#geoff castellucci christmas

[acaplaya-musings]

Geoff Castellucci Carol Of The Bells - thoughts/commentary

Excuse me while I go pick my jaw up from the floor because like MY GOD????

So yeah Peter Hollens' cover has been definitely dethroned in my mind! Geoff has done it again! This feels like the spiritual successor to his God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen cover and I love it so much!

Okay so the thing is that this dropped to Patreon late in the morning last Sunday for me (the day after Zat You Santa Claus appeared on VP's Patreon), when I was about to go out shopping with my mum, so I barely had just enough time to watch it (there was no way I could wait when I saw what the song was!), and thus didn't start typing stuff up until I returned home from shopping (yes, my premiere post was actually typed up after I had already watched the video, but it was still true of my thoughts before I had hit play). And then after I got home, I had other new videos to watch, a Christmas tree to decorate, a dog to walk, etc, and basically it's now nighttime, roughly 10 hours later, that I'm able to watch it for a second time. So I'm gonna do what I did with VoicePlay's Christmas upload, and rewatch it on my laptop while pausing to type up notes on my phone, so I don't forget to mention anything. (And I won't be doing Voiceplay-adjacent visuals for this one, so I'll have thoughts on the video itself here as well).

Review/commentary below the cut!

Love the beginning with the audible crackling from the fireplace! Really helps start to set the mood/vibe right off the bat and draw you in!

One of the Patrons drew attention to the fact that all of the "Geoffs" walk into shot in this one, and actually yeah that's a new thing for Geoff! And I gotta wonder if that was an additional editing challenge for him. It works phenomenally well though - like I didn't even think about it at first really!

Ooh that first piano note with like the background reverb(?) and the strings and stuff, now that sure sets a tone!

Obligatory appreciation for the hair - the grey streak is becoming one of multiple grey "highlights" and I love it. Okay moving on, just had to get that off my chest as per usual!

Oh wow that backing percussion! Almost sounds like a bit of war drums in there? (Seriously, this is basically God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen part 2 and it's THE BEST)

Dang it's close to like a full minute before we get the first proper vocal line (as in proper lyrics rather than humming or stuff) but it doesn't matter because he has me ENTRANCED.

In Geoff's most recent monthly webchat on his Patron, he had told us that there was like a couple or a few good subharmonics in his upcoming song cover, and OH HE WASN'T KIDDING!

"Merry Christmaaaaaaaa..." and that is where my jaw dropped, and basically stayed dropped for most of the rest of the video. SIR!

Okay so like it's a little hard to be sure, due to the heavy reverb effects on the sub (which I personally think was a great addition - makes it more epic!) but like uhhh did he hold that subharmonic for 14 seconds? Like I know he held a B0 sub for 15 seconds in Valhalla Calling, but like still, dude!

And I of course gotta give some love to Tenor!Geoff as well. Geoff is getting so good at using his upper register!

"All seem to say... Throw cares awaaaayyyy..." Case in point! Gosh that was so dang gorgeous!

I honestly wish I had more to say about this cover, because it is phenomenal, but basically I sat through most of that rewatch with a massive grin on my face. That was freaking stunning, and honestly a video I'd be dang tempted to watch year-round, because seriously, wow.

In about half an hour from now, VoicePlay's Zat You Santa Claus? cover will be dropping, and then half an hour after that will be my thoughts/commentary for it! (I swear I had to edit the bottom of both this post and the other one because I predicted Geoff's video to be premiering at some point after VoicePlay's, not before). I'm gonna be doing a couple of posts summarising all the videos we've gotten from both Geoff and VoicePlay this year, because why not, and I'll have them posted at some point before Christmas! Now onto Christmas With VoicePlay!

[fallingblueroses]

During the premiere I was ready to fight the world as long as this was my background music.

I listened to it again a while ago and burst into tears.

How does he DO that?!

[thehappysorceress]

Spooky Season! Jack's Lament by Geoff Castellucci

[spooky-apostate]

Somehow he made me love Jack's Lament more than I already did 🎃💜💀

[original video] [hi res]

[strangedreamings]

Something a little different for your Christmas playlist.

[nerdhappenings]

What's This? - Voiceplay ft. J.None

[yoursinharmony]

JACK'S LAMENT | Low Bass Singer Cover | The Nightmare Before Christmas |...

This is gorgeous, melancholy and just a little creepy 🎃 Best 2023 Halloween song?

[canadiankazz]

JACK'S LAMENT | Low Bass Singer Cover | The Nightmare Before Christmas |...

[jules-has-notes]

collaboration spotlight — White Christmas puppet video by Mark McDowell

Professional singers tend to have many friends who are also professional singers, and occasionally involve them in the side projects they do for their own amusement. So when Mark McDowell decided to indulge one of his other passions in a video Christmas card, he rounded up some of his old pals and turned them into puppets.

Details:

title: I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas

performers: Mark McDowell, Geoff Castellucci, Kathy Castellucci, & Michelle Mailhot

original performers: Bing Crosby as Jim Hardy and Marjorie Reynolds as Linda Mason in Holiday Inn (1942)

written by: Irving Berlin

arranged by: Mark McDowell

release date: 20 December 2016

My favorite bits:

puppet Kathy bopping to the beat

the contrast between Geoff and Mark's timbres as they hand the melody back and forth

Kathy's lovely, sweet tone

Michelle crooning away as her puppet's costume changes from cozy sweater to concert glam

that final deep ♫ "whiiite" ♫ briefly waking Mark from his dream

Trivia:

Geoff had previously recorded a version of this song with VoicePlay for their 2012 holiday album "Peppermint Winter", and it had become a staple in their seasonal setlists.

Michelle and the Castelluccis had known each other for many years. Michelle's a cappella group, Toxic Audio (aka Vox Audio), came up around the same time as 4:2:Five in the Orlando music scene, and Geoff had subbed as TA's bass on the road quite a bit in the mid-2000s.

Kathy and Mark had been in a few gig bands together over the years, including Soul Funktion, All Night Groove / Acoustik Groove, and Six Strings Attached.

[dreaminonao3]

The first chapter of Holiday Spirit is up now!!!

[acaplaya-musings]

(Just like with the Christmas uploads last year, we're getting two videos on the same day!)

So none of my Christmas song predictions came true this year, but am I sad or complaining about it? No, certainly not!

Honestly I gotta laugh, because in my predictions post, I was literally like "oh I know some people have been really wanting a Carol Of The Bells cover, but I'm not super clamouring for it because there's already a Peter Hollens cover that I quite enjoy", and yet here we are! But of course it's already gonna be very different to Peter's cover, because Peter sings more tenor/baritone, and his version used like two different choir groups, and it was acapella. Whereas Geoff of course will be doing a much more bassier version, with just himself plus Clones, and it'll have backing instrumentals and stuff.

It was actually only recently that I rewatched Peter Hollens' version of Carol Of The Bells (like maybe a week and a half ago as of me writing this?), and I have no idea how Geoff is gonna do his - I can't even begin to imagine it! All I know is that Geoff never does a "straight" song cover, and however it turns out, it's gonna be amazing.

(Thoughts/commentary post scheduled for after the video drops, as per usual!)

[veylia]

My jaw is on the floor *his newest sub*

[thehappysorceress]

CAROL OF THE BELLS | Bass Singer Version | Geoff Castellucci

[mythigal1966]

JACK'S LAMENT | Low Bass Singer Cover | The Nightmare Before Christmas |...

[kriswager]

Happy Halloween

Just a nice little Halloween themed music video