Check out the pinned comment. The original artist gave it "10 ale horns out of 10" then Voiceplay replied with "we're still recovering from doing that, pass the alehorn this way!"
Welcome to the Voiceplay rabbit hole!! Loved your analysis! I don't have a fav person in the group, they're all amazing and in different songs someone else will shine. Cesar in Creep, Layne in Warriors, J None and Eli in Nothing Else Matters, Geoff in Hoist the Colours. You're in for quite a treat and fantastic ride! Enjoy!!
I love the Halloween stuff also,too. Another is oogie boogie song,great geoff style, but most of the voice play is awesome, what can i say more? For all: GET IN AND CHILL OUT, but it doesnt work, its too mighty for chilling.😅😅😅
01:20 Geoff hits a sustained B0 subharmonic here - a couple of small modulations, but he holds it for about 15 seconds. That man is just unearthly! He hits that B0 3 times in the song, but this one is by far the easiest to pick out. I think I would recommend Nothing Else Matters (Metallica cover) to get a really good feel for Eli and J. None's vocals - Geoff too, a little bit, but he spends most of the song pretending (pretty successfully!) that he's a bass guitar. Cesar doesn't really have a big solo part in that one, and Layne - well, Layne has a surprise for you! To hear Cesar's breathy, emotional solo singing try I Can't Make You Love Me. He's the one who asked the group to perform the song, and his feelings for it really shine through! Both of these songs are Geoff arrangements (Layne did Valhalla Calling), and neither really goes "musical theater". For that kind of video, I'd try Little Mermaid medley (wait for Geoff's run - you won't mistake it), or We Don't Talk About Bruno - the first features Rachel Potter, and the second features Ashley Diane, both of whom have appeared in several VoicePlay videos.
Voiceplay OWNS halloween. They have at least a dozen classics, but try In the Hall of the Mountain King, which is instrumental acapella, and This is Halloween, which is a mini play
You will definitely get back story from the fans! We love VoicePlay so much we can't stop talking about them!😅 Geoff and Layne started singing together in middle school. They started a group and under a different name and later changed it to VoicePlay. Eli joined in 2010 and used to sing in rock bands. Those are the core guys from the group. J None joined in 2018, I think, but left in 2020 to join the Navy. He comes back to sing with the guys when he's on leave. The newest guy is Cesar, he's the baritone that replaced J. They are still a member short so they invite other singers to come sing with them. They have female guests, too. Ashley Diane, Elizabeth Garrozzo... they always do a phenomenal job! The Halloween season is coming up and I think you definitely should show their videos from The Nightmare Before Christmas. They have four of them. You will see their high tenor Earl in those videos and his voice is like no other.😊 Geoff has released Halloween videos by himself on his solo channel, too. Dont forget to look at those! This Halloween, probably within two weeks from now VoicePlay and Geoff will be releasing this year's Halloween treat for us so be sure to check it out!😊
Hola desde Argentina!.. bienvenida al mundo Voiceplay... nunca te decepcionará! Geff lanzó su nuevo cover... El lamento de Jack.. de la película Nightmare befor Christmas... excelente!!!! Y Voice play también subió un nuevo cover de la película El jorobado de Notredam Hellfire... soberbio trabajo!!! Y ya ví todas las sugerencias que han hecho.. asique sin más... un abrazo enorme a la distancia!
Loved your reaction, thank you. To get a sense of their range: listen to "I Can't Make You Love Me" (a wonderful way to hear Cesar's talents and how they handle a sad ballad) and "We Don't Talk About Bruno" for their humor/slapstick. BUT: it's Halloween season, and they are the kings of Halloween, (with a separate Halloween list on their channel) but I'm guessing the one that will captivate you most is Grieg's Hall of the Mountain King. Layne arranged it for 1 of 2 great Halloween offerings last year, and the sheer surprise, humor and beauty of this offering makes it #1 for me. Eli has taken on doing lighting and also backgrounds like the ones you saw here - he creates them using gamer software. In general who ever takes on the arrangement - usually Geoff or Layne - is responsible for the video as well, both the design and the editing. Even when others help on various parts, the arranger is acknowledged as 'the one with the vision' and so they have final word on all artistic decisions. I've been an avid fan for three years now, and they never cease to surprise and 'wow' me. Increasingly, they are writing or having written extra pieces for the covers they do. In this one, the rap section wasn't in the original, but Layne (arranger) thought it would add, and he had someone outside the group write this section. That's another thing I love about these guys - despite the internal control they maintain, neither Geoff nor Layne hesitate to call in help when they need it. Ego comes last with this group, the art they produce is everything.
You should hear Eli on their cover of Carry On Wayward Son by Kansas or their cover of Dream On by Aerosmith. They're all awesome but Eli's rock tenor just kills it.
That moment at 6:14 always blows my mind no matter how many times I hear this song. The simple fact that this is Acapella and Layne actually made that door sound with his voice.
You're really starting down the Voiceplay Rabbit Hole with the creme del la creme! I love almost ALL their videos (there's one or two I merely like a lot and even those are ones where I dislike the song itself, but they made me appreciate the songs more) but this is my #1 favorite song by them. I listen to it on repeat for hours! Before this one came out, my #1 song was "Hoist The Colors," which I also listen to on repeat. It broke a LOT of reactors.
I'm becoming more and more thrilled with the amazing talent we have the privilege of listening to! You have a great job and your doing it really well!!👏👏👏😊
Welcome to the VP rabbit hole (adding my welcome to the others!). :) You're in for a real treat. And yes, you did excellent figuring out who was who! J used to be a member before he went into the military but he comes back and is featured. They've had some changes over the years, but this particular line-up is incredible and they are so wonderful together. I'd recommend almost anything from them, but if you want drama, probably choose Wicked medley they did (Geoff worked on that arrangement for 2 years), for rock Eli I'd check out Dream on, or Carry On my Wayward Son or even Nothing Else Matters. To hear Cesar, definitely Creep or Can't |Make You Love Me. For Layne, violayne in either Warriors or Nothing Else Matters, but his beatboxing is so wonderful in others like Enemy, Friends on the Other Side (when he and Geoff drop that beat...whoa!), etc. My favs tend to be the medleys or the more fun ones (like Boy Bands in 5 mins, Disney medleys like Moana or Mermaid, etc.). Basically, you can't go wrong with anything they've done. Just choose your fav sound and go from there! They cover so many different songs and genres that there is something for everyone!
I’d recommend Seven Nation Army. That one has a young kid as their guest who’s just freakin’ amazing. And just to help you out, his last name is pronounced Gar-jewel-a ‘cause that ain’t how it’s spelled, lol. VP ran as a five man group for the longest time. Geoff, Layne, Eli, J and Earl. Earl left shortly after the pandemic shut down happened - he was a high tenor/falsetto singer. J left to go into the military a few months later. They picked up Cesar to step into J’s role, and tried to sign a fellow named DeeJay Young as their new high tenor. (You can see him in several of their vids. “In My Room” and “Man In the Mirror” are my faves with him). Sadly for VP, DeeJay had just signed on to tour with Hamilton. You can currently see him competing on The Voice as part of team legend. So they’ve run as four plus a guest ever since. J drops by and records with them whenever he’s home on leave. Two more recent ones he was a part of that are excessively good are Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters” and Phil Collins’ “In The Air Tonight”.
J None lived on the west coast at the time, and his flight was delayed to the point where he almost missed the shoot. That’s why he is filmed separately for the first part, because they had to start without him
They are only the best. Every one of them can sing solo but put them together and they can literally blow you away with the power of their voices. ANY SONG!!!!!
You got it right about Eli. After he first joined Voiceplay he spent his off time fronting for a Journey tribute band. Someone already suggested Hall of the Mountain King. Layne took a classical piece without words and transformed it. Through costumes, makeup, prosthetics and set he told his own story. Listen to voices change as things are added to the cauldron and someone takes a taste. Perfect for Halloween! If you want more background on Voiceplay, try reacting to Halo and watch through the outdo. You’ll not only get some history of the group and the reason they did Halo, but you’ll also see the strong sense of family shared by all the members - past and present.
Nice reaction and analysis ,J None is also featured in their release coming this month one of the most overlooked of Disney villains appears with a vengeance.
Loved the reaction/analysis, can't wait to see more! J is the guest in this, but he is family. He was a member of VoicePlay before joining the Navy a couple of years ago. He visits as often as he can. He's on the same coast again, so hopefully we'll get to see even more of him now.
Think of them as Vikings in berserker mode. This video is a follow up to My Mother Told Me, with a few cast changes and minor wardrobe changes, also with "VoicePlay" added somewhere in the 'tattoos' in Norse. Then, J None was a VP member and Jose Rosario Jr was featured. Here, the new member is Cesar DeLaRosa, with J None as the guest. (I like to think he's on hiatus and will return when his 5-year stint singing for the navy is over.) Geoff's shirt is slightly different and Cesar is wearing Jose's cloak. Left to right: Layne Stein, Cesar DeLaRosa, Eli Jacobson, & Geoff Castellucci, with J None taking up the center. Check out their videos for Friends on the Other Side, Oogie Boogie's Song, This is Halloween, and Phantom of the Opera to see why they're called the Theater Kids of A Cappella. Phantom's an older one with Tony Wakim as the Phantom and Geoff with short hair. Also watch Nothing Else Matters to see VioLayne in action for the second of two times.
@@hwyla4416 He told me last year that he plans to be back in VP when he gets out of the Navy. Unless he changes his plans for some unforeseen reason, I'm sure he will be back! If he doesn't, he knows I'll have to hunt him down & drag him back! Lol!
@@beverlykrebs4372 Thanks! That is wonderful to hear. While I really do appreciate the various featured singers they have had while he's been gone, I do miss that gorgeous smooth voice of his, as well as his other 'tones' as well. I happen to live in the DC area and I am hoping to figure out when/where he might be singing up here so I can go hear him in person (along with the rest of the group).
VoicePlay does exquisite arrangements and while the line-up has changed a bit over the years, their investment in developing their style has steadily grown from straight a capella to full on theatrics. Every member has a vocal range and quality that is highlighted in different videos.
Welp you've done it now you saw the rabbit hole and jumped right in! There is no exit by the way only more and more excellence that is VP! Great reaction I always love watching people's first reactions!!!
Interesting fact is Lane (the beatboxer) was taught how to beatbox by Geoff (the bass) and has great baritone voice which is how he started with voiceplay
Okay, Geoff you know... Layne is the percussive genius special effects guru... J None is the lone (at first) warrior... Eli is the Rock GOD!.. and Caesar is the very emotive one. J was a member and often comes back to join in.. A true warrior, he serves in the military - the reason for leaving and leaving an opening for Caesar to join. If you hang out with them a bit more, you will see a couple of older members and meet some AMAZING female guest singers. Watch out for Ashley Diane and Rachel Potter (repeat guests) and AleXa shines in their Enemy (Imagine Dragons) cover. Of course, a new guest is Anthony G - guesting for a few songs and challenging Eli for Rock God status. This is more than a rabbit hole... It's a galaxy of black holes filled with talent and fun.
You did great on the names! You didn't miss any of them. We don't get mad at reactors who take a while to learn the names, but at the same time, we really appreciate your making the effort from the start.
Hoist the Colors, Nothing Else Matters, Queen in Five Minutes, My Mother Told Me, The Grinch, Tennessee Whiskey, Billie Eilish In Four Minutes, Panic At The Disco (Parts 1 and 2 - do them together, they're short and VERY connected), If I Was A Rich Man/Girl, Grim Grinning Ghosts, Dream On, Enemy and Warrior (both those two are Imagine Dragons covers), Halo is another really good one (make sure you watch the tribute at the end), Hide and Seek they did (Lauren Paley was the guest vocalist for that one), any of their Disney performances, their Portal theme cover was awesome AND hilarious, Oogie Boogie from Nightmare Before Christmas, Phantom of the Opera (this is an older piece with a prior member, Tony, playing the phantom)... I think those are good suggestions to get you started. ;) ANYTHING Halloween themed by Voiceplay (or Geoff's solo Halloween works) is awesome. Voiceplay pretty much owns Halloween. LOL. Eli *IS* actually a rock tenor. Nothing Else Matters and Hoist The Colors puts that on display very well. :) I'm not going to detail all the members here because others have already done a wonderful job of that in your comments. Enjoy the rabbit hole that Voiceplay is. Also just as an FYI : Geoff and Layne pretty much share the arranging 50-50. Geoff has done about half the arrangements for VP and so has Layne. One last tip, or rather a word of advice for you : ALWAYS watch the outro/credits for their videos. If you skip them, you'll miss some fun stuff (and you'll hear about it in SPADES in your comments, too! LOL). VP are an independent group, so we fans can be a little emphatic about properly supporting them so they can stay independent, and that includes their outros/credits where they include fun bits sometimes and Patreon supporters/group's Patreon, shout-outs, announcements of upcoming stuff, etc.
As the "theater kids" of the Acapella Trinity, check out their Disney medleys. They are amazing. The outro sounds like the karaoke track that you can get as a Patron. Yes, you got all of them right at the end. Keep on keepin' on!
I think this'll be a pretty common reaction, but ...They're ALL my favorite! Like you, I started with one of Geoff's solo pieces and was blown away. I'm still blown away when I hear him -- either solo or with VoicePlay. The more I watch of VP though, the more I recognize how outstandingly talented and versatile the other guys are. Especially the lineup you see in this video; but most of their guest artists are wonderful, too. Love your commentary, and your effort to get to know the performers you're commenting on. Thanks, coach!
For the sake of having being punched in the face with beautiful sounds and more eli awesomeness you have got to check out their cover of nothing else matters, dream on, carry on wayward son, and Enemy. And to piggyback off of @pt62 if I were a rich man/ girl and we don't talk about Bruno is a must. To add to that you should check out the little mermaid medley and moana medley. There are more of course. They are awesome and Halloween is around the corner so keep an eye out for their holiday hits.
Whoo, the list of favorites and recs from these guys is just too long, and they keep adding to it! The tip-top highlights for me currently would be Hoist the Colours, Nothing Else Matters, We Don't Talk About Bruno, Creep and In The Air Tonight, but then there's Butter, the Moana medley, Man in the Mirror, Drunken Sailor, Queen in Five Minutes, Just Sing, Don't Stop Believin', The Wellermen...heck, pick anything out of their channel at random, including their "mini" shorts, and you will not be disappointed. They'll be dropping a new one soon that I can't tell you about yet, but trust me, you won't want to miss it. My personal favorite is Cesar, but all of the guys and their regular guests are incredible performers and just amazing, funny, awesome people.
I would recommend Nothing else matters and the wicked medley, especially if you are a fan of that music. My kids love the Disney medleys. Oh Creep is also very well done.
You did a great job with the names. To hear more of their voices you might try some of their slower songs where they don’t have a lot of percussion. I love the harmonies in the cover of Tennessee Whiskey, Can’t Help Falling In Love and True Colors. But Cesar is not in any of those. At that point in time Earl, a laser high tenor, was still with a group as was J. J was a permanent member from 2017 to 2021 when the Navy recruited him to front one of their bands. I love that they have him staring out across the water at the beginning. He’s been away and now he’s coming back (at least for this. Later that evening he attended a wedding - his own!). Previously they did a cover of My Mother Told Me (also associated with the video game Assassin’s Creed) J was still a permanent member of the group. The makeup and a lot of the costuming is from MMTM. Among their tattoos are runes spelling out VoicePlay. Layne did this arrangement and Eli (rock god) the amazing digital backgrounds. It was filmed, not green screen, but at a studio with immense (Full wall!) LED screens. Unfortunately, the guys were in leather and furs and the air-conditioning was not working.🥵 Some background: VoicePlay has been performing for many many years. Geoff and Layne met in middle school along with Earl Elkins Jr. a high tenor. The three of them began to sing together and competed in high school with other musical groups. One of their competitors was Eli who was at another nearby high school. In 1997, after they graduated high school they released their first album under the group name 4:2:Five. Around 2010, Eli joined the group after touring with rock bands for many years. Around that time Scott Porter, who had been the beatboxer, left to pursue an acting career and Layne took over the beatboxing. Layne had been the baritone up till then. (Scott appears in their cover of HALO ). At that point in time Tony Wakim came in as baritone and stayed with them till 2016. He left left to co-found a production company (with Layne) and J came in as baritone until 2021. Other than Earl, all of the changes have been in the baritone spot. But then again they don’t always sing in the categories they’ve been assigned so it’s always up in the air! In 2020, after 23 years, Earl left the group for health and personal reasons. In 2021, J was recruited by the Navy and Cesar DeLaRosa, the youngest member, has filled that position. They still are short one permanent member and use a lot of guest artists. You can find the guest artist because they usually place them in the middle. I hope that helps a little bit. They’ve gone through a lot of changes but they’ve been around for over 25 years so that’s to be expected. If you watch their video Just Sing with the captions on you can see a lot of their guest artists they’ve worked with up through 2019 and as well as prior members. It was a collaborative video made just after Covid stopped everybody from touring. It was released as a fundraiser for musicians who ended up out of work. (You did ask for background!🤷🏼♀️)
Great reaction. These guys are amazing in everything they do. Not only are they The Theater Kids but also The Kings of Halloween. Their Halloween videos are amazing. Their new Halloween video should be on TH-cam next week. Geoff's will be on TH-cam this Saturday, the 9th. Be prepared for a rollercoaster of ranges. Geoff, Layne and former member Earl Elkins Jr met in middle school. They and 2 others founded 4:2: Five in 1997. One member left in 2001 for Broadway. The second, Scott Porter (original beatboxer)left in 2003 for a very successful acting career. At that time Geoff taught Layne how to beatbox. He was and is their baritone. They had several member changes throughout the years. Eli joined in 2010. Tony Wakim in 2011. And they changed the name to Voiceplay. Tony left in 2016 to go behind the scenes and help run his and Layne's production company, Pattycake Productions. Where most of Geoff and Voiceplay videos are filmed. In 2018 J None joined. Earl left in 2020. J None left in 2021 to sing with the US Navy. He still has a couple years. But returns when he can to sing with them. J is very much loved by both Voiceplay and fans. Cesar joined right after J left to replace him. At the present they only have 4 members so they collaborate with various artists for the 5th. Seeing as it's Halloween season I recommend Voiceplay and Geoff Halloween videos. Voiceplay has a bunch. Geoff has 3. But they both will be releasing their new Halloween videos soon. Geoff this Saturday, the 9th. Be prepared for a rollercoaster of ranges. Both of their videos are Disney movie Villain songs. Voiceplay probably next week.
I loved your reaction! I'm so impressed with the fact you looked up who everyone was and then figured out who everyone was correctly based on that. I appreciate that so much in someone who is analyzing something like this, particularly as a professional. Shows you care about who and what you're talking about. I am a huge fan of Voiceplay and I will absolutely be coming back if you keep breaking their stuff down. I love the details that vocal coaches can pick out and explain! The guys are super cool. They have such good vibes. Their behind the scenes videos and webchats are so fun. Many have been working together for years. Geoff and Layne are founding members. They founded it in high school under the name 42Five. Their first beat boxer was Scott Porter, who left in 2003, but comes back for collabs/cameos. Eli has been their tenor 2 since 2010. They won Ed McMahon's Next Big Star contest in 2000. They performed at Disney World, Universal Studios, and on cruises. They were on The Sing-Off in the 2010s. Their old baritone was Tony who is now co-owner of Pattycake Productions with Layne, and often helps VP with their videos. They also often film them at that production studio. J None was their baritone after Tony left. J left to join the Navy, but comes back to work with them a lot. Cesar came in after J left and is just adorable, as well as talented. They had an old tenor who was a founding member, Earl, who left. You'll see him in older videos. While talented, I feel like the others get more time to shine without a high tenor fronting all the time. Since the tenor 1 left, they usually collab with another person to make their 5 piece group. They've collabed with Rachel Potter, Deejay Young, guys from other acappella groups, and others. They are so good about arranging their music just so perfectly for whoever collabs to just fit in so well. Geoff and Layne usually trade off arranging, though others have too. The arranger usually also directs the video. They do much of the work all by themselves. Eli does lights pretty much every time. Geoff's wife produces and does all sorts of behind the scenes work. They will all work on the videos. They often employ someone for makeup, videography, and post. But they are all so involved, it is pretty much just all them. It's so fun to see them at work. Check out their Patreon for BTS of their shoots. It's so interesting! 💚
Loved the reaction and analytical journey through that. I know it's not a difficult thing but I also really enjoyed that you perfectly identified everyone and even pronouncing Eli's name correctly! Watching Voiceplay reactions is a fun pastime for me and not everyone picks up on the different vocal percussions through through song. Voiceplay (colloquially VP) are one of those groups that leave you coming back to enjoy the songs again and to pick up on things missed the first 1 or 2 or 10 times 😅. New sub ❤. Other songs to check out: My Mother Told Me The Dragonborn Comes Oogie Boogies Song Grim Grinning Ghosts Carry On My Wayward Son
Awesome first reaction. Dead on with who’s who. You really can’t go wrong with any Voiceplay selection. If you go a few years back to Oogie Boogie Song or Warriors, you’ll see a bearded guy named Earl that is no longer with the group. Their Disney stuff is amazing but also recent masterpieces like their cover of Metallica’s Nothing Else Matters are phenomenal.
There's really no bad choice. Partwork videos don't usually have the full group, ACA top 10s are short song clips with nice transition, Disney medleys (frozen, Moana, little mermaid) are where the theatre kids really come out, and I really like a lot of the older ones for obvious silly energy and a reference for how they've grown their singing and composition skills (bubblegum, phantom, I knew you were trouble). The new hellfire from hunchback is amazing but I think my favorite is still wicked medley
My absolute favorite part of the whole song is the part when J.None is rapping and Geoff bottoms out with that insane drone note, while Eli and Caesar fly out over top with that high “This is war!!!”. The contrast between the three parts is SO striking! P.S. Really nice analogy by you, thinking of the “ooohs” during the rap as calm seas, and the rap as rough, the prow of the ship smacking up and down. Kudos!
You can't go wrong with anything they've released this year (or honestly, any year, but they are really having a peak year right now), but given that we have now entered spooky season, you might want to check out some of their Halloween offerings (and both Geoff and VP are about to drop some amazing new videos)--last year's In the Hall of the Mountain King and Hide and Seek (Ding Dong) are great, as are their many Nightmare before Christmas videos and Geoff's solo Monster Mash, Headless Horseman and Ghost Riders in the Sky.
I don’t know of any Journey songs they’ve done offhand, but definitely Carry On Wayward Son and Queen in Five Minutes show off Eli’s Rock side. Also Seven Nation Army (I never loved that song, but their take on it is brilliant). This cover is VERY different from the original by @MiracleOfSound (Gavin Dunn), which is definitely not dub-step. But Gavin did check in and give them ten out of ten alehorns. Kathy (Geoff’s wife) is very involved in the production of most of these guys’ songs. Eli usually does the lighting (he’s also the tenor-I think you got that one). J.None is a former member (he was the lead here). He left to sing for the Navy but comes back when he can to sing with him and we hope he’ll rejoin the group when he’s done his part for the Navy. Layne Stein, the percussionist, used to be the group’s baritone but took on beat-boxing when Scott Porter left the group (Scott came back to sing with them in the Halo theme, which was a tribute to a member of the company who died during the pandemic). Layne and Geoff typically trade off doing the arrangements, and Eli occasionally does one as well. Cesar (full beard) is the newest member of the group and he’s constantly surprising us with new and unexpected vocals and acting. So glad you found these guys-there’s a LOT to explore and it’s all fantastic! Great reaction!!
There's so much to check out for Voiceplay. You may want to check out Oogie Boogie Song, Hall of the Mountain King, Fiddler on the Roof, Nothing Else Matters, and Phantom of the Opera. After you see several of those, you'll have a good idea of what they can do.
What I love most about Voiceplay are their Disney and musical theater medleys. These videos are the most fun. Little Mermaid, Moana, Wicked, We don’t talk about Bruno etc.
This song always makes me want to go out and destroy something. With a sword, lol. Love Voiceplay. So much talent and yeah, they go all out with their videos. Oogie-Boogie's Song video is hilarious. You should definitely react to more of their videos.
J None is the fellow on the ledge outside, Geoff you know but sings 3 B0s extended, Layne does the beatboxing including the creaking door, Eli is the bald tenor aka Rock God, Cesar is Mr Diction and baritone/tenor. Some of my favorites: Nothing Else Matters (Metallica), In The Air Tonight (Phil Collins), I Can't Make You Love Me (Bonnie Raitt), We're Good (Dua Lipa) Cesar's final audition to join as a member.
Wow you've gotten a lot of good background and recommendations, but I expect nothing less from us Voiceplayas. So, I'll let you know that another thing that makes this group special is they do nearly every part of production themselves. Layne and Geoff are the main arrangers for the group and they usually trade off the month. There have been a couple Eli arrangements, and Hannah Juliano is someone they bring on when they have a female guest because they're not used to arranging for a female voice all the time. The person who arranges the piece also concepts the video shoot, picks out the set, costumes, etc. Also, whoever arranges also edits the video. They often have one or two camera guys. If they need involved makeup work done like in this video, they call in Rick Underwood. For lighting, Eli has taken on their lighting design for a few years now, and he just gets better and better. In fact, the song/video that came first in their Viking lineup was My Mother Told Me. J was a permanent member, Cesar wasn't around yet, and they had a different guest, Jose Rosario Jr, but it was the same concept with the same characters and costumes. For that video, Eli created the backgrounds they're in using Unreal Engine, the same software engine used to make video games. They're still very much 2D environments though, and he said if he ever got another chance at it, he would want to make it more immersive. Lo and behold, this year he got his chance with Valhalla Calling. He used Unreal Engine again and then they went to a place called Vu Studios where they were able to project Eli's backgrounds on the LED walls and film it with their special camera for capturing the images. Then Eli edited the video. So the backgrounds you see here are not real. Only the tables/benches, a few handheld props, and, of course, our guys are real. They also do a first pass of the mix for song, but they send it off to Ed Boyer, the king mixer for a cappella groups to get them the final mix. But yeah, concept, arrangement, first mix, set, props, putting it all together, tearing it all down at the end, lighting, costuming.....it's all them, with Kathy, Geoff's wife as their Production Manager.
This was Layne's arrangement, you need one from Geoff. I'd start with I Can't Make You Love Me (they don't always do full costume and makeup). They try Eli's arrangement of either Creep or Eleanor Rigby (older lineup). Then get back to theater and check out Drunken Sailor. Geoff and Voiceplay go nuts at Halloween, be prepared. Geoff's is coming out this Saturday, Voiceplay probably a week later. Great reaction, I subscribed as soon as you reacted to Geoff. There are basses who can sing lower than Geoff, but the clarity of his voice cannot be matched.
Voiceplay lost original member Earl Elkins (high tenor) in 2020. He's never been formally replaced. They just have a rotating series of guest artists in that spot. Then they lost baritone JNone (as a permanent member) in 2021 when he joined the Navy. He was replaced by Cesar. But he still does vids with them when he's on Leave. Such as here. When folks have very wide ranges, distinguishing between a tenor and a baritone is kind of arbitrary. When VP recorded "Dream On," any of the three higher voices... Cesar, Eli, or guest Omar Cardona... could've hit the high note. If JNone had been in that vid, I'm sure he could've hit it too.
@@beverlykrebs4372I love all the guest artists. But when J comes back it’s just magic. I just hope that they continue featuring more artists because it really has let them branch out into things they wouldn’t have done before. But I can’t wait to hear J on a regular basis again
@@janetdw I agree 100%!!! J just has my heart, like he is my own son! His voice is so soothing & warm. I think it has some magical medicinal qualities! No matter how bad I feel, either physically or emotionally, I can play something by J, or by VP with him singing, and I instantly feel better, and full of joy! And the guest singers they have just blow me away! VP certainly knows how to select the very top of the talent heap!!v
Have you tried Voctave? Voiceplay are the theater kids. Pentatonix are the popular kids. Home Free are the down home country kids. Voctave are the kids who sing just for the joy of it. My personal favorite is their arrangement of Mary, Did You Know ft. the song's lyricist, Mark Lowry.
You picked out Eli and Cesar correctly. Your best bet to hear Eli front and center is likely "Carry On Wayward Son". The others, from left to right are Layne (the vocal percussionist), and J None (the rapper), you already figured out Eli and you know Geoff.
J-none was their baritone before he left the group to join the navy. He joins them again from time to time as his schedule allows. Cesar took his place.
Top picks from VP include In the Hall of the Mountain King, Hoist the Colours, If I Were a Rich Man, This Is Halloween, Little Mermaid, We Don't Talk About Bruno, Tennessee Whiskey, Phantom of the Opera, Dream On, Carry On Wayward Son, You're A Mean One Mr. Grinch, Queen in Five Minutes. Ok, yes, I realize, that looks like a lot; but if you start by watching one of them, you're going to want to watch another, and then another...
J None was a member of VoicePlay before he went into the Navy. Other really good songs include In the Hall of the Mountain King, Oogie Boogie song, Moana medley (to name just a few).
Listen to Voice Play's cover of Metallica' s "Nothing Else Matters" it's time well spent and really showcases their talent. I would also recommend reviewing Jeff's cover of the Beatles song "Blackbird" and " Far over the Misty Mountain Cold" This group has so much to offer that there is not time to.list all the covers they have preformed.
For variety try Tennesey whiskey, Hoist the Colours, The oogie boogie song, Hall of the mountain king, We don't talk about Bruno all completely different.
When you get to my age you really appreciate clear diction and these guys make it easy. As you say even in his low pitch Geoff still enunciates clearly. I love their theatrical numbers but their more traditional style covers are just as impressive. I would say a lot more but TH-cam keep pausing me for apparently doing something they don't like so I'm being careful for now.
This is train to board for a fine ear candy meal and not want to leave. Most importantly Voiceplay are the best group (of any style or genre) to do Halloween themed songs. Anything Nightmare before Christmas, Hall of the Mountain King, Hide and Seek. You wont find better material to enjoy the month.
Loved your analysis I saw your comment on for a Journey song with Eli, check out there cover of Carry on My Wayward Son from Kansas and Dream On from Aerosmith
Voiceplay has actually done several Journey songs. Check out Carry on my Wayward Son and Any Way You Want It. Voiceplay is a DEEP rabbit hole. They do so many different songs and share leads so well. They are my favorite a capella group by far!
You habe too watch there Disney stuff and there haloween stuff nightmaire before cristmas its soo good. And geoffs own halloween stuff like headless horsman amd monster mash
And Geoff is doing another song from Nightmare before Christmas for his Halloween special this year! It’s my favorite of the movie and it’s rarely done so I was thrilled. It’s a whole new take on a very special character.
You pretty much can't go wrong with any Voiceplay song. Some favourites of mine are good 4 you, we don't talk about Bruno and their new cover of Hellfire.
i really appreciate what they did in that cover and i really like that but still nothing will beat the original Valhalla calling by Miracle of the sound and Peyton Perish
Check out the pinned comment. The original artist gave it "10 ale horns out of 10"
then Voiceplay replied with "we're still recovering from doing that, pass the alehorn this way!"
Welcome to the Voiceplay rabbit hole!! Loved your analysis! I don't have a fav person in the group, they're all amazing and in different songs someone else will shine. Cesar in Creep, Layne in Warriors, J None and Eli in Nothing Else Matters, Geoff in Hoist the Colours. You're in for quite a treat and fantastic ride! Enjoy!!
And Earl Elkins in Queen in five mins:)
Tony in Phantom Of The Opera. ❤
I love the Halloween stuff also,too. Another is oogie boogie song,great geoff style, but most of the voice play is awesome, what can i say more? For all: GET IN AND CHILL OUT, but it doesnt work, its too mighty for chilling.😅😅😅
Their cover of Nothing Else Matters blows me away. Geoff hits his crazy range in The Oogie Boogie Song.
01:20 Geoff hits a sustained B0 subharmonic here - a couple of small modulations, but he holds it for about 15 seconds. That man is just unearthly! He hits that B0 3 times in the song, but this one is by far the easiest to pick out.
I think I would recommend Nothing Else Matters (Metallica cover) to get a really good feel for Eli and J. None's vocals - Geoff too, a little bit, but he spends most of the song pretending (pretty successfully!) that he's a bass guitar. Cesar doesn't really have a big solo part in that one, and Layne - well, Layne has a surprise for you!
To hear Cesar's breathy, emotional solo singing try I Can't Make You Love Me. He's the one who asked the group to perform the song, and his feelings for it really shine through!
Both of these songs are Geoff arrangements (Layne did Valhalla Calling), and neither really goes "musical theater". For that kind of video, I'd try Little Mermaid medley (wait for Geoff's run - you won't mistake it), or We Don't Talk About Bruno - the first features Rachel Potter, and the second features Ashley Diane, both of whom have appeared in several VoicePlay videos.
Hoist The Colours is a masterpiece by Voiceplay 😊 You'll ❤️ it!
I second this!! Hoist the Colours is epic!
Voiceplay OWNS halloween. They have at least a dozen classics, but try In the Hall of the Mountain King, which is instrumental acapella, and This is Halloween, which is a mini play
VoicePlay started in middle/high school in Orlando, Florida. Layne and Geoff are the only original members left in the current lineup.
Oogie boogie song really shows Geoff's range as well as the talents of the entire group
You will definitely get back story from the fans!
We love VoicePlay so much we can't stop talking about them!😅
Geoff and Layne started singing together in middle school. They started a group and under a different name and later changed it to VoicePlay. Eli joined in 2010 and used to sing in rock bands. Those are the core guys from the group. J None joined in 2018, I think, but left in 2020 to join the Navy. He comes back to sing with the guys when he's on leave. The newest guy is Cesar, he's the baritone that replaced J. They are still a member short so they invite other singers to come sing with them. They have female guests, too. Ashley Diane, Elizabeth Garrozzo... they always do a phenomenal job!
The Halloween season is coming up and I think you definitely should show their videos from The Nightmare Before Christmas. They have four of them. You will see their high tenor Earl in those videos and his voice is like no other.😊
Geoff has released Halloween videos by himself on his solo channel, too. Dont forget to look at those!
This Halloween, probably within two weeks from now VoicePlay and Geoff will be releasing this year's Halloween treat for us so be sure to check it out!😊
Hola desde Argentina!.. bienvenida al mundo Voiceplay... nunca te decepcionará! Geff lanzó su nuevo cover... El lamento de Jack.. de la película Nightmare befor Christmas... excelente!!!! Y Voice play también subió un nuevo cover de la película El jorobado de Notredam Hellfire... soberbio trabajo!!! Y ya ví todas las sugerencias que han hecho.. asique sin más... un abrazo enorme a la distancia!
Loved your reaction, thank you. To get a sense of their range: listen to "I Can't Make You Love Me" (a wonderful way to hear Cesar's talents and how they handle a sad ballad) and "We Don't Talk About Bruno" for their humor/slapstick. BUT: it's Halloween season, and they are the kings of Halloween, (with a separate Halloween list on their channel) but I'm guessing the one that will captivate you most is Grieg's Hall of the Mountain King. Layne arranged it for 1 of 2 great Halloween offerings last year, and the sheer surprise, humor and beauty of this offering makes it #1 for me. Eli has taken on doing lighting and also backgrounds like the ones you saw here - he creates them using gamer software. In general who ever takes on the arrangement - usually Geoff or Layne - is responsible for the video as well, both the design and the editing. Even when others help on various parts, the arranger is acknowledged as 'the one with the vision' and so they have final word on all artistic decisions. I've been an avid fan for three years now, and they never cease to surprise and 'wow' me. Increasingly, they are writing or having written extra pieces for the covers they do. In this one, the rap section wasn't in the original, but Layne (arranger) thought it would add, and he had someone outside the group write this section. That's another thing I love about these guys - despite the internal control they maintain, neither Geoff nor Layne hesitate to call in help when they need it. Ego comes last with this group, the art they produce is everything.
Great reaction! Their Disney medleys are awesome as well as rock covers like Nothing Else Matters & Carry On My Wayward Son.
Yeah, Carry On My Wayward Son is a good example of Eli's rock tenor.
You should hear Eli on their cover of Carry On Wayward Son by Kansas or their cover of Dream On by Aerosmith. They're all awesome but Eli's rock tenor just kills it.
That moment at 6:14 always blows my mind no matter how many times I hear this song. The simple fact that this is Acapella and Layne actually made that door sound with his voice.
You're really starting down the Voiceplay Rabbit Hole with the creme del la creme! I love almost ALL their videos (there's one or two I merely like a lot and even those are ones where I dislike the song itself, but they made me appreciate the songs more) but this is my #1 favorite song by them. I listen to it on repeat for hours! Before this one came out, my #1 song was "Hoist The Colors," which I also listen to on repeat. It broke a LOT of reactors.
I'm becoming more and more thrilled with the amazing talent we have the privilege of listening to! You have a great job and your doing it really well!!👏👏👏😊
Welcome to the VP rabbit hole (adding my welcome to the others!). :) You're in for a real treat. And yes, you did excellent figuring out who was who! J used to be a member before he went into the military but he comes back and is featured. They've had some changes over the years, but this particular line-up is incredible and they are so wonderful together. I'd recommend almost anything from them, but if you want drama, probably choose Wicked medley they did (Geoff worked on that arrangement for 2 years), for rock Eli I'd check out Dream on, or Carry On my Wayward Son or even Nothing Else Matters. To hear Cesar, definitely Creep or Can't |Make You Love Me. For Layne, violayne in either Warriors or Nothing Else Matters, but his beatboxing is so wonderful in others like Enemy, Friends on the Other Side (when he and Geoff drop that beat...whoa!), etc. My favs tend to be the medleys or the more fun ones (like Boy Bands in 5 mins, Disney medleys like Moana or Mermaid, etc.). Basically, you can't go wrong with anything they've done. Just choose your fav sound and go from there! They cover so many different songs and genres that there is something for everyone!
Thanks!
Thank YOU so much! 🙏❤️🎶
I would recommend: "If I Were A Rich Man/Woman" and :We Don't Talk About Bruno"
I second, third and fourth that! Motion passes.
100% concur! The motion is carried!
It is agreed. The preceding must be done.
I’d recommend Seven Nation Army. That one has a young kid as their guest who’s just freakin’ amazing. And just to help you out, his last name is pronounced Gar-jewel-a ‘cause that ain’t how it’s spelled, lol.
VP ran as a five man group for the longest time. Geoff, Layne, Eli, J and Earl. Earl left shortly after the pandemic shut down happened - he was a high tenor/falsetto singer. J left to go into the military a few months later.
They picked up Cesar to step into J’s role, and tried to sign a fellow named DeeJay Young as their new high tenor. (You can see him in several of their vids. “In My Room” and “Man In the Mirror” are my faves with him). Sadly for VP, DeeJay had just signed on to tour with Hamilton. You can currently see him competing on The Voice as part of team legend.
So they’ve run as four plus a guest ever since. J drops by and records with them whenever he’s home on leave. Two more recent ones he was a part of that are excessively good are Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters” and Phil Collins’ “In The Air Tonight”.
J None lived on the west coast at the time, and his flight was delayed to the point where he almost missed the shoot. That’s why he is filmed separately for the first part, because they had to start without him
They are only the best. Every one of them can sing solo but put them together and they can literally blow you away with the power of their voices. ANY SONG!!!!!
You got it right about Eli. After he first joined Voiceplay he spent his off time fronting for a Journey tribute band.
Someone already suggested Hall of the Mountain King. Layne took a classical piece without words and transformed it. Through costumes, makeup, prosthetics and set he told his own story. Listen to voices change as things are added to the cauldron and someone takes a taste. Perfect for Halloween!
If you want more background on Voiceplay, try reacting to Halo and watch through the outdo. You’ll not only get some history of the group and the reason they did Halo, but you’ll also see the strong sense of family shared by all the members - past and present.
Nice reaction and analysis ,J None is also featured in their release coming this month one of the most overlooked of Disney villains appears with a vengeance.
I've watched these guys a LOT and everytime Elle sings his part in this song, i get full body goosebumps. Amazing group of talent
Loved the reaction/analysis, can't wait to see more! J is the guest in this, but he is family. He was a member of VoicePlay before joining the Navy a couple of years ago. He visits as often as he can. He's on the same coast again, so hopefully we'll get to see even more of him now.
Think of them as Vikings in berserker mode. This video is a follow up to My Mother Told Me, with a few cast changes and minor wardrobe changes, also with "VoicePlay" added somewhere in the 'tattoos' in Norse. Then, J None was a VP member and Jose Rosario Jr was featured. Here, the new member is Cesar DeLaRosa, with J None as the guest. (I like to think he's on hiatus and will return when his 5-year stint singing for the navy is over.) Geoff's shirt is slightly different and Cesar is wearing Jose's cloak. Left to right: Layne Stein, Cesar DeLaRosa, Eli Jacobson, & Geoff Castellucci, with J None taking up the center. Check out their videos for Friends on the Other Side, Oogie Boogie's Song, This is Halloween, and Phantom of the Opera to see why they're called the Theater Kids of A Cappella. Phantom's an older one with Tony Wakim as the Phantom and Geoff with short hair. Also watch Nothing Else Matters to see VioLayne in action for the second of two times.
Yes, J is planning to return to VP after his stint in the Navy.
This has been confirmed??? If so YAY!!
@@hwyla4416 He told me last year that he plans to be back in VP when he gets out of the Navy. Unless he changes his plans for some unforeseen reason, I'm sure he will be back! If he doesn't, he knows I'll have to hunt him down & drag him back! Lol!
@@beverlykrebs4372 Thanks! That is wonderful to hear. While I really do appreciate the various featured singers they have had while he's been gone, I do miss that gorgeous smooth voice of his, as well as his other 'tones' as well.
I happen to live in the DC area and I am hoping to figure out when/where he might be singing up here so I can go hear him in person (along with the rest of the group).
VoicePlay does exquisite arrangements and while the line-up has changed a bit over the years, their investment in developing their style has steadily grown from straight a capella to full on theatrics. Every member has a vocal range and quality that is highlighted in different videos.
Nice reaction and analysis. I always enjoy reactions from professional voice coaches and singers.
Welp you've done it now you saw the rabbit hole and jumped right in! There is no exit by the way only more and more excellence that is VP! Great reaction I always love watching people's first reactions!!!
Interesting fact is Lane (the beatboxer) was taught how to beatbox by Geoff (the bass) and has great baritone voice which is how he started with voiceplay
Okay, Geoff you know... Layne is the percussive genius special effects guru... J None is the lone (at first) warrior... Eli is the Rock GOD!.. and Caesar is the very emotive one.
J was a member and often comes back to join in.. A true warrior, he serves in the military - the reason for leaving and leaving an opening for Caesar to join. If you hang out with them a bit more, you will see a couple of older members and meet some AMAZING female guest singers. Watch out for Ashley Diane and Rachel Potter (repeat guests) and AleXa shines in their Enemy (Imagine Dragons) cover. Of course, a new guest is Anthony G - guesting for a few songs and challenging Eli for Rock God status.
This is more than a rabbit hole... It's a galaxy of black holes filled with talent and fun.
You did great on the names! You didn't miss any of them. We don't get mad at reactors who take a while to learn the names, but at the same time, we really appreciate your making the effort from the start.
Hoist the Colors, Nothing Else Matters, Queen in Five Minutes, My Mother Told Me, The Grinch, Tennessee Whiskey, Billie Eilish In Four Minutes, Panic At The Disco (Parts 1 and 2 - do them together, they're short and VERY connected), If I Was A Rich Man/Girl, Grim Grinning Ghosts, Dream On, Enemy and Warrior (both those two are Imagine Dragons covers), Halo is another really good one (make sure you watch the tribute at the end), Hide and Seek they did (Lauren Paley was the guest vocalist for that one), any of their Disney performances, their Portal theme cover was awesome AND hilarious, Oogie Boogie from Nightmare Before Christmas, Phantom of the Opera (this is an older piece with a prior member, Tony, playing the phantom)...
I think those are good suggestions to get you started. ;)
ANYTHING Halloween themed by Voiceplay (or Geoff's solo Halloween works) is awesome. Voiceplay pretty much owns Halloween. LOL.
Eli *IS* actually a rock tenor. Nothing Else Matters and Hoist The Colors puts that on display very well. :)
I'm not going to detail all the members here because others have already done a wonderful job of that in your comments.
Enjoy the rabbit hole that Voiceplay is. Also just as an FYI : Geoff and Layne pretty much share the arranging 50-50. Geoff has done about half the arrangements for VP and so has Layne.
One last tip, or rather a word of advice for you : ALWAYS watch the outro/credits for their videos. If you skip them, you'll miss some fun stuff (and you'll hear about it in SPADES in your comments, too! LOL).
VP are an independent group, so we fans can be a little emphatic about properly supporting them so they can stay independent, and that includes their outros/credits where they include fun bits sometimes and Patreon supporters/group's Patreon, shout-outs, announcements of upcoming stuff, etc.
Voice Play has truly become a powerhouse to be reckoned with! ❤
Rock Star Eli shines in Dream On.. Seven Nation Army. They all shine in Creep & In The Air Tonight.
As the "theater kids" of the Acapella Trinity, check out their Disney medleys. They are amazing. The outro sounds like the karaoke track that you can get as a Patron.
Yes, you got all of them right at the end.
Keep on keepin' on!
I think this'll be a pretty common reaction, but ...They're ALL my favorite! Like you, I started with one of Geoff's solo pieces and was blown away. I'm still blown away when I hear him -- either solo or with VoicePlay. The more I watch of VP though, the more I recognize how outstandingly talented and versatile the other guys are. Especially the lineup you see in this video; but most of their guest artists are wonderful, too.
Love your commentary, and your effort to get to know the performers you're commenting on. Thanks, coach!
For the sake of having being punched in the face with beautiful sounds and more eli awesomeness you have got to check out their cover of nothing else matters, dream on, carry on wayward son, and Enemy.
And to piggyback off of @pt62 if I were a rich man/ girl and we don't talk about Bruno is a must. To add to that you should check out the little mermaid medley and moana medley. There are more of course. They are awesome and Halloween is around the corner so keep an eye out for their holiday hits.
Whoo, the list of favorites and recs from these guys is just too long, and they keep adding to it! The tip-top highlights for me currently would be Hoist the Colours, Nothing Else Matters, We Don't Talk About Bruno, Creep and In The Air Tonight, but then there's Butter, the Moana medley, Man in the Mirror, Drunken Sailor, Queen in Five Minutes, Just Sing, Don't Stop Believin', The Wellermen...heck, pick anything out of their channel at random, including their "mini" shorts, and you will not be disappointed. They'll be dropping a new one soon that I can't tell you about yet, but trust me, you won't want to miss it. My personal favorite is Cesar, but all of the guys and their regular guests are incredible performers and just amazing, funny, awesome people.
I would recommend Nothing else matters and the wicked medley, especially if you are a fan of that music. My kids love the Disney medleys. Oh Creep is also very well done.
You did a great job with the names. To hear more of their voices you might try some of their slower songs where they don’t have a lot of percussion. I love the harmonies in the cover of Tennessee Whiskey, Can’t Help Falling In Love and True Colors. But Cesar is not in any of those. At that point in time Earl, a laser high tenor, was still with a group as was J.
J was a permanent member from 2017 to 2021 when the Navy recruited him to front one of their bands. I love that they have him staring out across the water at the beginning. He’s been away and now he’s coming back (at least for this. Later that evening he attended a wedding - his own!).
Previously they did a cover of My Mother Told Me (also associated with the video game Assassin’s Creed) J was still a permanent member of the group. The makeup and a lot of the costuming is from MMTM. Among their tattoos are runes spelling out VoicePlay.
Layne did this arrangement and Eli (rock god) the amazing digital backgrounds. It was filmed, not green screen, but at a studio with immense (Full wall!) LED screens. Unfortunately, the guys were in leather and furs and the air-conditioning was not working.🥵
Some background: VoicePlay has been performing for many many years. Geoff and Layne met in middle school along with Earl Elkins Jr. a high tenor. The three of them began to sing together and competed in high school with other musical groups. One of their competitors was Eli who was at another nearby high school.
In 1997, after they graduated high school they released their first album under the group name 4:2:Five. Around 2010, Eli joined the group after touring with rock bands for many years. Around that time Scott Porter, who had been the beatboxer, left to pursue an acting career and Layne took over the beatboxing. Layne had been the baritone up till then. (Scott appears in their cover of HALO ).
At that point in time Tony Wakim came in as baritone and stayed with them till 2016. He left left to co-found a production company (with Layne) and J came in as baritone until 2021. Other than Earl, all of the changes have been in the baritone spot. But then again they don’t always sing in the categories they’ve been assigned so it’s always up in the air!
In 2020, after 23 years, Earl left the group for health and personal reasons. In 2021, J was recruited by the Navy and Cesar DeLaRosa, the youngest member, has filled that position.
They still are short one permanent member and use a lot of guest artists. You can find the guest artist because they usually place them in the middle. I hope that helps a little bit. They’ve gone through a lot of changes but they’ve been around for over 25 years so that’s to be expected.
If you watch their video Just Sing with the captions on you can see a lot of their guest artists they’ve worked with up through 2019 and as well as prior members. It was a collaborative video made just after Covid stopped everybody from touring. It was released as a fundraiser for musicians who ended up out of work.
(You did ask for background!🤷🏼♀️)
I’ve only been following Geoff and VoicePlay for about 3 months and Valhalla and I See Fire are my favorites so to date.
Great reaction.
These guys are amazing in everything they do.
Not only are they The Theater Kids but also The Kings of Halloween. Their Halloween videos are amazing.
Their new Halloween video should be on TH-cam next week.
Geoff's will be on TH-cam this Saturday, the 9th. Be prepared for a rollercoaster of ranges.
Geoff, Layne and former member Earl Elkins Jr met in middle school. They and 2 others founded 4:2: Five in 1997. One member left in 2001 for Broadway. The second, Scott Porter (original beatboxer)left in 2003 for a very successful acting career. At that time Geoff taught Layne how to beatbox. He was and is their baritone. They had several member changes throughout the years. Eli joined in 2010. Tony Wakim in 2011. And they changed the name to Voiceplay. Tony left in 2016 to go behind the scenes and help run his and Layne's production company, Pattycake Productions. Where most of Geoff and Voiceplay videos are filmed.
In 2018 J None joined. Earl left in 2020. J None left in 2021 to sing with the US Navy. He still has a couple years. But returns when he can to sing with them. J is very much loved by both Voiceplay and fans. Cesar joined right after J left to replace him.
At the present they only have 4 members so they collaborate with various artists for the 5th.
Seeing as it's Halloween season I recommend Voiceplay and Geoff Halloween videos.
Voiceplay has a bunch. Geoff has 3. But they both will be releasing their new Halloween videos soon.
Geoff this Saturday, the 9th. Be prepared for a rollercoaster of ranges.
Both of their videos are Disney movie Villain songs.
Voiceplay probably next week.
I loved your reaction! I'm so impressed with the fact you looked up who everyone was and then figured out who everyone was correctly based on that. I appreciate that so much in someone who is analyzing something like this, particularly as a professional. Shows you care about who and what you're talking about.
I am a huge fan of Voiceplay and I will absolutely be coming back if you keep breaking their stuff down. I love the details that vocal coaches can pick out and explain!
The guys are super cool. They have such good vibes. Their behind the scenes videos and webchats are so fun. Many have been working together for years. Geoff and Layne are founding members. They founded it in high school under the name 42Five. Their first beat boxer was Scott Porter, who left in 2003, but comes back for collabs/cameos. Eli has been their tenor 2 since 2010. They won Ed McMahon's Next Big Star contest in 2000. They performed at Disney World, Universal Studios, and on cruises. They were on The Sing-Off in the 2010s.
Their old baritone was Tony who is now co-owner of Pattycake Productions with Layne, and often helps VP with their videos. They also often film them at that production studio. J None was their baritone after Tony left. J left to join the Navy, but comes back to work with them a lot. Cesar came in after J left and is just adorable, as well as talented. They had an old tenor who was a founding member, Earl, who left. You'll see him in older videos. While talented, I feel like the others get more time to shine without a high tenor fronting all the time.
Since the tenor 1 left, they usually collab with another person to make their 5 piece group. They've collabed with Rachel Potter, Deejay Young, guys from other acappella groups, and others. They are so good about arranging their music just so perfectly for whoever collabs to just fit in so well.
Geoff and Layne usually trade off arranging, though others have too. The arranger usually also directs the video. They do much of the work all by themselves. Eli does lights pretty much every time. Geoff's wife produces and does all sorts of behind the scenes work. They will all work on the videos. They often employ someone for makeup, videography, and post. But they are all so involved, it is pretty much just all them. It's so fun to see them at work. Check out their Patreon for BTS of their shoots. It's so interesting! 💚
Loved the reaction and analytical journey through that. I know it's not a difficult thing but I also really enjoyed that you perfectly identified everyone and even pronouncing Eli's name correctly! Watching Voiceplay reactions is a fun pastime for me and not everyone picks up on the different vocal percussions through through song. Voiceplay (colloquially VP) are one of those groups that leave you coming back to enjoy the songs again and to pick up on things missed the first 1 or 2 or 10 times 😅. New sub ❤.
Other songs to check out:
My Mother Told Me
The Dragonborn Comes
Oogie Boogies Song
Grim Grinning Ghosts
Carry On My Wayward Son
❤❤❤❤😊😊😊 Thank you for this. Voiceplay is an amazing group!!
Awesome first reaction. Dead on with who’s who. You really can’t go wrong with any Voiceplay selection. If you go a few years back to Oogie Boogie Song or Warriors, you’ll see a bearded guy named Earl that is no longer with the group. Their Disney stuff is amazing but also recent masterpieces like their cover of Metallica’s Nothing Else Matters are phenomenal.
There's really no bad choice. Partwork videos don't usually have the full group, ACA top 10s are short song clips with nice transition, Disney medleys (frozen, Moana, little mermaid) are where the theatre kids really come out, and I really like a lot of the older ones for obvious silly energy and a reference for how they've grown their singing and composition skills (bubblegum, phantom, I knew you were trouble). The new hellfire from hunchback is amazing but I think my favorite is still wicked medley
My absolute favorite part of the whole song is the part when J.None is rapping and Geoff bottoms out with that insane drone note, while Eli and Caesar fly out over top with that high “This is war!!!”. The contrast between the three parts is SO striking!
P.S. Really nice analogy by you, thinking of the “ooohs” during the rap as calm seas, and the rap as rough, the prow of the ship smacking up and down. Kudos!
"my mother told me" is amazing too.....well they're just amazing...
You can't go wrong with anything they've released this year (or honestly, any year, but they are really having a peak year right now), but given that we have now entered spooky season, you might want to check out some of their Halloween offerings (and both Geoff and VP are about to drop some amazing new videos)--last year's In the Hall of the Mountain King and Hide and Seek (Ding Dong) are great, as are their many Nightmare before Christmas videos and Geoff's solo Monster Mash, Headless Horseman and Ghost Riders in the Sky.
Juliet, maybe try Hoist The Colors next.
I don’t know of any Journey songs they’ve done offhand, but definitely Carry On Wayward Son and Queen in Five Minutes show off Eli’s Rock side. Also Seven Nation Army (I never loved that song, but their take on it is brilliant).
This cover is VERY different from the original by @MiracleOfSound (Gavin Dunn), which is definitely not dub-step. But Gavin did check in and give them ten out of ten alehorns.
Kathy (Geoff’s wife) is very involved in the production of most of these guys’ songs. Eli usually does the lighting (he’s also the tenor-I think you got that one). J.None is a former member (he was the lead here). He left to sing for the Navy but comes back when he can to sing with him and we hope he’ll rejoin the group when he’s done his part for the Navy. Layne Stein, the percussionist, used to be the group’s baritone but took on beat-boxing when Scott Porter left the group (Scott came back to sing with them in the Halo theme, which was a tribute to a member of the company who died during the pandemic). Layne and Geoff typically trade off doing the arrangements, and Eli occasionally does one as well. Cesar (full beard) is the newest member of the group and he’s constantly surprising us with new and unexpected vocals and acting.
So glad you found these guys-there’s a LOT to explore and it’s all fantastic! Great reaction!!
The outro of this video is one of my favorites. I appreciate it being included
There's so much to check out for Voiceplay. You may want to check out Oogie Boogie Song, Hall of the Mountain King, Fiddler on the Roof, Nothing Else Matters, and Phantom of the Opera. After you see several of those, you'll have a good idea of what they can do.
What I love most about Voiceplay are their Disney and musical theater medleys. These videos are the most fun. Little Mermaid, Moana, Wicked, We don’t talk about Bruno etc.
Cool, I definitely need to check those out, thanks!
This song always makes me want to go out and destroy something. With a sword, lol.
Love Voiceplay. So much talent and yeah, they go all out with their videos. Oogie-Boogie's Song video is hilarious. You should definitely react to more of their videos.
J None is the fellow on the ledge outside, Geoff you know but sings 3 B0s extended, Layne does the beatboxing including the creaking door, Eli is the bald tenor aka Rock God, Cesar is Mr Diction and baritone/tenor. Some of my favorites: Nothing Else Matters (Metallica), In The Air Tonight (Phil Collins), I Can't Make You Love Me (Bonnie Raitt), We're Good (Dua Lipa) Cesar's final audition to join as a member.
Hi dear ...the voice play is super amazing...and Geoff is a super low bass singer...Incredible performance. U are so cute! 👏👏👏
Thanks for this reaction ! Love them ❤🎉 please check their stunning rendition of metallica's nothing else matters
Wow you've gotten a lot of good background and recommendations, but I expect nothing less from us Voiceplayas.
So, I'll let you know that another thing that makes this group special is they do nearly every part of production themselves. Layne and Geoff are the main arrangers for the group and they usually trade off the month. There have been a couple Eli arrangements, and Hannah Juliano is someone they bring on when they have a female guest because they're not used to arranging for a female voice all the time.
The person who arranges the piece also concepts the video shoot, picks out the set, costumes, etc. Also, whoever arranges also edits the video. They often have one or two camera guys. If they need involved makeup work done like in this video, they call in Rick Underwood.
For lighting, Eli has taken on their lighting design for a few years now, and he just gets better and better. In fact, the song/video that came first in their Viking lineup was My Mother Told Me. J was a permanent member, Cesar wasn't around yet, and they had a different guest, Jose Rosario Jr, but it was the same concept with the same characters and costumes. For that video, Eli created the backgrounds they're in using Unreal Engine, the same software engine used to make video games. They're still very much 2D environments though, and he said if he ever got another chance at it, he would want to make it more immersive. Lo and behold, this year he got his chance with Valhalla Calling. He used Unreal Engine again and then they went to a place called Vu Studios where they were able to project Eli's backgrounds on the LED walls and film it with their special camera for capturing the images. Then Eli edited the video. So the backgrounds you see here are not real. Only the tables/benches, a few handheld props, and, of course, our guys are real.
They also do a first pass of the mix for song, but they send it off to Ed Boyer, the king mixer for a cappella groups to get them the final mix.
But yeah, concept, arrangement, first mix, set, props, putting it all together, tearing it all down at the end, lighting, costuming.....it's all them, with Kathy, Geoff's wife as their Production Manager.
This was Layne's arrangement, you need one from Geoff. I'd start with I Can't Make You Love Me (they don't always do full costume and makeup). They try Eli's arrangement of either Creep or Eleanor Rigby (older lineup). Then get back to theater and check out Drunken Sailor.
Geoff and Voiceplay go nuts at Halloween, be prepared. Geoff's is coming out this Saturday, Voiceplay probably a week later.
Great reaction, I subscribed as soon as you reacted to Geoff.
There are basses who can sing lower than Geoff, but the clarity of his voice cannot be matched.
Voiceplay lost original member Earl Elkins (high tenor) in 2020. He's never been formally replaced. They just have a rotating series of guest artists in that spot.
Then they lost baritone JNone (as a permanent member) in 2021 when he joined the Navy. He was replaced by Cesar. But he still does vids with them when he's on Leave. Such as here.
When folks have very wide ranges, distinguishing between a tenor and a baritone is kind of arbitrary. When VP recorded "Dream On," any of the three higher voices... Cesar, Eli, or guest Omar Cardona... could've hit the high note. If JNone had been in that vid, I'm sure he could've hit it too.
J told me he def plans on coming back to VP when he is out of the Navy. I was so relieved!
Oh Goodie!!!
@@beverlykrebs4372I love all the guest artists. But when J comes back it’s just magic. I just hope that they continue featuring more artists because it really has let them branch out into things they wouldn’t have done before. But I can’t wait to hear J on a regular basis again
@@janetdw I agree 100%!!! J just has my heart, like he is my own son! His voice is so soothing & warm. I think it has some magical medicinal qualities! No matter how bad I feel, either physically or emotionally, I can play something by J, or by VP with him singing, and I instantly feel better, and full of joy! And the guest singers they have just blow me away! VP certainly knows how to select the very top of the talent heap!!v
Have you tried Voctave? Voiceplay are the theater kids. Pentatonix are the popular kids. Home Free are the down home country kids. Voctave are the kids who sing just for the joy of it. My personal favorite is their arrangement of Mary, Did You Know ft. the song's lyricist, Mark Lowry.
Voiceplay has covered “Anyway You Want It” and “Don’t Stop Believin’”.
You picked out Eli and Cesar correctly. Your best bet to hear Eli front and center is likely "Carry On Wayward Son". The others, from left to right are Layne (the vocal percussionist), and J None (the rapper), you already figured out Eli and you know Geoff.
Definitely favorites are hoist the colors (just amazing), little mermaid (amazing and hilarious), moana (amazing and beautiful), and phantom
J-none was their baritone before he left the group to join the navy. He joins them again from time to time as his schedule allows. Cesar took his place.
Top picks from VP include In the Hall of the Mountain King, Hoist the Colours, If I Were a Rich Man, This Is Halloween, Little Mermaid, We Don't Talk About Bruno, Tennessee Whiskey, Phantom of the Opera, Dream On, Carry On Wayward Son, You're A Mean One Mr. Grinch, Queen in Five Minutes. Ok, yes, I realize, that looks like a lot; but if you start by watching one of them, you're going to want to watch another, and then another...
They did carry on wayward son by Kansas and also Aerosmith's Dream on and nothing else matters by Metallica these ones are a few of my favorites ❤❤❤❤
J None was a member of VoicePlay before he went into the Navy. Other really good songs include In the Hall of the Mountain King, Oogie Boogie song, Moana medley (to name just a few).
Listen to Voice Play's cover of Metallica' s "Nothing Else Matters" it's time well spent and really showcases their talent. I would also recommend reviewing Jeff's cover of the Beatles song "Blackbird" and " Far over the Misty Mountain Cold" This group has so much to offer that there is not time to.list all the covers they have preformed.
For variety try Tennesey whiskey, Hoist the Colours, The oogie boogie song, Hall of the mountain king, We don't talk about Bruno all completely different.
When you get to my age you really appreciate clear diction and these guys make it easy. As you say even in his low pitch Geoff still enunciates clearly. I love their theatrical numbers but their more traditional style covers are just as impressive. I would say a lot more but TH-cam keep pausing me for apparently doing something they don't like so I'm being careful for now.
This is train to board for a fine ear candy meal and not want to leave.
Most importantly Voiceplay are the best group (of any style or genre) to do Halloween themed songs. Anything Nightmare before Christmas, Hall of the Mountain King, Hide and Seek. You wont find better material to enjoy the month.
Voiceplay do have a cover of Any Way You Want It by Journey, but Eli wasn't the highest tenor in the group at that point
Loved your analysis I saw your comment on for a Journey song with Eli, check out there cover of Carry on My Wayward Son from Kansas and Dream On from Aerosmith
thank you for the reaction. Personally i love "The Wicked" cover of Voiceplay...
Welcome to the VoicePlay rabbit hole, suggestions Nothing Else Matters, Dream On, you can hear a little bit more of Ellie.
Voiceplay has actually done several Journey songs. Check out Carry on my Wayward Son and Any Way You Want It. Voiceplay is a DEEP rabbit hole. They do so many different songs and share leads so well. They are my favorite a capella group by far!
10 out of 10 ale horns
You habe too watch there Disney stuff and there haloween stuff nightmaire before cristmas its soo good.
And geoffs own halloween stuff like headless horsman amd monster mash
And Geoff is doing another song from Nightmare before Christmas for his Halloween special this year! It’s my favorite of the movie and it’s rarely done so I was thrilled. It’s a whole new take on a very special character.
😮 is this a new genre? Viking Vibe?
Why not?! I like it!😊❤
@@christineschutten248 absolutely, I hope they keep delivering original stuff 🙂 - nothing wrong with a bit of viking
I would check out Hoist The Colours! I think it's probably the best vocally put together song they've done so far.
Recommendations: “ Oogie, boogie song”; “hoist the colors”; “drunken sailor”; “dragon born”; “seven nation army” just to name a few.
Because spooky season is coming.. voicplay has a lot of Halloween song you would love.. like "hide and seek" "oogie boogie" " kidnap mr sandy claws"
For Rock Tenor Eli I would say Dream On, Seven Nation Army or Carry on My Wayward Son
I’m surprised you didn’t mention Geoff’s long low sustained note at the beginning of the song.
You pretty much can't go wrong with any Voiceplay song. Some favourites of mine are good 4 you, we don't talk about Bruno and their new cover of Hellfire.
Also Oogie boogie song by Voiceplay really showcases Geoff's range.
The bald rock god is Eli (pronounced to rhyme with jelly)
Voiceplay's Oogie Boogie Song!!! ❤❤
Hoist the colours should be next.
i really appreciate what they did in that cover and i really like that but still nothing will beat the original Valhalla calling by Miracle of the sound and Peyton Perish
Check out Oogie Boogie by Voice Play with Geoff on lead.
If you like Eli check out their cover of wayward son
Welcome to voiceplay rabit hole
Please react to voiceplay hoist the colours
Please please
Journey song? My favorite Voiceplay clip is Any Way You Want It
I suggest you try some of their stuff like Moana or Little Mermaid, though also songs like Oogie Boogie's Song
Voice Play vs Home Free "Survivor".
Eli comment 2 month later: Nothing Else Matter, 7 Nation Army, Creep. Want to hear Eli in a rock song? Help yourself. 😊