2017 VoicePlay winter activities — ch-ch-ch-ch-changes
With a new year came new projects and collaborators, as well as several personal milestones for the guys.
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Auld Lang Syne
VoicePlay started the year on someting of a bittersweet note, finally making the offical announcement of Tony's retirement from the group. Fans had been remarking on his increasing absences from VoicePlay's content and concerts over the preceding year, so the formal confirmation that he had left was sad, but certainly less upsetting in knowing that it was an amicable decision.
Five years of frequent, extended travel had taken their toll. Tony wanted to spend more time at home with his family, and refocus his creative energies on new projects through PattyCake Productions, the studio he and Layne had been building over the previous year.
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On a happier note, Eli and Ashley entered the home stretch in preparing for their wedding.
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Hot and cold
As they said in the audition video, the remaining guys didn't let a vacancy disrupt their other plans. They continued to alternate between Erik Winger and J.None as their stand-in baritones as they hit the road almost immediately.
First they picked up Winger and headed south for a stylish wedding in the Florida Keys.
Then they scooped up J.None and returned to snowy NYC for the annual APAP conference after skipping it the year before.
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Once they got home, it was time for some more rehearsals before they performed at a couple local private events and filmed their next video.
This song wasn't fast enough already, guys? Yeesh!
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Jacobson nuptials
And of course everyone gathered to celebrate at Eli and Ashley's wedding.
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From the road to the air
Toward the end of the month, Layne and Tony gathered up a few family members and friends and headed to southern Florida for their next PattyCake project.
When they got home, VoicePlay snagged J.None again and flew out west to "crash Eli's honeymoon" and headline the annual Napa Valley A Cappella Extravaganza.
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Part of the extended family
During their week at home between road dates, Earl got to meet Jodi Benson, voice of the animated Ariel, during a Nemo post-show meet and greet session.
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Round and round
The next weekend, the guys and Winger headed up to New Jersey for a show in Rahway with opening act Garden State Sound Quartet. The concert received some preliminary hype in the local press, and a very nice recap.
photos by Love Imagery, via New Jersey Stage ; and by Garden State Sound Quartet
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Then they popped home long enough to pick up J.None and Max Herskovitz for a five day trip to the Bahamas aboard the Disney Dream. While the other guys were at sea, Layne got into some tech geekery for an interview with Lens Depot as part of their customer spotlight series.
Once they disembarked, they bade farewell to Max and scooped up Layne for a quick jaunt to Maryland.
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Making a name
After a few quiet days at home, they met up with Winger again to sing the national anthem as the opening to Full Sail University's annual alumni Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
During a shopping trip the next day, Layne found a hat with surprisingly accurate embroidery. He joked that it "should have a question mark at the end", and his sister noted that a needle and thread could easily amend it. I'd argue that, like a lot of performing artists, they're more "situationally famous".
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Frozen treats
The weekend took VoicePlay (again with Winger) north to St. Joseph, MN for a show attended by several longtime fans and local gent Chris Rupp.
sleepy Layne, Paul, and Erik heading north very early in the morning
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Home time
Over next week, Layne, Tony, and Earl were busy filming PattyCake's next project, "Beauty and the Bieber", at several locations around Orlando. Meanwhile, Geoff and Kathy took advantage of the slight lull in their schedules and had a babymoon date night at a Take 6 / Manhattan Transfer concert.
But, of course, the VoicePlay momentum picked up again at their weekly planning meeting.
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Ahoy-hoy
The week after that, they gathered up J.None and Max again for another loop around the Caribbean on the Disney Dream.
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When they got home, they headed over to a local art school to perform at a fundraiser for their theater program. The lineup for the evening also included Brian Fortuna from Dancing with the Stars and Orshi Horvath, and a newly formed local boy band called the Beatline Boys.
VoicePlay accompany Brian and Orshi for a dance
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Family time
The next few days were spent doing their own thing and marking some big milestones. Geoff and Kathy had their baby shower. Earl and Nick bought a new home.
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Back to work
The final weekend of the season was bookended by video shoots with new collaborators. Friday saw them team up with theme park pal Matthew Darren for a club jam mashup, while Monday brought a peppy breakup song with Broadway performer John Pinto, Jr.
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Once those were in the can, it was time to hit the road again, but that's a story for a another time.