Jerry DePizzo, the saxophonist for the rock band O.A.R., says he knew the band had a hit on its hands the moment he heard the song.

"I thought 'Shattered' was a smash," DePizzo says during an interview. "When Mark (Roberge) wrote that and brought it to the table, that would have been a hit song if Kenny Chesney recorded it, or John Mayer, or Maroon 5 -- anybody.

"It was just a hit tune. For us, it was fairly obvious that we had something special there."

They were right, of course. "Shattered (Turn the Car Around)" climbed the charts in 2008, peaking at No. 2 on the Adult Top 40 chart.

The single's success was somewhat of a surprise because O.A.R., an acronym for Of a Revolution, had been best known for its live show and was often placed in the jam-band camp.

The band, which cut its musical teeth playing frat parties at Ohio State University, is known for its upbeat, reggae-tinged songs and willingness to improvise and stretch things out when it gets onstage.

Though it had previously flirted with the mainstream, O.A.R., which is celebrating its 14th year of existence, didn't seem like a prime candidate to breach the Top 40.

DePizzo is happy the band did.

"It's certainly raised our profile on a national level," he says. "Its opened up opportunities for us. It's made us more of a household name, which is great. On the touring side of things, it's probably bought us a couple more years of going out on the road, playing music and doing what we love to do."

O.A.R., a favorite on college campuses (it has previously played at Millersville University, Elizabethtown College and Franklin & Marshall College), is in the middle of a tour that will bring the band to Hershey's Star Pavilion for a Wednesday night show. Opening will be Citizen Cope.

"We're a little less than halfway through this tour and every show has been pretty damn good in attendance, performance and interaction with the audience," DePizzo says.

The saxophonist first started playing with the other members of O.A.R. (lead singer and guitarist Roberge; lead guitarist Richard On, bassist Benj Gershman and drummer Chris Culos) in 1997 and became an official member in 2000.

DePizzo grew up in Youngstown, Ohio, while his band mates all lived in Maryland before attending school at OSU.

"For a sax player, I've got a pretty damn good gig," he says. "I really do. Mostly, we're relegated to being a side guy on a riser behind the band somewhere. But here the sax has integrated itself into the sound of the band."

DePizzo says the band has begun recording a follow-up to the 2008 album "All Sides," which includes "Shattered." He says he and his band mates recorded about 20 songs in December and hope to have a new album in stores in the first quarter of 2011.

Any pressure to try to repeat the success of "Shattered" is entirely self-imposed, he says.

"We understand we're in a unique position because we've had success at radio," he says. "The door's open. I think people would play an O.A.R. song just because it's an O.A.R. song. They'll at least give us the benefit of a doubt. At least the door's open. We're a friendly face and we have a good shot at being on the radio."

O.A.R.

Wed. 7 p.m. $35

The Star Pavilion

at Hersheypark Stadium

Hershey, 534-3911
www.hersheyparkstadium.com