University of California Men's Octet

Founded in 1948, the UC Men’s Octet, sometimes called the "Cal Men’s Octet" or the "UC Berkeley Men’s Octet", is an eight member male a cappella group at the University of California, Berkeley. From Billy Joel to Journey, the group’s broad repertoire features several genres of music including barbershop, doo-wop, pop and alternative, and a healthy dose of Berkeley fight songs. The Octet has recorded over a dozen albums and is the only multiple-time champion of the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA), having won the competition in both 1998 and 2000. [Varsity Vocals ICCA Previous Results http://varsityvocals.com/icca/previous.shtml]

While the Octet performs regularly around the Bay Area for both alumni and the public, the group has toured all around the world including China, Australia, Europe and extensively throughout the United States. They also perform for Cal students every Wednesday during the academic year at one o’clock on Berkeley’s Sproul Plaza.

The group hosts a series of annual concerts. In the Fall, there is the "West Coast A Cappella Showcase ", where several groups from all over the country are invited to perform at Berkeley. Past guest groups in this concert have included former ICCA Champions Brigham Young University’s Noteworthy and Vocal Point as well as groups from Stanford, UCLA, USC, Mt. Sac Community College, and the University of Oregon. The group’s other annual concert performances include the "UC Men’s Octet Spring Show " and the year-end "Unbuttoned Show ".

Octet Albums - CDs, Tapes, Records

The UC Men’s Octet has recorded over a dozen albums.

"Octopella"

*Til There Was You
*Beauty's Only Skin Deep
*Blackbird
*The Lumberjack Song
*Not Pretty Enough
*Come Go With Me
*Let's Stay Together
*Liar Medley
*Share Your Love With Me
*With or Without You
*Perfidia
*Fight for California
*McDonald's Girl
*Baby Got Back
*Uptown Girl
*Please
*That Don't Impress Me Much
*Beyond the Sea
*Baby One More Time
*Because
*Them There Eyes
*I've Got Rhythm...

"Gold"

*Eight's Company
*Teenager in Love
*Little Red Riding Hood
*Hair
*She's Got a Way
*Silhouettes
*Monday Monday (Don't Walk Away Renee)
*Pink Elephants on Parade
*Who Put the Bomp?
*Drift Away
*Sandy
*The Muppet Show
*Runaround Sue
*Maneater
*Vogue
*The Promise (Just a Little Respect)
*Dreams to Remember
*Stanfurd Jonah

"Eight Misbehavin’"

*I Get Around
*When I’m Sixty-Four
*Ain’t Misbehavin’
*Cover Girl
*Misbehavin’
*Johnny B. Goode
*’Til There Was You
*Blue Moon
*Help Me Rhonda
*Princess Papuli
*Misbehavin’ Again
*Formal Rush Dropout
*Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps
*Brandy
*All Hail Blue And Gold

"Octogen"

*Long Train Running
*Lessons In Love
*Heal The Pain
*Under The Bridge
*Glowworm
*Tragedy
*Hurt So Bad
*Copacabana
*Reach Out (I’ll Be There)
*Cherish
*No Excuses
*Soma
*Fading Fast
*The Auctioneer
*Little Red Riding Hood
*King Of The Road
*Rhythm Of The Night
*Bye Bye Blues
*What’s Your Name

"We Eight Too Much"

*Hodja
*Goody Two-Shoes
*Drift Away
*Elderly Woman Behind the Counter
*Monday Monday (Don't Walk Away Renee)
*Pretty Little Angel Eyes
*Under the Boardwalk
*Twenty-Six Miles
*Blue Moon
*At the Hop
*Fame
*Faith
*Danny Boy
*Please, Please Me
*Barbara Ann
*Put Your Head on My Shoulder
*Next Door to an Angel
*Runaround Sue
*Jingle Bells
*The First Noel
*Jean
*Lonesome Road

"All Sing Blue And Gold"

*Big C
*Toast to California
*Sons of California
*Stanfurd Jonah
*The Cal Drinking Song
*Cal Victory Song
*Fight 'Em
*Hail to California
*California, We're for You
*Fight for California
*Oompa Loompa
*Cal Alumni Hymn
*The Golden Bear
*Stanfurd's Christmas
*Raise your Glass
*Palms of Victory
*Color Blue
*All Hail Blue and Gold

"Eight Is Enough"

*Loves Me Like A Rock
*Istanbul
*There Must Be An Angel
*Moondance
*Rock Around The Clock
*Warm
*Mr. Grinch
*Please
*Shama Lama Ding Dong
*Flash Gordon
*Late In The Evening
*Oompa Loompa
*My Kind Of Woman
*Sandy
*Torna A Surriento
*Rainfall
*Bohemian Rhapsody
*Trilogy Of Cal Songs
*All Hail Blue And Gold
*Stanford Jonah
*Hail To California

"Takin’ The Joke Too Far"

*Shama Lama Ding Dong
*Teenager In Love
*Istanbul
*King Of The Road
*Princess Papuli
*Johnny B. Goode
*The Things We Do For Love
*Silhouettes
*Blue Velvet
*Come And Go With Me
*Tired Of Your Sexy Ways
*Venus
*You Are My Destiny
*What’s Your Name
*Workin’ At The Car Wash Blues
*Sh-Boom
*Brandy
*Formal Rush Dropout
*My Kind Of Woman
*Blue Moon
*Oldies But Goodies
*Sea Of Love
*Let’s Hear It For The Octet!
*Gloria
*At The Hop
*Toast To California
*Cara Mia

"Better Eight Than Never"

*King Of The Road
*Cara Mia
*Rock Around The Clock
*Under The Boardwalk
*Monday, Monday – Don’t Walk Away Renee
*Brandy
*Formal Rush Dropout
*Next Door To An Angel
*Little Red Riding Hood
*Bye Bye Blues
*Put Your Head On My Shoulder
*Glowworm
*Roller Derby Queen
*Star Spangled Banner
*The Play
*Big C
*Hail To California

"Around the World in Eight Days"

*BBC Radio Merseyside
*Sha-Booom
*San Francisco
*Sounds of the City
*(You Sing and You're American)
*Silhouettes
*I'm Alone Because I Love You
*Stairway
*Shenandoah
*Cherish
*At the Hop
*Jean
*(Awfully Splendid)
*Johnny B. Goode
*Please
*(Absolutely Fantastic)
*In My Room
*Stanfurd Jonah
*Runaround Sue
*Hail to California

"Eight Times The Fun"

*Introduction
*All Hail Blue and Gold
*Come and Go
*Danny Boy
*Johnny B. Goode
*Cal Song Trilogy
*Wimoweh (The Lion Sleeps Tonight)
*Glow Worm
*Blue Moon
*Stanfurd Jonah
*Aint Misbehavin'
*For the Longest Time
*O Joe
*Teenager in Love
*The Princess Papulli
*All I Have To Do Is Dream
*Runaround Sue
*Barbara Ann
*Hail to California
*Voice of America Telecast

"Octa-Brew"

*Sha-Boom
*Please, Please Me
*Teddy Bear
*Bye-Bye Blues
*Fun, Fun, Fun
*Fat Bottom Girls
*Stanfurd Jonah
*Hail to California
*The Star Spangled Banner
*Glow Worm
*Barbara Ann
*One of Those Songs
*Sweet, Sweet Roses of Morn
*Yellow Bird
*The Whiffenpoof Song
*Mood Indigo
*The Princess Papulli
*ThE cAL DrANkiN' SoNG!

"The University of California Men’s Octet"

*Ain’t Misbehavin’
*O Joe!
*Stairway To The Stars
*I Left My Heart In San Francisco
*The Sound Of The City
*Marry A Woman Uglier Than You
*Sloop John B.
*Okie From Muskogee
*I Get Around
*Loch Lomond
*Warm
*How Deep Is Your Love?
*Dixie
*Cal Song Medley
*Stanford Jonah
*The Princess Papuli

Honors and Awards

* 1998. International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) Champions, [http://www.varsityvocals.com/icca/previous.shtml ICCA Results Records] .
* 2000. International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) Champions, [http://www.varsityvocals.com/icca/previous.shtml ICCA Results Records] .

The Octet In The Media

Over the years, the Men’s Octet has been cited in several California Bay Area publications such as The Daily Review, [Nicholas Galano, “Sound of Music Inspires, Fulfills,” "The Daily Review" May 10, 2004] the San Jose Mercury News, [Connie Skipitares and Glennda Chui, “Joe Willits, Co-Founded a Pair of Vocal Octets: Valley Executive Maintained a Love of Song, UC-Berkeley,” "San Jose Mercury News" November 5, 2003] and the Contra Costa Times [Jackie Burrell, “Old Style, New Sounds,” "Contra Costa Times" March 4, 2006] . The Men’s Octet has also made several appearances in other media. From annual appearances on the San Francisco/San Jose radio station KFOG [ [http://www.kfog.com/morningshow/2005archives.asp KFOG Morning Show Archives 2005] , [http://www.kfog.com/morningshow/2006archives.asp KFOG Morning Show Archives 2006] ] to appearing on the WCAU News in Philadelphia [ [http://youtube.com/watch?v=INXAS-SGHd8 NBC 10 News Recording] ] , the Men’s Octet have been heard nationwide. The Octet has even recorded a public health service announcement with the California Department of Health Services entitled “Wash Your Hands” as part of the Immunization Branch’s campaign against the spread of the flu. The group also recorded a nationally aired radio commercial for Coors beer to promote "The Pigskin Can". [ [http://www.dhs.ca.gov/ps/dcdc/izgroup/shared/education/wyh.htm California Department of Health Services - Wash Your Hands Jingle] ]

ee also

*California Golden Overtones
*University of California Marching Band

External links

* [http://ucchoral.berkeley.edu/ucchoral/octet UC Men's Octet Official Site]

References