GEOFF CASTELLUCCI "I See Fire" - The Hobbit // Audio Engineer & Musician Reacts

My first Geoff solo song did NOT disappoint - how is it possible to get your voice this low!!?!?
What's up, everyone! I'm Jeremy, a professional audio engineer & musician; and in this video, you get my first time reaction to GEOFF CASTELLUCCI "I See Fire" - The Hobbit. I don't like to stop mid-song (you miss so much and it's a pet peeve when I watch reactors!), so stick around for the commentary to hear my thoughts on the song. Timestamps below:
0:00 Welcome! / Intro
1:14 Reaction / I don't stop mid-song ;-)
6:04 Commentary
// Check out ‪@GeoffCastellucci‬ "I See Fire"- The Hobbit original video: • I SEE FIRE - The Hobbi...
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#musicreaction #geoffcastellucci #iseefire
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[@alyssadaniels7841]

Geoff only currently has two videos without clones, which he uses to represent the different vocal tracks that are all him. Don’t feel bad about being confused; several new reactors have been faked out by this video because the makeup was so good! Geoff has a 5 octave range and utilizes all of it. This video is actually outside of the norm in how much lead tenor is present and it’s honestly some of his best tenor work to date, imo.

[@billsturm9225]

Geoff in an audition. Casting director:"So Mr. Castellucci, what parts can you sing". Geoff: Yes

[@DavideBaroni]

Welcome to the mesmerising world of Geoff 😁. Yep, he can sing VERY low and quite high. And here he was in the range where he can actually SING, not just hit a note. 🙂 For even higher pitches (I believe), you can check a couple of Voiceplay live videos, like "Elvira" (and another one I can't remember the title right now). Or his own "High and dry", for example. As for some suggestions for your next stops in this journey, you could check "Far over the Misty Mountains cold", which is sort of a "prequel" of this one. That is from the first movie of the Hobbit trilogy, this one is from the second. Hopefully, next year we'll got something from the third one 😄. More video that are kind of "must watch" in his catalogue: "Ain't no sunshine", "The sound of silence", "Man of constant sorrow", "Shenandoah", "Rains of Castamere", "Ghost Riders in the Sky", "House of the Rising Sun", "16 tons" and "Big Bad John", and pretty much whatever you like to watch 😅. Loved your reaction, your expressions told the whole story. And don't worry, many others were fooled into thinking they were 4, when Geoff released "Misty Mountain" (same costumes and makeups... And some pretty lovely notes 😁). See you next time!

[@musikbyjh]

Thank you for the terrific recommendations, Davide! Definitely added to the list - can't wait for more Geoff solo performances! ✌🏽

[@marshayoung9387]

@@musikbyjh thank you for an awesome reaction to Geoff Castallucci. Please put these on your list. 1. Sounds Of Silence, a rather heart breaking rendition. 2. Shenandoah 3. The Headless Horseman.

[@janetdw]

I think it’s pretty amazing that not only did they have the same costumes available (and the extra singers😂), but Rick Underwood, the makeup artist,still had the hair and beard pieces from the first video.

[@DavideBaroni]

@@janetdw ...Unless they had PLANNED it in advance, maybe thinking of a whole "trilogy", one song from each of the movies... 😁😇

[@raycardy4843]

Hi Jeremy! This is a 'sequel' of sorts to an earlier video from about a year ago, 'Far Over The Misty Mountains Cold' - from the first part of the trilogy, where we first met these 'dwarves' - (L to R) - Kili, Bofur, Fili, and Thorin Oakenshield, using the same costumes (with some accessories) and makeup (Rick Underwood kept the beards/hairpieces and did an amazing job again!). This time they each get to show their voices! 😊FYI - you need to watch the outros, both for Geoff and VP, as there's often a little extra, such as a message from Geoff on this one!

[@bjspeck4337]

I've seen it with other reactors so don't feel bad. That man has a 5 octave range, it's so much fun to watch him. Geoff has a couple of videos that he did on how to sing really low. A couple of the reactors I go to, put Geoff's how to...up for a reaction and they were working on the directions Geoff gave them. That was fun. The first time I heard Geoff was almost 2 yrs ago when the little KZbin window showed up saying I could listen to The Monster Mash (my favorite Halloween song) by Geoff Castellucci - so leaving news behind me as well as how to make raised beds for flowers and all, I listened and watched Geoff do the Monster Mash and I was incredibly hooked. Found that he was part of a group, VoicePlay, so I looked them up and they were doing Hoist the Colours from the Pirates of the Caribbean. I've never looked back, I looked up their 800 or so videos and spent 4 or 5 months listening to everything they had done. I occasionally find one I've missed, for Valentine's Day, someone had posted their Grow Old With Me. Just lovely. In the time I've been down that rabbit hole I may have missed a total of a month over the 2 yrs. So I appreciate you, it's joyous to watch you hear and see it for the first time - kind of like taking someone to the Grand Canyon that you've seen already, the sharing that experience doubles the happiness.

[@Aurora-cv5to]

Delighted to see you here! Geoff is also playing the piano. Your ears are better than mine, but while all of his performances are top flight, I think Ain't No Sunshine is a cut above. Please add it to your list for reactions?

[@BlueZebra1955]

I have to admit, you gave me a good laugh.🤣 But yes, These are the Geoff-ettes. Watch his other covers to see how he rolls.

[@christinestromberg4057]

You need to know that Geoff has a five octave range, he just doesn't use all of it all the time. If you write 4/5 part harmonies, and can sing all the parts, why not do it? :) Don't worry, Geoff fools a lot of people. He has done one at least that's just him and a piano, that's High and Dry. And in Sound of Silence you see only him and a piano but here some harmonising too. But mostly he's a four or five man group, or a singer with a backing group of himself. :)

[@rosswhite5975]

He almost has 6 octaves now as he can do 'B zero' in subharmonic and hit an A# 5 in Peaches.

[@michaelkeller5555]

Geoff has a 5 octave range, which is insane. The lowest low notes he does, he uses subharmonics. If you listen really closely, you can hear a subtle difference between his regular chest voice and subharmonics. He can go all the way from the lowest bass notes (B0 so far) all the way up to high tenor. His talent is absolutely unreal.

[@ericturner7824]

This is actually a 'sequel' to his cover of Under the Misty Mountain....Cold....he CAN sing 4 and 5 part harmonies......with VoicePlay, their cover of Oogie Boogie Song, shows off his 5+ Octave range.....give it a lilsten and watch.......Geoff does amazing things......Sixteen Tons, Ghost Riders In the Sky, 'Monster Mash'......you will be amazed......Shenandoah.....etc.......>^^

[@laundrygoddess4]

You'll adore ghost riders in the sky. There are five of them. Ain't no Sunshine I think is right up there with this one. He makes you feel all the feels with that one

[@christineschutten248]

I'm glad you got to Geoff's solo stuff. He's such an incredible singer. His videos are always entertaining and he pays a great deal of attention to detail. He arranges his music, and produces and edits his own videos. Usually Eli(bald tenor from VoicePlay) does the lighting and Layne(beatboxer for VoicePlay) will do the camera work.

[@Badger77722]

Nice reaction! I think this is the best thing Geoff's done to date - simply amazing from all aspects of the video. And take heart - not only are you not the only reactor to initially not realize all 4 were the same person, but you caught it during the reaction - I've seen a couple who never did catch on! When Geoff does a cover, he usually sings multiple parts in order to be able to create the necessary harmonies, and has been showing his "clones" since he first started his solo channel - although they don't always look as different as this! Often it's just 4 versions of Geoff, but occasionally Geoff goes all out with the makeup and costumes - Far Over the Misty Mountains Cold, Ghost Riders in the Sky, Till Then, Monster Mash, Headless Horseman...hmm, maybe he does it more than I thought! Besides those songs mentioned above, I'd also recommend Bare Necessities (the first video he did on his solo channel - to see how far he's come in just a couple of years), Blackbird (another one where he shows his range), Sound of Silence (the clones are there vocally but not visually), and Sixteen Tons (the first one I ever saw of Geoff's solo work).

[@janetdw]

Great reaction. I really like that you picked up the sound of the fire and the lighting changes. Eli, the bald rock tenor from VoicePlay, arranged the lighting and put it into some program so that Geoff’s wife Kathy could go ahead and do it. On the day of the filming it was just Geoff, Kathy and Rick Underwood, the make up genius. Misty Mountains is still my favorite just because it’s so gorgeous. But this one is so emotional it’s a very close number two. The set is relatively simple but very effective. Something about the way that they’re just quietly sitting there pondering their fates makes this almost visceral. As much as I love Geoff’s bassy goodness, it’s the tenor and baritone that do it for me in this one. It was such a treat to hear him sing for a fairly long time in such a high a range. Thorin has the deepest voice and he has the darkest lyrics. Several times when he looks over at his “brothers” his look is so melancholy. It’s as if he knows they’re going into battle and will be fighting for their lives and he’s already in mourning. 🥺 🔥🪵❤️‍🔥🪵🔥🪵❤️‍🔥🪵🔥🪵❤️‍🔥🪵🔥

[@ronsbrat525]

Awesome reaction Jeremy. This is a very beautiful song and video. My favorite of his. Geoff was a Tenor in choir in hiigh school. At universal studios in Orlando Florida he was baritone. With vocal coaching and age his voice deepened. And a little help from Tim Foust. For Geoff's videos you should always watch to the very end as he usually does a small thank you speech. With a little comedy. Plus a thank you to his Patreons. The end of this one he added (not word for word) "im sure i still have glue on my face" as he patted his cheek. He has so many amazing videos. My personal favorites.... Rains of Castemere. Ghost Riders In The Sky. Sound of Silence. Man of Constant Sorrow. Ain't No Sunshine (first time I watched him). Way Down. As you found out he clones himself 3-4 times for harmonies. In Way Down he gave his main 3 names.... Jeff, Jeoph, Goff. A play on the mispronunciation of his name. In Ghost Riders In The Sky he named his 4th clone Daryl. He said he liked the name so that's what he got. Each also has their own personality. A year ago he did... Far Over The Misty Mountains Cold with the same dwarves. From Hobbit 1 Unexpected Journey. This was from Hobbit 2 Desolation of Smaug. End credits.

[@Stan_S_Stanman]

On the Tim Foust thing: Geoff just was inspired to learn the very specific technique of growls when he saw Tim Foust do it. But that's about it. He hasn't used the growl technique in years at this point

[@ronsbrat525]

@@Stan_S_Stanman I didn't say how Tim helped him. And yes he did show him how to do it. And yes. Geoff has used the technique recently. Don't remember what videos but do remember him doing it.

[@janetdw]

@@ronsbrat525He also uses subharmonics for most of his low notes. In at least one either interview or web chat he credited David Larson for learning the technique. I don’t think they’ve met, but David Larson has a lot of tutorials and explanations on his personal channel. There’s one that’s about an hour long that he talks about subharmonics versus growl versus throat singing and two or three other techniques that are very low. It’s amazing how many different techniques they can use to get that very low tone. Layne uses inhaled phonation and can get as low as Geoff using that, but it’s not very pretty it’s just a sound. I am not musically trained but I found it is very interesting video.

[@katthor7311]

Geoff is truly amazing. I hope you check out more from his solo channel. They are all wonderful, but my favorite is his cover of Radiohead's High and Dry.

[@Drake844221]

You've found a great video to be your introduction to 'solo' Geoff. He did an amazing job with this song, and I love how it doesn't get big and bombastic, but really... stays in what I think of as an "eye of the storm" space... because it is the kind of song where they've just been through one big battle that they've barely survived, and they've got another, bigger one bearing down on them. Anyway, you really can't go wrong with where you go from here on Geoff. His video Way Down is a lot of fun, but at the same time... I always keep coming back to his Sixteen Tons as one of his that I just absolutely love. He has come ahead by leaps and bounds in the time he's been doing his solo channel... he started out good, but as you can see... by now... he's just refined his craft _so_ much!

[@dreyhawk]

He recently did an interview with a bass reactor where they talked about his range. He said he sings within 6 octaves now. Also, many of the members have worked with Disney World as cast members in the past so the theater aspect is a natural outgrowth of that.

[@patriciaschuman4205]

As others have said, you needn't be embarrassed about the initial confusion about who the 'other guys' were with Geoff, there have definitely been reactors who have gone through the entire video without realizing it, and wondered why Geoff wasn't giving 'them' credit, LOL. This video is definitely one that makes it harder to see at first that it is all Geoff simply due to the amazing makeup job done by Rick Underwood (who is usually the makeup artist helping Geoff and VoicePlay when they are doing these more elaborate makeups). And the outstanding lighting was done by VoicePlay member Eli (who also does the lighting on VP videos). I think when Geoff first started his own channel he was reluctant to have help from his fellow VP members because he felt he needed to do it completely on his own. But now he seems confident enough in his own vision that he knows that it simply makes sense to sometimes use Eli for lighting or Layne for steadycam and it doesn't mean compromising his control over the project.

[@5foot2eyesofblue13]

If you really wanna see him show off his range Voiceplay's If I Were a Rich Man and Queen in 5 Minutes are great. His highs and lows are demonstrated in one vocal line. He bounces back and forth between the high and low in one phrase even.

[@janetdw]

Don’t forget the recent mini of Peaches where it was said (although I have not confirmed it) that he reached his highest recorded note.

[@veronicathunander4579]

And The Little Mermaid Medley! 😊

[@iamsquatty]

Welcome to the world of solo geoff, I can't wait to see your brain melt to all his stuff, he's so incredibly talented it's mind boggling 💜💜

[@GrandmasGotGraceLW]

I love anything Geoff does--this one not excepted. Even so, I'd love to see you react to another version of the song, based on the Ed Sheeran version...by Dan Vasc. It's stupendous. He does his own harmony parts, as well, but in his typical manner of "tiny Dans" that pop up when they start to sing. Interestingly, it's quite the opposite of Geoff's DEEP bass parts, because Dan chose to hit a bunch of the HIGH harmony parts. I think you'd really love to compare the two. 😀

[@barbarakennedy2667]

You are not the first to be fooled by the great makeup artistry. Much like Tim Faust, Geoff has a five octave range and sings beautifully in all of them.

[@rodconner9079]

:)

[@musikbyjh]

Thank you so much, Rod!! This was incredible. ✌🏽

[@karinwolf9639]

Loved your reaction - subsribed already. Liked this one, hoping for more to come. Just follow the hints of the others here... 😂🎉❤

[@musikbyjh]

Thanks so much - glad you are here! I'll def react to more Geoff solo performances - and in the meantime, check out my VoicePlay reactions when you have a chance...Geoff melts my face off with those low bass notes!! kzbin.info/aero/PLYrkTp-j9yanO09upZLxwk0f-_DpIr0v5

[@indgskill243]

All of them are geoff he makes it with himself

[@andrewburt2557]

It's all him

[@MatthewDeanIreland]

For Geoff's full range in just a couple of measures see Oogie Boogie's Song.

[@nightthornkvala94132]

This was beautiful but I still much prefer Peter Hollens' version of I See Fire. That man is the Master of Layering.

[@justkaron]

I'm not getting into who is best bass singer but am I the only one who thinks that in some lines of their songs he and Tim sound a lot alike? Very similar tamber. They are both masters of their craft. ❤ 6:01 ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@Dro_21]

first💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽

[@musikbyjh]

Heck yeah you were!! Good on you! ✌🏽

[@Dro_21]

@@musikbyjh u look like Shavo from System of a Down

[@musikbyjh]

Hey thanks, I think? LOL! ✌🏽

[@musikbyjh]

@@Dro_21 He’s such a cool dude. Hung with him a few times. 🤘🏽😎🤘🏽

[@michaelandersson377]

You have to know that they are 4 different guys who are singing

[@tomassanesson902]

Listen to voiceplay valhalla and creep