Five years can be a long time. Ask a five-year-old. Ask the average 16-year-old who is counting the days until they’re 21. But sometimes — when you’re lucky — five years can fly by in the blink of an eye. If you would have asked the members of Lancaster’s Nothing But Oregano five years ago where they’d be today, their prediction would not even begin to describe what their lives are like this summer — celebrating the success of their third album See The Future Tonight and coming off one of the biggest performances of their career. By all accounts, the past five years have been quite ride for the quintet, and, to be sure, this summer is just one leg of a journey whose destination is still considered unknown.

Over the past five years, Nothing But Oregano (NBO) has undergone some changes — some big, some small — but one thing has remained the same, the friendship that exists among the members of the group. And it is that friendship that holds the band together, both on-stage and off. “Our friendship is kind of what defines us,” guitarist and vocalist Sam Gorgone said, acting, along with percussionist Dave Skinner, as a spokesman for the band, adding, “No matter what, we were always friends first.” And what began as merely something to do for the guys in the band has become one of the area’s most successful acts, as the band continues to break new ground and introduce fans to their unique sound.

Self-described as “the Rolling Stones vs. The Cure,” NBO has honed a percussion-filled sound that serves as a fine blend of the musical styles typical of the revered list of musicians that the band’s members look to for inspiration. From the Beatles to Led Zepplin, Pink Floyd to Toad the Wet Sprocket, Sam Gorgone, Dave Skinner, Jeff Bowman (lead vocals, guitar), Clay Margerum (bass, vocals), and Jason Krueger (drums) have taken “the best of all of these groups that we like so much” according to Skinner, and developed a sound of their own that has people talking — and keeps them coming back, show after show. “Our sound is what I think makes us what we really are,” Skinner added, explaining, “we’re unique, we don’t sound like every other band … and by the time we’re done, you’re singing along with the songs.”

Spared from the pitfalls that often befall young musicians who make their first goals international superstardom and immense wealth, the members of NBO were lucky in that their initial plans weren’t quite so lofty — merely because the guys never even really intended to play music together at all. According to Skinner and Gorgone, it just happened. “We just kind of fell together,” Skinner says, recounting the group’s beginnings at open mic nights at the Harmony Inn during college, “we sort of just became a band at one point and from that point on, it was just part of us.” All of which makes their current success all the more satisfying. “We consider ourselves very lucky,” says Skinner. “I can’t think of a better way to spend a weekend.”

And, by all indications, neither can their fans. Boasting a mailing list of 1200, NBO has taken their success and run with it — growing beyond the boundaries of Central Pennsylvania and filtering into Philadelphia and New York City, venues that still present an element of disbelief in the band. “What was once 15 phone calls to get a ‘no,’ is now often the booker calling us,” Gorgone relates, adding, “It puts a smile on your face, I’ll tell you that.” And, in addition to their growing list of live dates, Nothing But Oregano occasionally does that one big show that is the envy of other bands on the rise — such as last month’s WLAN-FM 97 sponsored SummerFest II at Hersheypark.

Selected because the program director of WLAN received their press package and, “decided to start playing” their current single, “Sweet Season,” the members of NBO enjoyed the thrill of performing in front of the crowds of people who attended the event — especially when that meant sharing the stage with such national recording acts as The Chris Perez Band, Better Than Ezra, and Edwin McCain. They also took the opportunity to learn from their peers. “I had met the guys from Better Than Ezra before,” Skinner said, and, “it was encouraging to learn that they started out just like we did — and look at them now.”

Whatever the future holds for the local band it looks more than promising. With five years of live performances and a third album — and the experience that goes along with it — under their belt, the guys in Nothing But Oregano have committed themselves to making this project work. “We’re definitely looking to move onto the next level,” Skinner notes, as Gorgone agrees, “it’s just a matter of getting into the right hands at the right time.”

“If you would’ve asked me 5 years ago, ‘do you see yourself in a band?’ I would’ve laughed and probably hung up the phone,” Skinner admits, laughing, while maintaining that being in a band right now is exactly where they want it to be. “If it all works out, as long as this ride continues to go on — if we start to make money, if we start to buy houses — who can ask for anything more than that?”