EXOTIC ¥ EROTIC o ^/?7’
EXOTIC* EROTIC o
Lotions & Potions <LJ(Bf2StJ
DVDs • Videos ‘Lingerie • Toys
afUaf
powS&p
°TnVaie^°>V
Fashion &h0«
1166 South A • Springfield • 726-6969 • Open 24-7 (Almost)
Interviewing On € amptt$ March 4th
The Report at Glacier, St, Mary Lodge
For information call:
- - 1-80^368^9
A0VS18 All Ages
Tuesday,
March
«A.
McDonald Theatre I
1010 Willamette DR
Ago Sfoic,
W
There dfc &>|vfion?
See our Medical Aesthetician, Sabel Sanders,
the latest advances in “Skin Health” technology.
Call Sabel today to schedule
your appointment:
541 -687-7546 (687-SKIN)
V/
aesthetic plastic surgery
Lee B. Daniel, M.D.
Board Certified Plastic Surgeon
Sabel Sanders
Medical Aesthetician
ssanders@peacehealth.org
655 East 11th Avenue, Suite 2 Eugene, OR 97401
On The Rocks goes on the record
■The nine-member a capella
group releases its first album
today and enters an international
competition this weekend
By Lisa Toth
Oregon Daily Emerald
The acoustics of an empty rac
quetball court became the prime lo
cation for warmups — a chamber of
echoes. As nine guys slowly paced
the hardwood floors, stomping their
feet, the sound of their voices rico
cheted off the walls, filling the room
with a sound like a Gregorian chant
mixed with tribal sounds, unsup
ported by instruments.
This original vocal talent has
made “On the Rocks” and its mem
bers known on campus as the Uni
versity’s premier male a cappella
group. The group’s unique perform
ances draw crowds — rain or shine
—and draw from a hearty repertoire
of pop, classical and oldies covers,
which they reinvent in their person
al a capella way.
The guys spent their winter break
recording their first album, “OTR,”
which will be released today. Senior
Peter Hollens, who sings tenor, said
the Valentine’s Day release fits the
date not only because it includes
“songs to smooch by” but also be
cause its release is right before their
appearance in the International
Competition of Collegiate A cappel
la this weekend, Feb. 15 to 17, in
Berkeley, Calif.
Hollens said the group, founded
in winter 2000, hopes to sell about
3,000 of the 14-track CDs to fund the
album’s production costs, travel ex
penses for gigs and recording rights
to use other people’s songs.
Hollens said putting together the
CD has only brought the group
“closer as bros.”
“It was stressful, but we loved it,”
he said.
Eugene recording engineer Don
Ross worked with the group to
record the album and said it took a
team effort.
Fine tuning the vocal tracks, lay
ing down overdubs and making
sure the members voices had just
the right blend were all a part of the
mixing process. Ross said Tyler
Boeh, who sings baritone and pro
vides vocal percussion — an ac
quired skill that requires a lot of air
and practice — enhanced the quali
ty of the final production.
“He is amazing — how much
rhythmic happenings come out of
Adam Amato Emerald
On The Rocks sang the national anthem at the women’s basketball game on February?.
his mouth,” Ross said. “When he is
close-miked ... it sounds like a full
drum set.”
The group couldn’t come to a
consensus at practice as to their fa
vorite song, but “Romeo and Juliet”
by Dire Straits, Guster's “Demons”
and Linkin Park’s “In the End” are
just a few of audience’s top picks.
“They are all my favorites,” said
sophomore Chris Dobson, who
sings tenor.
The CD can be purchased at the
group’s weekly 4 p.m. Friday con
certs in the EMU Amphitheater be
ginning Feb. 22.
Hollens said attending perform
ances — full of laughs and fun —
displays the group’s “improvisation
and spontaneity.” But the CD is a
chance for listeners to take the music
home, he added, and pick out the in
dividual voices of the members.
But until the weekly concerts be
gin, the group is practicing nonstop,
preparing every minute detail of
their performance before they travel
to California.
While rehearsing modern rock
band Guster’s “Center of Attention”
Tuesday night, the group formed a
circle and played a game of vocal
tag. Snapping their fingers while
they sang, one member would make
eye contact with another in the cir
cle and take his place, forcing him
to move and do the same. As the
song’s tempo accelerated, the
singers switched places quicker, fo
cusing on vocal clarity, but perfec
tion didn’t come easily.
So they each struck a pose and
gave the song another shot.
Jim Harrington, an East Coast
judge for the competition and the
Boston Ambassador for the Contem
porary A cappella Society of Ameri
ca, assisted the group in arranging
some of their songs. Harrington vis
ited Eugene Jan. 26 to help the group
improve their “performance tech
niques, group dynamics and focus. ”
“They certainly have what it
takes to win the national champi
onships,” he said.
Last year, the group placed fourth
in the region, but this year they hope
to sweep the competition.
Harrington said the group’s “East
Coast sound” may work to their ad
vantage. They will be up against
tough competitors on the West
Coast such as the Golden Overtones
from Berkeley and UC-Berkeley’s
Men’s Octet.
“What they have to do is basically
just work toward the goal of being
one sound instead of nine sounds,”
Harrington said.
Harrington added that the amount
of work they put into their shows has
paid off, and their group dynamics
just click when they are on stage.
“They are definitely in tune with
each other,” he said. “And when
they are in sync with each other,
they are dead on.”
Before he ever heard the group
live, Harrington said he had seen
videos of the guys performing and
was already impressed with their
ability, energy and camaraderie.
“They have the ability to work with
a crowd and have fun,” Harrington
said. “They love what they do, and
that is the formula for success with
any musical group.”
E-mail Features/Pulse editor Lisa Toth
at lisatoth@dailyemerald.com.
A&E briefs
Double feature
has artistic flair
Take one part groundbreaking
Manhattan graffiti artist Jean
Michel Basquiat, mix in rocker
David Bowie playing artist Andy
Warhol, sprinkle with A-listers like
Courtney Love, Gary Oldman and
Benicio Del Toro, add a documen
tary flavor — and Friday’s shaping
up to be one juicy double feature.
As part of its winter film series,
the UO Cultural Forum will show
“Downtown ’81” and “Basquiat,” a
documentary and a cult indie film,
respectively, that explore the 1980s
New York City art scene.
Julien Schnabel directs 1996’s
"Basquiat,” which explores the
artist’s personal and public life. Jef
frey Wright as Basquiat and Dennis
Hopper co-star with Love, Del Toro
and Bowie. Schnabel received re
cent acclaim for “Before Night
Falls,” another film about an artist:
Cuban poet Reinaldo Arenas.
“Downtown ’81,” a more obscure
film, takes a broader look at the art
scene at the time.
The showing starts at 8 p.m. in
180 PLC. Tickets are $2 for students
and $3 for the general public. For
more information, call 346-0633.
—Jeremy Lang