On the Rocks (University of Oregon)

On The Rocks is a Collegiate a cappella group from the University of Oregon. The group was founded in 1999, the first official collegiate a cappella group in Oregon. It has since flourished into one of the top collegiate groups in the nation. OTR has gained national notoriety through its dedication to quality, ensemble, and above, all, [...] loose on stage. Perhaps most notable is the group’s 2nd place in the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella 2003, and 3rd place the previous year. OTR has toured on the west and east coast, and also Canada. Recently, the group traveled to Berkeley, CA for the West Coast A Cappella Showcase. Last spring, OTR toured California, performing in San Francisco, San Diego, and Pomona.

History

Founded in the summer of 1999 by Peter Hollens and Leo Da Silva, On The Rocks was the first collegiate A Cappella group in the Northwest. Other groups including UO's Divisi, and OSU's Outspoken followed suit.

OTR has established itself as one of the top a cappella groups in the nation. Their current repertoire ranges from contemporary pop to doo-wop classics to holiday standards and the occasional original piece. OTR is mostly undergraduate students and usually consisting of 9 – 12 members. Every fall and spring, an extensive audition process is held to find quality replacements for graduating members in 4 different vocal categories: tenor, baritone, bass and vocal percussion. Auditioning students are evaluated on tonal memory, solo talent, blending ability and, of course, personality. Once the new members are chosen, OTR can be heard singing every Friday @ 4:00 pm at the EMU amphitheater and around the University of Oregon campus at various events throughout the year.

Annually OTR and Outspoken host a benefit concert for a charity chosen by the hosting group. The concert is themed after the football rivalry between the two schools and is generally held in the fall, preceding the civil war football game.

OTR's final concert of the year OTR ITD (On The Rocks - In The Dark) is held the Friday before finals of spring term and attracts thousands of students, alumni, and community members to a free concert starting at 11:59 PM. The group runs their entire repertoire to adoring fans.

Aside from hosting quarterly concerts, they have toured the West Coast and have visited the east coast and Canada. They have performed with the professional quartet the Coats and at various a cappella festivals all over the west coast.

Rock Rolling

The groups fourth CD release of The Green Room opens with a cover of Rick Astley's Never Gonna Give You Up. Strongly influenced by the insane pop culture phenomenon of Rickrolling, the song quickly became a crowd favorite. Earning awards of best choreography at the ICCA's and insane beat boxing from OTR's award winning beat boxer Jake Jepson. One fan produced a YouTube video of Rick Astley's music video, with the OTR track dubbed over the sound. The video promptly earned thousands of hits due to its creativity and appeal to the a cappella community. In the production of the 2008 release of the Varsity Vocals Best of Collegiate A Capella (BOCA), producer Deke Sharon, in cahoots with OTR co founder Peter Hollens, decided it would be fun to Rick Roll the entire A cappella community. The second track on the album is labeled as OTR's Coldplay Medley, when in fact it was the recorded version of Never Gonna Give You Up. The move quickly sparked controversy among the A Cappella community, The OTR coldplay medley would have been a late submission to the BOCA album and On The Rocks would have been given an unfair advantage. Sharon and Hollens stuck with the joke until the release of the album, whereupon the joke was had and the term, you've been Rock Roll'd was circulated among the A Cappella world.

Discography

OTR (2002)

1. Center of Attention
2. For The Longest Time
3. Romeo and Juliet
4. Crash Into Me
5. Brown Eyed Girl
6. Ave Maria
7. Change in My Life
8. Lullaby
9. I Can See Clearly Now
10. Down to The River
11. I Need To Know
12. MLK
13. Demons
14. Insomniac
15. Mystery Track

The Backgammon Sessions (2003)

1. Intro - (Without Your Love)
2. Without Your Love
3. Yellow (Selected for BOCA 2004)
4. Windmills
5. It's Alright
6. My Own Worst Enemy
7. Is This It?
8. Hear You Me
9. Street Spirit
10. I Would Fly
11. In The End
12. Peanut Vendor
13. Mystery Track

Full Coverage (2005)

1. Kyrie (Selected for SING 2006)
2. When My Baby Walks
3. Somethin' Like That (Selected for BOCA 2006)
4. Golden Slumbers
5. Matchbook
6. She's My Kind of Rain
7. Halleluja
8. Disco Inferno
9. Stacey's Mom
10. Scrum
11. Cry Me a River
12. Let The Words

The Green Room (2008)

1. Never Gonna Give You Up (selected for Voices Only 2008, and BOCA 2008)
2. Watching Over Me
3. Almost Honest
4. Number One
5. Save A Horse, Ride A Cowboy
6. Helena
7. Please Don't Tell Her
8. Karmastition
9. Rozy
10. Happier
11. Smile Like You Mean It
12. Lullaby

External links

• www.uoontherocks.com