Amazin' Blue

Amazin' Blue is the oldest existing inclusive mixed-voice a cappella ensemble affiliated with The University of Michigan. It is a committee of the University Activities Center and a member of the Michigan A Cappella Council.

Current Members

There are presently twelve ACTIVE members of Amazin' Blue.

1. Elise Amato
2. Caitlin Bloom
3. Jessica Bloom
4. Austin Chrzanowski
5. Gabriele Fazio
6. Andres Holder
7. Katie Johnston
8. Lance Jones
9. Jake McClory
10. Adam Moskal
11. Peter Preonas
12. Seann Smith

Total Membership

Amazin' Blue numbers one hundred fifty-five total members, past and present. This figure includes everyone who has been accepted into membership of the organization irrespective of the duration of the membership. 1 Three members were active for ten semesters: Andy Poe, Shana Radcliffe, Josh Duchan. Since Duchan's tenure spanned six years (containing two semesters of inactivity), he is considered to hold the record for duration of membership. Second is Radcliffe; third is Poe. Fourth is Anna Callahan who was active for nine semesters spanning five years (and who was still participatory during her semester of inactivity). Fifteen members were active for a period significantly less than one semester (essentially meaning that they were active for zero semesters), so that the number of members active in Amazin' Blue for at least one semester is one hundred forty. Only one member who went inactive from the group before performing in a major concert ever returned to active status at a later time: Suzie Bertman.

Group Origin

Amazin' Blue was founded by graduate student Mike Wang at The University of Michigan. Wang had been a member of the Yale Mixed Company as an undergraduate and wanted to organize a mixed-voice a cappella ensemble at U-M. After posting flyers advertising auditions for "The Amazin' Blue" (the "The" was dropped from the group name almost immediately), and after two days of auditions, Wang accepted twenty members into the organization, besides himself. (The audition process was completed on Thursday 22 January 1987, and this is considered to be the birth date of Amazin' Blue.) This made the group larger than he had initially envisioned, but he presumed that some of the "Amazin' Bluers" (as members of the group are called) would not find the group to their liking. As it happened, eight of these members left the group not long after acceptance. The other thirteen members remained in the group for all or most of the semester, and these thirteen members are considered to be the "original cast" of Amazin' Blue: Jenny Bergin, George Davis, David Eliezer, Rick Freysinger, Sarah Jackson, Stuart Kaufman, Michelle Powers, Noelle Rodgers, Miguel Rodriguez, Brad Serbus, Sara Spinner, Jennifer Walrad, Mike Wang. 2 Wang graduated at the end of the Winter 1987 semester making him an active member of the group for only a single semester.

Origin of Name

The school colors of The University of Michigan are maize and blue. "Amazin' Blue" is a pun on these colors. This pun is not unique to the a cappella ensemble. There was a show choir at U-M in the 1970's called "The Amaizin Blues." In the early 1990's, members of the U-M basketball team recorded a single under the group name "The Amazin' Blue." The pun has also been used by sportscasters to describe various athletic teams or their fans. As the popularity of the a cappella ensemble has increased, other uses of the pun "Amazin' Blue" have decreased to an extent, but not completely.

Relationship to Other Mixed-Voice A Cappella Ensembles

Amazin' Blue may or may not be the first mixed-voice a cappella ensemble at U-M. Top Priority, a mixed-voice a cappella ensemble dedicated to performing Christian music was founded at approximately the same time. Top Priority no longer exists. The Headnotes, a mixed-voice a cappella ensemble affiliated with The University of Michigan Law School has been in existence since at least 1989. Due to the incompleteness of available records, it is unknown whether Amazin' Blue was founded prior to The Headnotes. However, Amazin' Blue is indisputably the oldest mixed-voice a cappella ensemble at U-M that is still in existence and with an audition process open to the entire student body.

The other mixed-voice a cappella ensembles at U-M are 58 Greene, Compulsive Lyres, Dicks & Janes, Gimble, Good News, Kol Hakavod, and Kopitonez. (None of the mixed-voice ensembles at U-M have names beginning with "The" except for The Headnotes. This is somewhat unusual.) After Amazin' Blue and The Headnotes, the third oldest mixed-voice a cappella ensemble at U-M is Kol Hakavod (founded in 1993), a group dedicated to performing Jewish music.3

The Monsters of A Cappella

The Monsters of A Cappella was an annual event, originally organized by Amazin' Blue in 1991, featuring the three most recognizable a cappella groups at The University of Michigan at that time: The Friars (a men's group), The Harmonettes (a women's group), and Amazin' Blue. (Top Priority and The Headnotes were also active groups at that time, but their exposure was somewhat limited.) All profits from these concerts were donated to charity, originally The Ann Arbor Shelter Association (a homeless shelter), and ultimately SAFE House (a shelter for victims of domestic violence). The show almost always sold out Rackham Auditorium (which seats one thousand two hundred) and outsold the individual concerts of the three performing groups. (Ticket scalping occurred at this show as well.)

The very first Monsters of A Cappella concert occurred on Saturday 26 January 1991 and was opened by From the Edge, a now-defunct barbershop quartet from Ann Arbor and was hosted by Drew Weston, a popular psychology Professor. This concert was the first time Amazin' Blue had performed with The Friars and The Harmonettes (both older ensembles) in a concert setting. Amazin' Blue received the most applause of the evening and was the only group to receive a standing ovation. The biggest crowd-pleaser of the set was the eleven minute "Schoolhouse Rock Medley," which Amazin' Blue performed with elaborately staged props and choreography. This concert firmly bestowed on Amazin' Blue the same name recognition of the older groups, The Friars and The Harmonettes.

The number of active a cappella ensembles at U-M increased dramatically in the mid-to-late 1990's (sometimes called the "a cappella explosion"). It was ultimately decided by the three member groups of Monsters that this concert was too exclusive of the other ensembles, and so it was discontinued in favor of the Michigan A Cappella Festival (or MACFest), organized by Dicks & Janes, which would feature all thirteen of the active groups. The last Monsters show, Monsters of A Cappella XI, occurred on Saturday 10 February 2001, and featured, in addition to the three member groups, The Accafellas of Michigan State University and The Rip Chords from The University of Illinois.4

Discography

Amazin' Blue has recorded ten albums.

Amazin' Blue--Little Black Box (1989)

Tracks:

1. 1. Do the Locomotion/Some Kind of Wonderful--solo: Keith Chaffee, Sarah Jackson
   2. I'm Feelin' Right--Scott Adler, Anna Callahan
   3. My Romance
   4. Blind Deaf -n- Dumb--solo: Tracy Plester, Fred Clarke
   5. Vocamental
   6. Baby Come Back to Me--solo: David Im
   7. Baby Mine--solo: Jennifer Say Gan
   8. One Fine Day--solo: Elise Andreas

Amazin' Blue--Coed [...] A Cappella (1991)

Tracks:

1. 1. What Is Love?--solo: Paul Bickel
   2. Time and Tide--solo: Mudita Agarwal
   3. Spy--solo: Karl Kasischke
   4. Foreign Affair--solo: Phil Webster, Ainsley Beebe
   5. Somethin' Bout Cha--solo: Scott Adler
   6. Taco Bell Canon
   7. Walkin' On Sunshine--solo: Anna Callahan
   8. Psycho Killer--solo: Karl Kasischke
   9. Found Your Home--solo: David Im
   10. Hodja--solo: Paul Bickel
   11. Vicious Love--solo: Sarah Jackson
   12. All the Things You Are
   13. You Can't Do That--solo: Fred Clarke
   14. Tears of a Clown--solo: Jennifer Say Gan

Amazin' Blue's Compact Disc (1992)

Tracks:

1. 1. Only the Good Die Young--solo: Dan Sonntag
   2. Purple HaZe
   3. Englishman in New York--solo: Paul Bickel
   4. Found Your Home--solo: David Im
   5. Sweet Dreams
   6. Route 66
   7. Taco Bell Canon
   8. My Funny Valentine--solo: Sheetal Bhagat
   9. One More Minute--solo: Scott Adler
   10. Walkin' On Sunshine--solo: Anna Callahan
   11. Foreign Affair--solo: Phil Webster, Ainsley Beebe
   12. Eyes in the Dark--solo: Scott Adler
   13. Poisoning Pigeons in the Park--solo: Nick Hart
   14. Shaker Song--solo: Sheetal Bhagat
   15. Everybody Needs Somebody to Love--solo: Dan Sonntag, Carrie Simpson
   16. Psycho Killer--solo: Karl Kasischke
   17. Time and Tide--solo: Mudita Agarwal
   18. Love Shack--solo: Paul Bickel, Anna Callahan, Sheetal Bhagat
   19. Schoolhouse Rock Medley

Amazin' Blue is A Little Crazy ... (1994)

Tracks:

1. 1. Crazy--solo: Mike Hoeberling
   2. Hazy Shade of Winter
   3. Mad AbOUT You--solo: Damien Heartwell
   4. We Belong--solo: Jenny Rifken, Suzie Bertman, Sheetal Bhagat
   5. There is Sweet Music
   6. Walkin' on Broken Glass--solo: Carrie Simpson
   7. All I Want--solo: Mike Hoeberling
   8. Intermission
   9. Star Dust
   10. Poison--solo: Kelvin Chou, Greg Gephart
   11. Freedom--solo: David Im
   12. Brady Bunch Medley
   13. Africa--solo: Andrew Quinn
   14. Change in My Life--solo: Greg Gephart
   15. Kyrie--solo: Sheetal Bhagat

Amazin' Blue--Earidescence (1996)

Tracks:

1. 1. Epilogue (Nothing 'Bout Me)--solo: Andrew Quinn
   2. I'll Remember--solo: Joi Price
   3. Southern Cross--solo: Jim Daly
   4. Big Time--solo: Nathan Robbe
   5. Only Love--solo: Suzie Bertman
   6. The Downeaster "Alexa"--solo: Austin Quinn
   7. Biggest Part of Me--solo: Andrew Quinn
   8. Would I Lie to You?--solo: Suzie Bertman, Shana Radcliffe
   9. Life in a Northern Town--solo: Damien Heartwell
   10. Stay By Me--solo: Nathan Robbe
   11. Seven Days--solo: Andrew Quinn
   12. Possession--solo: Shana Radcliffe
   13. Takin' It to the Streets--solo: Austin Quinn
   14. Drive--solo: Jim Daly

Amazin' Blue--Allnighter (1998)

Tracks:

1. 1. Under African Skies--solo: Jeremy Fisher, Joi Price
   2. Runaway--solo: Veronica Arriola
   3. I Want You Back--solo: Andrew Quinn
   4. Crash Into Me--solo: Dana Haynes
   5. Walk Like an Egyptian--solo: Shana Radcliffe, Joi Price, Amanda Satchell
   6. Lay Your Hands on Me--solo: Jim Daly
   7. The Queen & the Soldier--solo: Wendy Galef
   8. Precious Things--solo: Amanda Satchell
   9. Thriller Medley--solo: Brad Whitfield, Jeremy Fisher, Andrew Quinn, Nathan Robbe, Chris Dwan, Amanda Satchell, Cari Curtiss, Joi Price
   10. An Innocent Man--solo: Nathan Robbe
   11. 867-5309 (Jenny)--solo: Greg Martin
   12. You Might Think--solo: Shana Radcliffe
   13. Crazy Love--solo: Brad Whitfield
   14. Surrounded--solo: Amanda Satchell
   15. Time After Time--solo: Jim Daly
   16. My One and Only Love--solo: Rob Bertman

Amazin' Blue--Raising the Bar (2000)

Tracks:

1. 1. Millennium--solo: David Reiser
   2. Barely Breathing--solo: Darryl Semira
   3. Brick--solo: Matt Salter
   4. (I've Got to Stop) Thinkin' 'Bout That--solo: Noah Miller
   5. Sunny Came Home--solo: Maddy Wyatt
   6. Don't Lose My Number--solo: Ryan Binder
   7. Cosmic Girl--solo: Rob Bertman, Anita Aysola
   8. Criminal--solo: Neely O'Brien
   9. Talula--solo: Anna Gleichauf
   10. Come Talk to Me--solo: Darryl Semira
   11. At the Stars--solo: Dana Haynes
   12. Warehouse--solo: Noah Miller
   13. Goodbye Street--solo: Eric Day
   14. Bouncing Around the Room--solo: Matt Salter, Dana Haynes
   15. Ghost--solo: Maddy Wyatt, Neely O'Brien
   16. Spirit Voices--solo: Anna Gleichauf

Amazin' Blue--South U. and State (2002)

Tracks:

1. 1. Star Spangled Banner/America Medley--solo: Brian Netter, Mike Hondorp, Chelsea Krombach
   2. Mona Lisa--solo: David Reiser
   3. (Nice Dream)--solo: Noah Miller
   4. More Than Words--solo: Mike Hondorp
   5. She--solo: Erica Fenby
   6. Anne Arbour--solo: Josh Duchan
   7. Forgiveness--solo: Marie Cheng
   8. All I Need--solo: Chelsea Krombach
   9. Blame It On Me--solo: Noah Miller, Garrett Miller
   10. River--solo: Aviva Gibbs
   11. Why Should I Cry For You--solo: Mike Hondorp
   12. Cowboy Take Me Away--solo: Mikki Weinstein
   13. It's Raining Men--solo: Chelsea Krombach, Mike Hondorp, Erica Fenby
   14. Sailing--solo: Ryan Binder
   15. A Little Warm Death--solo: Nosh Miller
   16. I Wish--solo: Erica Fenby

Amazin' Blue-- (2004)

Tracks:

1. 1. If I Ever Lose My Faith in You--solo: Justin Paul
   2. September--solo: Noah Miller
   3. China--solo: Whitney Bashor
   4. Harder to Breathe--solo: Josh Duchan
   5. The Groove--solo: Jordan Clawson
   6. Eleanor Rigby--solo: Justin Paul
   7. Soar--solo: Whitney Bashor
   8. Waffle House--solo: Jeff Blim
   9. Bring Me to Life--solo: Amy Trobaugh
   10. The Pink Panther Theme--solo: Jessica Palter, Jeff Blim
   11. Angel--solo: Alexis Sims, Chelsea Krombach
   12. Solsbury Hill--solo: Josh Duchan
   13. I Feel the Earth Move (live)--solo: Whitney Bashor
   14. Talula (Valwe Remix)--solo: Anna Gleichauf

Amazin' Blue--Shades of Blue (2006)

Tracks:

1. 1. Undertow--solo: Riana Nelson
   2. Oh Yeah, It Feels So Good--solo: Jeff Blim, Paul Lessard, Alexis Sims, Kate Bowerman, Riana Nelson
   3. Hush--solo: Matt George
   4. Debra--solo: Aaron Pearlman
   5. Underappreciated--solo: Tanya Komblevitz
   6. Still Fighting It--solo: Aaron Pearlman
   7. Lately--solo: Jordan Clawson
   8. Iowa--solo: Alexis Sims
   9. Home Again--solo: Jordan Clawson, Marc Paskin, Katie Johnston, Cara Akselrad, Alexis Sims, Louis Preonas
   10. Rock Me--solo: Demi Fragale
   11. Hide and Seek--solo: Katie Johnston
   12. How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)--solo: Josh Duchan
   13. Bonus