The Sing-Off

Katie D.

December 8, 2010 - 7:46 PM

Remember my old self-reported obsession with the University of Oregon's a cappella group, On the Rocks? Well jump back, friends and readers, the fabulous OTR guys are on national TV!

The Sing-Off is an a cappella competition on NBC. This is the second season, and it involves ten a cappella groups from all over the country, competing for a cash prize and record deal. The first show aired Monday night, so I got to see our very own singers compete. I felt the very strong pull between automatic dislike of competition shows of that kind and a passionate love of the singing and choreography of the groups. Turns out I'm a fan. You can watch the first episode online at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTFh8LCBZeQ

On the Rocks hit wild popularity this summer, when a YouTube video of them singing Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" went viral on the internet. If you're not a Lady Gaga fan, then you might not appreciate the irony of a group of college guys performing her music. But they do it with incredible flair and style. I definitely recommend you watch the music video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTFh8LCBZeQ

I've been an OTR fan since freshman year, when my friends and I would attend their weekly performances in the EMU fishbowl, showing up half an hour before they sang in order to get good seats. Their shows are free and extremely entertaining--between the quality of the singing and the flair in the dancing, they are really something to see. Some of the guys that were in the group my freshman year are still a part of the group, and it's a funny sort of thrill to realize I've followed their career all the way to national notoriety.

It's really fun seeing the other groups perform, as well. There's other college groups, one high school group, and combos from different communities. I think a cappella is a really creative genre, and really love hearing it. Usually there's at least one percussionist or "beat boxer" who makes all the drum sounds with his mouth. There are absolutely no instruments, and groups rarely use clapping or stomping for additional sounds--it's a pure vocal experience. It's amazing that groups can be so diverse and entertaining with those restrictions.

The show will run for another several weeks, through different performance challenges and elimination processes. The judges are singers Shawn Stockman, Nicole Scherzinger, and Ben Folds. Of the three, Ben Folds is by far my favorite: Ben Folds Five is a great group, and he gives really thoughtful feedback with musical tips and critiques. Two of the ten groups were eliminated this week, and it will progress until an audience vote-in decides the final winner. I won't say who got eliminated, you should watch for yourself.

As a final note, I have to say that I'm really happy to have a UO group to root for this week. Not being much of a football fan, I've missed the sports mania that's been sweeping the school over the past several months. I hear we're Number One as far as college football goes. I'm really happy for our team and for all my peers who get excited about sports. But I'm also really glad that in the midst of this fervor, I have another UO group to celebrate. On the Rocks, sing on!