#steve-ography

[jules-has-notes]

Jackpot, NV — VoicePlay live performances

Vegas tends to get the most attention in Nevada, but in April 2019, the kind gentlemen of VoicePlay graced the northern part of the state (and southern Idaho) with their vocal talents. They spent two nights at Cactus Petes entertaining the good folks of the area. They had such a good time that J and Earl even had drinks with some new fans after their second show.

There aren't any publicly available videos of full songs, but these one-minute clips will at least give you a taste of the fun. Most of them were originally posted to an audience member's Instagram.

.

This covers from the first chorus through the second, with a verse and a short breakdown in between.

Details:

title: Any Way You Want It

original performers: Journey

written by: Steve Perry & Neal Schon

arranged by: Geoff Castellucci

performance date: 27 April 2019

My favorite bits:

the extra reverb on the on the echoed lyrics (Good job, Paul.)

their laid back approach to the choreography

Layne's crisp snare hits 🥁

the little switcheroo J.None, Eli, and Earl do at center stage

Geoff's smooth octave drop

Trivia:

This show was just a few weeks after they'd released their music video for the song.

.

This spans from the end of the second verse through the "Blue Skies" excerpt, which includes their the clapping-on-the-beat tutorial.

Details:

title: Mr. Blue Sky

original songs / performers: "Mr. Blue Sky" by the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO); "Blue Skies" by Ben Selvin & Charles Kaley (as The Knickerbockers)

written by: "Mr. Blue Sky" by Jeff Lynne; "Blue Skies" by Irving Berlin

arranged by: Geoff Castellucci

performance date: 27 April 2019

My favorite bits:

the arm-ography that Eli and J instinctively did in their music video

that little slide toward the front of the stage

aaand everybody rotate

"so far you've been helping us… not so much" 😬

J.None's lovely timbre on the "Blue Skies" lead

Trivia:

The guys had been performing this song for a couple years, but they'd only released a video for it two months earlier.

.

Although it started out as an entry in their PartWork series, this song quickly became a staple in their concerts and student workshops.

Details:

title: Ride

original performers: Twenty One Pilots

written by: Tyler Joseph

arranged by: Geoff Castellucci

performance date: 27 April 2019

My favorite bits:

Layne's drum fill leading into the chorus

rapid-fire three-part harmony, phew

the onscreen lyrics including the trademark TOP "Ø"

the start of Geoff's hopscotching descent into the basement

Trivia:

In their music video, the tenor 1, tenor 2, and baritone parts were all recorded by Eli. Those vocals were, of course, allocated as usual for live performances.

.

This piece is, of course, best seen in full, but we'll take what we can get. In this instance, it's the the first verse and chorus, which is enough to get the melodrama started.

Details:

title: Elvira

original performers: The Oak Ridge Boys

written by: Dallas Frazier

arranged by: Geoff Castellucci

performance date: 27 April 2019

My favorite bits:

the little gospel-esque hand gesture from Eli, J, and Earl on ♫ "heaven" ♫

Geoff's slide down in the middle of ♫ "shiii-iiine" ♫

everything else cutting out to highlight that bassy ♫ "miiine" ♫

the gallop that Eli and J do for the last ♫ "giddy-up" ♫

Earl belting his face off on the end of the chorus

Trivia:

This song / skit was a fan favorite at VoicePlay concerts for many years. They've never filmed a video for it, but there is an audio version exclusively available to their Patreon patrons.

Their pals in Home Free were so impressed by this arrangement that they asked to use it as the basis for their own version with The Oak Ridge Boys themselves in 2015.

.

The arrangement of this medley is so rapid-fire that a one-minute clip containing the first third of it still packs in a fair number of songs, not to mention plenty of VoicePlay's trademark silliness.

Details:

title: A Crimpella

original songs / performers: "Walk the Dinosaur" by Was (Not Was); "Witch Doctor" by Alvin & the Chipmunks; "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang; "We Go Together" from Grease!; "Motownphilly" by Boyz II Men; "Imma Be" by the Black Eyed Peas; "Tutti Frutti" by Little Richard; "Shoop" by Salt N Pepa; "Jock-A-Mo" (aka "Iko Iko") by James "Sugar Boy" Crawford

written by: "Walk the Dinosaur" by David Was, Don Was, & Randy Jacobs; "Witch Doctor" by Ross Bagdasarian; "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" by Robert & Richard Sherman; "Imma Be" by William "will.i.am" Adams, Allan "apl.de.ap" Pineda, Jaime "Taboo" Gomez, Stacy "Fergie" Ferguson, Keith Harris, Thomas Brenneck, Michael Deller, Daniel Foder, & Jared Tankel; "Tutti Frutti" by Dorothy LaBostrie & "Little Richard" Penniman; "Shoop" by Sandra "Pepa" Denton & Cheryl "Salt" James; "Jock-A-Mo" by James "Sugar Boy" Crawford, Jr.

arranged by: VoicePlay

performance date: 27 April 2019

My favorite bits:

J.None really feeling the beat in "Walk the Dinosaur" and "Imma Be" 🕺

Eli's little yelp as he's launched into the air

the flyby gag, never not funny

those lush harmonies on the iconic "Motown Philly" bell chords

Earl turning to watch J getting down as though to say "Dude, pull it back a bit."

Trivia:

The studio video for this medley was the second one ever uploaded to their YouTube channel after they adopted the VoicePlay name.

.

Everyone loves a good villain song, and this countdown provides a few of Disney's best. This videographer was clearly sitting closer to the stage and, by extension, the speakers.

Details:

title: Aca Top 10 – Disney Villains

original songs / performers: "Friends on the Other Side" by Keith David as Doctor Facilier in The Princess and the Frog (2009); "Mother Knows Best" by Donna Murphy as Mother Gothel in Tangled (2010); "Trust In Me" by Sterling Holloway as Kaa in The Jungle Book (1967); "The Siamese Cat Song" by Peggy Lee as Si and Am in Lady and the Tramp (1955)

written by: "Friends on the Other Side" by Randy Newman; "Mother Knows Best" by Alan Menken & Glenn Slater; "Trust In Me" by Robert & Richard Sherman; "The Siamese Cat Song" by Peggy Lee & Sonny Burke

arranged by: Layne Stein, Eli Jacobson, & Geoff Castellucci

performance date: 27 April 2019

My favorite bits:

J.None's silky timbre as Facilier

the rhythm section making the camera shake

that little finger wiggle as Eli and J sing their ♫ "sha-la-la" ♫ harmonies

Earl's suspicious expression during "Trust In Me" 🐍

all of Geoff's smooth glissandos, and that subharmonic drop

Layne putting in a much cattier (pun intended) "mreow" instead of the high-pitched "mew" he did in the studio version 😼

Trivia:

This was yet another recent addition to their music video catalog, and one that spawned several more full-length versions in the following years.

.

This legendary rock song has been part of their repertoire for decades, and they love to dust it off from time to time.

Details:

title: Hound Dog

original performers: Big Mama Thornton (1952); based on the version popularized by Elvis Presley (1956)

written by: Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller

arranged by: Rockapella

performance date: 27 April 2019

My favorite bits:

the fantastic grit Earl puts into the opening lyrics

the subtle ♫ "bow wow wow" ♫ in Eli and J.None's backing vocals

the little drum fill Layne uses to transition between the verses and choruses

Geoff enjoying his repeated descending bass line

J.None and Earl having fun with the dog breed scatting

Trivia:

The guys first recorded this song in their 4:2:Five days. It's the fifth track on their 2004 album "Time Machine", which they recorded during a 6-month stint as part of the entertainment on a cruise ship.

.

Additional photos

[steve-ography]

Best Photo Ever (Massachusetts) @BigKRIT

[iwishiwereabeautifullittlefool]

(steve-ography)

[steve-ography]

You ever forget about yourself? You're present – emotionally and physically – but not for yourself. There was a moment, a weeks-long moment, where I forgot about myself. I listened, I guided, I met expectations and deadlines, I broke down barriers, but not for myself. I asked others "how are you feeling?" but not to myself. I didn't know that this was happening until I was drained. I had to let myself break down, in order for me to build myself up. No ones gonna take care of me like I can. I can't take care of others unless I take care of myself first. I've been learning to keep more of me for me. I've been learning to love me better. I've been learning to focus on those who love me as much as I love them. This playlist is dedicated to self-love and to reminding myself that it's okay to not be okay.  I hope you enjoy! - Steve-Ography

Link: https://soundcloud.com/steve-ography/we-are-alive-playlist-11

Tracklisting: 1. Kendrick Lamar Intro 2. Doja Cat - BIBIO Like a Sundial (Cover) 3. Aloe Blacc - Come And Dub Me 4. Drew Howard & Birthday Boy - Benny & Lil' Ze 5. H.E.R. - Facts 6. Mick Jenkins - Pressed for time (Crossed my mind) feat. GoldLink 7. Peyton - Sweet Honey 8. Tony Ozier - Nobody 9. Childish Gambino - Shadows (Acoustic) 10. Daniel Caesar - Get You (feat. Kali Uchis) 11. Musiq Soulchild - Newness 12. SZA - Doves In The Wind feat. Kendrick Lamar 13. Foisey. - yuhHolluh. feat. Wiz Khalifa 14. Illa J - DFTF 15. Deem Spencer - Fucked Up Flowers 16. Pool Cosby - A Poem Is A Hustle feat. Raekwon 17. Terrace Martin - Think Of You feat. Kamasi Washington and Rose Gold

[typicalcatss]

ooooh. 

[crystallllines]

FOLKS, I AM A BIT CREEPED OUT.

does anyone know who this @ask-lei-steve person is? they messaged me out of the blue on @cart-ography with all this info on me and refused to identify themself.

please help me figure out who they are????

[xxincasexx]

✨😊 never gets old

[akeemsoul]

https://soundcloud.com/steve-ography/we-are-alive-playlist-4

[tidom]

https://soundcloud.com/steve-ography/we-are-alive-playlist-10

[groovvgod]

Listen to We Are Alive! (Playlist 15) by Steven Othello on #SoundCloud

https://soundcloud.com/steve-ography/we-are-alive-playlist-15

This is life.

[kingjg3]

Listen to We Are Alive! (Playlist 1) by steve-ography #np on #SoundCloud

[em2wice]

https://soundcloud.com/steve-ography/we-are-alive-playlist-3

[pressthepowerbutton]

"We Are Alive! (Playlist 8)" by steve-ography

[fishekill]

https://soundcloud.com/steve-ography/we-are-alive-playlist-8

[em2wice]

https://soundcloud.com/steve-ography/we-are-alive-playlist-8

[em2wice]

https://soundcloud.com/steve-ography/we-are-alive-playlist-9