)
  • Stories of a Stranger (2005)
  • All Sides (2008)
  • King (2011)
  • The Rockville LP (2014)
  • The Mighty (2019)

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ abHicks, Robert. 'O.A.R. – Biography'. www.billboard.com. Rovi. Retrieved 2016-08-08.
  2. ^Sanneh, Kelefa (January 16, 2006). 'A Scrappy Jam Band, but Hold the Jam'. The New York Times. Retrieved May 20, 2010.
  3. ^Press Release (2006). 'O.A.R. Makes History With Over 1 Million Sold' marketwire.com (accessed October 6, 2006)
  4. ^'Sundance 2014: Watch O.A.R. Rock Park City Live'. Billboard. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  5. ^-. 'Exclusive Album Premiere: O.A.R. – 'XX' – A Music Blog, Yea?'. Retrieved 2016-08-08.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. ^'O.A.R. Announces Summer Tour & New Album'. 2016-05-10. Retrieved 2016-08-08.
  7. ^'Heard The World Homepage'. Heardtheowrld.org. Retrieved 2015-09-04.
  8. ^Kevin Joy. 'O.A.R. sax man instrumental in giving youngsters a boost'. The Columbus Dispatch. Archived from the original on 20 December 2009. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  9. ^[1][dead link]

External links[edit]

  • O.A.R. Official website
  • oarsa.org setlist archive, lyrics, and fan site
  • O.A.R. The Rockville LP Review
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=O.A.R.&oldid=1006211092'




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