There's a moment UT Professor Aaron Rochlen describes that seems like the origin of everything, or perhaps "A Little Bit of Everything."
It was November 2021, just past the worst of COVID. Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes was performing in Dr. Rochlen's backyard. This wasn't just a musical set — Taylor was discussing the psychological underpinnings of his songs with a Psychology Professor. For example, Just Beneath the Surface was linked to Freud's concept of the unconscious. Who Do You Think You're Talking To? touched on the foundational concept of transference.
Goldsmith hadn't exactly read these ideas. They arose through his experience, reflection, and music-writing process. Dr. Rochlen was "connecting the dots" from music to psychological theory. And the audience loved each point and note.
Rochlen noted, "That moment was special, and we all knew it." That backyard show ended up being "proof of concept" for Under the Rock (UTR), an Austin-based live music and interactive mental health platform.
Notably, the show isn't his primary gig. Rochlen is also a Clinical Professor at UT and Director of Arts & Humanities in the School of Social Work. He has spent years teaching counseling theory through music, using songs to help students grasp the work of Freud, Jung, Existential theorists, and others. In this work, he discovered that music didn't just make the material easier to grasp — it made it personal.
The leap from classroom to concert came through a handwritten letter to Goldsmith, telling him he'd been using Dawes songs in his classes. Goldsmith wrote back. The above concert, a fundraiser for HAAM, followed, and the concept was born.
The show's name seemed to track… Dr. Rochlen. Doc Rock. Under the Rock.
What separates the show from a typical live music experience isn't the presence of a psychologist — it's the conversation and the reflective element. Rochlen's intention isn't to analyze artists or run group therapy. He's there to ask questions that pull something real and invite genuine reflection from the band and the audience.
His goal is for listeners to sit with the music's messages more intentionally. Sometimes a lyric connects to something personal. Sometimes a musician discovers mid-conversation that a song connects to something larger than they imagined.
"Artists create art, and we all react to it,” he said. “It's similar to how we experience art in a museum. Sometimes those reactions parallel what influenced the artist. Other times, it's totally different. But either way, it's never wrong."
UTR has built its home at Saxon Pub, with ASL-certified interpreters at every show. This was a deliberate choice to make the experience accessible to Austin's deaf community. Sharon Obinna of the Deaf Culture Alliance at UT experienced it firsthand.
"I enjoyed being able to listen to the music and watch the interpreters simultaneously. They helped me get a fuller experience."
HAAM has also been a consistent partner and benefactor, with more than $10,000 raised over the two-year run.
The platform has grown beyond the stage. Dr. Rochlen now teaches Music and Mental Health to 100+ students each semester. He's also partnered with Dell Medical School on an interdisciplinary research team to look at how live music can support healthcare professionals facing burnout. A PBS pilot TV series is in early development, offering an exciting opportunity to bring UTR to local and national audiences.
None of this feels like a stretch from where it started: a professor, a letter, and a backyard concert with people who didn't want the night or the music to end.
Under the Rock performs regularly at Saxon Pub. Follow along at @undertherockatx on Instagram.