1st Pentatonix, NOW...! VoicePlay FEAT Rachel Potter - O Holy Night

[@bethwalsh9020]

Welcome to Voiceplay! As others have said, this isn't a typical VP song, although gorgeous. Geoff the bass ( who started this song in his tenor range) is a freak of nature in all the best ways. His solo channel is well worth checking out, his latest is White Christmas. One of the things I most love about both VP and Geoff are their senses of humor, you can see that in VP's Christmas release The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late).

[@ilonadever8249]

Ah, my favorite thing - a reactor seeing/hearing Voiceplay for the first time!! First, Voiceplay does not block their work, it is not necessary to cover the screen or anything. The bass and percussionist have been singing together since middle school and professionally since 1997. Their acapella group rebranded about 10 or 11 years ago as Voiceplay. They used to tour and do cruises and the like, they've sung all over the world. But the pandemic shut everything down, and they have been concentrating on KZbin and other platforms. They are still short one permanent member so you will see a variety of featured artists. If you want something else for Christmas, I will recommend Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, which was done two years after this one, and the one they just dropped this year, Christmas Don't Be Late (the Chipmunk Song). Trust me! If you want to see the variety (sublime to ridiculous) that they can do, react to their I Can't Make You Love Me (heartbreaking) and In the Hall of the Mountain King (manic hysteria). I heard a reactor yesterday, about another piece, say that there was too much going on in an arrangement. There is always, always more going on in their arrangements than you can catch in one hearing. I appreciated your pausing to comment on what you heard. And while I completely understand your reaction, I have learned never to look away from the screen. Not so much in this one, but you can miss a lot. Sorry to be longwinded, and welcome to Voiceplay! Subscribed in anticipation of more.

[@tnae]

You’re the second person to let me know that voice play doesn’t claim videos covering then but I did get a claim on this video for the music. The video filter is kind of becoming a reflex at this point. I hope it didn’t keep you from enjoying this video.

[@DavideBaroni]

Welcome to the Voiceplay's rabbit hole. 😁 This is a pretty old video, and although I agree that there are a number of "voiceplay-istic" things in it, I don't know nor think it's really "characteristic" of what they do. They do so many different things though... 🙂 One of the characteristic Voiceplay things that does NOT happen here is some Geoff's really LOW register. Im talking of Geoff Castellucci, their bass singer, who BTW has a 5 octaves range 😁. You don't really hear him here, just in the background voice, or acting as a bass guitar. But his voice is one of Voiceplay's signatures. 🙂 Another of their signatures is that they give some time to anyone to shine. The solo parts are pretty well distributed, and the guest singers always sound as if they had sung together since forever 🙂, and also they cover any song with great respect for the original, but they always make the song "their own". And they have a lot of sense of humour. 🙂😁 Justo to see how different they can be, you could try for example: - Hoist the Colours, from Pirates of the Caribbean III - My Mother told me, from "Assassins Creed v - Vikings" - Warriors, originally by Imagine Dragons, and Dream On, originally by Aerosmith - We don't talk about Bruno, from Disney's movie "Encanto" - I can't make you love me, and/or Can't help falling in love - Wicked Medley (or The Greatest Show medley, if you prefer) - In the Hall of the Mountain King, for a creative and funny rendition of a classical instrumental piece - Halo Theme, no words but incredible voices performance, dedicated to "a fallen member" of their own fire team. And for the most "Christmas/Halloween season-ish" performances, "You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch", "This is Halloween", "The Oogie Boogie Song"...

[@tnae]

Wow that's a great comment! Thanks for all the information :)

[@toodlescae]

I agree.

[@Broomrider1492]

#TheatreKidsOfACappella. Always here for VoicePlay/Geoff Castellucci. Geoff has his own channel where he does his own Low Bass covers. His cover of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen about knocked me out of my chair.

[@welshlad691]

Great reaction and nice to see you expanding your viewing options!. Voiceplay have a special place in my heart, a lot of people consider them the theatre kids of the acapella world, due to their dedication to set design, lighting, costumes and makeup. They love Halloween and have several songs based on that theme, they are inventive and always seem to have great fun, which comes through in their performances. Based in Orlando, FL, the cast is now made up of Eli Jacobson (Tenor), Cesar De La Rosa (Baritone/Tenor 2), Geoff Castellucci (Base, with a ridiculous range!) and Layne Stein (Beatboxer). They have been including a guest singer on their covers since one of their original members left the group, and always do an incredible job of integrating them with the group. They don't often cover Christmas songs, as you'll notice if you look through their collection, their songs can be incredibly complex often with some vocal surprises in them. When you want something different, check out their covers of My mother told me and Hoist the colours, both featuring Jose Rosario Jr.

[@tnae]

It’ll be interesting to get into their more usual music. Thanks for watching and for all that information. Great comment :)

[@AndieO]

So much acapella goodness. You will not be disappointed with them.

[@karenponchak5304]

Rachel Potter: guest vocalist extraordinaire Geoff Castellucci: (pronounced Jeff) smoothest of basses J. None: silky baritone Eli Jacobson: (pronounced El-lee) chameleon tenor Earl Elkins Jr: lazer tenor Layne Stein: most organic percussionist Earl left VP in 2020 for undisclosed personal reasons. J.None left in 2021 to sing for the Navy. (Navy Band Northwest) Cesar de la Rosa has joined since as baritenor adorablé . 😊 They also have an earlier video with their previous baritone, Tony Wakim, featuring Rachel doing Phantom of the Opera, if you really want to hear how good she is.

[@tnae]

Phantom has some truly remarkable vocal pieces. I might have to check that out. Thanks for letting me know :)

[@SgtSplatter782]

At this point Rachel is the unofficial official 5th member of VoicePlay

[@Badger77722]

VoicePlay is affectionately known as the Theater Kids of the big 3 a cappella groups. As Pentatonix won the Sing-Off TV show in 2011, both Home Free and VoicePlay competed on the same show in 2012 - Home Free won the competition! VoicePlay will often go "full theater" mode - makeup, costumes, lighting, scenery, etc. You spoke of the arrangement of the vocals - interestingly enough, the vocal arrangements for this song are credited to Ben Bram, who does a great deal of the arrangements for Pentatonix - so much so that he is often referred to as the 6th member of PTX. In recent years, the vast majority of VoicePlay's arrangements have been done by either Layne Stein (the beatboxer) or Geoff (Jeff) Castellucci, the bass. Geoff started his own YT channel during the pandemic and arranges, produces, sings (usually 4 or 5 parts), directs, films, etc. his own solo videos. He usually "clones" himself so you can see him singing all of the parts at the same time. His solo videos aren't a cappella, but usually have very light instrumental accompaniment - Geoff is an accomplished keyboardist, and often plays piano or uses plug-ins to simulate other musical instruments. Recommendations for VoicePlay: Dragon Born Comes (from the video game Skyrim), Halo theme (from the video game Halo), My Mother Told Me, Oogie Boogie's Song (from the movie The Nightmare Before Christmas) Recommendations for Geoff Castellucci: White Christmas (for the season), Sixteen Tons (the old Tennessee Ernie Ford song), Monster Mash (from Halloween a couple of years ago), Ghost Riders In the Sky (from Halloween this year), Blackbird (from the Beatles)

[@tnae]

That’s interesting. Are they the group I’ve heard of them who did some Disney stuff and went all out with full face paint and the like? Thanks for the very informative comment. I appreciate your time and the time you took to watch the video :)

[@Badger77722]

@@tnae I believe that all of the original members of VoicePlay (which has been around for 20+ years under one name or another) had all worked at Disney/Universal theme parks in their musical theater shows. I know Geoff and his wife Kathy both worked in some sort of Frankenstein monster takeoff (Geoff was the monster, although he's not that tall, just looks it) - there are videos on YT showing them. Not sure if the newer members have also worked there or not, but since VoicePlay is based in Orlando, FL it's certainly possible. A YTer named Huldra Drake is a big fan of VoicePlay and has done a bunch of short documentaries about the group, individual members, etc. They're worth a look to get more background on the group - that's actually where I got a lot of my info! If she sees your reaction, she'll probably comment.

[@poodleladylady5686]

This is an older version of Voiceplay, and They have only improved with time., Check out their newer stuff, If you like Dream On from aero Smith, then check out Voiceplay's cover on it. Also Check out Man In The Mirror by Michael Jackson.Voiceplay's beat boxer(Layne) and bass singer (Geoff) arrange their music and do a fabulous job.

[@craftymissfit6007]

Great Reaction ! If you choose to visit Voiceplay again you do not need to have filters on as they are an independent group they do not have a record label they rely on thier patrons to support them

[@tnae]

I don’t know. It’s. Reflex at this point. This still did get claimed for the music. I’m disputing it so maybe they’ll let it go.

[@christinestromberg4057]

@@tnae I believe it's the monetising they might claim against, copyright claims are not an issue for them as they are not with any label.

[@tnae]

@@christinestromberg4057 I See. We're just having a terminology misunderstanding. Claiming the monetization is still termed a copyright claim (just not a copyright "strike") but because I put hours and hours of work into these video I would also like to try to avoid copyright claims where they claim all the monetization as well, if I can. It still doesn't work most of the time but I have to try, ya know?

[@christinestromberg4057]

@@tnae ok I don't really understand these things but I know that most reactors to VoicePlay, and Geoff, have no problem showing the videos in full. I take your point, though I doubt the hours you put in comes anywhere close to the hours they spend in researching, recording, arranging, filming, editing, mixing etc. :)

[@tnae]

@@christinestromberg4057 No, you're right. I'm sure it takes many more man hours to put together a song and music video than it does to film a reaction and analysis video like I do. I put in somewhere between 5 and 8 hours per video. But they get their royalties when people listen to their music. My job is to meet "fair use" standards which, by definition, requires that I add something to the content so as to create something new and "transformative" from the original content. The question I always ask myself is two-fold: ONE: could a person indulge in a satisfactory play through of the original music through my video. I like to think anyone who wants to listen to their original music would not be satisfied listening to it in pieces with my voice peppered throughout. The hope is then that perhaps I might even help introduce them to new fans who have not yet heard them but, after seeing my video, my search them out and watch/listen to several of their songs on their pages, thereby increasing their royalties gained. The second is simple: Do I offer anything of value unique and separate from the song I share? I can't speak for anyone else but I do try my very best to achieve this one. All that being said, consider the number of videos I post. I have been posting about 2 video a day for a while. That's 10 to 16 hours of work a day. Even when they don't get claimed, a video that gets 10k views will earn me about $7 or $8. A little simple math and I'm sure you can see that the hourly return isn't very promising. I appreciate your going to bat for the grou0p you love. And I never want to be seen as being greedy. I'm just trying to make this job sustainable and to provide for my family. Anyway, thanks for the comments and for watching these videos with me. I'm glad you enjoy them :)

[@veronicathunander4579]

VoicePlay is great!! They usually do their own arrangements, but this one was arranged by Ben Bram who arranges a lot for Pentatonix. So I would not say that this was typical VoicePlay, but it’s beautiful nonetheless!

[@gilliandrysdale5306]

please do listen to more voiceplay you will get a lot of their fans watching your reactions this is one of their earlier ones ❤🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@christinestromberg4057]

I hope you check out more of their viceos, they have a few Christmas ones as does Geoff Castellucci, their bass, who has his own channel. His God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen is incredible as are all his videos, and VoicePlay's. I have subscribed in the expectation of seeing you react to more ot them. What sets VoicePlay apart is their emphasis on theatrical play although it isn't evident in this particular one. It wouldn't be appropriate here. Geoff, ,the bass, and Layne Stein the vocal percussionist usually, are incredible arrangers and do roughly half each of the group's arrangements. Their harmonies give most people goose bumps. It helps to used headphones with Voiceplay in order to hear the depths Geoff goes down to. Also I have to point out that VoicePlay are very versatile, and cover all genres of music.

[@Froggyh63]

Great reaction! Yes, Voiceplay is sooooo talented. Check out their "Wicked" Medley, it will blow your mind. Merry Christmas!

[@kathrynmenzel2615]

You are in for a treat when it comes to the bass line with Voiceplay in almost all their other songs. Geoff Castellucci, the singer who opened the song has one of the best low bass voices in the world and is usually heavily featured. He has gone as low as B0 in Voiceplay performances.He also has his own channel, where he harmonizes with himself.

[@tnae]

I’ll defiantly have to give his channel a look! Thanks for letting me know and thanks for watching/commenting on my video too :)

[@Traci2000]

I'm excited for you to see more of this group. This one is a bit different from what they usually do, as they had a guest arranger. Check out their "We Don't Talk About Bruno" to see what they're really like. It's still amazing vocally but it's just a good time! They tend to be super creative with their arrangements which is what makes them my favorite Acapella group.

[@tnae]

We don't talk about Bruno...That's the one from that Disney film, yeah? I'll look into it. Thanks for the comment and for watching this with me

[@Freakiehippy30]

You deeeeeefinitely need to check out some of their newer stuff, totally different ball game, this was older and more “traditional” in arrangement than a lot of what they do normally

[@Wildecat10]

I’d love to see you react to more VoicePlay. There have been a lot of good suggestions, and I’ll add one of my own - We Don’t Talk About Bruno. No acapella group is better at Disney than VoicePlay. But I will also suggest that you wait until you have more VoicePlay reactions under your belt before you do Hoist the Colours. When that first came out it broke many VoicePlay-seasoned reactors with one standing up (and forgetting that he only had on underwear)! It’s not a piece to start on. Generally, I think you’ll find that what sets VoicePlay apart is their humor and theatricality. I’ve subscribed to see what else you choose to do.

[@CynicalTesuji]

I would highly, highly suggest that you check out some of VoicePlay's more recent releases the next time you check them out. This song is a rather old release- several of the members featured in this video are no longer with the group. However, Geoff (the bass) and Layne (vocal perc) are the ones who provide the arrangements for the group and they've been with VoicePlay since it began, so the overall 'sound' of the group hasn't changed so much as it has matured. They have very much hit their stride in the past couple of years, and if you think this song made your hair stand up then prepare to be shaken to your core when you hit 'Hoist the Colours' or their cover of the Halo Theme. You'll definitely hear the lower end to their sound in those. Or if you want an incredibly complex arrangement (and one that is VoicePlay in every aspect), check out their cover of 'In the Hall of the Mountain King.'

[@vickiroman189]

So glad you've come to a cappella! The third group in the a cappella power triad today is Home Free. They started as country but branched out into pretty much all genres (except rap, so far). "Man of Constant Sorrow" (with Avi from PTX), "Try Everything," "Butts Remix," and "Helplessly Hoping" will give you a nice beginning sampler of their awesomeness. Thank you!

[@tnae]

Thanks! Just did a reaction to them singing a Christmas cover. It should be post tomorrow. I hope you can check it out :) I’ll look into more of their music if I get the chance.

[@vickiroman189]

@@tnae Will do and thank you!

[@neighbourlady]

I love watching reactions to VoicePlay and Home Free - you are new to them - you are going down a rabbit hole of so much fun!! Do not wait until next Halloween for Geoff's Monster Mash or VP's Oggie Boogie - The Whos, Hoist the Colors.. oh soo many!!!

[@reactionsaccount3955]

There are plenty of amazing a capella groups to react to, including Home Free, Voctave & The Bass Gang.

[@tnae]

Home Free on the way in the en today or two and voctave hopefully before Christmas. Thanks for watching and for the comment :)

[@kellywilliams364]

Yes please check out Bass Gang!!

[@BonnieKaupp]

Wonderful reaction! This was just the tip of the iceberg. The VoicePlay/Geoff Castellucci rabbit hole is so deep and contains many, many videos that will, I'm sure, please you to your core. You have gained a new subscriber today. 😊

[@allisoncameron-dicker2737]

Great reaction.. Voiceplay NEVER do anything "standard". They don't often always do Christmas songs In this way.. This year's song is Christmas don't be late (the Chipmunk song). They are all equally talented and this song although beautiful and emotional.. doesn't show you their range, .... As I saw commented, Earl (high tenor) left after health issues and J. None is in the US navy now. To get a better sense of them, you need to see some of their other and more recent work.. They have collaborated with Rachel multiple times for Disney medleys and Chandelier among others.... They've done game themes such as dragon born comes and Halo.. Ballads such as Tennessey whiskey... Then their is Geoff's solo channel.. Ain't no sunshine, ghost rider's in the sky, Shenandoah.... Am subscribed looking forward to seeing more Voiceplay and Geoff

[@tnae]

Wow. Looks like I have my work cut out for me :p. Thanks for the comment and for checking out my video!

[@davidsumpter4933]

I feel this is not a common performance from them, they are usually much fuller with a strong bottom end.

[@beefan2528]

Pentatonix, Voiceplay, Home Free - the trifecta of American a cappella; no better folks to introduce you to the genre. However, there are a LOT of very good a cappella ensembles formed at US universities and colleges - if the You Tube heavy hitters aren't near you, BUY LOCAL tickets!

[@tnae]

I’m still a little shy about theatre performances since 2020. I do miss the theatre. I was a regular theatre goer before THAT happened. Maybe it’s time to get back into it.

[@bkm83442]

Voiceplay usually has a lot of deep fill -- this song is a little different. The base Geoff Castellucci is second to none.

[@bjspeck4337]

A variety of my favorites: Dragonborn Comes Skyrim, Hoist the Colours (Pirates of the Caribbean), Hall of the Mountain King (Edvard Grieg 1875), Nothing Else Matters (Metallica), In The Air Tonight (Phil Collins), We're Good (Dua Lipa), Creep (RadioHead), Little Mermaid (Disney), Phantom of the Opera, Wicked, We Don't Talk About Bruno (Disney - Encanto), Drunken Sailor (~1650).

[@loriepecinasadler1413]

💕👍

[@eunicebardin9629]

Please listen to this version of the song. Best ever! David Phelps will be another rabbit hole you'll want to go down!

[@christineschutten248]

If you do more VoicePlay and Home Free I will be here! VoicePlay is my favorite but Home Free is also special. I love both groups and can't get enough of them. I read a lot of recommendations for VoicePlay my all time favorite is Oogie Boogie's Song but you might want to hold off til Halloween if your going to do a special. These guys are so good and every person they collaborate with fits in like a glove. If you want to do a reaction to Home Free there's a relatively new video out called Brother the song is just fantastic and the video is hilarious. I've subbed in hopes of seeing more from my two favorite groups.😊

[@barbarajean1141]

I didn’t go through all the comments but another with face paint and Rachael Potter is Little Mermaid medley 👍

[@geoffreyfagan1798]

Hey, just found your channel. This is a traditional song and the "simple" arrangement was a stylistic choice; you'll have to go a little deeper to get a feel for the group; I'd make a suggestion but they're all good. Looking forward to seeing you check 'em out.

[@tnae]

Glad you found your way here! I hope you’ll take the time to check out some of my other videos. I’ve tried to keep everything in pretty easy to follow playlists. I hope to see your username in other comment threads but regardless, it was nice to meet you here :) thank you for stopping in

[@melodiemalone2317]

Great reaction Please react to more voiceplay. Please react to voiceplay Chipmunks song ( christmas don t be late) please 🥺🥺🥺

[@cindyowens3965]

I am enjoying your reactions. Thanks! Please react to Voiceplay’s version of Halo, Dream On or Carry On My Wayward Son.

[@leechowning8728]

ok, I am setting the bell, because you are about to jump into the shark tank that is VP... and Geoff... with no warning at all. Considering your other videos, I would say begin with some of their Disney medleys. While some of us are... sadists... and will recommend things like Dragonborne, Oogie Boogie, or Mother Told Me, I want you to have a chance to ease into them because this song was not arranged be Geoff (the base) or Layne (the beat boxer), so it is very much not their usual style. As to the worry about not being able to tell the big three apart, that doesn't happen. You will know a PTX song, of a HF song, or a VP song within the first 30 seconds.

[@CindyNavarro]

I do love hearing Voiceplay & Pentatonix, but Home Free is my hands-down favorite. They sing many genres and span from serious to silly. They have also taken a couple of songs that I have always disliked and put a spin on them that I love.

[@ShoRon36]

Looks and sounds like they were doing a cover of Pentatonix. Visual = Hallelujah; sound = any Pentatonix performance featuring Kirsten.

[@veronicathunander4579]

That’s probably because Ben Bram, who arranges a lot of Pentatonix’s covers, arranged this one. It’s the only one he’s arranged for VoicePlay, so this isn’t their usual sound. They usually arrange their covers themselves. However, during the past 1,5 year they haven’t done everything themselves: some minis and 2 full songs were arranged by Rob Diaz, and 2 were arranged by VoicePlay and Rob together. Everything else is arranged by VoicePlay, which I’m very happy about because I find VoicePlay’s own arrangements extremly interesing and fun to listen to!😊

[@veronicathunander4579]

But, I wanna add to be clear, that I think this is beautiful!!

[@veronicathunander4579]

*Meant Rob Dietz, not Diaz.