They sooo deserve to win that one! It's a brilliant Christmas album of songs garnered from around the world showcasing the way different ethnicities take old Christmas hymn or carols and change them up to suit their own culture.
But before you hit everyone's favorite, Dog Days, please do NOT skip the song/s they sung for the 11th episode, a mashup of Since You've Been Gone/Forget You with fabulous choreography. The trio of Scott, Mitch, and Kirstie participated in lots of choirs and little theater from age 8 or 9, and Kirstie was attending the University of Oklahoma on a full ride scholarship in performing arts. All three of them have loved Broadway musicals, and Disney films, of course, and all three had a fair amount of experience acting, dancing, and singing from elementary school on up. They not only knew, early on, how to move around the stage, as well as sing in perfect harmony. Then, and only then, go ahead and treat yourself to Dog Days...
I love listening to Mitch in this one as one second he is harmonising with Scott, then the next with Kirstie, and then back to Scott. And each pairing sounds amazing and seamless. It is a total masterclass from all 5 of them.
No need to apologize for stopping often. We can go listen to it non stop version and appreciate it all the more because of all you taught us. You have become my favorite reactor and music teacher.
People tend to suggest Pentatonix's older hits, and I know you wanted to start at the beginning, but IMO their voices have gotten better over the years and you'll find lots of good, recent live videos, mostly fan-captured from concerts, streams and television appearances. I recommend anything from their 2022 Hollywood Bowl concert, which was kind of a review of their 11-year career. One of my favorites is this homophonic version of The Rescues "My Heart With You", one of their arrangements that leaves out the percussion and bass so they can all sing in 5-part harmony.
This was a weekly live show and each performance had to fit into a theme (this one was R&B classics). At this point they were doing two songs per week, plus a very complex opening number combining all the groups still competing. So they had a week to choose two songs, arrange and memorize them, work out choreography for both and memorize that, get two sets of wardrobe, and learn the arrangement and choreography for the opening number.
It is always so nice to listen to someone who really knows chord structure when analyzing harmonies. I can't wait for the continuation of your Pentatonix journey.
I can't recommend their original song "Run to You" enough, the harmonies and chords are endlessly beautiful and fascinating. They also learned to lip-sync in reverse for some sections of the music video @@SirHairless
@@DarthRayj Run To You is on my list, don't you worry! I'm hoping to get round to in the first part of the new year 🎶 (Also v cool about the lip syncing!)
I love that your ear is so in tune to what is happening! I don't hear some of these things until they are pointed out! I appreciated PTX before your reaction but so much more afterward! Thank you for sharing your thoughts and expertise!
Yes I like this reactor very much because he can show me things I never noticed, or don't have the technical grasp of music (though I've been an amateur musician for 60 years) to fully appreciate. And it's one thing to know these people are genius singers much of their success IMHO revolves around their ability to arrange creatively, surprisingly, and especially to maximize the impact of each singer's unique contributions.
I love that you are being sucked into the PTX rabbit hole… just like the rest of us. It’s addicting and mesmerizing. They have some of the best music ever.
Thank you for another perceptive reaction. Yes, they do use choreography, especially on tour. One of the mini concerts they did in 2016 shows how they use their choreography on stage... PopSpring 2016 is the label. They also use choreographed movements in many MV's ...My Favourite Things, or Making Christmas ( from The Nightmare Before Christmas) are some examples.
Great reaction, I like how you can pick out and explain what is going on. The one out of the Sing Off performances that most people seem to really love is Dog Days (performance 12). (My favourite) It was the final performance they did before the vote opened to the public before (and during?) the final show, so it was a hugely important one. And they threw everything at it, even though Scott's voice was almost gone at that point. You might like the various medleys of different artists they have done over the years. They are done as one takes in a recording studio with proper mics and a camera, but they do 2 or 3 takes then chose the best to put out on RU-vid.
ohhhhh Dog Days was the first video that I heard of theirs and I STILL SHIVER when Mitch did his solo. I almost cried with joy hearing him. That's when i began my quest to hear everything they've ever done!
@@SirHairless Yep, Dog Days on this sing off will blow your mind for sure! So it should be soon in order - during same sing off! I can't wait to hear your reaction!
They have always been emphatically tight and ensync... It's amazing when you go back and revisit their earlier performances to see just how tight they were!
There is something so special about their ability, to tell the songs story, allowing us to listen with a new perspective, and hear & feel emotions, we may not have heard from the original artist 💖💖💖 Not only their voices, but their delivery is also their gift! *IMO, no other group, can build up a song, like Pentatonix* They are masters at pulling on our emotions!!! 💗💗💗 *They are individually so talented, however, when put together, it is truly magical* 💗💗💗 Thank you for such a thoughtful reaction 💗💗💗
They also are simply very sweet, humble and relatable people. They are all very close friends and it shows. You can FEEL their personalities in their songs. This is another (of the many) reasons we love them so much!
Great reaction video! Welcome to the Rabbit Hole of Pentatonix! Mitch is called a counter tenor and Scott advertises himself as a baritone. He can go do the bass part when the bassist is doing lead. Looking forward to more of your reactions to PTX.
I’m so glad you are continuing to explore Pentatonix! Dog Days Are Over, Hallelujah, Daft Punk and Bohemian Rhapsody are the normal recommendations for your next steps, but there are others I think you would also appreciate sooner rather than later. Gold and the official video for Imagine are excellent covers from the Avi era, and Prayers for This World (written by the great Diane Warren), The Prayer and Mad World can show you what Matt Sallee brings post-Avi. Their first concert after the pandemic was their Hollywood Bowl performance and there are many live videos from that performance on RU-vid, and their Popspring mini-concert includes three of their originals plus their Evolution of Michael Jackson medley. I’m glad we’re not overpowering you with unwanted knowledge - we tend to be very enthusiastic when someone new finds PTX. I enjoyed your reaction very much, thanks! Peace …
Hey, thanks for these recommendations - very much appreciated! I will be reacting to them all (eventually), and don't want to go in with all the popular ones immediately! Have filmed several more reactions already so will be releasing them every few days hopefully! And, from what I've heard through my comments, PTX are renowned for the Christmas music...it's getting to that time of the year so I imagine I'll need to get festive with my choices soon 🎄 At the end of the day though, PTX are incredible from what I've seen - certainly a group you'll never got bored of hearing - so I'm very excited for the exploration of their music that lies ahead! Peace
Don't apologize for pausing or replaying. Take it all in. It would be a crime against music to just breeze through the song & say "Yep, that was nice. Bye!" Ahhh-vee, not Ay-vee or Aaa-vee.
When you get further into Pentatonix, try Amazing Grace (new bass - Avi left in 2017 replaced by Matt Sallee) Mitch shows his lower register beautifully. You can also try Sound of Silence also shows both higher and lower registers.
I just found you last week . You have a perfect ear l love to see your facial expressions ..PTX is the best I’m like you t listen to them over and over There music ministers to me There Christmas music is my favorite . There is a video that came out about a year ago Pray for this World.w WOW! Everyone needs to listens to this Video. WOW again ! And for David Phelps , I have been listening to him for 30 years . He went to. College to be trained in Opera. Then everyone changed. He sang with the Gaither Quartet for many years . Now he is on his own He has written several songs. You need to listen to Let Freedom Ring . It was after 9 -11 David raises the rafters in Carnegie Hall . I like your reactions the best . I have learned a lot . Still you facial expressions crack me up .Another song No More Night WOW !He all so does Concerts with his family . Lots of David on RU-vid . I look forward to seeing more of your Reactions. Be Blessed , DIane
I loved their outfits during Sing Off... always had colour coordinated accessories. This was back in the day when you had to wait a week to see their next performance. I was hooked even then.
Choreography. Scott and Mitch met in community theater when they were about 8 - 9 years old and thought each other talented and funny. Instant connection. They met Kirstie in high school. They were choir and musical theater "nerds" self-described. So they all had musical theater training since kids which gave them a little advantage then some groups on the Sing-Off. They did most of their own choreography. At the Sing-Off point, although Scott, Kirstie and Mitch were all 19 years old. Scott and Kirstie were in their first year of college in different colleges. Kirstie was majoring in musical theater and hoped to perform on Broadway which she did because not only are they all super talented, they are all workaholics as well. Mitch was accepted to the same college that Kirstie went to, forget which one but one that was highly regarded. But Mitch, although also 19, was in the break off point where he was a year behind Scott and Kirstie in school. So Mitch skipped his high school graduation to audition for the Sing-Off with the rest. The first time they sang together was not the day before the "ET" performance, but the day before the audition for the show which was about a few months before the show began. The arrangement was by Scott's college friend Ben Bram who is still part of their arrangement talent. The arrangement was sent to Avi and Kevin so that when they sang together the day before the audition they were ready and magic was heard. After they passed the audition, they all got together in Arlington, Texas - Scott, Mitch and Kirstie's home town and practiced like mad during the couple of months before the show started. That's where they were taped by the show to introduce them in little snippets for the show Avi and Kevin did not have musical theater choreography training and the joke was always Avi struggling with it. Avi studied opera in college and Kevin had just finished his bachelors in Yale in East Asian Studies - he speaks perfect Mandarin and also completed undergraduate pre-med. His father is a psychiatrist and his mom is a nurse. By the way, they were not a shoo-in to win. Groups were voted off by having less votes from the public. There were some really good groups and typically in acapella - big groups have the advantage because they sound great and more people, more families and friends calling in. The final group PTX faced had like 20 some members! And they were good.
Find one of their early live performances of this while on tour. They would bring up a fan to sit in a chair on stage (and called them "Chair girls", I believe)...These were AMAZING!!!
Mitch and Kirstie can emulate each others' voice, one of the tricks they have in putting together compositions. Also while Kevin is usually very busy with the percussion and does once in a while have a lead part (nice high tenor) when he's not doing that he will also fill in as a supporting voice. I don't think he did much of that on the sing off but in many of their later numbers if there's no percussion he's helping out.As to overall talent I feel Kevin is probably the most talented member in the group. They make the most of what they've got for sure!. And IMHO While they all have terrific voices Mitch is probably the most talented voice... in high school he was teased for his voice. No one is teasing him now...
Thanks for the comment! From the small number of performances I've seen, I currently believe Mitch's voice is the most unique and difficult to replicate, followed by Avi
New sub. Mitch, Scott and Kirstie are childhood friends and performed in choir and theater together. At the time of this recording they were 19 years old (actually I think Mitch was still 18). Thank you for speaking about Scott. He has been the heart and soul of this group since the beginning (as performance 12 from the competition will demonstrate), and he has the most versatile voice of them all.
I appreciate that you hone in on Avi's bass in this performance. Most reactors don't seem to really notice what he's doing here. I do recommend you step into the dragon's lair that is Avi's solo work, about 90% of which is original. A couple of recommendations to start on your audio spelunking - "Change on the Rise" (his first release in 2019 after leaving PTX), "All Is Well, 7 Layers Sessions" (another original, filmed in a church in Utrecht, Netherlands during his 2022 European tour), and "When I'm a Fool, Live at Sunset Sound", accompanied by some of LA's best studio musicians. All awesome and each very different. BTW, Avi is releasing the first song from his new, as yet unreleased album this next Friday, November 17.
Thanks Beth 🙏 Please feel free to check out my other PTX reactions at the link below (only started 2 weeks ago, so 5 vids at the time of writing, but will be many more to come!) ru-vid.com/group/PL-tAjLxAAkA90_YxcpVe2CQ4sxWEBJTNg
Sorry - late commenter here! You asked about the choreography. I sang as part of a choir that competed on America's Got Talent (2013 - The American Military Spouses Choir), and the AGT producers pretty much determined what we would wear and if/how we would move. We could refund it slightly, but the producers had the final say. LOVE your PTX reactions and can't wait to join you as you make you way through their rep!
Wow really?! This is something that I'm sure is not known by most viewers - at least I've always assumed (growing up, so maybe I can attribute it to my youthful naivety) that performers have a fair bit of autonomy over their performances! I did see a lot of comments about the Sing Off and PTX though - saying how PTX were restricted in ways
PS. Sean Stockman says in one of his responses to PTX's performances that, 'You know how you listen to something real good, and you kind of make a stink face? Like you just go UGH it's just so GOOD' and you've done that a couple of times, you'll appreciate the camaraderie between everyone who listens to them, hah! Songs where Mitch's voice is showcased in the high notes: (As mentioned by others, AHA at the Star Vista-- please note, Kevin is off-camera the whole time but he's there. He plays the Cello and was putting it away at the start. He's... well he's a true renaissance man, we'll say that; The Prayer-- Mitch takes lead and is gosh-darned angelic. Scott sings pretty stunning Italian in it, too; the aforementioned Hallelujah-- this one, the live version is very fun. If you had to pick, I'd choose that one, the earlier on, though Matt does well in the newer concert recording. You really get to see the audience's reaction to them in the Avi lineup; lastly, a dark horse! Can't Hold Us, because guess what, they've got bars...)
Ahh-vee, like Ahh-choo. Avi, short for Avriel, Kaplan; bona-fide Basso Profundo. He quit the group about four years ago and is now off doing stuff of his own. If you get curious I think his best work is "Change On The Rise". Give it a listen.
you re going to have a great time! there is no genera they don't cover and their song writing is great. wait for Christmas time !!! they are multi talented .they can play instruments. You will know when because the instrument will be front and center. watch especially Kevin and his cello.
Avi created A Capella Academy, a 9 day youth training school while still with PTX, for young people from all over the world. He is of course classically trained had just been hired to be the basso Profundo for the L.A. Opera House but Scott found him through the great arranger the next day and the sing off was just two days away. He chose PTX and remained with them for 6 years. He has one Album and a couple of EP's , (one of which is under Avriel and the Sequoias He is a prolific writer. He toured Europe, the US and Canada 2022 with his new album Floating on a Dream and has already completed writing for another album. one song (Healing) will be released Nov, 17th 2023. Here is a song from his Floating on a Dream album to give you a flavor of his writing style and singing. When I'm a Fool (Kaplan) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-LE24UTH3pmQ.html
Pentaholic here subbing for more of your PTX journey. What an awesome RABBIT HOLE! You did a very fine job on your first reaction, you are a knowledgeable musician.
Thank you! This was my second reaction; my first reaction is here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-KiFQItCbCcg.html . It was 'Video Killed The Radio Star', and I really enjoyed discovering the voicings etc in this one
They are so "big" because they are insanely talented. People know talent when they hear it and that is how they artists become big. In the full video after Scott's ending slide, the cameras pan to show their competitors, and it is clear that the competitors realize they are all fighting for 2nd place. The judges were also impressed to the point of being nearly speechless. As to Avi breaking speakers, there are a couple of videos where he did exactly that. He was trained as an operatic bass and counts as a "basso profundo" - just as Mitch is a counter-tenor.
I’m sure that you’ve been invited/ begged/demanded by many to watch and comment on Pop Spring 2016. This was a mini-concert of 4 songs that Pentatonix sang in Japan as part of a concert series called Pop Spring that gives groups a chance to sing in a concert that is also filmed for TV. They sang 3 original songs plus 1 that was a Michael Jackson montage. It is about 17 minutes long but each song can be looked at by itself because there is a little screen that pops up between each song.. the quality is excellent and I think you would really enjoy it. We would love to watch your reactions and comments.
Great reaction. I enjoy (not being a musician myself, when those who really know music break it down for me and i can then hear things I hadn't been aware of so thank you. I can't wait for you to do more PTX. I've subscribed in the hope there will be lots more.
If you really want to see what Mitch can do you should look up their rendition of "The Prayer". However, while you're doing these songs, you really have to listen to "Dog Days" and their mash up of "Since you've been gone" and "Forget you", those are absolutely amazing. EDIT: Of course you also ought to check out their rendition of Leonard Cohens "Halleujah".
Just subbed - thanks for your reaction! I love seeing a new reactor who adds something new with their musical knowledge 😊 You called that chord “filthy” - I knew just what you meant, lol - my dad was a jazz piano player and he called them “nasty” 😂
Avi (Ahh-vee) had just graduated from college and was ready to start his career as the new basso profundo with the L.A. Metropolitan Opera when he was side-tracked (by this group and show (also reference Ben Brahm)) and history was made. To get a better picture of the full story you really should watch all twelve episodes of this show “The 2011 Sing-Off” …..IN ORDER…..as it does background stories and interviews with each member. It really highlights how “The Trio” (Scott, Mitch and Kirstie) as kids in local musical theater, then high school classmates grew up/recruited/met Avi and Kevin (Yale graduate headed for Yale Med school)…..the odds of these five people (as talented as each of them are individually) coming together when and how they did is astronomical! And how fast they coalesced into the group we know and love today is a testament to their drive and willingness to work together, apply the limited constructive criticism they received, and rise to the top and take the world by storm. Subbed for more PTX content. Signed, a fellow pentaholic.
Love your reactions!! ❤ If you want to see an awesome example of Avi breaking speakers - look up their performance of the song Aha at their 2016(?) concert in Singapore. The visuals are great but the audio on this is a crap fan recording… BUT even with all of that - it is one of my all-time favorite Pentatonix performances! I wish I had been there! ❤
Mitch's dad said that while the show provided choreographers and arrangement help, Pentatonix were the only group that season that didn't use either and instead did it all themselves. Some other things his dad has said about the show have been a little off from other accounts - like he got info secondhand not like he was making up stories - so I'm not 100% that's the truth, but it's the only time I've heard anyone talk about that aspect. I believe the information comes from the RU-vid video of the parent panel at the second Pentatonix convention, for anyone wondering. Might've been the first. Was definitely one of the two.
They absolutely hired choreographers as soon as they could afford them, though. Not for the first tour or two that were, like, high school gymns and stuff... but by 2015, for sure.
There is a performance in Singapore. Imogene Heap's Aha. It's recorded on a cell phone and still sounds great. I DON'T recommend you react to that now. Get to know the group a little better. It's next level. Mitch goes crazy and is by far his best live performance that I've ever seen. He could literally shatter glass and if Avi didn't blow a speaker, then it has to be the cell phone inability to record a note that low. When I saw it, wash rinse repeat over and over...no pun intended Sir Hairless. I just cracked myself up. Hope you aren't offended at the little joke. You definitely wear bald well. Not too many men can pull it off.
You want to hear a "live" performance, tru this, it's Titled "Pentatonix proving they don't need microphones", it's basocaly them standing around singing random songs with no equipment at all, not even overhead, some of these are even outside. There is another one of them standing in a parking lot, seems like Scott was sitting on a wall, but I can't find it. Maybe soemeone else will locate it. Some of these will show Matt the New bass, instead of Avi (Aah--ve like avocado) anyway here's the link ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-5EQ85eWXSl4.html You migjt also want to look up the Making of Evergreen, it's acutally from 2022 but it shows their process of putting songs together, and doing the arrangements and all of that, it is ivery informative.even if it is short.
You’re so far away from this point in your journey, but I can’t WAIT for you to get to their behind the scenes making of doco about their Christmas album, Evergreen.
@@SirHairless as a fellow singer, it’s a jpy discovering people who really understand the brilliance of what they’re hearing. Happy travels down the single prettiest sounding rabbit hole on the internet ☺️
I'm noticing that by accident, you've chosen quite a few songs where there's a 'lead,' but Early Pentatonix is characterized by swapping leads a lot (like Somebody That I Used To Know), and it might be fun for you to look at one of the most popular songs they do this with, especially the combo of (Avi in the lineup**) Hallelujah official video vs. Hallelujah Christmas Live Performance, so you can see how similar they are, one being produced and the other live. **Avi stepped away from the group amicably (loved and missed for his gifts and personality) in 2017, replaced by Matt Sallee (who is talented in his own right, and a joy) ever since. Matt's enthusiasm and warm vocal tone make up for those of us who loved Avi so much in the earlier years! The reason I mention this is the second song I would suggest with vocal swapping leads is Sound of Silence, which was the first time I heard Matt sing. It knocked me back in my chair, let me tell you. Thank you for this reaction!!
Heya again 👋Thanks for this comment! I'm holding off from the Matt era for now, don't want to jump around toooo much in terms of their chronological musical progression. Hallelujah will be coming out in the somewhat near future; it has its place in the queue already. Sound of Silence I can't wait to get round to I imagine there will be a 'lead' with most of their Sing Off performances, which I'm slowly but surely making my way through at these early stages of my PTX discovery. I'm trying not to react to just their most popular songs all at once, right at the beginning of this journey. As always, really appreciate you taking the time to watch my reactions and to comment on them too - means a lot!
@@SirHairless Just wanted to say my notifs are borked so I missed your responses, I greatly appreciate them-- and you're absolutely right, their Sing Off run is definitely more 'conventional' compared to what we know they were capable even as soon as months later. Delighted at all your reactions, they're on 'instantly watch' for me, no matter what I'm doing (I'll turn the water off for pasta and start it back up after it's over :P)
Sadly. The tv station NBC would not allow, Mitch to use his full potential of his range. The trio. Scott, Kirstie and Mitch from Arlington, Texas were only 19 years old when they competed on this show...they never disappoint, they upgrade every cover they do
Subscribing for more Pentatonix. They are probably best known for their Christmas music; they have released a Christmas EP or album every year since 2012. Their fresh, creative arrangements of Christmas songs helped make them successful and their 2021 and 2022 holiday albums have been nominated for Grammy awards. After The Singoff, when the promised recording contract was cancelled, Pentatonix built their RU-vid channel with a capella covers of recent pop hits, then did the Christmas thing and also branched out into originals and pop covers from various decades and in various styles -- big band, Motown, Beach Boys, 90s pop divas, country, EDM, K- and J-pop, etc. They are not always strictly a capella, using instruments, extra voices and vocal processing, especially on the Christmas and original songs.
Before you do #12 please check out #11 (shows their mash up skills which theyve used throughout their career) and #7 (Kevin's sound effects are awesome).
Please, never apologize for pausing. You do it for good reasons and, realistically, if someone wants to watch a video with no interruptions they shouldn't be watching reactions. Thank you for your wonderful, informative, insightful reactions.
