EXOTIC ¥ EROTIC o ^/?7’ EXOTIC* EROTIC o Lotions & Potions 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