Reaction to Avriel & The Sequoias - Hey Ya! (OutKast) Metal Guy Reacts

[@MelaniePoparad]

I never thought this song could translate into a folk cover that is absolutely amazing. Retains the original artists’ integrity but took it to a different place and it’s super cool.

[@pamscarr8696]

Avi said the band was not the Sequoias. Just a band he used for the Album. He once said the lady in the band was one of his best friends. He used the term "Sequoias" because the Sequoia Forest is fairly close to his childhood home in California. His Mom would sometimes take him his older sister Esther (who was the manager for PTX until she married), maybe even his older brother Joshua, to the forest to play and he fell in love with that place. Avi is now an official representative of the Sequoia National Park. Last I heard, Esther, her husband and their stunningly beautiful daughter live in or near Nashville. Avi is about 40 minutes out. He was keeping his fans up on all the events of the fire there a few weeks ago.

[@brendagrothier967]

I agree that Avi can not be pigeoned holed into one genre which I absolutely love. To me he's quite folk even when it means a bit country. We need more current Folk Music artist. I'm a 70 year old that was into the folk music back in the 60s and miss it. Probably why I tend to be drawn to acapella groups .....love Home Free.

[@rlhcat7662]

This is one of my favorite Avi covers. That smile on his face says everything. I'm not sure what happened to The Sequoias. He did a couple of albums with them right after leaving PTX, and many of the songs were wonderful, but then they split. In his last tours in early 2020, he was onstage with a couple of guys - a drummer and guitarist, and various guest musicians. I'm looking forward to seeing him live sometime soon.

[@joshlinds]

Avi never misses! His voice crosses so many boundaries

[@risperdude]

Avriel (Avi's full name) and the Sequoias was put together as a side gig while Avi was still with PTX (same time as Mitch and Scott worked on Superfruit music). He took a hiatus for family reasons but when he came back he'd moved to Nashville from California and just stuck as a solo artist. I imagine the Sequoias all moved on. I'm sure someone who is even a bigger Avi Fanperson can provide more details.

[@charlottevan_8]

This song was recorded and filmed before Avi announced his departure from PTX. His leaving wasn't a hiatus, as such. It was a complete departure, which had been coming for about a year prior to his announcement. The constant touring wore on him both physically (especially jet lag-induced insomnia) and emotionally. His mother was fighting cancer while they were on tour, and both Avi and his sister Esther (PTX's tour manager) would fly to LA from wherever they were in the world and had a few days break, in order to visit their mother. He also ached for the mountains and forests, which is why he ended up buying property in the woods of Tennessee (his cabin and property are shown in "I'll Get By" and "Change on the Rise"). If you're referring to a hiatus from performing and releasing music, that was a legal restriction put on him in his separation from PTX. He released "Change on the Rise" as soon as that block lifted. The "Sequoias" were indeed friends, and remain so. Marissa is still a teacher and arranger for A Cappella Academy, the 10-day Summer music camp founded in 2014 by Avi, PTX producer/arranger Ben Bram, and composer/arranger Rob Dietz. It's for kids 12 to 18 from around the world. There are lots of awesome videos on YT of A Cappella Academy performances from 2014 to 2021.

[@perfectkismet]

@@charlottevan_8 They meant he went on hiatus from The Sequoias not PTX.

[@adam.4487]

This rendition is really beautiful, all the voices blend so nice. ♥

[@cathyboyce6457]

Sage and Stone is haunting!

[@pamscarr8696]

The band was just for this album. He current band is Noah Denny and Kaleb Thomas Jones. They were touring with Avi when the C broke out. They did a livestream together in March and have done two Nashville out door events together this fall. As far as i know, they will be with him on his European Tour in early 2022. Avi just released the schedule today. If you have not, you should follow Avi. He posts who he is listening to music wise each week. keeps his fans up on if there is news. He is also photographer and posts pictures of his woods surrounding his cabin and also pictures of turtles he saves by moving them road to the woods.

[@gailseatonhumbert9199]

News for Friday just posted by Avi First Place I Go video premieres this Friday at Noon CST! I’ll be doing a live redirect stream on KZbin 15 minutes before the premiere, hope to see you there!

[@Diane_Phoenix]

Check sweet Adeline by them. There are 2 songs, written years apart. The first written for his college love after they broke up. The second is him looking back....

[@kimsowles4044]

I have always loved this cover 🥰 This was whole he was still with PTX, toward the end. When he left PTX he took two years off out of the public eye before starting to release his own music in 2019 starting with Change on the Rise.

[@christinakyleloves]

LOVE THIS COVER, AS I LOVE OUTKAST!! Never thought I would hear their music interpreted in such a way!! So Awesome!!

[@lyndseyeshelman5936]

Love your reactions, and definitely love that you're doing Avi's solo work! ❤️

[@Mahiahtree]

I love this! Avi has new music coming out Friday. 💚

[@Bonofox1]

Avriel (Avi) is SO AMAZING! Avi is releasing a NEW song this Friday!!👏

[@nikkibanning176]

Just love how happy he seems here in the hills of California ( I believe). Anything he sings comes out great. Agree you should definitely listen to Full Moon, it's amazing, he does all the vocals. Also love Fields and Pier where he matches the cello (Kevin's). So talented.💕💕💕

[@gwinnellheald8592]

I've been loving these Avi reactions!! Keep them coming dude! 👌💚

[@edithdavis2848]

They were just partnered for acouple of songs, Avi is on his own. Check out his newest one.

[@charlottevan_8]

If you want an Avi song that will mesmerize you even more, check out "Full Moon". While he did perform it acoustically with just his guitar last year in a live KZbin Space LA mini concert, I really prefer the full studio version (no video for it) for the depth and drama of the arrangement - intense, yet intimate and impassioned. Here's the link to the studio version: kzbin.info/www/bejne/kKDFgKutp62dZsU

[@tasia2174]

I completely agree!

[@hannah9419]

Absolutely seconding this!

[@mariawilliams4941]

Read your post and went straight to the link, I can’t thank you enough! It’s amazing

[@RainbowMaille]

I love everything Avi does 😎

[@mariawilliams4941]

So do I

[@pat_in_va8605]

Hope you see this. Avi Kaplan just dropped a new song/video. In the pre-video premier, he gave a shout-out to reactors and said he supports people reacting. It is called "First Place I Go"

[@risperdude]

I love it when a heavy pop/rock/hip-hop song goes all folksey or mellow. Another good example is Mandy Moore's cover of Rhianna's Umbrella. It is always one of my favorite things.

[@Lookinforrealmusic]

Avi, Marissa Esposito, Frank Hobbs and Noah Hunt are all friends. They did this side EP while he was still with PTX. Marissa and Noah own and operate a recording studio in LA and Marissa teaches at Avi's A Cappella Academy also. I'm not sure what Frank does but he sure is a talented guy. They all are. Every once in awhile you will catch a clip of them singing together on their social media but they never really were a permanent band.

[@vickipeterson9633]

Please react to Avi's newest release First Place I Go!!! The livestream was amazing, the video was stunning and of course Avi's voice will hypnotize. :)

[@leighc9004]

I agree with Charlene! A two song reaction to Sweet Adeline w/the Sequoias and Sweet Adeline part two solo would be great!

[@wiz7464]

Please react to his "Quarter Past Four". I'm sure you#ll like it!!!!

[@VTL77]

Waiting for "Full Moon." Would have been perfect tonight with the full moon lunar eclipse, but oh well lol.

[@richtsje9961]

Loved your reaction ! Avi met ( as far as I know ) Marisa Esposito (girl on the left ) and Noah Hunt ( man on the right ) at the A Capella Academy , where they became friends . They have a studio where Avi recorded his album "Avriel & The Sequoias " , and supported him in several songs like Sweet Adeline . As Diana Phoenix said on the premier : every day is an Avi day 😍😍 , and as an answer to Sonja Russel : there is a "behind the scenes of the making of"Hey Ya " where they bring a generator for filming and probably the mics ( I don't know if they really used the mics 😊) kzbin.info/www/bejne/jai9dKOlo6mqe68&ab_channel=ClarkeSurrey

[@perfectkismet]

I've always been a fan of completely changing genres of songs. Two of my favorites came out of American Idol - David Cook's rock version of Mariah Carey's Always Be My Baby (that she tried really hard to get him to put on his album) and Kris Allen's singer-songwriter version of Kanye West's Heartless. It also reminds me of the two Hip-Hop Goes Broadway medleys Mitch and Scott did on Superfruit, though they were a lot less than serious.

[@jenkinsjenkins8048]

Try Avis change on rise//another's song Jamey Johnson singing at farm aide 2021

[@Bonofox1]

🌟You'll enjoy ALL of Avi's originals and covers Sweet Adeline is F.U.N!! I prefer FOLK than country

[@Danny-Zebbular-Gim]

No! Make them STOP!! Nooo!

[@aaryannarayan5949]

Can you react to evanescence My Immortal