Jasper Freedom

What does On The Rocks mean to you?
“I’ve been listening to OTR since probably my freshman year in high school so its cool getting in to the group. Now its just kind of a place to have fun and actually be challenged and sing with a group of guys that are all good.

Could you describe your musical background?
“Well I started performing with my dad when I was about seven. We used to travel a lot so I just randomly starting singing along to all the songs we would listen to while he would play the guitar. I would be in choirs all the time throughout elementary, middle school and high school…then I started my own band so I’ve been doing that since my sophomore year of high school. Now I’m a student here (University of Oregon) in the School of Music with a focus on Voice.

What do you see yourself doing after college and OTR?
“I would like to pursue my own music career. On The Rocks is really beneficial for that because it gives me experience with travelling, doing lots of gigs, being more professional, and also there is a good chance to meet people along the way.”

What is your most memorable experience with OTR?
“So we had our retreat in Sun River earlier in the year and we rented a big house. When we first showed up, went to the neighborhood and warned them ‘Yeah, were a group of 15 guys. We’re in college, if it gets too loud just please let us know.’ But then they were like, ‘Wait, are you guys On The Rocks? Oh we love you guys!’ So they asked us to come in and perform on of their favorite songs, Demons. They taped us and were going wild. He called his daughter and was like ‘Guess who is here right now!’

What’s your favorite thing about being a part of OTR?
“Besides all of the singing, definitely the family aspect of it…they told us when we first got in the group, you need to be prepared to spend a lot of time with these people but know that we will become 14,13,12 of your best friends ever and so far that’s definitely been true…sometimes I’m sure going to a new school, all that stuff it can be hard to meet people. Didn’t have any trouble at all. “

Kyle Ludwig:

What is On The Rocks to you?
“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.”

How were you introduced to OTR?
“Well they were nationally recognized through the Sing-Off, which is like an a cappella competition, I just saw them on TV and was like ‘Whoa, these guys are really good…I definitely want to be in this group.’ I tried really hard and I didn’t get in the first two times but I got in on the third try.”

Third time’s the charm.
“Yeah it is. I’ve always aspired to be in this group.”

Did you grow up with music being a big part of your life?
“Well I did. My culture, I’m Micronesian, us west Islanders are very musical oriented, very expressive. I was born in America but started singing in third grade and my teachers started telling me that I was really good. Mostly I just enjoyed it a lot which is most important, you know?”

Definitely. Music is like a second language and you can express yourself in unique ways.
“Like everybody says, music is a universal language. I feel like it’s really true. There’s some feeling you get from any type of music. Whether is a cappella or any other type throughout the world, there’s something about it that just hits you.”

Sometimes you don’t even need words.
“Oh yeah, definitely, I don’t know what it is but you get this feeling that you can’t describe.”

What is your favorite part of being with OTR?
“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.”

Watching you guys here makes me jealous. Looks like you guys are having such a great time.
“Oh man, it’s such a blast. Doing what you love to do with a bunch of people who do the same thing, there’s no other feeling like it.”

Clay Attig:

What is on the rocks?
On the Rocks is an acapella group that was started in 1999 by Leo Desilva and Peter Hans. They were both students at the University of Oregon who wanted to set up a group who have fun and sing to the university community every weekend. It just turned in to this super well-known organization based off of love for music and having fun with friends.

Tell me about the friendships you have developed with the guys in your group.
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.

Has being in On The Rocks changed you at all?
Oh yeah! It has changed me in my personal life, my professional career, and has given me a whole different perspective on meeting people, performing, and coming into myself in the performance aspect.

So do you think it has made you more confident?
Yes, I attribute a lot of the confidence I have gained over the years to OTR, and being able to get out there and be myself every day and just sing for a bunch of people who love the same music I do.

Is On The Rocks an outlet for you in any way?
Yeah, if I have a tough day or something is bothering me I’ll come to rehearsal and I’ll get into the room and be off sitting by myself in the corner, someone will come and talk to me and start making jokes and by the end of the rehearsal I am laughing and enjoying my time.

What does On The Rocks stand for, to you?
On The Rocks, to me, is my way to be carefree and be like a little kid again. You get so bogged down with doing projects for school and other obligations you have and if I go to On The Rocks I just know I am going to have a good time no matter what. So, it just represents carefree attitudes and doing what I love while still singing and making something beautiful.

Travis Turley:

What is On The Rocks?
On the Rocks is an all male acapella group at the University of Oregon. It’s a group that sings for people every Friday and people ask us to come sing and it’s a great way to express yourself and to share music with other people.

How did you get involved with OTR?
I got involved because my sister was on “The Sing Off” and she met “On The Rocks” and she told me that I should try out when I went to Oregon. I looked them up and watched them so when I got to the school I found out when the tryouts were and came and tried out.

So your sister sings too?
Yeah, my whole family sings. We sing trios usually. My mom and dad don’t sing so it’s me and my older sister and my younger sister.

Have you always sung?
I had a band in eighth grade but I wasn’t very good and I didn’t really know how to sing. I joined choir freshman year because my sister told me there were a lot of girls in choir, so then I wanted to join choir. So, I started singing and I realized I loved it and I started singing freshman year of high school and then I sang all four years and then I’ve been singing ever since.

Is this more a hobby for you then or could you see this as a career?
If the chance opened up that I would be able to sing for a living I would totally do it. But, with where I am at right now it’s more of a hobby because it’s something I love to do.

Has OTR changed you as a person?
I would say for the better, hopefully. 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.

What does On The Rocks mean to you?
It is a way to get out of the every day routine of just going through the motions and be able to surround yourself with music and people that you love and people that make you happy because I think that’s what music and that’s what friendship is.

Colin Cossi:

Can you tell me a little bit about On The Rocks?

Well for someone who is coming to campus, who would see us, it would be that group that performs every week in the amphitheater. We work pretty hard to be well known and appreciated by the students here and put on a show. We really care about doing it for everybody here. For me, On The Rocks is kind of like a music fraternity. Just fourteen guys, we rehearse three times a week and spend a lot of time besides that with each other. Were getting pretty close and work really hard. The one thing we all have in common is that we just care about what we’re doing. We find a lot more than that in common, I guess.

What led you to want to join On The Rocks?

There are a couple of different things. Mainly just because I really like to sing and this is the best outlet for that, as far as doing fun pop music. I never thought, when I go to college I’m going to join the a cappella group, but I got here and wanted to do something fun for singing besides being in a choir because that just kind of a different thing. But also back home, I was pretty unaware of anything out here growing up. My junior year, On The Rocks was on “The Sing Off.” Seeing On The Rocks on “The Sing Off” was my first U of O thing.

What’s your favorite part of being a part of this group?

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 ampitheater 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. That’s honestly my favorite part.

Andrew Dyer

Can you tell me a little bit about On The Rocks?

Basically, On The Rocks is a male a cappella group at the University of Oregon and it’s a really incredible group where it is more of a communities group than just the Universities group because there are so many people that come and enjoy every week. We’ve got the the loyal moms who come, the elderly people, the seniors that come and have been coming religiously for years even before the “Sing Off”. It’s just really interesting to be a part of it and see it from this angle because I’ve been a fan of OTR since middle school because I lived here. I would go to the Friday shows and I saw them on “The Sing Off” and then to be a part of that community and then to cross over into the group is such an incredible experience. I’m so happy that I get to share it with other people on the other side.

How did you get involved with them?

I was a fan of OTR since about seventh grade. I had a choir teacher who really liked them and I went to one of their shows and I thought they were just incredible. And then when they were on “The Sing Off” I was like oh my god, I need to be in this group. So, every since then and through high school that was definitely a goal to be in OTR.

What is your favorite part or parts about being in the group?

Definitely, just the community that I’ve built within the group with all these guys and the friendships that I’ve made. I grew up looking up to these guys and then to be kind of an equal with them and really connect with them and actually share something so special, it just really means a lot to me. Taking that energy and love that we have within this group and then showing it and giving it off, portraying what we have and showing it to our audience is really special. I think that’s why a lot of people like OTR is because you know were about of rowdy dudes or whatever but we like to perform and I think that the love and fun and energy that we have in rehearsal and with each other shows in our performances and our audiences can really identify with that.