Brian May, the Queen guitarist, gave this a nice shout out on his social media. Pentatonix now has 5 Grammy nominations with 3 wins, and recently a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Quite an accomplishment for an acapella band. I'm not a big time competitive person, but realize this kind of thing is important in the entertainment industry.
The panning left & right on "easy come, easy go" was done in Queen's original studio version. Stereophonic sound was still relatively new back then, so audio engineers tended to play around more, discovering effects like that.
I know you said you've listened to them before, but haven't watched their videos. I'd love for you to watch the videos of even the ones you've listened to before. They put a lot of thought into their videos and they're worth taking the time to watch them. I'll be back for all your PTX reactions.
Some Cool facts: 1. The speaker Mitch guitars into had no batteries. 2. This ended up being shot as an actual performance in one take long after the light had faded, lit by a local construction crew who lent their lights and machines to help the last, scrabbling attempt to do the video 3. They pride themselves on never using effects, and can do basically every last thing you hear in person, no backing sounds, just raw voice… its crazy cool 4. Every member of the group past and present is a super duper awesome stand up person who has lived through tough times and works with groups to make sure nobody else ever has to
Pentatonix Bohemian Rhapsody Insights: So, some things to know about this cover and video: -It took PTX years to get the arrangement to where they felt they could do the original masterpiece justice. -The cover, and especially the video, was meant to be an homage to Queen. Some of the moments paying respect were: The mono-recording of the line "easy come, easy go" followed by the panning of the voices from left to right on the line "little high, little low" (which is how the original was recorded), obviously the flashlights being used to mimic the lighting on the operatic part of the original video, the four shooting stars to represent the four members of Queen, as well as acknowledge the fact that Dr. Brian May is an astrophysicist, and the overhead shot of them lying on the couch is to represent the Sheer Heart Attack album cover. -The megaphone was just a prop. It is not needed to reproduce the electric guitar distortion. -PTX can, and does, perform this live with no backing track...something even Queen and the Great Freddie Mercury could not do. -Freddy once said he didn't care what people did with his music as long as they "...don't make it boring, darling!", so I think he would absolutely approve. They were indeed on an actual road and luckily, there actually is a behind the scenes for the making of this one that you can watch! The link is: ruclips.net/video/Q8ugJnIG_Lk/видео.html Also when Brian Mays heard it... he posted it on his web site with the word "ENJOY”. -The overall video--with the "living room" and couch--is an homage to Pentatonix's own journey as a group. They lost their record deal right after winning the Sing Off and moving to LA, so they started putting out videos on RUclips, performing covers. They would sit on the couch in Kevin (beatboxer) and Avi's (bass) living room and just record themselves on Mitch's (counter tenor who took the lead on this song) iPad. Some of their earliest videos went viral and they eventually were able to secure a new deal, record an EP, go on tour, release chart-topping albums and win three Grammy awards...so they moved out of the living room and down this new, unknown road. At the end of the day, though, they're still the same choir-nerds they've always been; just happy to sit together on a couch and sing.
Nice reaction! It's great to see a new face reacting to the best a capella group in the world. They've won 3 Grammy's, have been nominated for 5, have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, have won worldwide recognition for their outstanding vocals and arrangements ( along with numerous awards) have toured in almost every country in the world. The members: Scott Hoying, ( tall blond guy) baritone. Scott, like all the group, has a very impressive vocal range and can go low enough to do the bass-line while the bass is singing lead or a verse. He's a master of riffs and runs. Mitch Grassi, (smaller, dark haired lead singer) countertenor. Mitch has a pure, angelic voice that is very rare...a natural countertenor is the highest vocal category for males and means they sing in a female soprano's range. Mitch sings from low alto to high soprano and above. Avi Kaplan, (dark, long haired singer) Bass, he left the group amicably in 2017 and Matt Sallee joined a few months later and has been their bass singer ever since Kirstin ( Kirstie) Maldonado, (only female in the group), alto-soprano. Kirstie's vocal range has also grown with the years. Her belting abilities are very impressive. 5th member, Kevin Olusola, beatboxer, cellist, tenor. Kevin is the genius of the group. He plays several instruments ( cello, sax, keyboard) has a wonderful tenor voice when he does get to sing, helps songwrite with the group and as with all of them, has great input with the building of songs and arrangements. Some suggestions for what to do next: Daft Punk medley, 90's Dance medley, Evolution of Michael Jackson, Shallow, Say Something, Sing (original), Be My Eyes (original), Coffee In Bed (original), Mad World, Subb'd for more Pentatonix ( PTX)
The audio panning on "little high, little low" is a direct quote from Queen. If you listen to Queen's original you'll hear the same panning on the same phrase. Pentatonix loves Queen, and they love "Bohemian Rhapsody," so they always wanted to cover this song, but they feared that they couldn't do it justice, so they decided to wait until they were sure they were ready. That took them five years, but it was worth the wait - they were definitely ready. In the early days of Pentatonix, after Epic reneged on the recording contract Pentatonix had "won" on _The Sing-Off,_ Pentatonix started posting to RUclips; it was the only way they COULD publish their music. A lot of those early RUclips videos show the five of them sitting on a couch, with the trio on the back of the couch and Avi and Kevin on the seat in front of them, just five very young people singing their hearts out, making their dream come true. Note that this is the configuration we see them in at the beginning and end of "Bohemian Rhapsody," which is one reason the couch needs to move - it's taking Pentatonix (and us) on a trip down Memory Lane. The more important reason the couch moves is that it's standing in for the car in _Wayne's World,_ where Wayne and Garth introduced a whole new generation to the genius of Queen by putting a tape of "Bohemian Rhapsody" into the car's tape player. The couch was motorized, and not very well balanced. (Note that when they're sitting on it their feet don't quite reach the ground. The little curtain thing on the bottom was added to hide the motor.) It kept trying to tip over during the filming and actually managed to throw Kevin off at one point. There was a small platform attached to the back so that Kirstin could climb on the couch from behind - Scott, being a foot taller than Kirstin, didn't need it. When Mitch lies down on the couch, singing "Too late, My time has come," they're referring to Freddie Mercury's death (the foreshadowing was, of course, unintentional on Freddie's part; there's no way he could have known about AIDS, thank goodness). The other four are walking next to the couch to serve as Mitch's pall bearers. Many people think the megaphone is distorting Mitch's voice to make it sound more like an electric guitar, but the megaphone actually has nothing to do with it. It wasn't turned on, and couldn't have distorted Mitch's voice even if it had been - it was just a megaphone. The electric guitar is all Mitch. Mitch happened to see the megaphone lying around on the set and thought it would make a cool prop, so it's been confusing people ever since. During the "Bismillah" argument, note that Scott, whose range includes both bass and tenor registers, is actually singing along with both the high and low sides of the argument. Scott has said that this rapid switching is the hardest part of the song for him. When the camera pans up to show us the starry night sky during Mitch's second guitar solo, it's meant as a tribute to Queen's lead guitarist, Brian May, who has a doctorate in astrophysics. The four shooting stars honor the four members of Queen. When the camera pans back down to show Pentatonix lying on the couch together it's meant to recall the cover art for Queen's "Sheer Heart Attack" album. And when this official video was first released, Brian May posted a link to it on all his social media accounts with the comment: "Enjoy."
I'm a huge fan of Home Free, Pentatonix, and especially Voiceplay. All three have great rabbit holes of covers and original songs and medleys. I've watched this being reacted to by a bunch of channels on RUclips and it is amazing each time to see how people react to it for the first time.
I gave a like and a sub and hit the bell. :) I've been following all three groups for about a decade. Some I'd suggest you check out are: Pentaonix - The Prayer (much later in the group's history, with Matt instead of Avi) it really shows off their growth; White Winter Hymnal, I Just Called To Say I Love You, Evolution of Michael Jackson Home Free - When A Man Loves A Woman, End of the Road, Butts Remix, All About That Bass, Helplessly Hoping Voiceplay - the apocalyptic trio of Warriors, Seven Nation Army, and Dream On; Hoist the Colours, Rich Man/Girl, Little Mermaid Medley, Dragonborn Comes Skyrim, Valhalla Calling, Bridge Over Troubled Water
I subscribed for more Pentatonix reactions. Just an fyi Avi the bass now does only solo music. Matt is the “new bass” he’s been there as long as or longer than Avi. Please react to their live vevo video of KISS from a rose. It’ll blow your mind even more than this.
There's a BTS for this video. Apparently the motorized couch was more like a dangerous carnival ride than it was supposed to be - it tipped over pretty easily, and nearly ran over Kevin (the beatboxer). Scott (tall blonde guy) joked that they needed safety helmets to be riding it!
I read the comments below. cover the background but seem to have left an important factor to this groups success. They are just as great a people as they are singers. ghey have remained humble and interact with their fans on line and while n tour involving the audience in their performances. I am a recent older fan whi looks forward to being surprised and some blown away whenever they release a new song. It just never gets old.
Subbed for more Pentatonix. Thanks for the reaction . Pentatonic or PTX never dissapoints. Every video is stunning and there are more than 250 covers and originals.
I’m glad you gave this band a listen. Pentaholics should come flocking. However, one problem with them is the harsh copyrighting by their label. You will probably need many pauses and image filters to keep your reactions posted. We fans don’t mind since we know the videos by heart and are here for the reactions. I’m a Kirstin fan so I’m glad that you noted her contribution to the vocals. She’s a big factor in creating the Pentatonix sound. Recommend their cover of The Prayer.
@@melanie00005Some of their official videos have visual effects that are just not there with a “live” performance. Case in point is their cover of John Lennon’s Imagine.
Welcome to the PTX rabbit hole. With over 200 videos including lots of original music. Plus their side solo projects (and Superfruit which was Mitch and Scott). The catalog will keep you busy for a long time.
Pentatonix History…..composed by Alan Freeman updated by Perry Stevenson They won The Sing Off in 2011. They made a guest starring appearance on America′s Got Talent as non−competitors a couple of years after that. The founding members are:- Scott Hoying (tall blond guy, natural baritone but has an impressive five−to−six octave range, can go all the way up to high tenor and down to bass, sings the bass lines when the usual bass singer takes the lead); Kirstin "Kirstie" (Rhymes with "Thirsty") Maldonado (the only female member, natural mezzo soprano, but can go down to low alto and as high as upper soprano, also can sing in whistle notes that are off the scale); For a time in 2018 between the group’s tours, had the female lead on Broadway in the production of “Kinky Boots”. Mitch Grassi (a true contra−tenor, can hit high notes in his chest voice with ease and go WAY higher in his falsetto, also with ease); Avriel "Avi" Kaplan (dark beard and long hair), true basso profundo, trained as an opera singer, also can go up into the tenor range; and Kevin "KO" Olusola (beatboxer extraordinaire, also is a world−class cellist who plays cello on some of their songs, has a beautiful high tenor voice and gets occasional lead vocal solos as well, graduated pre−med from Yale and speaks several languages including Mandarin Chinese). Kirstie, Scott & Mitch grew up together in Arlington, Texas, and began performing together as children in local youth musical theater. They ended up in high school together and performed in the choir. While there, they formed an a cappella group called The Trio which had several performance videos go viral on RUclips, most notably a cover of Lady Gaga′s "Telephone". The three of them are best friends and consider themselves to be almost siblings. Scott & Kirstie (who were a class year ahead of Mitch) both graduated high school in 2010 and went their separate ways to different colleges, Scott at USC and Kirstie at Oklahoma. While at USC, Scott joined a USC−based a cappella group called the SoCal VoCals, where he met alumnus Ben Bram, who was now an arranger and vocal coach for the NBC TV show The Sing Off, an a cappella competition show. Ben convinced Scott to get The Trio to audition for the show. The three reunited (Mitch had to skip high school graduation ceremonies to go) in Los Angeles for the audition. They found out that the rules had changed, so they needed at least five members to audition. Ben put them together with Avi (a native of Visalia, California), who he knew from Avi′s performing days at Mount San Antonio College in California. They found Kevin (from Kentucky) through one of his RUclips videos that had gone viral featuring him playing the cello and beatboxing at the same time, a talent that Kevin coined as "Cello−Boxing". Kevin arrived in Los Angeles literally the day before the audition! Scott came up with the name "Pentatonix" after the pentatonic scale. They performed a re−arrangement of "The Telephone" for the audition and passed, despite having been together as a five−piece group for less that 24 hours! They won The Sing Off that season (all of the performances are available on RUclips), in which they received a substantial cash prize AND a record contract with Epic Records. They pooled their prize winnings together and all moved to Los Angeles, and all got apartments right next door to each other in the same building. But just a week later, Epic dropped them because the marketing people didn′t think an acappella group could sell records. Instead of giving up, they were determined and began recording their own songs on RUclips, hiring Ben Bram as their producer and arranger. These usually consisted of the five of them sitting on a couch and performing cover songs live. Several of the videos went viral, and Sony (the parent company of Epic) decided to give them another chance by placing them on one of their smaller labels, Madison Gate. They released two secular EPs and one Christmas EP on Madison Gate, all of which were strong sellers. But when their cover of a medley of songs by Daft Punk not only went super−viral, but also won them their first Grammy, they were promoted all the way up to RCA Records, Sony′s top label. They began writing and producing their own songs in addition to their covers, began putting out a Christmas album just about annually (which has become their best−selling genre), and have had multi−platinum album sales, sold−out world tours, and have won two additional Grammys. Avi began getting burned out with all of the touring and heavy recording schedule, was suffering from anxiety and personal problems, and learned that his mother had been diagnosed with cancer in 2017. He announced he was departing from the group and taking some time away from the music industry. Matt Sallee (from Baltimore) joined them in September 2017. He did only become official when they renewed their RCA contract in February 2018, but he recorded with them in September as a featured artist and went on their Christmas tour as a featured artist, as well. When he attended the audition for the group, he had already mastered the Bass part for most if not all their past catalogue. He was successful and has proved that he fits in well with the group. If you think there have been other changes to the line up - look again. This is the ONLY change. Kirstie and Mitch are like chameleons and change looks frequently. After a year away from music, Avi has now returned as a phenomenal solo artist in the Folk/Americana/Roots genre. Ben Bram has been in charge of their production, including arranging and directing from the beginning. He is often referred to as the sixth member. Scott and Kevin are major players in the arrangements, but every member contributes. good watch is "The Recording of Evergreen" where a camera was invited into the studio for the second week of recording/ Also, all members are songwriters for both Pentatonix and their own solo work. Ed Boyer who mixes everything of theirs (even the HWB Livestream) is the one who pulled Ben Bram into the sing off in the first place. The 3 Grammys they’ve won include…. (1)Daft Punk for Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella…… (2)Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies for Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella…. (3) Jolene w/Dolly Parton for Best Country Duo/Group Performance. They were nominated for a 4th Grammy for their album “Evergreen” for Best Traditional Vocal Album. They were also nominated for a 5th Grammy award for their album “Holidays Around The World” for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. They have a star on the Hollywood walk of fame installed in February 2023. THEY ARE THE ONLY ACAPELLA GROUP WITH A STAR!!!! UPDATE: Pentatonix has also done 9 intros for Thursday Night Football based on their original song “sing”. Links for 3 of them are ruclips.net/video/HrruJptmbKU/видео.html and ruclips.net/video/zTUSB4iwTII/видео.html and ruclips.net/video/e2pvITc9a3U/видео.html UPDATE: Pentatonix has done a cameo appearance in the new movie “Candy Cane Lane” starring Eddie Murphy. They are the carolers. UPDATE: Pentatonix sang the National Anthem at the 2023 College Football National Championship game. Link is ruclips.net/video/fqWY2EUGlgk/видео.html UPDATE: They came 3rd in the 2023 Masked Singer performing as "California Rolls" being unmasked in May 23. Kirstie became a new mum which caused a pause in touring after their Evergreen Christmas tour 2021. Mid March 2023 Kirstie has announced that she is engaged to Ben Hausdorff, their videographer. No dates YET! It is an often debated subject among the Pentaholics as to just how soon we introduce the "Beginners Guide" as we don't want to overdo the introduction. This is a compilation of snips of a whole load of songs which PTX have released. It highlights each member with some of their solos and then a brief history in video. It is quite long - 14+ minutes and is a little dated now (Feb 2020) but is a good watch ruclips.net/video/lDxIfwfCmQE/видео.html&pp=ygUdYmVnaW5uZXJzIGd1aWRlIHRvIHBlbnRhdG9uaXg%3D. Things you need to know because if you get these wrong “Pentaholics” will come after you with pitch forks and torches! Ha Ha Ha!! 1- There is NO Auto-Tune; what you hear is actually what they sing. They really are that good. One exception is the 90's Dance Medley where Cher used auto-tune as an effect - so they had to. 2- What produces everything that you hear in the video, you see in the official video. If there is an instrument used in the music, you see it on screen. In the 2022 Christmas album, there are some instruments not featured throughout the album. 3- They never release something on video they can’t reproduce with the exact same quality live on-stage.
Avi Kaplan IS an opera quality basso profundo. He was joining an opera when he agreed to be part of PTX. You should check out his solo work. My favorite is Change on th Rise.
In the "Scaramouch" section, you commented that "he should do opera". I'm assuming you were referring to Avi Kaplan (the bearded bass on the right). You'll find it interesting then that Avi was an opera and classical voice major in college, training as a basso profundo, and had been offered a position with The Los Angeles Opera at about the same time he was recruited to join Pentatonix for The Sing Off. His training helped him develop a huge vocal range with great control, agility and resonance. Since leaving PTX in 2017, he has developed a strong solo career, with about 90% originals. Most reactors start with the first song he released in 2019, "Change on the Rise", where he does all the backing vocals and sounds (other than organ and tambourine in the bridge), but I like to recommend something that takes you to another side of him - the 7 Layers Sessions version of his original "All Is Well", performed in a church in Utrecht, Netherlands during his 2022 European tour - just him, his guitar, and the natural acoustics and reverb of the church. Stunning. ruclips.net/video/sNjbAAjF4Tg/видео.html
Subscribed. If you decide to continue down this rabbit hole you can expect a LOT of new subscriptions; Pentatonix fans are enthusiastic about reaction videos to anything our favorite band puts out. Some useful terminology: • pentaholic = Pentatonix fan • PTX = abbreviation for Pentatonix - extremely useful in searches • the trio = Kirstin, Mitch, and Scott • Mitch slap = what you gat the first time you realize how incredible Mitch's voice is. • Avi-lanche = like a Mitch slap, except with Avi instead of Mitch. KO = like a Mitch slap or Avi-lanche, except with Kevin Olusola. (Note: You never become immune to Mitch slaps, Avi-lanches, KOs, or the similar, un-named things that Kirstin, Scott, and Matt do. They always have the ability to surprise us.) You can't go wrong listening to anything Pentatonix has released; it's all gorgeous. But all pentaholics have our own personal favorites that we like to recommend. These are some of my favorites: • "Hallelujah" (the official video, with Avi) • "Hallelujah" ( a recent live performance, with Matt: ruclips.net/video/FqphhPapkoc/видео.htmlsi=tC6Ew07JGeQKQvDL ) • "Imagine" (the official video) • "The Prayer" • "Sound of Silence" • "Run To You" (an original, written by Avi and Kevin) • "Happy Now" (another original) • "Daft Punk Medley" (their first Grammy winner) • "O Come All Ye Faithful" • "O Holy Night" (they did a totally new recording for their 2023 Christmas album; you can find the official video here: ruclips.net/video/ReJAU2mXm8w/видео.htmlsi=upj2Q3vLqigVEtgm ) • "Pure Imagination / Christmas Time is Here" (preferably the live Vevo recording) • "Kiss From a Rose" (preferably the live Vevo recording) • "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch" • "The Lucky Ones" (an original, written by Scott) • "Thank You" (an original, written by Scott and his then fiancé, now husband, Mark Manio Hoying, shortly after the end of COVID lockdown, about how much easier it was to get through that time because they were together) • "The Kevin Show/Kevin's Fifth." This is a live feed from a concert they gave in Owensboro, Kentucky, Kevin's home town: ruclips.net/video/DbCasvcNx78/видео.html and this is the very special performance of "Kevin's Fifth" (without "The Kevin Show") from Kevin's birthday in 2022: ruclips.net/video/7m0g7xThIWs/видео.htmlsi=99F7iG5qkdgPCm43 Additionally, IF you're familiar with _"The Wizard Of Oz"_ (the 1939 movie starring Judy Garland), I recommend "Todrick Hall - The Wizard of Ahhhs (ft. Pentatonix)": ruclips.net/video/QkVeKb2igrg/видео.html If you've never seen the movie it won't make sense, so take care of that first. One advantage to reacting to "The Wizard of Ahhhs" is that you won't need to obscure the video to avoid copyright claims. Most of Pentatonix's copyrights are owned by their publisher, RCA, and RCA is notorious for getting reaction videos taken down over copyright issues, but the copyrights for "The Wizard of Ahhhs" are owned by Todrick Hall, and Todrick seems to be more interested in good publicity than in stomping on innocent reactors. (I regret to say that Todrick has gotten a lot of bad publicity since he made "The Wizard of Ahhhs," for very good reasons; he appears to be something of a jerk. But making copyright claims against other RUclipsrs isn't one of his vices.)
There's a "Behind the scenes" video for this that I think you'd enjoy. You can find it here: ruclips.net/video/Q8ugJnIG_Lk/видео.html Where Pentatonix came from: Kirstin, Mitch, and Scott all grew up in Arlington, Texas. All of them were involved with community musical theater as children, and Mitch met both Scott and Kirstin there (separately) when he was still a pre-teen, and became friends with each of them. However, Scott and Kirstin didn't meet each other until they were fourteen and in the same high school class. All three were choir geeks (duh), and they quickly became best friends in high school. And if you're wondering what was in the water in Arlington in the early 1990s that three such remarkably talented people should all be born in such proximity, you aren't the only one. There was some kind of singing contest to meet the stars of _"Glee,"_ and the three of them wanted to enter, so they formed a trio which they named "The Trio." (I know; not very imaginative. They're somewhat better with that now.) They lost the contest, but they kept The Trio together anyway; they performed at school functions and occasionally on local television. Pentaholics still refer to these three as "the trio," and the trio is the heart of Pentatonix. Kirstin and Scott were a year ahead of Mitch; they graduated in 2010, when Mitch was still in eleventh grade, and both went away for their freshman year of college. Kirstin went to the University of Oklahoma (with a full ride scholarship!), and Scott went to the University of Southern Califonia. Scott is a very outgoing person, so he immediately began looking around for extracurricular activities where he could meet people and make new friends, and he found an award-winning amateur a cappella group named SoCal VoCals, which he joined. While there he met a former member named Ben Bram, who at the time was a coach on NBC's a cappella competition show named _"The Sing-Off."_ A cappella groups would audition for the show, and those that passed appeared throughout the season. There was a panel of three judges, all professional musicians, who would critique each performance. Along the way some groups would be eliminated, narrowing the field, and at the end of the season viewers would be invited to vote on a winner. The winning group would receive $200,000 and a recording contract with Epic, a minor subsidiary of Sony, the show's sponsor. Scott was intrigued. He thought The Trio could be competitive, and if they could get a recording contract they could have a career doing what they most loved, with the people they most loved. So he talked to Kirstin, who thought his idea had promise, and at the end of their first year of college the two of them headed back to Arlington to be there for Mitch's graduation and to talk with Mitch about Scott's idea. Meanwhile, back in Arlington Mitch had been having a very difficult year. His best friends weren't there, and as an out-of-the-closet young gay man with an unusually high voice he was being seriously bullied. And unfortunately, since the bullying was ostensibly for his voice he was quickly developing the notion that there was something wrong with his voice and that no one would want to hear him sing. So when Scott presented his idea Mitch was on board; it was a way to get away from the bullies. He had doubts about his ability to carry his weight in the group, because of the bullying, but he was willing to try, and if Scott and Kirstin said they could win, well, maybe they could. So with everyone agreed, Scott called Ben Bram to find out how to arrange for an audition, and this is where they met their first setback. _"The Sing-Off"_ had a size requirement; the minimum size allowed was five. The Trio needed two new members and a new name. They were stumped. Ben suggested that they'd profit from adding a rhythm section: a bass and a beatboxer, and he knew the perfect person to recommend for the bass, a guy named Avi Kaplan. They talked to Avi, and he was very interested, so that took care of the bass, but where to find the beatboxer? Ben didn't have any suggestions. So in desperation they typed "beatboxer" into a RUclips search box and the first hit they got was a black guy playing a classical piece on the cello and beatboxing at the same time. And all of them said, "Wow! He's the one! How can we get in touch with him?" They were in luck. At the time RUclips had something called RUclips messages, which would allow private messages between members (now discontinued), so they sent Kevin a private message: "Hey! We really love your stuff, and we wonder if you'd be interested in flying across the country to join four strangers to audition for an a cappella competition show on television?" And Kevin messaged them back: "Normally I'd be there in a heart beat; I love a cappella and have been in a cappella groups before. But right now I'm studying for my final exams for my pre-med major from Yale." Oh. That sounded pretty definite; better keep looking. So they kept looking, and they found someone, but he was no Kevin Olusola. Oh well; you work with what you have. And two weeks later Kevin messaged them again: "Good news! I just graduated. If the gig's still open I can fly out." He arrived the day before their audition. Mitch had to skip his graduation ceremony to attend the audition. But even with just a day of rehearsal they still passed the audition; they were in. Oh, yes, the name. Pentatonix is named for the pentatonic scale, which has five (penta) tones just as Pentatonix has five (Penta) singers. In other words, it's a fancier way of saying they're now "The Quintet." 😂 Pentatonix appeared throughout season three of _"The Sing-Off,"_ and eventually won. All those performances are available on RUclips and are well worth watching, preferably in order so you can see how they grew throughout the season. Some of them are as good as anything they've done since (which is saying a lot) and are only available in those old videos. (Note: If you decide to react to these, be sure and watch the versions that contain the show's introduction of Pentatonix just before the performance, and the judges' critiques of the performance, and any comments Pentatonix made backstage.) So, they'd won _"The Sing-Off,"_ complete with recording contract. Time to move to California permanently and begin recording. And a week later Epic reneged on the contract, saying that they didn't know how to market a cappella. But at this point Pentatonix weren't willing to give up; they WANTED that career they'd been working toward. So they pooled their winnings and lived frugally. The four men shared two apartments, to cut down on expenses. They arranged music and rehearsed every day, and when they had a song ready they used their iPhones to record themselves anywhere they could find good acoustics, and sometimes in places with acoustics that were just okay. And they posted to RUclips. Their fans from _"The Sing-Off"_ quickly found them there, and subscribed, and they began to get more views and more subscribers, and to pick up a few patrons. In fact, they were going viral. And Sony noticed, and approached them with an offer: Perhaps Pentatonix would like a recording contract with Madison Gate, another minor subsidiary? Hmmm. 🤔 Would they like a recording contract? Might have to think about that, for a second or two. Darn right they'd like a recording contract! And then came "Daft Punk Medley," and Pentatonix won their first Grammy. And again, Sony took notice, and approached Pentatonix: "We've been thinking about it and we believe you might find a better fit with our flagship label, RCA. Are you interested?" They've been with RCA ever since. They go on tours world wide and perform to sold-out venues. They put out at LEAST one album a year, frequently more. One has gone Gold and one has gone Platinum twice. They have three Grammys and recently received a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. And they are the only a cappella band to have won so much as ONE Grammy, or to be represented on the Walk of Fame.
Just gonna give you a friendly tip. If you plan on doing more PTX (please do), get in the habit of pausing more and putting a filter on. YT and the record label (not ptx) loves to throw copy right strikes. Trust me we've all seen the videos dozens and dozens of times...we don't mind pausing and filters if you have to use them.
Brian May is actually Dr. Brian May. He is an astrophysicist. His PhD thesis a survey of radial velocities in the zodiacal dust cloud" was published in 2007 and is a popular astronomy book of the same name. He started his research in 1970 and then stopped to run around the world in this rock band named Queen. Maybe you've heard of them maybe you haven't I had to Google them. That's sarcasm. The megaphone in a prop. Mitch does not use it in the live performances. the voice you hear when they're looking at the stars is the same voice Mitch uses with the megaphone . The shot at the sky is homage to Brian May. Brian May was so impressed with the video that he posted it on all of his social media sites. The part where Mitch is lying down on the couch and Kevin and Avi are walking beside it are to represent the pallbearers carrying Freddie's coffin . The shot at the end when they're looking up at the sky always puzzled me because there are four shooting stars and I always wondered about that because there are 5 members in PTX. I read in a comment that it's an homage to Queen because there are 4 members in Queen. At least that's how I interpret the shooting stars. The moving couch pays homage to how they started. They worked on this song for five or six years to get it where it is right now. PTX has also won 3 Grammys. One for Daft Punk one for Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy and one for Jolene with Dolly Parton. They also have their star on the Hollywood Walk of fame. Home Free, one of the other acapella groups, when The Sing-Off The Following season and voice play took either 3rd or 4th I believe in the season that home free won.
If you have seen their live performance, then you know that the megaphone in Mitch's hand is just a prop and that he is producing Brian May's signature guitar riff (with wah-wah) using his voice.
The members of Pentatonix. In this video: I'm going to refer to their locations on the couch at the beginning and end, in the living room set. On the back of the couch, from left to right, we have: • Kirstin (also called Kirstie, which rhymes with thirsty) Maldonado, the only woman in Pentatonix. Kirstin sings anywhere from low alto through coloratura soprano, the highest soprano range, and she has fantastic whistle notes on top of that. Recently Pentatonix has begun calling her an "alto soprano." • Mitch Grassi (pronounced Grah'-see, emphasis on the first syllable), natural contratenor. Mitch has a range of just over six octaves and is considered by all the other members of Pentatonix to be the best singer in the band. He's known for his ethereal high vocals, and switches seamlessly between chest voice, mixed voice, and head voice. • Scott Hoying, lyric baritone. When describing a man's vocal range, the term "lyric" means that the actual range is greater than the nominal range. Scott's range starts in the middle of the bass range, on the low end, and extends through most of a normal tenor range on the high end. When the bass is soloing, Scott can and does take over the bass harmony line. Kirstin, Mitch, and Scott grew up together in Arlington, Texas and formed a trio in high school which they named "The Trio." For this reason, these three are still known to Pentatonix fans, AKA pentaholics, as "the trio." In high school, The Trio frequently performed at school functions and occasionally on local television, but when they wanted to get on _"The Sing-Off"_ (an a cappella competition show that ran on NBC from 2009 through 2013) and win a recording contract they found out that they needed at least five members, so they added a rhythm section, which brings us to the seat of the couch: •On the left we have Kevin Olusola (pronounced Oh-loosh"-oh-luh', primary emphasis on the second syllable, secondary emphasis on the fourth syllable), beatboxer extraordinaire. Somewhere there may be a better beatboxer than Kevin, but if so I've never encountered him or her. Kevin is generally too busy being the entire percussion section to sing, but when he does sing he has a lovely tenor voice that occasionally dips into the uppermost reaches of baritone, and he's known for the beauty of his falsetto. He's also a pretty good rapper. Kevin has perfect pitch. He began piano lessons at age 4, cello at age 6, and alto saxophone at age 10. He beatboxes while playing the cello, a technique he calls "celloboxing." He performed at Carnegie Hall twice when he was a teenager, once on the cello and once on the saxophone. He graduated from Yale in 2011 with a pre-med major and had been accepted to Yale Medical School before he decided to become a professional beatboxer instead of a brilliant surgeon. He speaks five languages fluently: English, French, Spanish, German, and Mandarin Chinese. He's one of the kindest people in the world, and when he laughs he makes the whole planet seem like a brighter place. • And on the right we have Avi (pronounced Ah'-vee, emphasis on the first syllable) Kaplan, lyric bass. Avi is an operatically trained basso profundo (his lowest notes have blown out speakers in live performances), but his range extends to about the middle of a normal tenor range. Avi left Pentatonix in 2017, for a variety of personal reasons. He has since gone on to have a very successful solo career; I highly recommend subscribing to his RUclips channel: youtube.com/@AviKaplanMusic • Not in this video is Avi's replacement, Matt Sallee (pronounced Suh-lee', emphasis on the second syllable), who joined Pentatonix in late 2017 or early 2018, depending on how you figure it. Matt is another lyric bass. In addition to being the newest member of Pentatonix, Matt is also the youngest member, and I'm told that bass voices improve with age. So it's hard to be sure just what Matt's range is, because it's still growing. To find his current range I recommend listening to a recent live stream of "Hallelujah" (preferably after watching the official video of "Hallelujah," with Avi). You can find one here: ruclips.net/video/FqphhPapkoc/видео.htmlsi=tC6Ew07JGeQKQvDL Matt's arrangement of the second verse seems to be designed to show off his full range, which is fantastic. He isn't at the blowing out speakers level of basso profundo yet, though he may get there within a year or two, but on the high end he's near the top of a normal tenor range. I believe he has the largest range of any member of Pentatonix, past or present.
Their official videos are awesome but they are often better live They have this song on the Hollywood Bowl 2022 live concert PTX has a huge catalog, it is varied, and their music is fantastic
I fear this video won't be up for long, reactions to Pentatonix official videos are notoriously hard to keep up due to copyright claims. Pentatonix loves RUclips reactions and reactors; they're well aware that reaction videos have helped to make them the success that they are today. Unfortunately, their copyrights are owned by their publisher, RCA, and RCA doesn't share their love of reaction videos. RCA is notorious for making copyright claims that get reaction videos taken down. The claims all seem to be about the video, not the music, and there are several strategies people use to keep their reactions up. Some people only react to live performances. This works, but it's limiting. In general, Pentatonix is as good live as they are in their official releases, but that's musically; there are a few of their official videos that have important video effects that can't be duplicated live. The most obvious one is "Imagine," but several others spring to mind. Also, if you only react to live performances you can't react to any "Behind the Scenes" or "Making of" videos. Another strategy is to pause the video frequently. This is probably a good idea (be sure to rewind a bit whenever you do this), but the definition of "frequent" is subjective so I don't recommend it as your only protection. What seems to work best is to slightly mask the video, combined with frequent pauses. Some people put a translucent "PENTATONIX" or "COPYRIGHT" over the video; others put what appears to be a window with raindrops on it over the video. Remember, the pentaholics are here to see your reaction, not the video - we've seen the video numerous times already. We only need to be able to see enough of it to be sure what exactly you're reacting to, in real time.
Great reaction. Just a heads up, their label SME (Sony), can be SUPER aggressive with the copyright blocking. Feel free to cover the video if you need to without worrying about it.
Just joined your channel like your reactions. Would like to see you react to “Santana soul sacrifice Woodstock 1969” I was there at the time I was 13 went with my dad, uncle and cousin. Something I’ll never forget. I would appreciate if you would consider reacting to this brings back memories.
"He should do opera." Funny thing is that Avi Kaplan is a trained operatic basso profundo.
Yes he is and we love him for it!
Brian May, the Queen guitarist, gave this a nice shout out on his social media. Pentatonix now has 5 Grammy nominations with 3 wins, and recently a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Quite an accomplishment for an acapella band. I'm not a big time competitive person, but realize this kind of thing is important in the entertainment industry.
Please react to Beginners Guide to Pentatonix You will learn all about the group and their names and how they created “Pentatonix”
The panning left & right on "easy come, easy go" was done in Queen's original studio version. Stereophonic sound was still relatively new back then, so audio engineers tended to play around more, discovering effects like that.
I know you said you've listened to them before, but haven't watched their videos. I'd love for you to watch the videos of even the ones you've listened to before. They put a lot of thought into their videos and they're worth taking the time to watch them. I'll be back for all your PTX reactions.
Some Cool facts:
1. The speaker Mitch guitars into had no batteries.
2. This ended up being shot as an actual performance in one take long after the light had faded, lit by a local construction crew who lent their lights and machines to help the last, scrabbling attempt to do the video
3. They pride themselves on never using effects, and can do basically every last thing you hear in person, no backing sounds, just raw voice… its crazy cool
4. Every member of the group past and present is a super duper awesome stand up person who has lived through tough times and works with groups to make sure nobody else ever has to
Pentatonix worked on this for five years before they felt that t was good enough to perform it as an homage to Queen
Thank you for reacting to this awesome, fan-fav Pentatonix video. Happy that you liked it. I look forward to more of your Pentatonix reactions.
Pentatonix Bohemian Rhapsody Insights:
So, some things to know about this cover and video: -It took PTX years to get the arrangement to where they felt they could do the original masterpiece justice. -The cover, and especially the video, was meant to be an homage to Queen. Some of the moments paying respect were: The mono-recording of the line "easy come, easy go" followed by the panning of the voices from left to right on the line "little high, little low" (which is how the original was recorded), obviously the flashlights being used to mimic the lighting on the operatic part of the original video, the four shooting stars to represent the four members of Queen, as well as acknowledge the fact that Dr. Brian May is an astrophysicist, and the overhead shot of them lying on the couch is to represent the Sheer Heart Attack album cover. -The megaphone was just a prop. It is not needed to reproduce the electric guitar distortion. -PTX can, and does, perform this live with no backing track...something even Queen and the Great Freddie Mercury could not do. -Freddy once said he didn't care what people did with his music as long as they "...don't make it boring, darling!", so I think he would absolutely approve. They were indeed on an actual road and luckily, there actually is a behind the scenes for the making of this one that you can watch! The link is: ruclips.net/video/Q8ugJnIG_Lk/видео.html Also when Brian Mays heard it... he posted it on his web site with the word "ENJOY”. -The overall video--with the "living room" and couch--is an homage to Pentatonix's own journey as a group. They lost their record deal right after winning the Sing Off and moving to LA, so they started putting out videos on RUclips, performing covers. They would sit on the couch in Kevin (beatboxer) and Avi's (bass) living room and just record themselves on Mitch's (counter tenor who took the lead on this song) iPad. Some of their earliest videos went viral and they eventually were able to secure a new deal, record an EP, go on tour, release chart-topping albums and win three Grammy awards...so they moved out of the living room and down this new, unknown road. At the end of the day, though, they're still the same choir-nerds they've always been; just happy to sit together on a couch and sing.
You should definitely watch more of their videos, they are All awesome
Nice reaction! It's great to see a new face reacting to the best a capella group in the world.
They've won 3 Grammy's, have been nominated for 5, have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, have won worldwide recognition for their outstanding vocals and arrangements ( along with numerous awards) have toured in almost every country in the world.
The members:
Scott Hoying, ( tall blond guy) baritone. Scott, like all the group, has a very impressive vocal range and can go low enough to do the bass-line while the bass is singing lead or a verse. He's a master of riffs and runs.
Mitch Grassi, (smaller, dark haired lead singer) countertenor. Mitch has a pure, angelic voice that is very rare...a natural countertenor is the highest vocal category for males and means they sing in a female soprano's range. Mitch sings from low alto to high soprano and above.
Avi Kaplan, (dark, long haired singer) Bass, he left the group amicably in 2017 and Matt Sallee joined a few months later and has been their bass singer ever since
Kirstin ( Kirstie) Maldonado, (only female in the group), alto-soprano. Kirstie's vocal range has also grown with the years. Her belting abilities are very impressive.
5th member, Kevin Olusola, beatboxer, cellist, tenor. Kevin is the genius of the group. He plays several instruments ( cello, sax, keyboard) has a wonderful tenor voice when he does get to sing, helps songwrite with the group and as with all of them, has great input with the building of songs and arrangements.
Some suggestions for what to do next:
Daft Punk medley, 90's Dance medley, Evolution of Michael Jackson, Shallow, Say Something, Sing (original), Be My Eyes (original), Coffee In Bed (original), Mad World,
Subb'd for more Pentatonix ( PTX)
Thank you for the Sub and all the recommendations!!
The audio panning on "little high, little low" is a direct quote from Queen. If you listen to Queen's original you'll hear the same panning on the same phrase.
Pentatonix loves Queen, and they love "Bohemian Rhapsody," so they always wanted to cover this song, but they feared that they couldn't do it justice, so they decided to wait until they were sure they were ready. That took them five years, but it was worth the wait - they were definitely ready.
In the early days of Pentatonix, after Epic reneged on the recording contract Pentatonix had "won" on _The Sing-Off,_ Pentatonix started posting to RUclips; it was the only way they COULD publish their music. A lot of those early RUclips videos show the five of them sitting on a couch, with the trio on the back of the couch and Avi and Kevin on the seat in front of them, just five very young people singing their hearts out, making their dream come true. Note that this is the configuration we see them in at the beginning and end of "Bohemian Rhapsody," which is one reason the couch needs to move - it's taking Pentatonix (and us) on a trip down Memory Lane.
The more important reason the couch moves is that it's standing in for the car in _Wayne's World,_ where Wayne and Garth introduced a whole new generation to the genius of Queen by putting a tape of "Bohemian Rhapsody" into the car's tape player.
The couch was motorized, and not very well balanced. (Note that when they're sitting on it their feet don't quite reach the ground. The little curtain thing on the bottom was added to hide the motor.) It kept trying to tip over during the filming and actually managed to throw Kevin off at one point. There was a small platform attached to the back so that Kirstin could climb on the couch from behind - Scott, being a foot taller than Kirstin, didn't need it.
When Mitch lies down on the couch, singing "Too late, My time has come," they're referring to Freddie Mercury's death (the foreshadowing was, of course, unintentional on Freddie's part; there's no way he could have known about AIDS, thank goodness). The other four are walking next to the couch to serve as Mitch's pall bearers.
Many people think the megaphone is distorting Mitch's voice to make it sound more like an electric guitar, but the megaphone actually has nothing to do with it. It wasn't turned on, and couldn't have distorted Mitch's voice even if it had been - it was just a megaphone. The electric guitar is all Mitch. Mitch happened to see the megaphone lying around on the set and thought it would make a cool prop, so it's been confusing people ever since.
During the "Bismillah" argument, note that Scott, whose range includes both bass and tenor registers, is actually singing along with both the high and low sides of the argument. Scott has said that this rapid switching is the hardest part of the song for him.
When the camera pans up to show us the starry night sky during Mitch's second guitar solo, it's meant as a tribute to Queen's lead guitarist, Brian May, who has a doctorate in astrophysics.
The four shooting stars honor the four members of Queen.
When the camera pans back down to show Pentatonix lying on the couch together it's meant to recall the cover art for Queen's "Sheer Heart Attack" album.
And when this official video was first released, Brian May posted a link to it on all his social media accounts with the comment: "Enjoy."
I'm a huge fan of Home Free, Pentatonix, and especially Voiceplay. All three have great rabbit holes of covers and original songs and medleys. I've watched this being reacted to by a bunch of channels on RUclips and it is amazing each time to see how people react to it for the first time.
I gave a like and a sub and hit the bell. :)
I've been following all three groups for about a decade. Some I'd suggest you check out are:
Pentaonix - The Prayer (much later in the group's history, with Matt instead of Avi) it really shows off their growth; White Winter Hymnal, I Just Called To Say I Love You, Evolution of Michael Jackson
Home Free - When A Man Loves A Woman, End of the Road, Butts Remix, All About That Bass, Helplessly Hoping
Voiceplay - the apocalyptic trio of Warriors, Seven Nation Army, and Dream On; Hoist the Colours, Rich Man/Girl, Little Mermaid Medley, Dragonborn Comes Skyrim, Valhalla Calling, Bridge Over Troubled Water
I subscribed for more Pentatonix reactions. Just an fyi Avi the bass now does only solo music. Matt is the “new bass” he’s been there as long as or longer than Avi. Please react to their live vevo video of KISS from a rose. It’ll blow your mind even more than this.
There's a BTS for this video. Apparently the motorized couch was more like a dangerous carnival ride than it was supposed to be - it tipped over pretty easily, and nearly ran over Kevin (the beatboxer). Scott (tall blonde guy) joked that they needed safety helmets to be riding it!
I read the comments below. cover the background but seem to have left an important factor to this groups success. They are just as great a people as they are singers. ghey have remained humble and interact with their fans on line and while n tour involving the audience in their performances. I am a recent older fan whi looks forward to being surprised and some blown away whenever they release a new song. It just never gets old.
Subbed for more Pentatonix. Thanks for the reaction . Pentatonic or PTX never dissapoints. Every video is stunning and there are more than 250 covers and originals.
Remember, PTX doesn't do covers... they only do upgrades!
I’m glad you gave this band a listen. Pentaholics should come flocking. However, one problem with them is the harsh copyrighting by their label. You will probably need many pauses and image filters to keep your reactions posted. We fans don’t mind since we know the videos by heart and are here for the reactions.
I’m a Kirstin fan so I’m glad that you noted her contribution to the vocals. She’s a big factor in creating the Pentatonix sound.
Recommend their cover of The Prayer.
Yes, copyright is bad with them, but they do great live. So you can watch those as well.
@@melanie00005Some of their official videos have visual effects that are just not there with a “live” performance. Case in point is their cover of John Lennon’s Imagine.
I LOVE a capella reactions! I just subbed in hopes of more a capella reactions! 💖
Great reaction to the amazing PTX!
Subbed for more....
BTW the megaphone is only a prop, Mitch does this live without it 😊
Oh wow!! I didn’t know that. That’s amazing.
Welcome to the PTX rabbit hole. With over 200 videos including lots of original music. Plus their side solo projects (and Superfruit which was Mitch and Scott). The catalog will keep you busy for a long time.
Just subscribed more pentatonix please Great reaction
Pentatonix History…..composed by Alan Freeman updated by Perry Stevenson
They won The Sing Off in 2011. They made a guest starring appearance on America′s Got Talent as non−competitors a couple of years after that.
The founding members are:-
Scott Hoying (tall blond guy, natural baritone but has an impressive five−to−six octave range, can go all the way up to high tenor and down to bass, sings the bass lines when the usual bass singer takes the lead);
Kirstin "Kirstie" (Rhymes with "Thirsty") Maldonado (the only female member, natural mezzo soprano, but can go down to low alto and as high as upper soprano, also can sing in whistle notes that are off the scale); For a time in 2018 between the group’s tours, had the female lead on Broadway in the production of “Kinky Boots”.
Mitch Grassi (a true contra−tenor, can hit high notes in his chest voice with ease and go WAY higher in his falsetto, also with ease);
Avriel "Avi" Kaplan (dark beard and long hair), true basso profundo, trained as an opera singer, also can go up into the tenor range; and
Kevin "KO" Olusola (beatboxer extraordinaire, also is a world−class cellist who plays cello on some of their songs, has a beautiful high tenor voice and gets occasional lead vocal solos as well, graduated pre−med from Yale and speaks several languages including Mandarin Chinese).
Kirstie, Scott & Mitch grew up together in Arlington, Texas, and began performing together as children in local youth musical theater. They ended up in high school together and performed in the choir. While there, they formed an a cappella group called The Trio which had several performance videos go viral on RUclips, most notably a cover of Lady Gaga′s "Telephone". The three of them are best friends and consider themselves to be almost siblings.
Scott & Kirstie (who were a class year ahead of Mitch) both graduated high school in 2010 and went their separate ways to different colleges, Scott at USC and Kirstie at Oklahoma.
While at USC, Scott joined a USC−based a cappella group called the SoCal VoCals, where he met alumnus Ben Bram, who was now an arranger and vocal coach for the NBC TV show The Sing Off, an a cappella competition show. Ben convinced Scott to get The Trio to audition for the show. The three reunited (Mitch had to skip high school graduation ceremonies to go) in Los Angeles for the audition.
They found out that the rules had changed, so they needed at least five members to audition. Ben put them together with Avi (a native of Visalia, California), who he knew from Avi′s performing days at Mount San Antonio College in California. They found Kevin (from Kentucky) through one of his RUclips videos that had gone viral featuring him playing the cello and beatboxing at the same time, a talent that Kevin coined as "Cello−Boxing".
Kevin arrived in Los Angeles literally the day before the audition! Scott came up with the name "Pentatonix" after the pentatonic scale. They performed a re−arrangement of "The Telephone" for the audition and passed, despite having been together as a five−piece group for less that 24 hours!
They won The Sing Off that season (all of the performances are available on RUclips), in which they received a substantial cash prize AND a record contract with Epic Records. They pooled their prize winnings together and all moved to Los Angeles, and all got apartments right next door to each other in the same building.
But just a week later, Epic dropped them because the marketing people didn′t think an acappella group could sell records.
Instead of giving up, they were determined and began recording their own songs on RUclips, hiring Ben Bram as their producer and arranger. These usually consisted of the five of them sitting on a couch and performing cover songs live.
Several of the videos went viral, and Sony (the parent company of Epic) decided to give them another chance by placing them on one of their smaller labels, Madison Gate. They released two secular EPs and one Christmas EP on Madison Gate, all of which were strong sellers.
But when their cover of a medley of songs by Daft Punk not only went super−viral, but also won them their first Grammy, they were promoted all the way up to RCA Records, Sony′s top label.
They began writing and producing their own songs in addition to their covers, began putting out a Christmas album just about annually (which has become their best−selling genre), and have had multi−platinum album sales, sold−out world tours, and have won two additional Grammys.
Avi began getting burned out with all of the touring and heavy recording schedule, was suffering from anxiety and personal problems, and learned that his mother had been diagnosed with cancer in 2017. He announced he was departing from the group and taking some time away from the music industry.
Matt Sallee (from Baltimore) joined them in September 2017. He did only become official when they renewed their RCA contract in February 2018, but he recorded with them in September as a featured artist and went on their Christmas tour as a featured artist, as well. When he attended the audition for the group, he had already mastered the Bass part for most if not all their past catalogue. He was successful and has proved that he fits in well with the group.
If you think there have been other changes to the line up - look again. This is the ONLY change. Kirstie and Mitch are like chameleons and change looks frequently.
After a year away from music, Avi has now returned as a phenomenal solo artist in the Folk/Americana/Roots genre.
Ben Bram has been in charge of their production, including arranging and directing from the beginning. He is often referred to as the sixth member. Scott and Kevin are major players in the arrangements, but every member contributes. good watch is "The Recording of Evergreen" where a camera was invited into the studio for the second week of recording/
Also, all members are songwriters for both Pentatonix and their own solo work.
Ed Boyer who mixes everything of theirs (even the HWB Livestream) is the one who pulled Ben Bram into the sing off in the first place.
The 3 Grammys they’ve won include….
(1)Daft Punk for Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella……
(2)Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies for Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella….
(3) Jolene w/Dolly Parton for Best Country Duo/Group Performance.
They were nominated for a 4th Grammy for their album “Evergreen” for Best Traditional Vocal Album.
They were also nominated for a 5th Grammy award for their album “Holidays Around The World” for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.
They have a star on the Hollywood walk of fame installed in February 2023. THEY ARE THE ONLY ACAPELLA GROUP WITH A STAR!!!!
UPDATE: Pentatonix has also done 9 intros for Thursday Night Football based on their original song “sing”. Links for 3 of them are ruclips.net/video/HrruJptmbKU/видео.html and ruclips.net/video/zTUSB4iwTII/видео.html and ruclips.net/video/e2pvITc9a3U/видео.html
UPDATE: Pentatonix has done a cameo appearance in the new movie “Candy Cane Lane” starring Eddie Murphy. They are the carolers.
UPDATE: Pentatonix sang the National Anthem at the 2023 College Football National Championship game. Link is ruclips.net/video/fqWY2EUGlgk/видео.html
UPDATE: They came 3rd in the 2023 Masked Singer performing as "California Rolls" being unmasked in May 23.
Kirstie became a new mum which caused a pause in touring after their Evergreen Christmas tour 2021. Mid March 2023 Kirstie has announced that she is engaged to Ben Hausdorff, their videographer. No dates YET!
It is an often debated subject among the Pentaholics as to just how soon we introduce the "Beginners Guide" as we don't want to overdo the introduction. This is a compilation of snips of a whole load of songs which PTX have released. It highlights each member with some of their solos and then a brief history in video. It is quite long - 14+ minutes and is a little dated now (Feb 2020) but is a good watch ruclips.net/video/lDxIfwfCmQE/видео.html&pp=ygUdYmVnaW5uZXJzIGd1aWRlIHRvIHBlbnRhdG9uaXg%3D.
Things you need to know because if you get these wrong “Pentaholics” will come after you with pitch forks and torches! Ha Ha Ha!!
1- There is NO Auto-Tune; what you hear is actually what they sing. They really are that good. One exception is the 90's Dance Medley where Cher used auto-tune as an effect - so they had to.
2- What produces everything that you hear in the video, you see in the official video. If there is an instrument used in the music, you see it on screen. In the 2022 Christmas album, there are some instruments not featured throughout the album.
3- They never release something on video they can’t reproduce with the exact same quality live on-stage.
Best "air" band ever!
Welcome to PTX! Hope you’ll stick around for more. Subbed. Much love from South Africa!
Avi Kaplan IS an opera quality basso profundo. He was joining an opera when he agreed to be part of PTX. You should check out his solo work. My favorite is Change on th Rise.
I just subbed. More Pentatonix aka PTX please!!!
In the "Scaramouch" section, you commented that "he should do opera". I'm assuming you were referring to Avi Kaplan (the bearded bass on the right). You'll find it interesting then that Avi was an opera and classical voice major in college, training as a basso profundo, and had been offered a position with The Los Angeles Opera at about the same time he was recruited to join Pentatonix for The Sing Off. His training helped him develop a huge vocal range with great control, agility and resonance. Since leaving PTX in 2017, he has developed a strong solo career, with about 90% originals. Most reactors start with the first song he released in 2019, "Change on the Rise", where he does all the backing vocals and sounds (other than organ and tambourine in the bridge), but I like to recommend something that takes you to another side of him - the 7 Layers Sessions version of his original "All Is Well", performed in a church in Utrecht, Netherlands during his 2022 European tour - just him, his guitar, and the natural acoustics and reverb of the church. Stunning. ruclips.net/video/sNjbAAjF4Tg/видео.html
Subscribed.
If you decide to continue down this rabbit hole you can expect a LOT of new subscriptions; Pentatonix fans are enthusiastic about reaction videos to anything our favorite band puts out.
Some useful terminology:
• pentaholic = Pentatonix fan
• PTX = abbreviation for Pentatonix - extremely useful in searches
• the trio = Kirstin, Mitch, and Scott
• Mitch slap = what you gat the first time you realize how incredible Mitch's voice is.
• Avi-lanche = like a Mitch slap, except with Avi instead of Mitch.
KO = like a Mitch slap or Avi-lanche, except with Kevin Olusola.
(Note: You never become immune to Mitch slaps, Avi-lanches, KOs, or the similar, un-named things that Kirstin, Scott, and Matt do. They always have the ability to surprise us.)
You can't go wrong listening to anything Pentatonix has released; it's all gorgeous. But all pentaholics have our own personal favorites that we like to recommend. These are some of my favorites:
• "Hallelujah" (the official video, with Avi)
• "Hallelujah" ( a recent live performance, with Matt: ruclips.net/video/FqphhPapkoc/видео.htmlsi=tC6Ew07JGeQKQvDL )
• "Imagine" (the official video)
• "The Prayer"
• "Sound of Silence"
• "Run To You" (an original, written by Avi and Kevin)
• "Happy Now" (another original)
• "Daft Punk Medley" (their first Grammy winner)
• "O Come All Ye Faithful"
• "O Holy Night" (they did a totally new recording for their 2023 Christmas album; you can find the official video here: ruclips.net/video/ReJAU2mXm8w/видео.htmlsi=upj2Q3vLqigVEtgm )
• "Pure Imagination / Christmas Time is Here" (preferably the live Vevo recording)
• "Kiss From a Rose" (preferably the live Vevo recording)
• "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch"
• "The Lucky Ones" (an original, written by Scott)
• "Thank You" (an original, written by Scott and his then fiancé, now husband, Mark Manio Hoying, shortly after the end of COVID lockdown, about how much easier it was to get through that time because they were together)
• "The Kevin Show/Kevin's Fifth." This is a live feed from a concert they gave in Owensboro, Kentucky, Kevin's home town: ruclips.net/video/DbCasvcNx78/видео.html and this is the very special performance of "Kevin's Fifth" (without "The Kevin Show") from Kevin's birthday in 2022: ruclips.net/video/7m0g7xThIWs/видео.htmlsi=99F7iG5qkdgPCm43
Additionally, IF you're familiar with _"The Wizard Of Oz"_ (the 1939 movie starring Judy Garland), I recommend "Todrick Hall - The Wizard of Ahhhs (ft. Pentatonix)": ruclips.net/video/QkVeKb2igrg/видео.html If you've never seen the movie it won't make sense, so take care of that first. One advantage to reacting to "The Wizard of Ahhhs" is that you won't need to obscure the video to avoid copyright claims. Most of Pentatonix's copyrights are owned by their publisher, RCA, and RCA is notorious for getting reaction videos taken down over copyright issues, but the copyrights for "The Wizard of Ahhhs" are owned by Todrick Hall, and Todrick seems to be more interested in good publicity than in stomping on innocent reactors. (I regret to say that Todrick has gotten a lot of bad publicity since he made "The Wizard of Ahhhs," for very good reasons; he appears to be something of a jerk. But making copyright claims against other RUclipsrs isn't one of his vices.)
Check out forestella too... they're a quartet from South Korea.
There's a "Behind the scenes" video for this that I think you'd enjoy. You can find it here: ruclips.net/video/Q8ugJnIG_Lk/видео.html
Where Pentatonix came from:
Kirstin, Mitch, and Scott all grew up in Arlington, Texas. All of them were involved with community musical theater as children, and Mitch met both Scott and Kirstin there (separately) when he was still a pre-teen, and became friends with each of them. However, Scott and Kirstin didn't meet each other until they were fourteen and in the same high school class. All three were choir geeks (duh), and they quickly became best friends in high school. And if you're wondering what was in the water in Arlington in the early 1990s that three such remarkably talented people should all be born in such proximity, you aren't the only one.
There was some kind of singing contest to meet the stars of _"Glee,"_ and the three of them wanted to enter, so they formed a trio which they named "The Trio." (I know; not very imaginative. They're somewhat better with that now.) They lost the contest, but they kept The Trio together anyway; they performed at school functions and occasionally on local television. Pentaholics still refer to these three as "the trio," and the trio is the heart of Pentatonix.
Kirstin and Scott were a year ahead of Mitch; they graduated in 2010, when Mitch was still in eleventh grade, and both went away for their freshman year of college. Kirstin went to the University of Oklahoma (with a full ride scholarship!), and Scott went to the University of Southern Califonia.
Scott is a very outgoing person, so he immediately began looking around for extracurricular activities where he could meet people and make new friends, and he found an award-winning amateur a cappella group named SoCal VoCals, which he joined. While there he met a former member named Ben Bram, who at the time was a coach on NBC's a cappella competition show named _"The Sing-Off."_ A cappella groups would audition for the show, and those that passed appeared throughout the season. There was a panel of three judges, all professional musicians, who would critique each performance. Along the way some groups would be eliminated, narrowing the field, and at the end of the season viewers would be invited to vote on a winner. The winning group would receive $200,000 and a recording contract with Epic, a minor subsidiary of Sony, the show's sponsor.
Scott was intrigued. He thought The Trio could be competitive, and if they could get a recording contract they could have a career doing what they most loved, with the people they most loved. So he talked to Kirstin, who thought his idea had promise, and at the end of their first year of college the two of them headed back to Arlington to be there for Mitch's graduation and to talk with Mitch about Scott's idea.
Meanwhile, back in Arlington Mitch had been having a very difficult year. His best friends weren't there, and as an out-of-the-closet young gay man with an unusually high voice he was being seriously bullied. And unfortunately, since the bullying was ostensibly for his voice he was quickly developing the notion that there was something wrong with his voice and that no one would want to hear him sing. So when Scott presented his idea Mitch was on board; it was a way to get away from the bullies. He had doubts about his ability to carry his weight in the group, because of the bullying, but he was willing to try, and if Scott and Kirstin said they could win, well, maybe they could.
So with everyone agreed, Scott called Ben Bram to find out how to arrange for an audition, and this is where they met their first setback. _"The Sing-Off"_ had a size requirement; the minimum size allowed was five. The Trio needed two new members and a new name. They were stumped.
Ben suggested that they'd profit from adding a rhythm section: a bass and a beatboxer, and he knew the perfect person to recommend for the bass, a guy named Avi Kaplan. They talked to Avi, and he was very interested, so that took care of the bass, but where to find the beatboxer? Ben didn't have any suggestions. So in desperation they typed "beatboxer" into a RUclips search box and the first hit they got was a black guy playing a classical piece on the cello and beatboxing at the same time. And all of them said, "Wow! He's the one! How can we get in touch with him?"
They were in luck. At the time RUclips had something called RUclips messages, which would allow private messages between members (now discontinued), so they sent Kevin a private message: "Hey! We really love your stuff, and we wonder if you'd be interested in flying across the country to join four strangers to audition for an a cappella competition show on television?" And Kevin messaged them back: "Normally I'd be there in a heart beat; I love a cappella and have been in a cappella groups before. But right now I'm studying for my final exams for my pre-med major from Yale." Oh. That sounded pretty definite; better keep looking. So they kept looking, and they found someone, but he was no Kevin Olusola. Oh well; you work with what you have.
And two weeks later Kevin messaged them again: "Good news! I just graduated. If the gig's still open I can fly out." He arrived the day before their audition. Mitch had to skip his graduation ceremony to attend the audition. But even with just a day of rehearsal they still passed the audition; they were in.
Oh, yes, the name. Pentatonix is named for the pentatonic scale, which has five (penta) tones just as Pentatonix has five (Penta) singers. In other words, it's a fancier way of saying they're now "The Quintet." 😂
Pentatonix appeared throughout season three of _"The Sing-Off,"_ and eventually won. All those performances are available on RUclips and are well worth watching, preferably in order so you can see how they grew throughout the season. Some of them are as good as anything they've done since (which is saying a lot) and are only available in those old videos. (Note: If you decide to react to these, be sure and watch the versions that contain the show's introduction of Pentatonix just before the performance, and the judges' critiques of the performance, and any comments Pentatonix made backstage.)
So, they'd won _"The Sing-Off,"_ complete with recording contract. Time to move to California permanently and begin recording. And a week later Epic reneged on the contract, saying that they didn't know how to market a cappella. But at this point Pentatonix weren't willing to give up; they WANTED that career they'd been working toward. So they pooled their winnings and lived frugally. The four men shared two apartments, to cut down on expenses. They arranged music and rehearsed every day, and when they had a song ready they used their iPhones to record themselves anywhere they could find good acoustics, and sometimes in places with acoustics that were just okay. And they posted to RUclips. Their fans from _"The Sing-Off"_ quickly found them there, and subscribed, and they began to get more views and more subscribers, and to pick up a few patrons. In fact, they were going viral. And Sony noticed, and approached them with an offer: Perhaps Pentatonix would like a recording contract with Madison Gate, another minor subsidiary? Hmmm. 🤔 Would they like a recording contract? Might have to think about that, for a second or two. Darn right they'd like a recording contract!
And then came "Daft Punk Medley," and Pentatonix won their first Grammy. And again, Sony took notice, and approached Pentatonix: "We've been thinking about it and we believe you might find a better fit with our flagship label, RCA. Are you interested?" They've been with RCA ever since. They go on tours world wide and perform to sold-out venues. They put out at LEAST one album a year, frequently more. One has gone Gold and one has gone Platinum twice. They have three Grammys and recently received a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. And they are the only a cappella band to have won so much as ONE Grammy, or to be represented on the Walk of Fame.
Just gonna give you a friendly tip. If you plan on doing more PTX (please do), get in the habit of pausing more and putting a filter on. YT and the record label (not ptx) loves to throw copy right strikes. Trust me we've all seen the videos dozens and dozens of times...we don't mind pausing and filters if you have to use them.
Brian May is actually Dr. Brian May. He is an astrophysicist. His PhD thesis a survey of radial velocities in the zodiacal dust cloud" was published in 2007 and is a popular astronomy book of the same name. He started his research in 1970 and then stopped to run around the world in this rock band named Queen. Maybe you've heard of them maybe you haven't I had to Google them. That's sarcasm. The megaphone in a prop. Mitch does not use it in the live performances. the voice you hear when they're looking at the stars is the same voice Mitch uses with the megaphone . The shot at the sky is homage to Brian May. Brian May was so impressed with the video that he posted it on all of his social media sites. The part where Mitch is lying down on the couch and Kevin and Avi are walking beside it are to represent the pallbearers carrying Freddie's coffin . The shot at the end when they're looking up at the sky always puzzled me because there are four shooting stars and I always wondered about that because there are 5 members in PTX. I read in a comment that it's an homage to Queen because there
are 4 members in Queen. At least that's how I interpret the shooting stars. The moving couch pays homage to how they started. They worked on this song for five or six years to get it where it is right now.
PTX has also won 3 Grammys. One for Daft Punk one for Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy and one for Jolene with Dolly Parton. They also have their star on the Hollywood Walk of fame. Home Free, one of the other acapella groups, when The Sing-Off The Following season and voice play took either 3rd or 4th I believe in the season that home free won.
Subbed for more PTX reactions.
If you have seen their live performance, then you know that the megaphone in Mitch's hand is just a prop and that he is producing Brian May's signature guitar riff (with wah-wah) using his voice.
I would suggest 'Daft Punk Medley' or '90's Dance Medley'.
I love acapella. I love Home Free. But Kirstin, with the female voice and Mitch with the countertenor, just adds a new layer to their music.
The members of Pentatonix.
In this video:
I'm going to refer to their locations on the couch at the beginning and end, in the living room set.
On the back of the couch, from left to right, we have:
• Kirstin (also called Kirstie, which rhymes with thirsty) Maldonado, the only woman in Pentatonix. Kirstin sings anywhere from low alto through coloratura soprano, the highest soprano range, and she has fantastic whistle notes on top of that. Recently Pentatonix has begun calling her an "alto soprano."
• Mitch Grassi (pronounced Grah'-see, emphasis on the first syllable), natural contratenor. Mitch has a range of just over six octaves and is considered by all the other members of Pentatonix to be the best singer in the band. He's known for his ethereal high vocals, and switches seamlessly between chest voice, mixed voice, and head voice.
• Scott Hoying, lyric baritone. When describing a man's vocal range, the term "lyric" means that the actual range is greater than the nominal range. Scott's range starts in the middle of the bass range, on the low end, and extends through most of a normal tenor range on the high end. When the bass is soloing, Scott can and does take over the bass harmony line.
Kirstin, Mitch, and Scott grew up together in Arlington, Texas and formed a trio in high school which they named "The Trio." For this reason, these three are still known to Pentatonix fans, AKA pentaholics, as "the trio." In high school, The Trio frequently performed at school functions and occasionally on local television, but when they wanted to get on _"The Sing-Off"_ (an a cappella competition show that ran on NBC from 2009 through 2013) and win a recording contract they found out that they needed at least five members, so they added a rhythm section, which brings us to the seat of the couch:
•On the left we have Kevin Olusola (pronounced Oh-loosh"-oh-luh', primary emphasis on the second syllable, secondary emphasis on the fourth syllable), beatboxer extraordinaire. Somewhere there may be a better beatboxer than Kevin, but if so I've never encountered him or her. Kevin is generally too busy being the entire percussion section to sing, but when he does sing he has a lovely tenor voice that occasionally dips into the uppermost reaches of baritone, and he's known for the beauty of his falsetto. He's also a pretty good rapper. Kevin has perfect pitch. He began piano lessons at age 4, cello at age 6, and alto saxophone at age 10. He beatboxes while playing the cello, a technique he calls "celloboxing." He performed at Carnegie Hall twice when he was a teenager, once on the cello and once on the saxophone. He graduated from Yale in 2011 with a pre-med major and had been accepted to Yale Medical School before he decided to become a professional beatboxer instead of a brilliant surgeon. He speaks five languages fluently: English, French, Spanish, German, and Mandarin Chinese. He's one of the kindest people in the world, and when he laughs he makes the whole planet seem like a brighter place.
• And on the right we have Avi (pronounced Ah'-vee, emphasis on the first syllable) Kaplan, lyric bass. Avi is an operatically trained basso profundo (his lowest notes have blown out speakers in live performances), but his range extends to about the middle of a normal tenor range. Avi left Pentatonix in 2017, for a variety of personal reasons. He has since gone on to have a very successful solo career; I highly recommend subscribing to his RUclips channel: youtube.com/@AviKaplanMusic
• Not in this video is Avi's replacement, Matt Sallee (pronounced Suh-lee', emphasis on the second syllable), who joined Pentatonix in late 2017 or early 2018, depending on how you figure it. Matt is another lyric bass. In addition to being the newest member of Pentatonix, Matt is also the youngest member, and I'm told that bass voices improve with age. So it's hard to be sure just what Matt's range is, because it's still growing. To find his current range I recommend listening to a recent live stream of "Hallelujah" (preferably after watching the official video of "Hallelujah," with Avi). You can find one here: ruclips.net/video/FqphhPapkoc/видео.htmlsi=tC6Ew07JGeQKQvDL Matt's arrangement of the second verse seems to be designed to show off his full range, which is fantastic. He isn't at the blowing out speakers level of basso profundo yet, though he may get there within a year or two, but on the high end he's near the top of a normal tenor range. I believe he has the largest range of any member of Pentatonix, past or present.
Missing Avi Kaplan so much. ❤ Love the new guy too but Avi, man... they way he did his whistle tones while singing. Ugh. Incredible.
Checkout their latest "Kiss from a rose" Live. Really good
⚡⚡🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥⚡⚡
Their official videos are awesome but they are often better live They have this song on the Hollywood Bowl 2022 live concert PTX has a huge catalog, it is varied, and their music is fantastic
Avi was trained in opera!
I fear this video won't be up for long, reactions to Pentatonix official videos are notoriously hard to keep up due to copyright claims.
Pentatonix loves RUclips reactions and reactors; they're well aware that reaction videos have helped to make them the success that they are today. Unfortunately, their copyrights are owned by their publisher, RCA, and RCA doesn't share their love of reaction videos. RCA is notorious for making copyright claims that get reaction videos taken down.
The claims all seem to be about the video, not the music, and there are several strategies people use to keep their reactions up. Some people only react to live performances. This works, but it's limiting. In general, Pentatonix is as good live as they are in their official releases, but that's musically; there are a few of their official videos that have important video effects that can't be duplicated live. The most obvious one is "Imagine," but several others spring to mind. Also, if you only react to live performances you can't react to any "Behind the Scenes" or "Making of" videos.
Another strategy is to pause the video frequently. This is probably a good idea (be sure to rewind a bit whenever you do this), but the definition of "frequent" is subjective so I don't recommend it as your only protection. What seems to work best is to slightly mask the video, combined with frequent pauses. Some people put a translucent "PENTATONIX" or "COPYRIGHT" over the video; others put what appears to be a window with raindrops on it over the video. Remember, the pentaholics are here to see your reaction, not the video - we've seen the video numerous times already. We only need to be able to see enough of it to be sure what exactly you're reacting to, in real time.
Mitch does not need the megaphone to do this ... he doesn't use it on stage ... it's just a prop. As for Avi, yes he was trained in classical music.
Now you will need to react to VoicePlays Queen In Five Minutes.
Watch their 90's Dance Medlry video
You just got "Mitch slapped"...
Check out daft punk medley
Great reaction. Just a heads up, their label SME (Sony), can be SUPER aggressive with the copyright blocking. Feel free to cover the video if you need to without worrying about it.
Good to know. Thank you
Just joined your channel like your reactions. Would like to see you react to “Santana soul sacrifice Woodstock 1969” I was there at the time I was 13 went with my dad, uncle and cousin. Something I’ll never forget. I would appreciate if you would consider reacting to this brings back memories.
I will definitely consider it!
Surprised this didn’t get blocked… their videos get blocked if not fuzzed out or something
Strictly a prop...
They are not that "incredible". They are 'pitch corrected!