This video holds a special place in my heart. It was the first VoicePlay video I ever saw and it was thanks to Home Free. This was near the end of 2014, about a year after it was released. I had seen my first Home Free video not long before - the CMA Medley, as it were - and it was love at first sight. I call it the musical thunderbolt. This led to me going on a Home Free video binge which is when I came across this one. Thus, kicking off my love for VoicePlay. Because when I come across a group of talented, singing zombies, I need to know more. I just do. What that says about me, I don't know. Probably shouldn't think about that too much.
As some of you already know, Home Free and VoicePlay competed in season 4 of The Sing Off which Home Free ended up winning. This was back in the December of 2013. It makes me a little sad that I didn't watch, especially considering that both of these groups were on the 2014 Sing Off tour which came to the Ryman. I remember seeing it on the Ryman schedule, even, but I didn't know any of the groups yet so I didn't go. Yep. Best not to dwell on that. Anyway, thanks to the wonder that is the Internet, I have been able to watch clips from their season of the show. The Sing Off, like other singing shows, had the bottom two groups compete in a musical battle to see who gets to stay in the competition. If you're interested in learning more about how that worked, VoicePlay has a video on their channel explaining which you can find here. This battle includes guest vocalist Honey Larochelle who joined VoicePlay on the show, but is not a regular member of the group.
Now that we got all of that out of the way, take a few minutes to watch the video. Lots I can talk about with this one! Austin Brown's teeth, man. Don't worry if you don't know which one is Austin; you'll figure it out pretty quickly. Promise. So watch, enjoy, and then? Pick your side. Team Zombie or team Hillbilly? Choose wisely. Your survival may depend on it.
I repeat: Austin Brown's teeth, man. Equal parts disturbing and hilarious. The thing about this is Austin is what I would consider to be classically handsome. You could almost picture him in some sort of sweeping period drama. But stick those teeth in him and my God. I almost can't look at him when I watch this. That said, his willingness to look so ridiculous makes him all the more endearing. The same can be said for all of the others. They had a concept and they went with it - no holding back. I have no idea how many times I've watched this, but it's fun to watch every single time. I think they complement and play off each other so well. From the performances to the costumes and the makeup, it was a great job done by everyone.
Seeing as how this was a battle, the question now is who won? In thinking about this, I determined that there's more than one battle going on and am going to address them all. Starting with the hardest. The music itself, or rather, the arrangements. Which part do I prefer: VoicePlay's or Home Free's? What everyone needs to understand is that I adore both of these groups and I would say that I love them pretty equally. They appeal to different parts of my personality and musical tastes. This makes choosing between them nearly impossible. I really like both of their parts and would be lying if I said that I haven't changed my mind over the course of first planning, and now writing, this post. Multiple times. But right now at this moment, I'm going to go with Home Free.
The next battle would be the battle of the basses. I actually went and skimmed through the comments on the video because I was curious to see who other people thought won. In doing so, it appeared that a fair amount of people were making it more of a battle between Geoff Castellucci (VoicePlay) and Tim Foust (Home Free). This is a silly argument. I've heard both of these guys live and was impressed by them both. It's tough to compare them. Different voices, different tones. Ultimately, it comes down to personal preference. As for me? I like them both and so refuse to pick a winner. Labeling this one a tie.
I've talked a bit about the music and the basses and now? Now it's time to get serious. It's time to get down to business. If this was not a musical battle and was instead an actual battle, who would win? Whose side would I want to be on? Hey, they went full out with the concept, so this seems like a perfectly reasonable debate to me. Embrace the silliness.
So...team Zombie or team Hillbilly? This was a remarkable easy choice for me. I am completely and without question team Zombie. All the way. Why? Because if this was a real battle, it would end exactly how the video did - with the majority of Home Free becoming dinner. Frankly, I'd rather be a member of the undead than an hor'doeuvre. That's just me. Your mileage may vary. Look, if they were rednecks, it'd be a different story. But they're not; they're hillbillies. Easily confused with a total lack of organization. The zombies are working together as a unit and the hillbillies...not so much. Did everyone notice the point when Chris Rupp shoots Rob Lundquist with his bow and arrow? As if dealing with a pack of swarming zombies wasn't enough to contend with, you'd also have to worry about being shot by one of your fellows. I don't have that kind of energy. Besides, I have rheumatoid arthritis (among other things) and lemme tell ya, on the bad days, you pretty much feel like a zombie. So I figure I'm at least partway there already.
So...team Zombie or team Hillbilly? This was a remarkable easy choice for me. I am completely and without question team Zombie. All the way. Why? Because if this was a real battle, it would end exactly how the video did - with the majority of Home Free becoming dinner. Frankly, I'd rather be a member of the undead than an hor'doeuvre. That's just me. Your mileage may vary. Look, if they were rednecks, it'd be a different story. But they're not; they're hillbillies. Easily confused with a total lack of organization. The zombies are working together as a unit and the hillbillies...not so much. Did everyone notice the point when Chris Rupp shoots Rob Lundquist with his bow and arrow? As if dealing with a pack of swarming zombies wasn't enough to contend with, you'd also have to worry about being shot by one of your fellows. I don't have that kind of energy. Besides, I have rheumatoid arthritis (among other things) and lemme tell ya, on the bad days, you pretty much feel like a zombie. So I figure I'm at least partway there already.
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