Those camera shakes weren't planed. He was set up on a wooden floor. So when he thumped the tools it shook the camera stands. He liked the effect so left it in. He recorded this with the help of his wife Kathy. All the fun stuff is in the credits to the video. All the vocals are Geoff. He saves all his acapella singing for VoicePlay progects. He showcases his range really well in his cover of Jacks' Lament from the Nightmare Before Christmas.
I don’t doubt that’s where the idea came from, but there’s no doubt some post production in the shakes on the final version, because if you look closely it zooms in and then back out a little bit every time it happens.
I'm SOOO glad you got to this one!!!!! Tennessee Ernie Ford made this song a hit in 1955, but the song was written and first recorded in 1947 by Merle Travis.
Geoff sings bass in the acapella group VoicePlay, but on his own channel he almost exclusively sings accompanied by instruments, as he does here. I think he said he uses a guitar plugin, a program that converts his piano playing into a guitar sound, but I could be mistaken about that. Anyway, he does sing all the parts, high and low, but you can definitely hear a guitar track in the video. Merle Travis originally wrote 'Sixteen Tons' in 1946, released it in 1947, earning a gold record from it, before Tennessee Ernie Ford made it a mega hit in 1955, with 10 weeks at number 1 on Billboard's country chart and another 8 weeks at number 1 on their pop chart, becoming the more popular version for a generation of fans. Travis' line "another day older and deeper in debt" came from a letter written by his brother John. A saying his dad often said, “I can't afford to die. I owe my soul to the general store," became the inspiration for the final line of the chorus, referring to the company-owned general store where miners, paid not in cash but in company scrip they could only spend at the company store, were forced to buy all their goods. It was a system (now illegal) that prevented miners saving any money or getting ahead, and burying them under a mountain of debt, keeping them working at the same mine for life. Scrip was in essence a credit voucher, redeemable only at the company store. The coal company would own all the land around the mine, forcing employees to drive great distances to get to normal stores, making the company store the only game in town. Even in cases where they offered miners the pay option of cash or scrip, the 'value' of the scrip was expressed as the greater amount. So a miner offered the choice of receiving his pay as $100 in cash or $150 in scrip, would be more likely to be enticed by the latter, even though he could only spend his scrip at the company store, where prices were typically set much higher than normal. Plus, the company made even more money off the back of the miner, since the goods he was forced to spend his '$150' on were purchased wholesale by the company at $75 or less, meaning they weren't really paying the miner $150 in actual cash value, but an effective value of $75, enabling them to make a profit off the miner coming and going.
He definitely did a callout to the makers of the plugin he used for the guitar in his cover of “Bare Necessities,” saying “without which this would not have been possible.”
@@DennisKovacich Yes, that's probably the one I'm thinking about. So, not sure what he used here to produce the guitar sound, the plugin or a real one played by him or someone else.
A friend sent me a link to this a couple of years ago. I was hooked and then found Voiceplay. The tools came from his dad's gardening shed. He's used them a couple of times. Voiceplay used to tour extensively. When Covid shut the world down, Geoff started doing solo work. He's done music, tutorials, personal life, and narrations. None of his solo work is acapella, he saves that for Voiceplay. Recently he has been singing the harmony but not always creating additional Geoffs for the visual. He did an outstanding version of The Sound of Silence.
Hey Red, I know this has nothing to do with the music...but I love your hair like this. Now back to the video. Geoff blows this out of the water! He really does this so well. It brought back so many memories of riding down the road listening to the radio. I love the little touches that he adds of the camera shaking and the clinking when he hits the tools...so cool. I would also recommend "Big bad John".
Love what you did with your hair today Red. Another great reaction. Keep 'em coming. Geoff does all the parts. Check out his range in the Voice Play's Oogie Boogie Song.
Just to put it out there Geoff is one of the best bassists out there and the fun fact is that Tim Fouts and Geoff are very close friends and have worked together to master their craft even Geoff sead that Tim is the master of the low growl notes, and learning from a older guy that's pretty cool. Great reaction Red.
Don't miss Ain't No Sunshine. It's superb. Did your dad also listen to Big Bad John? Geoff covered it, too. Stunning. He started this channel when covid shut down touring. He didn't expect this song to get much attention.......
Yes, he recorded all the vocals for this. If you'd like a true tour de force of the man's astounding range, check out his cover of I See Fire from The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.
I listened to my Dad's record albums - Tennessee Ernie Ford sang this to me often. Jimmy Dean did Big Bad John that Geoff has also done. Geoff does all the vocals. He has a range of 5+ octaves - from A0 growl, B0 subharmonic, F1 full chest, mix comes in around 4th + 5th octaves and then his top note so far is Bb5. You got Geoff's name correctly.
Loved your reaction to this one - think this was the first one of his I heard, it was like 'whoa..!' Yes, there was some string bass (double/upright bass) in the background, also played by him using a keyboard with plug-ins, and yes - the voices were all him! If you and your dad listened to this, you must also be familiar with 'Big Bad John', another mining-related song? His 'solo' work is just as amazing as when he is with the rest of the guys in Voiceplay - 'Way Down' (an Elvis cover) is hilariously good, and shows his humorous side, the two Hobbit-related ones, 'Far Over The Misty Mountains Cold' and 'I See Fire' are full-on theatrical pieces, and 'Ghost Riders In The Sky' is another good one!
Yes Geoff is singing all the parts. I don't know if he's a 5 octave singer like Tim Foust, but he's pretty close if he's not. Also when you watched Mayday by Home Free Tim Foust helped Adam Chance learn the bass part.
Next should be Geoff Castellucci- "blackbird".. And then "Shenandoah" both are so beautifully sung by geoff. And yes he does sing all the high parts too when he does solo stuff. And occasionally he'll play piano in a solo song
When I have nothing to say like details or words that describe how iam feeling or thinking but I love it, I will say I absolutely love it or it's beyond awesome or beyond beautiful, things like that, simple, to the point, that this was something special 😊
Geoff Castellucci's (Cas-tah-LOO-chee, so you got it pretty much perfect) solo work is a little bit unique. Not only is every voice you hear performed by Geoff, who layers himself singing all of the parts for the song, but every instrument you hear is also performed by Geoff. He's been playing piano since he was a kid, so keyboards are a no-brainer for him. But he also uses plug-ins for his keyboards to produce all of the other instruments you hear - percussion, strings, guitars, etc. In this song, there is the basic percussion from the tools being struck (and he's been known to use those as well as plug-ins), there's also a string bass (aka double-bass, aka bass fiddle) playing in the background. Geoff's solo work has always used instruments rather than being a cappella - he says he saves the a cappella work for use with VoicePlay. Others have mentioned Geoff's 5-octave range, so I'll just add that all of his notes that define that range have been in VoicePlay videos. His B0 in the Halo theme was a new low at the time and much discussed as to whether it actually occurred, and then he answered any questions about it by very obviously duplicating and expanding on that in Valhalla Calling. His A0 (which I believe was in Enemy feat. AleXa) became a new low, and his high of A#5 was hit in a rock-tenor scream in the VP short, Peaches (highly recommended for the humor!). To put his low notes into perspective, a couple of reactors who are professional opera singers have reacted to him, and at least one (I believe both) described his sound as being "stupid low". That's quite a compliment!
Geoff doesn't sing a cappella on his solo channel, he always uses some instrumentation. On this one it was mainly percussive sounds and upright bass. Geoff uses his keyboard with plugins to create most of the instrumentation. And yes, you pronounced his name right 🙂
Glad to see you reacting to Geoff Castellucci! He is brilliant performer and makes his songs with his own original arrangements! He even helped Home Free with arrangement of Elvira. Please, react to more Geoff's songs! They all are great!
Grins with glee as another reactor falls down the Geoff Castellucci rabbit hole. "We've got another one Geoff, where do we send her next? Your version of Man of Constant Sorrow? No wait it has to be Shenandoah. Or maybe The Sound of Silence or Blackbird by the Beatles or a little Way Down by Elvis. Oh I have it Take Me Home Country Roads, or then again Far Over the Misty Mountains Cold from The Hobbit. No wait I have now it has to be Folsom Prison or Ghost Riders in the Sky. Maybe we should ease her into things with Monster Mash.....do we tell her about the special 'easter egg' surprise in the video? No I how could I forget Bare Necessities from The Jungle Book followed by The Headless Horsemen. To finish it has to be his spoken word recital of The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe." Have fun Red if you're not back in a week we'll organise a search party we'll start in the Mines of Moria since that's how deep Geoff's voice goes. 😂
Don’t worry about stopping - as you stated you are a reaction channel. One thing that helps is to rewind five seconds after a pause so that you don’t lose the continuity of the song. If you use the back arrow on the keyboard that should set you back five seconds. This song was part of my childhood as well. During the depression, my grandfather was forced to leave the farm and work in a coal mine so this song and Big Bad John are part of my childhood. My dad loved to sing this on road trips. This was the first solo piece I saw/heard of his and I was hooked. The tools come from his dad‘s backyard shed and are used once again in bBig Bad John. I love that he used those tools as the percussion. He rounded out the mining theme by doing Misty Mountains Cold which is the dwarves song from the movie the hobbit just before they re-enter the mines of Moria. His version is so soothing and was my favorite for the last few years. But one piece that really shows off his range is I See Fire from Desolation of Smaug. The same four dwarves are featured with most of the costume pieces returning. I really love that piece because you get to hear him sing in the higher register for a fairly long time. Please add it to your list of songs to react to. Thank you for waiting until the Patreon roll runs. He sometimes comes on camera to talk about the video. On his TikTok channel he does bits of these songs live with no post production to show that yes it’s really him.
Great reaction!! Geoff really is an incredibly talented artist! Yes, he does all his own vocals. Yes, there WAS some instrumental (classic bass, and acoustic guitar) in the background. Very subtle, though. This is a fun tribute to the hard-working miners. Written by Merle Travis, it was MOST famously done by Tennessee Ernie Ford. It has been covered more that 25 times since. Big names like Elvis, BB King, and Bo Diddley, plus other lesser-known performers. Geoff covers some other really fun numbers like "Ghost Riders in the Sky," and "Monster Mash," and "The Headless Horseman." Then there are the more "sincere numbers like "Take Me Home, Country Road (my first exposure to Geoff solo work), Blackbird (yes, the Beatles cover), and "The Sound of Silence." He does it all. One of his more recent releases was "Jack's Lament" from The Nightmare Before Christmas (might be MY favorite). Also, Geoff DOES use instruments. He is a VERY skilled musician in addition to being an amazing vocalist AND arranger! You just can't go wrong with this guy!!
Really enjoyed this reaction ! The absolute MUST SEE by Geoff solo is 'The Sound of Silence'. He plays piano, but the low background bass in that performance is his voice. So amazing !
Hey Red! Geoff does his own arrangements and sings every part. His 5 octave range is incredible. I recommend his cover of the Beatles "Blackbird" It is a masterpiece! Great reaction!!
I would pronounce his name; Jeff Cast uh Lew chee. And yeah he sings all 4 parts, his range is insane something like B0 - B5. This song had some basic percussion so not completely acapella, most of his solo songs have some basic instrumentals too.
I've seen an interview with Geoff where he told us that since all of his VoicePlay work is acapella, he likes to use instruments in his solo work. Most of the instrumentation is done via plug-ins on a synth. This one (I think) uses a simple guitar and upright bass which starts with "C'mon".
His channel is great. He also does some audio book work too. He does all the parts in his videos. I See Fire is beautiful as well as Misty Mountain Cold. Have fun!😊
Geoff is so awesome. You can't go wrong with any of his solo stuff, or VoicePlay. Speaking of which, their recent drop of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" is just ridiculously good! And speaking of ridiculously good, I hope you get to Aurora's new song / music video, "The Conflict of the Mind," soon!
One interesting fact that you may not know. Your first Home Free video on this channel was Elvira, right? Geoff was the musical arranger on that performance. He is great friends with HF and Tim in particular. Tim has helped him with his range and sub harmonics.
Yes, you did say his name right! :) Geoff has some downright awesome stuff... which he uses his absolutely sick range (that he's worked hard on for so long) to make things so good. The abilities these individuals show, things that are mostly familiar with many of us ---- that is interest to them and in their "wheelhouse" ....... it's just so damn good. Be Safe
Thanks for your reaction! Yes, it is all Geoff as he has an amazing 5 octave voice range and layers and harmonizes quite well with himself in his solo covers. He even has names and personalities for the Geoff clones that you see: "Goff", "Jeff" and "Jeoph" are the clones you see most often (names are a humorous nod to the frequent misspelling and mispronunciation of his first name) and occasionally a forth clone named Darryl. Geoff's solo work is not acapella (he has been playing piano since he was 5 years old) and his wife, Kathy, helps him a lot in his solo work. You would probably also enjoy his other mining themed cover of "Big, Bad John" (songs he does are frequently requested by his patrons) but any song you pick on his channel is great ( his covers of "Ain't No Sunshine", "Jack's Lament", and "I See Fire" are stunning and really show his incredible range).
I love this version, too. Many times, I hear Geoff's low notes rather like someone belching, lol. I do have a little hearing loss. But, on this song, I enjoy them all.
Loved it Red!! He just has such an incredible range, and seeing someone truly appreciate it is why we're all here! Like a few others have said, Ain't No Sunshine is amazing, and also his cover of House of the RIsing Sun
You'll see the 4-Geoff lineup in a number of his layered videos. Most likely, you wouldn't pick "Way Down" ( ruclips.net/video/HH3va5j9RIM/видео.html ) as your next stop on the Castelucci express, but you'll be very happy if you do! The song is one of Elvis' lesser known songs, and Geoff's video is lots of fun...to go along with the usual great vocal "stack" of voices (all of which are Geoff!)
Everyone loves his 16 Tons. Wait until you see Ghost Riders, Headless Horseman (Halloween) and so many others. Historical fact: Geoff learned how to do sub-harmonics from Tim Foust. He also did the choreography for HF's Elvira with the Oak Ridge Boys so they are very close. Avi Kaplan from PTX did Ring of Fire with HF and photo bombs Champaign Taste on a Beer Budget and Rob jumped in with VP for their AMC Top 10. They also did a Hillbilly's vs Zombies together but it's a little strange for me. Thanks for sharing your adventure with us!
Close - but it was Tim’s specialty of the ‘Growl’ that He learned from him. I’m ashamed to say that I don’t remember the full name (but first name David, I believe) from whom he first learned subharmonics.
@@hwyla4416 David Larson. Geoff learned them from watching his youtube videos. I think he may have been surprised when he learned he was the one who taught Geoff.
If I remember correctly, the original was by a gentleman named Merle Travis. And in contrast to Geoff, who mentions his left fist first, both Travis and Tennessee Ernie Ford' in his more famous cover, mention the right fist BEFORE the left fist.
Geoff is so awesome! All the parts you hear are all Geoff. He has a voice like Tim Foust from Home Free. He and Tim are best friends. He has a lot of solo songs. You should definitely check out. Love your reaction!
Never worry about stopping, that's the whole point of reacting, to react as you go along, as you do. 😊 I wasn't expecting to know that but I did. I have no idea where from though!
I have heard the TEFord many times. Looking forward to this version. I love the set too and the start of this song. The snapping of the fingers was spontaneous with the TEFord recording and they said...don't stop TEFord moved between octaves smoother But love the set and sound effects 9 of 10
Geoff does all of the parts on this song and a couple more great songs of Geoff and himself that highlights his range are Man Of Constant Sorrow and House Of The Rising Sun. 👍✌️
I've been hoping that you'd give Geoff a try. I'm pleased that you like his solo music. He sure has plenty of good stuff on his channel. One of my favorites is Ain't No Sunshine originally by Bill Withers. And yes, that is Geoff singing all the parts. If you check his channel a little deeper, you'll find that he also narrates short stories to his viewers by such authors as EA Poe and Lewis Carroll. He certainly has the voice for it!
I grew up hearing that and "Dark As A dungeon" and many other songs by Tennessee Ernie Ford. My grandfather on my mother's side worked for the coal mines in Eastern Kentucky. I grew up though on a Thoroughbred horse farm out side of Lexington KY. My mother use to say that when she moved from the hills in eastern KY to the more level rolling land of the Bluegrass region, it made her eyes hurt because she was not use to being able to see that far. I like what Geoff did with this but I think I like the Tennessee Ernie Ford version better. I remember sleeping on the "shelf" behind the back seat under the rear glass of my dad's 1950 Ford. I would look up at the trees and stars until I fell asleep.
U gotta check out his covers of Ain't no sunshine, House of the rising sun, Big john , i see fire etc beyond epic , thx for another awsome reaction Beautiful 😊
Both Geoff and Tim Foust of Home Free, who are close friends and collaborators have side projects where they sing all the parts and both have insane ranges with their voices. As for myself, as an old rock and roller, I never guessed I would be so intrigued and infatuated with a cappella artists, but after following Home Free for 10 years, and the groups like Voiceplay and Pentatonix, I have found myself preferring the variable sounds of the human voice over musical instrumentation. I now enjoy a good balance of both sides of the spectrum in my music listening experience. Great reaction Red.
The two they show at the end are Both great. Far over the Misty Mountains and Big Bad John. He also have a couple Halloween songs he does single, Monster Mash and the Headless Horseman. Another funny one is Voiceplay vs Home Free. Zombies vs Hill Bellies, Survivor. FUNNY
Oh yeah, check out his two songs from The Hobbit movies, Misty Mountains Cold & I See Fire, also Shenandoah, The Sound of Silence. He doesn't really do a bad song. And yes ma'am, he does all the parts. Thanks for the reaction!
Love your hair! Just an FYI...in the unofficial (meaning I put them together from my own experience) rules of watching Voiceplay/Geoff videos...#4) Don't look away from the screen, or close your eyes for more than a second, because, you might miss a visual gag or clever moment. And even in a second, you can miss stuff. Just a suggestion.
When this song was written, the pay policy for minors was a small portion in cash but the majority in script (Company Cash) that could only be used at the company's store. The store would have all your basic needs, but priced much higher then normal and the store would allow you to buy on credit items like your tools and home furniture then automatically take the cash end of your pay to pay off the debt first on each payday. Leaving most family so in debt to the company that could never stop working for it.
Those camera shakes weren't planed. He was set up on a wooden floor. So when he thumped the tools it shook the camera stands. He liked the effect so left it in. He recorded this with the help of his wife Kathy. All the fun stuff is in the credits to the video. All the vocals are Geoff. He saves all his acapella singing for VoicePlay progects. He showcases his range really well in his cover of Jacks' Lament from the Nightmare Before Christmas.
Really? Whoa!
I don’t doubt that’s where the idea came from, but there’s no doubt some post production in the shakes on the final version, because if you look closely it zooms in and then back out a little bit every time it happens.
@@lukewilsonherewell zooms in nd out of course the production work , he is talking abt the shakes
@@Senseiop12 the shaking is digitally enhanced as well, but the origin story for them is true
Shut up!!! No they aren’t it’s clearly added in
Love your reaction!
Thank you!! 😁
Yes, Geoff is making all the sounds you hear !!!!
🤯
Nice review. Welcome to geoff
Geoff is so so good.
💕
Stunning! Love the production by Geoff. Can't wait to see you react to Misty Mountains Cold and I See Fire. You will love the Geoff's dwarves.
🔥🔥
Geoff == all of the voices :) You'll enjoy your trip through his solo stuff.
Geoff is so good harmonizing with himself eh? 😂 glad you got into his solo stuff! Tons of geoffquakes in your future 😊💜💜
I'm SOOO glad you got to this one!!!!! Tennessee Ernie Ford made this song a hit in 1955, but the song was written and first recorded in 1947 by Merle Travis.
Yes! He has a 5 octave range and sings all the parts.
Geoff is so talented!
Every voice that you hear is Geoff!
🤯
You have to do the Monster Mash by Geoff. It’s fun and I know it’s not Halloween season but a must.
Dammmm those are some impressive fun bags!!!
My purses were in the video?😏
Geoff sings bass in the acapella group VoicePlay, but on his own channel he almost exclusively sings accompanied by instruments, as he does here. I think he said he uses a guitar plugin, a program that converts his piano playing into a guitar sound, but I could be mistaken about that. Anyway, he does sing all the parts, high and low, but you can definitely hear a guitar track in the video.
Merle Travis originally wrote 'Sixteen Tons' in 1946, released it in 1947, earning a gold record from it, before Tennessee Ernie Ford made it a mega hit in 1955, with 10 weeks at number 1 on Billboard's country chart and another 8 weeks at number 1 on their pop chart, becoming the more popular version for a generation of fans.
Travis' line "another day older and deeper in debt" came from a letter written by his brother John. A saying his dad often said, “I can't afford to die. I owe my soul to the general store," became the inspiration for the final line of the chorus, referring to the company-owned general store where miners, paid not in cash but in company scrip they could only spend at the company store, were forced to buy all their goods.
It was a system (now illegal) that prevented miners saving any money or getting ahead, and burying them under a mountain of debt, keeping them working at the same mine for life. Scrip was in essence a credit voucher, redeemable only at the company store. The coal company would own all the land around the mine, forcing employees to drive great distances to get to normal stores, making the company store the only game in town. Even in cases where they offered miners the pay option of cash or scrip, the 'value' of the scrip was expressed as the greater amount. So a miner offered the choice of receiving his pay as $100 in cash or $150 in scrip, would be more likely to be enticed by the latter, even though he could only spend his scrip at the company store, where prices were typically set much higher than normal. Plus, the company made even more money off the back of the miner, since the goods he was forced to spend his '$150' on were purchased wholesale by the company at $75 or less, meaning they weren't really paying the miner $150 in actual cash value, but an effective value of $75, enabling them to make a profit off the miner coming and going.
He definitely did a callout to the makers of the plugin he used for the guitar in his cover of “Bare Necessities,” saying “without which this would not have been possible.”
@@DennisKovacich Yes, that's probably the one I'm thinking about. So, not sure what he used here to produce the guitar sound, the plugin or a real one played by him or someone else.
Another good one Red ❤ 35 years a pipe fighter / welder myself 🙂
That is awesome!
A friend sent me a link to this a couple of years ago. I was hooked and then found Voiceplay.
The tools came from his dad's gardening shed. He's used them a couple of times.
Voiceplay used to tour extensively. When Covid shut the world down, Geoff started doing solo work. He's done music, tutorials, personal life, and narrations. None of his solo work is acapella, he saves that for Voiceplay. Recently he has been singing the harmony but not always creating additional Geoffs for the visual. He did an outstanding version of The Sound of Silence.
Hey Red, I know this has nothing to do with the music...but I love your hair like this. Now back to the video. Geoff blows this out of the water! He really does this so well. It brought back so many memories of riding down the road listening to the radio. I love the little touches that he adds of the camera shaking and the clinking when he hits the tools...so cool. I would also recommend "Big bad John".
Thank you so much. Also, definitely gonna do Big Bad John!
That resonance rattles my bones and has me loving me some Geoff C. Rb
Geoff's rendition of I See Fire showcases his range beautifully.
Love what you did with your hair today Red. Another great reaction. Keep 'em coming. Geoff does all the parts. Check out his range in the Voice Play's Oogie Boogie Song.
Thank you! I’m glad you liked it!
It's nice to see you fall down the Geoff Castellucci rabbit hole. Hope you love it as much as I did!
I didn't fall. I dived in head first as soon as I found his rabbit hole.
Looking forward to more Geoff quakes from you 😊
More to come!
Just to put it out there Geoff is one of the best bassists out there and the fun fact is that Tim Fouts and Geoff are very close friends and have worked together to master their craft even Geoff sead that Tim is the master of the low growl notes, and learning from a older guy that's pretty cool. Great reaction Red.
Don't miss Ain't No Sunshine. It's superb. Did your dad also listen to Big Bad John? Geoff covered it, too. Stunning. He started this channel when covid shut down touring. He didn't expect this song to get much attention.......
Oh absolutely!! I’ll check out ain’t no sunshine
Oh absolutely!! I’ll check out ain’t no sunshine
Yes, he recorded all the vocals for this. If you'd like a true tour de force of the man's astounding range, check out his cover of I See Fire from The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.
Ohhhh!
I listened to my Dad's record albums - Tennessee Ernie Ford sang this to me often. Jimmy Dean did Big Bad John that Geoff has also done. Geoff does all the vocals. He has a range of 5+ octaves - from A0 growl, B0 subharmonic, F1 full chest, mix comes in around 4th + 5th octaves and then his top note so far is Bb5. You got Geoff's name correctly.
Loved your reaction to this one - think this was the first one of his I heard, it was like 'whoa..!' Yes, there was some string bass (double/upright bass) in the background, also played by him using a keyboard with plug-ins, and yes - the voices were all him! If you and your dad listened to this, you must also be familiar with 'Big Bad John', another mining-related song? His 'solo' work is just as amazing as when he is with the rest of the guys in Voiceplay - 'Way Down' (an Elvis cover) is hilariously good, and shows his humorous side, the two Hobbit-related ones, 'Far Over The Misty Mountains Cold' and 'I See Fire' are full-on theatrical pieces, and 'Ghost Riders In The Sky' is another good one!
Thank you! I’ll check out bbJohn!
Yes Geoff is singing all the parts. I don't know if he's a 5 octave singer like Tim Foust, but he's pretty close if he's not. Also when you watched Mayday by Home Free Tim Foust helped Adam Chance learn the bass part.
Next should be Geoff Castellucci- "blackbird".. And then "Shenandoah" both are so beautifully sung by geoff. And yes he does sing all the high parts too when he does solo stuff. And occasionally he'll play piano in a solo song
Oh, yes! Geoff’s cover of Black is beautifully done!
This is our music, has the real meaning of our life…❤️❤️
When I have nothing to say like details or words that describe how iam feeling or thinking but I love it, I will say I absolutely love it or it's beyond awesome or beyond beautiful, things like that, simple, to the point, that this was something special 😊
Just found your channel, love it. Coming from an Appalachian mining family, who were raised in company towns, this song strikes a chord
Yes!!!
Heya Red, have a pleasant week.
Elmar from Germany
Thank you, my friend
Geoff Castellucci's (Cas-tah-LOO-chee, so you got it pretty much perfect) solo work is a little bit unique. Not only is every voice you hear performed by Geoff, who layers himself singing all of the parts for the song, but every instrument you hear is also performed by Geoff. He's been playing piano since he was a kid, so keyboards are a no-brainer for him. But he also uses plug-ins for his keyboards to produce all of the other instruments you hear - percussion, strings, guitars, etc. In this song, there is the basic percussion from the tools being struck (and he's been known to use those as well as plug-ins), there's also a string bass (aka double-bass, aka bass fiddle) playing in the background. Geoff's solo work has always used instruments rather than being a cappella - he says he saves the a cappella work for use with VoicePlay.
Others have mentioned Geoff's 5-octave range, so I'll just add that all of his notes that define that range have been in VoicePlay videos. His B0 in the Halo theme was a new low at the time and much discussed as to whether it actually occurred, and then he answered any questions about it by very obviously duplicating and expanding on that in Valhalla Calling. His A0 (which I believe was in Enemy feat. AleXa) became a new low, and his high of A#5 was hit in a rock-tenor scream in the VP short, Peaches (highly recommended for the humor!).
To put his low notes into perspective, a couple of reactors who are professional opera singers have reacted to him, and at least one (I believe both) described his sound as being "stupid low". That's quite a compliment!
Geoff's solo stuff is awesome. My favorite is "I See Fire". It is phenomenal.
I still have my mom's Tennessee Ernie Ford record with this on it.
You Should Check out Voiceplay's Oogie Boogie Song You Will Really Enjoy it !!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes. Geoff is doing all that you hear in this video. He's just that awesome.
Geoff doesn't sing a cappella on his solo channel, he always uses some instrumentation. On this one it was mainly percussive sounds and upright bass. Geoff uses his keyboard with plugins to create most of the instrumentation. And yes, you pronounced his name right 🙂
I like that! It’s a new dynamic
Ready for geoff Quake lol ❤😂😂😂all him and sounds of silence ❤ it
Yes he did all parts
Glad to see you reacting to Geoff Castellucci! He is brilliant performer and makes his songs with his own original arrangements! He even helped Home Free with arrangement of Elvira. Please, react to more Geoff's songs! They all are great!
I enjoyed it!
Grins with glee as another reactor falls down the Geoff Castellucci rabbit hole.
"We've got another one Geoff, where do we send her next? Your version of Man of Constant Sorrow? No wait it has to be Shenandoah. Or maybe The Sound of Silence or Blackbird by the Beatles or a little Way Down by Elvis. Oh I have it Take Me Home Country Roads, or then again Far Over the Misty Mountains Cold from The Hobbit. No wait I have now it has to be Folsom Prison or Ghost Riders in the Sky. Maybe we should ease her into things with Monster Mash.....do we tell her about the special 'easter egg' surprise in the video? No I how could I forget Bare Necessities from The Jungle Book followed by The Headless Horsemen. To finish it has to be his spoken word recital of The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe."
Have fun Red if you're not back in a week we'll organise a search party we'll start in the Mines of Moria since that's how deep Geoff's voice goes. 😂
Falling like Alice
Homer and Jethro did a great parody of the song. I remember one line "St Peter don't you holler for me today cause I'm a diggin the other way."
Don’t worry about stopping - as you stated you are a reaction channel. One thing that helps is to rewind five seconds after a pause so that you don’t lose the continuity of the song. If you use the back arrow on the keyboard that should set you back five seconds.
This song was part of my childhood as well. During the depression, my grandfather was forced to leave the farm and work in a coal mine so this song and Big Bad John are part of my childhood. My dad loved to sing this on road trips. This was the first solo piece I saw/heard of his and I was hooked.
The tools come from his dad‘s backyard shed and are used once again in bBig Bad John. I love that he used those tools as the percussion.
He rounded out the mining theme by doing Misty Mountains Cold which is the dwarves song from the movie the hobbit just before they re-enter the mines of Moria. His version is so soothing and was my favorite for the last few years.
But one piece that really shows off his range is I See Fire from Desolation of Smaug. The same four dwarves are featured with most of the costume pieces returning. I really love that piece because you get to hear him sing in the higher register for a fairly long time. Please add it to your list of songs to react to.
Thank you for waiting until the Patreon roll runs. He sometimes comes on camera to talk about the video.
On his TikTok channel he does bits of these songs live with no post production to show that yes it’s really him.
Thanknyou
As a bassist, I can hear a double bass coming in in the second verse. Geoff does sometimes play keys as in "Blackbird" .
Mr. Castellucci has remarkable range and amazing talents , the more you'll listen , the more you'll be enchanted !
Please try Tim Foust's solo Will You Still Love Me/ Stay
Great reaction!! Geoff really is an incredibly talented artist! Yes, he does all his own vocals. Yes, there WAS some instrumental (classic bass, and acoustic guitar) in the background. Very subtle, though. This is a fun tribute to the hard-working miners. Written by Merle Travis, it was MOST famously done by Tennessee Ernie Ford. It has been covered more that 25 times since. Big names like Elvis, BB King, and Bo Diddley, plus other lesser-known performers. Geoff covers some other really fun numbers like "Ghost Riders in the Sky," and "Monster Mash," and "The Headless Horseman." Then there are the more "sincere numbers like "Take Me Home, Country Road (my first exposure to Geoff solo work), Blackbird (yes, the Beatles cover), and "The Sound of Silence." He does it all. One of his more recent releases was "Jack's Lament" from The Nightmare Before Christmas (might be MY favorite). Also, Geoff DOES use instruments. He is a VERY skilled musician in addition to being an amazing vocalist AND arranger! You just can't go wrong with this guy!!
So happy to find him
Geoff can do many songs because of his range; like Folsom Prison Blues.
Ohhhh
Really enjoyed this reaction ! The absolute MUST SEE by Geoff solo is 'The Sound of Silence'. He plays piano, but the low background bass in that performance is his voice. So amazing !
Hey Red! Geoff does his own arrangements and sings every part. His 5 octave range is incredible. I recommend his cover of the Beatles "Blackbird" It is a masterpiece! Great reaction!!
I would pronounce his name; Jeff Cast uh Lew chee. And yeah he sings all 4 parts, his range is insane something like B0 - B5. This song had some basic percussion so not completely acapella, most of his solo songs have some basic instrumentals too.
I've seen an interview with Geoff where he told us that since all of his VoicePlay work is acapella, he likes to use instruments in his solo work. Most of the instrumentation is done via plug-ins on a synth. This one (I think) uses a simple guitar and upright bass which starts with "C'mon".
His channel is great. He also does some audio book work too. He does all the parts in his videos. I See Fire is beautiful as well as Misty Mountain Cold. Have fun!😊
Geoff is so awesome. You can't go wrong with any of his solo stuff, or VoicePlay. Speaking of which, their recent drop of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" is just ridiculously good!
And speaking of ridiculously good, I hope you get to Aurora's new song / music video, "The Conflict of the Mind," soon!
One interesting fact that you may not know. Your first Home Free video on this channel was Elvira, right? Geoff was the musical arranger on that performance. He is great friends with HF and Tim in particular. Tim has helped him with his range and sub harmonics.
🤯
Tim never helped him with subharmonics. Tim tought him how to growl. Geoff learned subharmonics from watching Larson's videos about subharmonics
I'm glad you found this. I was wondering if you heard his music yet. :)
Great reaction. You may really like "Saddle Up" or "Shenandoah" his solo work has instrumentation keyboard using plugins or piano.
All of his singles are good.
Yes, you did say his name right! :) Geoff has some downright awesome stuff... which he uses his absolutely sick range (that he's worked hard on for so long) to make things so good. The abilities these individuals show, things that are mostly familiar with many of us ---- that is interest to them and in their "wheelhouse" ....... it's just so damn good. Be Safe
If your dad had "Sixteen Tons" on 8-track, he also likely had "Big Bad John" by Jimmy Dean. Geoff's cover is quite good.
Rumor has it, the video features four of the Castellucci quintuplets.
Thanks for your reaction! Yes, it is all Geoff as he has an amazing 5 octave voice range and layers and harmonizes quite well with himself in his solo covers. He even has names and personalities for the Geoff clones that you see: "Goff", "Jeff" and "Jeoph" are the clones you see most often (names are a humorous nod to the frequent misspelling and mispronunciation of his first name) and occasionally a forth clone named Darryl. Geoff's solo work is not acapella (he has been playing piano since he was 5 years old) and his wife, Kathy, helps him a lot in his solo work. You would probably also enjoy his other mining themed cover of "Big, Bad John" (songs he does are frequently requested by his patrons) but any song you pick on his channel is great ( his covers of "Ain't No Sunshine", "Jack's Lament", and "I See Fire" are stunning and really show his incredible range).
I love this version, too. Many times, I hear Geoff's low notes rather like someone belching, lol. I do have a little hearing loss. But, on this song, I enjoy them all.
I see you've found Geoff... I used to ride and sleep in the back window of our 56 Ford when traveling pillar to post ..WWII Vets brat...😂
Some of his music utilizes instruments like piano, strings, percussion and in this one upright string bass. Thanks for your time and comments.
Loved it Red!! He just has such an incredible range, and seeing someone truly appreciate it is why we're all here! Like a few others have said, Ain't No Sunshine is amazing, and also his cover of House of the RIsing Sun
Oh gosh! Thank you!
I’ll check that out
You'll see the 4-Geoff lineup in a number of his layered videos. Most likely, you wouldn't pick "Way Down" ( ruclips.net/video/HH3va5j9RIM/видео.html ) as your next stop on the Castelucci express, but you'll be very happy if you do! The song is one of Elvis' lesser known songs, and Geoff's video is lots of fun...to go along with the usual great vocal "stack" of voices (all of which are Geoff!)
Everyone loves his 16 Tons. Wait until you see Ghost Riders, Headless Horseman (Halloween) and so many others. Historical fact: Geoff learned how to do sub-harmonics from Tim Foust. He also did the choreography for HF's Elvira with the Oak Ridge Boys so they are very close. Avi Kaplan from PTX did Ring of Fire with HF and photo bombs Champaign Taste on a Beer Budget and Rob jumped in with VP for their AMC Top 10. They also did a Hillbilly's vs Zombies together but it's a little strange for me. Thanks for sharing your adventure with us!
Close - but it was Tim’s specialty of the ‘Growl’ that He learned from him. I’m ashamed to say that I don’t remember the full name (but first name David, I believe) from whom he first learned subharmonics.
@@hwyla4416 David Larson. Geoff learned them from watching his youtube videos. I think he may have been surprised when he learned he was the one who taught Geoff.
@@tiredangel39 Thanks!!
He has an awesome range. His arrangements are very good, multi track? i think is what they are called.
It is good!
If I remember correctly, the original was by a gentleman named Merle Travis. And in contrast to Geoff, who mentions his left fist first, both Travis and Tennessee Ernie Ford' in his more famous cover, mention the right fist BEFORE the left fist.
Geoff is so awesome! All the parts you hear are all Geoff. He has a voice like Tim Foust from Home Free. He and Tim are best friends. He has a lot of solo songs. You should definitely check out. Love your reaction!
Yes, he sings all the parts. And I can match every note he hits in this song since he doesn’t use any subharmonic tricks to go even lower.
🤯🤯🤯
Hi Red, just the bass was in there.
Far over the misty mountain cold is all ill say for now....
He produces his own productions
Never worry about stopping, that's the whole point of reacting, to react as you go along, as you do. 😊 I wasn't expecting to know that but I did. I have no idea where from though!
😊 thank you
I have heard the TEFord many times. Looking forward to this version.
I love the set too and the start of this song.
The snapping of the fingers was spontaneous with the TEFord recording and they said...don't stop
TEFord moved between octaves smoother
But love the set and sound effects
9 of 10
Geoff does all of the parts on this song and a couple more great songs of Geoff and himself that highlights his range are Man Of Constant Sorrow and House Of The Rising Sun. 👍✌️
Yes all voices are his in all his solo stuff
I've been hoping that you'd give Geoff a try. I'm pleased that you like his solo music. He sure has plenty of good stuff on his channel. One of my favorites is Ain't No Sunshine originally by Bill Withers.
And yes, that is Geoff singing all the parts.
If you check his channel a little deeper, you'll find that he also narrates short stories to his viewers by such authors as EA Poe and Lewis Carroll. He certainly has the voice for it!
I grew up hearing that and "Dark As A dungeon" and many other songs by Tennessee Ernie Ford. My grandfather on my mother's side worked for the coal mines in Eastern Kentucky. I grew up though on a Thoroughbred horse farm out side of Lexington KY. My mother use to say that when she moved from the hills in eastern KY to the more level rolling land of the Bluegrass region, it made her eyes hurt because she was not use to being able to see that far. I like what Geoff did with this but I think I like the Tennessee Ernie Ford version better. I remember sleeping on the "shelf" behind the back seat under the rear glass of my dad's 1950 Ford. I would look up at the trees and stars until I fell asleep.
Yes!!! Exactly
To get the full range of his voice check out Geoff's cover of the Beatle song Blackbird.
This is all him.
U gotta check out his covers of Ain't no sunshine, House of the rising sun, Big john , i see fire etc beyond epic , thx for another awsome reaction Beautiful 😊
Both Geoff and Tim Foust of Home Free, who are close friends and collaborators have side projects where they sing all the parts and both have insane ranges with their voices. As for myself, as an old rock and roller, I never guessed I would be so intrigued and infatuated with a cappella artists, but after following Home Free for 10 years, and the groups like Voiceplay and Pentatonix, I have found myself preferring the variable sounds of the human voice over musical instrumentation. I now enjoy a good balance of both sides of the spectrum in my music listening experience. Great reaction Red.
He does sing with voice play check out there music
8 Track in the truck? We are of an age 😂
So, more Geoff: check out “Ghost Riders in the Sky”, “Fulsom Prison Blues”, "Far over the Misty Mountains Cold”.
The two they show at the end are Both great. Far over the Misty Mountains and Big Bad John. He also have a couple Halloween songs he does single, Monster Mash and the Headless Horseman. Another funny one is Voiceplay vs Home Free. Zombies vs Hill Bellies, Survivor. FUNNY
Lol! Awesome!
Oh yeah, check out his two songs from The Hobbit movies, Misty Mountains Cold & I See Fire, also Shenandoah, The Sound of Silence. He doesn't really do a bad song. And yes ma'am, he does all the parts. Thanks for the reaction!
Inwill love that
Love your hair! Just an FYI...in the unofficial (meaning I put them together from my own experience) rules of watching Voiceplay/Geoff videos...#4) Don't look away from the screen, or close your eyes for more than a second, because, you might miss a visual gag or clever moment. And even in a second, you can miss stuff. Just a suggestion.
Thank you! Yes, it’s just so hard to not get lost in the music. Lol
All Geoff his wife cathy doe's the costuming and helps out on the shoot but Geoff has a 5 octave range and sings it all.
Yes, all the voices are Geoff. And yes, you said his name right, first and last.
Please dont skip Big Bad John, i LOVE the song and his version of it, and i find a lot of reactors go right past the classic
When this song was written, the pay policy for minors was a small portion in cash but the majority in script (Company Cash) that could only be used at the company's store. The store would have all your basic needs, but priced much higher then normal and the store would allow you to buy on credit items like your tools and home furniture then automatically take the cash end of your pay to pay off the debt first on each payday. Leaving most family so in debt to the company that could never stop working for it.
Exactly!
👍👍👍💕🇸🇪😎
Sixteen Tons is originally by Merle Travis. Tennessee Ernie Ford's cover is the most well known.
I didn’t know that! Thank you!
If you wanna see more of Geoffs "high parts" and "lows" you should really watch "Voiceplay - Oogie Boogie Song" :D