Song from The Octaves selected for national a cappella album

One of the University of Richmond's a cappella groups, The Octaves, was honored this summer with the selection of its song "The Show Goes On" for the album "Voices Only." One of several distinguished a cappella CDs, "Voices Only" is an annual compilation album of collegiate a cappella songs from around the world.

Junior Jackson Taylor, president of The Octaves, said there had been steep competition among groups for inclusion on the album.

"Voices Only" is well known among the a cappella community," Taylor said. "Groups from all over the country are on it, so to get selected is a pretty big deal for us. On a scale of one to 10, it's an 11."

Junior Jared Feinman, the music director for The Octaves, submitted the song for consideration by "Voices Only" in June 2012 and learned it had been selected just six weeks later.

"I woke up at 3 a.m. to my phone buzzing from Twitter mentions," Feinman said. "I was very excited because the last time we were on any sort of collegiate compilation album was in 2007. It had been five long years, and we had been working really hard. We work so hard just because we're passionate, and we love it, but it's really nice to be recognized."

As members of the 2011 Octaves who performed the song, Taylor and Feinman were grateful for the hard work of the members who graduated that gave The Octaves such a solid footing as a group.

"I was overwhelmed with pride [when I found out]," Taylor said. "Having done something we haven't accomplished in five to six years was a big stepping- stone for us, a major accomplishment. It was a testament to the hard work of the classes before us, which gave us a great trajectory. If we just work hard, there is nowhere to go but up, which is what we are trying to continue to do as a group."

Senior Bennie DeSalvo, who raps in the song, said when he heard the news his only emotion was pure excitement.

"It didn't hit me at first what an award, what an honor it was," DeSalvo said. "I've always been a big hip hop fan, but I never thought I'd actually get to perform a rap song or hear myself on iTunes."

Although some of the a cappella ensembles The Octaves competed against had entire CDs of their own music to submit, "The Show Goes On" was the only song The Octaves recorded in 2011.

Taylor said that the group's selection for the CD had put them in contact with major producers and music mixers, which would allow them to continue spreading awareness about a cappella as an art form.

"I think a cappella is putting a new perspective on music as something people have felt only instruments could do," Taylor said. "It's showing the listener your voice is the greatest instrument. What people have been doing with their voices to recreate popular music is incredible."

The Octaves, founded in 1990, have been featured on compilation albums four times: this year with "The Show Goes On" on "Voices Only," in 2007 with "Lonely no More" on "Best of College Acapella," in 2006 with "The Way you Move" on "Voices Only" and in 2005 with "Mona Lisa" on "Top Shelf A Capella Volume 1."

Contact staff writer Erin Flynn at erin.flynn@richmond.edu