VoicePlay member history
Vložit
- čas přidán 29. 08. 2024
- [REACTOR SAFE, CONTAINS NO MUSIC VIDEO SPOILERS]
Who has been and are now in VoicePlay?
VoicePlay has had a varied list of members over the years, so I wanted to make a timeline to clear things up of who joined/left when.
Disclaimer: I can not 100% guarantee that the timeline is completely accurate, as I have pieced this together through a huge variety of sources like 4:2:Five/VP announcements, social posts, news articles of performances, old pictures, music videos, archived internet pages, webchats etc. It's been a task and a half, a project I have been working on and off for 2 months. There still might be some pieces missing, (Like where Matt Buckner fits into all of this) but this is the closest I have managed to get to a complete timeline as I can.
Current member socials:
CESAR:
Instagram: / cesardelarosamusic
CZcams: / cesardelarosamusic
Twitter: / itscesardmusic
Tiktok: / cesardelarosamusic
LAYNE:
CZcams: / narfx95770
/ @laynee9658
Instagram: / laynestein
Twitter: / laynestein
Tiktok: / laynestein
Facebook: / laynestein
/ findyourlayne
ELI:
Twitter: / elinoteli
Instagram: / imelinoteli
Facebook: / imelinoteli
CZcams: / elijacobson
GEOFF:
Instagram: / geophr3y
TikTok: / geophr3y
Facebook: / geophr3y
Twitter: / geophr3y
Website: geoffcastelluc...
PATREON: / geoffcastellucci
Merch: geoffcastelluc...
Former member socials:
Scott Porter:
Instagram: / skittishkid
James May:
Instagram: / monooptical
Mykal Kilgore:
Instagram: / mykalkilgore
Earl Elkins Jr:
Instagram: / earlzshore
Danny Alan:
Instagram: / dannyalanmusic
David Baumgartner:
CZcams: / davebaumgartner
Tony Wakim:
Facebook: / tony.wakim.5
J.None:
Instagram: / itsjnone
Paul Sperazza:
Instagram: / spazzfp101
Erik Winger:
Instagram: / erikwingermusic
Timeline Update: Looks like Matt Buckner was a 4:2:Five member somewhere around 2006-ish. Most likely a baritone. That would fit in with the more uncertain years between 2003 and 2009 where little info is to be found. If I find more information on this in the future, I will edit this post later.
Matt Buckner was also the one who choreographed Geoff Castellucci's Monster Mash video.
His socials are:
instagram.com/gamerdadbucky/
Update #2: Bucky has now been featured in some of VP's videos. Both in the Candy Crush mini and the 500 Miles mini, as well as the Drunken Sailor video.
I’d sing with them if I knew how to contact them and knew their music
I was wondering about Bucky!
Knew they went through Alot of members but didn't know it was that many. Wow!! Poor Geoff and Layne.
they've been singing together for 25 years, its natural for members to come and go over that long a time. especially when the group hadnt made it big yet.
I honestly love them being a 4 squad and bringing in guests every month. So many great voices of different types being displayed
it certainly gives them a wide range of songs to pick from :-)
Makes it hard to tour, though
I’d be happy if they stayed like this until J comes back and rejoins. His voice and Cesar’s are so good together. ❤
Totally agree. The chemistry is amazing the way it is right now, and bringing in all these guests keeps it super fresh.
I 💯%
Thanks for this. There were some names I've never seen or heard of between Scott and Tony.
You ought to take the position as VoicePlay archivist.
Thanks for watching :-)
Huldra, you are amazing! I second Carina's suggestion! Thank you for posting this video 😊🥰
Thanks for this timeline, Huldra. I just discovered these wonderful guys about 6 weeks ago, and I was still piecing together their history. It's just amazing that Geoff and Layne have been singing together since middle school. ..and I so much appreciate everyone else who has ever been a member of VoicePlay. I also appreciate their featured singers, too, particularly Omar Cardona.
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching ❤
Thank you for this, I have always been curious about their history. Tony was a mystery for me. I kept seeing his name in the credits of many of their videos. I was glad to see that he was still involved with VP in some capacity. What I would love to see is for Tony and Earl appear as guests on future videos, after all, Scott did and J did it and it was great.
Glad you enjoyed it. he's in many of their videos from around the start of their youtube days until 2016. and he is practically an uncle for Layne's kids, they're close as brothers and work together at PattyCake :-)
Voice Play doesn't need a fifth member. They are amazing as it is. They always have a featured guest with them & they always get the best.
well, they need one to be able to start touring again, and having a 5th member also removes the stress of finding an available fitting featured artist (sometimes more than one for the mini's as well) every single month.
@@huldradraco I agree. In my dreams, they eventually get J None back AND hire Omar fulltime, to make a band of six. They could still bring in "featured" guests--like that lady (sorry, it's 2:20 am and my brain's not functioning) who did the Encanto medley with them--she and Cesar made comedy gold as well as amazing music.
I don't get why they don't look for a sixth member as well
@@huldradraco Geoff said in an interview with Peter Barber that they love making videos more as they are getting too old to tour plus they can't do both.
@@marshayoung9387 yup, it seems they enjoy the comfort and joy of being able to be home with their families after all these years of touring. touring is exhausting, straining on family life and not very financially viable nowadays with the costs being so sky high, so I can totally understand if they decide to just do some occasional concerts here and there instead.
Thank you for the effort to put this all together. I'm still not sure if they need a fifth member. I'm very happy with all the great guest artists.
No problem 😊
Thanks for stopping by :-)
I agree with you about the guest artists. It gives them such freedom to explore pieces that they never would have otherwise.
@@janetdw Agreed. I like the variation they can bring with the guest artists.
I like the current situation of adding guests. Omar, Anthony, and Jose are too good, and it is nice to have J.None back from time to time. Having female guests adds more variety.
Very neat video! Thanks for filling us all in who was all in VoicePlay and a little bit of their history.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Good job with this one! Very informative for people unsure of the history of Voiceplay, and a much needed lesson of who is who as well!
Keep em coming I’m enjoying them!
Glad you enjoyed it!
so meticulously researched thanks for that …I still want the 5 th spot to be filled by Omar. just a nice dream I have ❤️🏴
Thanks for watching!
Stopped watching/drifted away from Voiceplay around the end of 2019, so came back and discovered that both Earl and J. None had left, but couldn't find anything on the yt channel saying when/why Earl left, so this video was great clarification for me! Thanks a lot.
Glad it was helpful 👍♥️
This is amazing. Thank you for your work in cataloging the changes in the lineup- with photos, even! What a fantastic resource.
You're very welcome! thanks for watching :-)
I do hope they find a fifth member. I like the featured artists and the versatility each brings, but I feel like tours and live performances would be easier with a consistent five. Imo they should get a more natural baritone and have Cesar be tenor 2
Eli is not comfortable as tenor 1 though, its very straining on his voice to go that high and he wont be able to do it consistently on a tour for instance. So although he is able to hit those notes, he wont be able to sustain that night after night live.
@@huldradraco I would be perfectly happy with them not getting a member with a voice as high as Earl's. His voice was like a laser beam sometimes, overshadowing everyone else. Beatboxer, bass, baritone, bari-tenor, a tenor, and call it good.
@@shirleykarr560 it's not how high the voice can go that matters, but the technique used to get that high. Earl's method really was a laser beam and he had a projection that was really powerful. Eli is a good tenor, but he can't perform as high tenor for very long without ruining his voice, so either they have to pitch down a lot of their songs, or they need a soprano or tenor 1. Eli can go high, but it's very straining for him, and that would ruin his voice on a tour for instance.
and remember, pitching down the song would not be good news for Geoff.... 🤣🤣
For me J is the fifth unofficial member of VoicePlay.
Only a year left on his tour there is still hope...
Thank you so much, Huldra - I wondered about some of the early years! I love the four of them with a guest, and if they do find a fifth member, hope they continue guest appearances.
Glad you enjoyed it and that it could be of help! ❤
That was a nice pic choice for Eli.
Love that picture :-)
Thank you for the history on the group I knew from the sing off and forwards now I've learned lot about before the sing off
Thanks for watching!
So i know that everyone talks about Cesar replacing J None, but he isn't really a baritone. He's more of a 2nd tenor. When J left, he said it wasn't forever, so i think they will continue to get guest performers until his military stint is over, and then he will come back in the baritone role. This is absolutely pure conjecture on my part, though!
I really appreciate this group history. I didn't realize they had been around for 25 years! Wow! I had been living under a rock until I saw them on The Sing-Off. Fell in love with their sound. But I wasn't very active on social media at that time, so I just lost track of them until about 5 years ago - but I have been following them closely on YT ever since & I try to never miss when they premiere a nee song. For some reason I never get notifications when they post a mini, so I just check often to see what they have posted. It's just amazing to me how truly talented these guys are. I really miss Earle & keep hoping maybe he will come back. But now let's talk about J. NONE... I completely adore that boy! (speaking as a maternal figure) - I remember when he joined VP - I was completely floored by his unique, buttery, warm sweet voice. I could listen to him sing all day every day & neer get tired of it. There is something so spiritual about his sound & I can't explain it, but he is my favorite. I don't say that lightly, because each member of VP is equally talented & it is impossible to pick favorites, but for me, J uas something about him beyond just the level of talent. It's not even a musical thing. It's his personality. He can be so funny - he is very intelligent & quirky & sweet & charming & cute as a button! And when he announced he was joining the Navy, he just went way, way up in my opinion. My husband is a disabled veteran (27+ yrs in the Army & Army National Guard) & we are a very patriotic family. So my respect & admiration for J is immeasurable. I started following his channel & try to keep up with what's going on in his life so I can keep him & his wife in my prayers . He even "talks" to me sometimes on his channel & he is really sweet & kind & respectful. I would adopt him in an instant if he ever needed a substitute mama for any reason. I am so proud of him. What a beautiful soul he has. I am hoping & praying that the reason VP hasn't hired someone lately is because they are waiting til J has done his 5 years & is ready to come back for good! Don't get me wrong - I don't want Cesar to go ANYWHERE!!! I would be heartbroken if he ever left. I want them both!!!
Sorry this is so long! I'm a writer, and sometimes I get carried away! Hope you have a lovely weekend Huldra!! God bless!!! 💜
Thanks for sharing! Glad you enjoyed the video. J truly has an amazing voice and personality ❤
Love this! Thank you for taking the time to do the research.
Glad you enjoyed it!
This was fascinating! Thank you!❤
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching!
I love VoicePlay, think they are amazing and how everone seems to be able to fit into them tells you how versatile they are. Until they find a new member, I've really enjoyed their different guest. When they decide I hope it is either Anthony G or Omar, to me their voices seem to just blend in so well with them. Anthony G and Eli are a pair to listen to, they give me goosebumps when they sing together.
I knew Geoff sang with Toxic Audio (Later Vox Audio) when Rene left but I never knew Paul performed with VP. Thanks for the history!
Yup, one of their performances with him you can see in one of the Chicken Song skits they did that is uploaded to YT by an audience member
I have said for a long time now and will continue to say, their next permanent 5th member needs to be Ashley Diane. Her voice fits in so well with theirs that I find it hard to imagine it being anyone else.
In my own opinion , it's perfect for an Acapella group to have 6 members . Better for them to add a natural baritone and a high tenor or an alto (if they want a girl member)
thanks for watching 🙂🙂
This was very interesting to me since I love the group, especially Geoff. I just wish the words didn't go by so quickly. I never had time to finish any of the names before it changed.
Thanks for the feedback. I'm a quick reader, so i sometimes forget not everyone reads as fast as i do. I'll add a couple more seconds to the word screens going forward. Guess you'll just have to pause the ones i've already done to read them, can't change them once they're posted
You can slow it down a bit in the settings.
@@huldradraco thanks for the reply. I found the setting to slow it down and that helps.
@@huldradracoyeah, I just paused occasionally. I am usually a quick reader, but I can’t process pictures and words at the same time. Slowing down the transitions might be good for the future. For now, though, this has been an awesome history of the group and their members. Such an amazing group. I love their current lineup (2024), but as others have said, I hope J None eventually comes back to them full time. Having both Cesar and J is *chef’s kiss*. I’ve really been enjoying their ever changing “fifth member” though, so it’s no hardship to hang with the group in their current 4some+ state. (As if listening to Geoff could ever be a hardship! 😂)
I wish them all well, and I thank you for the informative video!
Thanks for doing this! I had wondered about the name 4:2:Five.
I would love to hear a snippet of each guy's voice as you introduce them.
If Geoff taught Layne how to beatbox ... how did Geoff learn?
Geoff learned in highschool, I recall him mentioning 2 names when he told that, but I can't for the life of me remember where I heard him say it or who the names were. I think it must have been a Patreon webchat, but haven't found it yet. It MAY have been Scott Porter and Jeff Thacher (from Rockapella) but that is a very unverified guess. I'll let you know if i ever find that info, there are so many many hours of webchats to listen through to find it, lol
@@huldradraco Geoff wrote a comment on the cover of the first partwork - Love Yourself. He said "I taught Layne everything he knows. After I stole it from Jeff Thatcher". So there you go!
Thanks for doing this.
@@CJ_536 thanks, CJ! so the Jeff Thatcher part was right then. he did mention 2 names, but still haven't found that particular webchat yet, lol. there's so many years of webchats and livestreams to plow through, haha.
@@huldradraco For sure! I only recently joined patreon and have only been able to watch a handful. There's a LOT of content. Loving your channel with snapshotted tidbits for us.
Thank you. Thank you. I have been wondering about the different members in their videos. Always a wonderful group. So hard to find the "fit". Still ... Some fabulous ladies to consider.🤔🥴😎
Glad you found it helpful! ❤
what about the lady from the sing off?? i know she didn't last long but she was defintely a member during the series and a bit after
Honey Larochelle was part of the Sing Off performances, yes. And Emoni Wilkins for the first Sing Off tour. I guess i could have included them as well, but I kind of see the Sing Off performances as a separate part of their history.
I was wondering that as well! Looks like it was asked and answered!
@@huldradraco Incorrect. Honey was only on the show with them. Emoni was on the first Song Off tour, and it was just the five of them on the second Sing Off tour.
Thanks!!🤝👍🙏🇧🇷😊🎶
As I know , they had a girl member when they joined Sing-Off
well, she wasn't an actual member. she was there purely because the Sing Off wanted them to have a female with them to be in the show. so they had her with them to be able to be on the show. (originally they wanted Rachel Potter but she was doing The X Factor at the time.) so she never was an actual member of the group. that's why I didn't include her in this history video 🙂
I had no idea. 😮
Thanks for watching :-)
@@huldradraco You're welcome. 😄
Are they actually searching for a 5th permanent member? I figured they were just waiting for J-None to come back
They are, yes. But finding an available artist at THAT level of talent, willing to live in Orlando, and also wanting to join, and with their brand of dumb, is not an easy task. Most artists that are good enough to join VP already are successfully singing solo/in other groups/on broadway.
J still has 3 years to go in the Navy.
Now 2 years 😊
tbh I'm surprised that they have not added Omar Cardona, EJ Cardona, Adriana Arellano or Rachel Potter as members and not just guests, i mean Rachel have been guest on Voiceplay since the beginning of the YT channel and Adriana has been feet. in so many videos.
well, not everyone is interested in joining a group. Omar and EJ are already doing quite well for themselves with both solo work and group work, Adriana is still in school, and Rachel lives in Nashville with her husband and child, and has a good career going for her there. a lot of singers are perfectly happy with just being hired for one project at a time, as they have commitments to other groups or solo performances happening constantly.
joining a group like VP is a big commitment, where that group would be the number one focus and priority from then on, which doesn't always work out for a singer who might be having several shows a week already with others or solo.
pretty sure they did ask Rachel at one point but she turned them down.
EJ is a member of Voctave so I’m sure that keeps him too busy to join another group.
Hey, Huldra! Do the guys ever hear from Earl? How is he? I’m hoping to hear him sing again someday.
Don't know. He's a very private person, so all we know is what he posts on his socials.
I will lose it if someone like Adrianna adrellano or Omar Cardona joined to replace earl
They are both amazing singers 🙂
I love Omar, I'd be really happy if he joined them
Wouldn’t Honey be considered an official VP member even though she was only there for the Sing Off era?
no, she was never a member. she only participated in the show because the producers demanded them to have a female with them to be in the show, and she was part of the first sing off tour afterwards. but she never was a member, just a collaborator.
HEY! Isn't Danny Alan the guy from the singing zone???!!! I bet he is!!!! What a small world we live in...
I haven't heard of the singing zone, so can't answer that. A quick search on youtube gave me an old little singing zone interview with Danny from 2007, which was before he joined 4:2:Five, but other than that I can't connect him to whatever that is.
@@huldradraco Lol, he probably just looked like it the person i'm thinking of. Probably not him...
@@citlalicervantes6498 yeh, i did notice the similarities between him and what i think might be the person you were thinking of. oh, and that interview was from the theconnectzone, not the singing zone 😅😅
@@huldradraco Haha, i guess i was wrong then 😅🤣
@@citlalicervantes6498 lol guess so. to be fair, I had to take a closer look at that guy myself, he did look a lot like him! 😅
Cesar is a baritone??
he is a baritone/tenor, yes.
@@huldradraco god i never realized that
wait cesar is the bari??????
yes, that's the role he was hired for in the band. though he often sings tenor as well.
they all sing in ranges outside of their label. Geoff sings bass, baritone and tenor. Eli sings bass, baritone and tenor. Layne sings bass, baritone and tenor. and Cesar sings baritone and tenor. they just switch around to what is needed in the moment 😄
What I would give to be that fifth member
Thanks for watching 🙂
@@huldradraco of course! I love the fact that someone is willing to dig up all of this