November 2004 – To your dad, OSB is “oriented strand board,” something he buys in bulk from Plywood Plus. To their fans, OSB is a band of five friends and musicians whose talent, camaraderie and passion make it worth driving across state lines to see them play live.

The members of OSB have seen each other through everything, from high school band practices to carpentry jobs, all the while sharing a love for music as diverse as fusion jazz and Van Halen. “I guess the reason why I play music is Van Halen. In the second grade, my mom got me the first album on cassette,” lead singer Brendan Mahoney warmly remembers.

OSB’s sound is both fun and moving. Mahoney’s sincere delivery of the lyrics is grounded by the warm energy and varied expression of the band’s music. “Brendan comes up with the skeleton, and we all do our own thing when we play in rehearsal and live,” guitarist Alex Attella explains.

In rehearsal, conversation moves from concern about each other’s personal lives to exciting changes to songs made during shows. At a recent gig, keyboardist Kevin Hennessey added strings to the end of “Thick and Thin,” making it “really work” for Mahoney by “adding a bigger sound.” After playing the song this way in rehearsal, they agreed to keep the new ending.

This collaborative effort allows each member to showcase his talents whether humbly playing tight background parts or passionately riffing during solos. “Walking Alone,” for example, begins with drummer Aaron Tringuk’s inviting blend of hi-hat and tambourine beats, while Hennessey’s Bruce Hornsby-inflected keys harmonize and change with Mahoney’s hypnotic lyrical phrasing and heightened emotional release.

The band is also energetic when it comes to covers. Whether they’re playing Paul Simon’s “Diamonds on the Souls of her Shoes” (from one of Tringuk’s all-time favorite albums) or a spur of the moment “Mustang Sally,” one can hear their love for other bands as much as their passion for their own compositions.

Relative newcomer Jeff Burch, formerly of The Late Messengers, is already an integral part of the band and a much admired bassist by the fans. His influences include fusion aficionado Jaco Pastouris and Grateful Dead pioneer Phil Lesh. He is as capable of “holding things down” with the rhythm, as well as providing flourishes and “doing what Jaco does.” Like the other members, his musicianship gives the music weight and makes live shows all the more enjoyable.

The fans have been as necessary to the band as the music. Like many other independent acts, OSB’s fan base grows by word of mouth and by tireless promotion of their album, The Grey Area (available at shows or www.osbband.com). The band has even driven to arena shows in New Hampshire in order to hand out their CDs to potential fans. They know their hard work has paid off when they look into each crowd to see countless faces they don’t recognize — a great success for any regional act.

Not only do fans often sing along, but some even tour with the band. “There’s one group of girls that always come to see us. They go to Albany, Northampton, wherever,” says Tringuk.

Winners of this summer’s Budweiser Battle of the Bands Contest at Jillian’s in Worcester, OSB was invited to the next battle in Albany. They rented a charter bus and brought along 60 zealous fans. Although the band may have come home without the award that night, they were not the least bit disappointed. “We don’t see it as losing at all. To us, we didn’t lose. I just loved the faces of the other bands when we got into Albany and our fans were getting off the bus,” Attella recalls.

Mahoney, Attella, Hennessey, Tringuk and Burch are not driven to turn their Dave Matthews and Led Zeppelin inspired rock into a slew of commercially palatable singles. Although this would be easy for them, they want to hold onto and explore their collaborative sound, their personal and musical evolutions and their relationship with their fans. “We just want to explore our options and take off,” Hennessey says.

While plans are being confirmed for a possible tour with Ingram Hill, they’re keeping busy with their monthly residencies at both Tammany Hall in Worcester and Kenny’s Castaways in New York’s Greenwich Village. Catch them at Tammany Hall on Wednesday, November 24 at 10:00 p.m.