Dissipated Eight
Encyclopedia
Middlebury's Dissipated Eight, also known as the D8, is the oldest a cappella
group at Middlebury College
. The group performs both nationally and internationally, at private venues, colleges, and high schools alike. Over the years, the group has arranged numerous contemporary and modern pieces, and now has more than 200 recorded covers
of popular music
. They generally do not use any instruments in their recordings, and instead carefully select different pitches
to simulate the tones needed for each song. This often means recreating sounds such as the high-pitched tone of the fiddle
in "The Devil Went Down To Georgia" or the bass and snare of the drum set in "All Along The Watchtower."
Several former members of the Dissipated Eight have gone on to gain national prominence, including international opera performer William Burden, television and film actor Jake Weber
, and author/editor Peter Knobler
.
The Dissipated Eight has released eleven albums on Compact Disc.
Two albums were designated "Male Collegiate Album of the Year" by The Contemporary A Cappella Society (CASA):
Three songs have won individual awards:
Collegiate a cappella
Collegiate a cappella ensembles are student-run and -directed singing groups that perform entirely without instruments. Such groups can be found at many colleges and universities in the United States, and increasingly worldwide....
group at Middlebury College
Middlebury College
Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college located in Middlebury, Vermont, USA. Founded in 1800, it is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges in the United States. Drawing 2,400 undergraduates from all 50 United States and over 70 countries, Middlebury offers 44 majors in the arts,...
. The group performs both nationally and internationally, at private venues, colleges, and high schools alike. Over the years, the group has arranged numerous contemporary and modern pieces, and now has more than 200 recorded covers
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of popular music
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
. They generally do not use any instruments in their recordings, and instead carefully select different pitches
Pitch (music)
Pitch is an auditory perceptual property that allows the ordering of sounds on a frequency-related scale.Pitches are compared as "higher" and "lower" in the sense associated with musical melodies,...
to simulate the tones needed for each song. This often means recreating sounds such as the high-pitched tone of the fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
in "The Devil Went Down To Georgia" or the bass and snare of the drum set in "All Along The Watchtower."
Several former members of the Dissipated Eight have gone on to gain national prominence, including international opera performer William Burden, television and film actor Jake Weber
Jake Weber
Jake Weber is an English actor, known in film for his role as Michael in Dawn of the Dead and for his role as Drew in Meet Joe Black...
, and author/editor Peter Knobler
Peter Knobler
Peter Knobler is an American writer living in New York City. He has collaborated on several national best sellers and was the editor-in-chief of Crawdaddy magazine from 1972 to 1979.- Writing :...
.
The Group's Origin
Formed in the Fall of 1951, the original group consisted of seven singers, including Pete Baldwin (Tenor I), Ellis Baker and Les Streeter (Tenor II), Bob Johnson and Pete Gray (Baritone), and John Ackerman and Ed Opler (Bass). By February, the seven were practicing regularly in Painter and Hepburn Halls. However, it was not until March 15, 1952 that the D8 performed its debut concert at the Ides of March Dance. Later that spring, the group performed at a radio broadcasting where the WRMC announcer, Bob Arel, noting the double quartet (which had no name at the time) was short by one, jokingly introduced the group as "The Dissipated Eight." The following year, the group added four new members Mint Dole (Tenor I), John Hammond and Jack Harrington (Baritone), and Seward Highley (Bass) to replace the graduating seniors Bob Johnson, Pete Gray, and Ed Opler. Today, the Dissipated Eight continues on in the tradition of the original octet, maintaining the example of energetic dedication established by the group's founding members while continuing to push the boundaries of a cappella as we know it. Producing numerous records over the years, the D8 has compiled a vast archive of music from the past five decades.Discography
The Dissipated Eight has released nine albums on LP Records.- The Dissipated Eight of Middlebury (1955)
- Serenades (1958)
- Cruising Along With The Dissipated Eight (1961)
- Selections By The Eight (1967)
- Miss Otis (1971)
- The White Album (1976)
- South Of The Border (1982)
- Very Special (1984)
- Pieces Of Eight (1987)
The Dissipated Eight has released eleven albums on Compact Disc.
- Super 8 (1990)
- A Moveable Fest (1993)
- Clapping Joes (1996)
- Eighps (1997)
- Altitude (1999)
- No Sleep For Dreaming (2000)
- Eight Balls (2002)
- Golden Jubilee: 50 Years Of Dissipation (2002)
- Out Of The Ashes (2005)
- After Hours (2007)
- Vocally Grown (2009)
Achievements
The Dissipated Eight has been featured three times on Best of College A Cappella (BOCA) compilations:- 1997 - "For What It's Worth" (Buffalo SpringfieldBuffalo SpringfieldBuffalo Springfield is a North American folk rock band renown both for its music and as a springboard for the careers of Neil Young, Stephen Stills, Richie Furay and Jim Messina. Among the first wave of North American bands to become popular in the wake of the British invasion, the group combined...
) - 1998 - "SatelliteSatellite (Dave Matthews Band song)"Satellite" is a song by the Dave Matthews Band, released as the fifth and final single from their LP Under the Table and Dreaming. It reached #18 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. The song originally debuted on their album Remember Two Things. The song presumably evolved from an earlier song...
" (Dave Matthews BandDave Matthews BandDave Matthews Band, sometimes shortened to DMB, is a U.S. rock band formed in Charlottesville, Virginia in 1991. The founding members were singer-songwriter and guitarist Dave Matthews, bassist Stefan Lessard, drummer/backing vocalist Carter Beauford and saxophonist LeRoi Moore. Boyd Tinsley was...
) - 2000 - "Windmills" (Toad the Wet SprocketToad the Wet SprocketToad the Wet Sprocket is an American alternative rock band formed in 1986. The band consists of singer/guitarist Glen Phillips, guitarist Todd Nichols, bassist Dean Dinning, and drummer Randy Guss. The band enjoyed chart success in the 1990s with the singles "Walk on the Ocean," "All I Want,"...
)
Two albums were designated "Male Collegiate Album of the Year" by The Contemporary A Cappella Society (CASA):
- 1997 - Clapping Joes
- 1998 - Eighps
Three songs have won individual awards:
- "In the Meantime" (Performed by George Herpel on the album Eight Balls) was featured on the first Collegiate A Cappella Music Organization (CAMO) compilation "Top Shelf A Cappella."
- "A Wink and a Smile" (Performed by Chris Molina on the album Altitude) was selected for "Solo of the Year" by CASA in 2000.
- "Superstition" (Performed by Mike Olcott on the album Out Of The Ashes) was nominated for "Solo of the Year" by CASA in 2006.