A Cappelling Passion
The Premier All-Male A Cappella Group of the University of Oregon

Twelve unique personalities collaborate for one purpose, their love of music. These twelve men make up “On The Rocks”, the premier all-male a cappella group from the University of Oregon. With an impressive history, new members of “On The Rocks” hope to continue the legacy. A viral video of Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance, appearances on the NBC show “The Sing Off” and five albums, have allowed the group to gain a loyal fan base. The group has become a well-known organization based on their love of music and passion for performing. The members of “On The Rocks” excel at singing, dancing and most of all performing.
“On The Rocks” is not all about the music. The ensemble is based on lasting friendships and memories. Clay Attig, a current member of “On The Rocks”, says, “The friendships are easily the biggest part of this group because I have to spend time with all these guys. I probably see them more than I see my girlfriend or anyone else I know. We spend close to ten or twelve hours a week in rehearsal, shows, and just hanging out together. So, the friendships get almost too close at some points, but that makes it more fun.” The group sings together, travels together and even lives together. After sitting in on a typical Thursday practice, it is apparent that the group has bonded in more ways than one. Kyle Ludwig, another member of OTR has a fresh perspective on the group. “OTR means to me, it’s a singing brotherhood…we spend Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday nights together, and every Friday we do a show for the students. Brotherhood is like a big thing. You can use the cliché term as a singing fraternity.”
“On The Rocks” members find it crucial to ensure friendship is at the forefront of the group. The members take group retreats and travel together for gigs. Last fall, “On The Rocks” took a memorable retreat to Sun River allowing the new members to bond. Kyle Ludwig said, “The biggest part that I really love and I’m so thankful for is the traveling we get to do. We get to meet other groups all over the world…you get to bond even more with the guys, in a different city and you get to meet different people throughout, that do the same thing you do. That’s one of the biggest memories I have. Just traveling with them.” When asked if “On The Rocks” has changed the lives of its members, the answer was unanimously yes. OTR member, Travis Turley says, “It has made me more confident because I get to sing in front of people and it’s such a cool experience because it makes me more confident and it makes me find myself through music. Especially for me, it’s a huge way to bond with someone and be able to express yourself.” “On The Rocks” provides students and group members a diverse and electrifying college experience different than anything else on campus.
Leo DaSilva and Peter Hollens, two former University of Oregon students, founded “On The Rocks” in 1999. It has a long history of tradition and brotherhood. The group prides themselves on providing fans with entertaining and fun performances. The goal for many of the members is to change people’s day for the better. Colin Cossi, a new member to OTR said, “My favorite part is performing for people in a way that’s going to make them forget about their day or get them truly excited. Over the course of my week, just being in the music major I do a lot of different music, but this is the only kind that gets people get super stoked about. There’s music where you get intellectually into it and music where you can really sit back and appreciate it quietly, but this one people clap and yell and sing back and sing along. Getting to see two hundred kids gather around the amphitheater on Friday at four, when you are just done with your week and to see them smile and enjoy our show, that’s so fun.” Every Friday afternoon, the EMU fills up with high-spirited fans to watch twelve students sing their hearts out. “On The Rocks” is a lifelong brotherhood that never forgets its past and is always looking towards the future. For those trying to catch a glimpse of these men in action, “On The Rocks” performs every Friday in the Fish Bowl of the EMU on the University of Oregon campus and at specially requested events. Fans can learn more about the group and future performances by visiting uoontherocks.wordpress.com or following @UOOnTheRocks on Twitter, uoontherocks on Instagram or liking the Facebook page On The Rocks.
“On The Rocks” has hands down been one of the most engaging and inspirational groups to get to know on the University of Oregon campus. As a team, we not only improved our skills as communication professionals, but also made a new group of friends in the process. The members of “On The Rocks” are lively, upbeat, and animated, which provided us with new challenges. We learned to move quickly on our feet and pushed ourselves to make adventurous choices artistically. There were countless times one could find us on the floor or on top of a chair in order to capture the right shot or angle. The group fortunately provided us with a variety of talents for us to reveal on camera, whether that was singing, dancing or just having a good time. We learned how to work well as a group and deviate tasks between the three of us. It was an excellent experience for us in terms of the size of the group. Although we had a lot to work with, we wanted to ensure every member was featured in the project and nothing was taken out of context. This multimedia project allowed us to step outside of our box and get up close and personal to a group of talented and memorable performers.