This YouTube duo’s twist on Christmas songs includes shirtless shots, an adorable toddler and balloon halos.
Brandon Carter, director of marketing and publicity for the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, is usually backstage and behind the scenes. He gets media coverage for the performers and theatrical productions coming to any of the Blumenthal’s six venues in town.
But it turns out, he’s a natural in front of the camera, himself.
So is Otto Reynolds, who along with Carter, began making a series of Christmas music videos in 2015. This is the third year the two – both 28 – have produced “The 25 Songs of Christmas” and shared their talent (and their boundless enthusiasm for the season) on social media.
Usually, the videos feature just the two of them – often in holiday garb, in front of a twinkling tree or stocking-clad mantel and showing off their choreographed dance moves. Sometimes, friends join in the fun. They’ve even recruited a toddler to appear in a couple of videos.
They kicked off Christmas 2017 with “It’s Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas.” They can barely contain their glee.
This isn’t just a couple of publicity-hungry guys, who can’t carry a tune, going after internet fame. These guys are actually good. Reynolds is a professional musician and performer; he’s the lead singer for the band, Hip Pocket. He’s also one of the managers (and singers!) at Nellie’s Southern Kitchen in Belmont, the restaurant owned by the Jonas Brothers’ dad.
The two first met in concert choir at Gardner-Webb University, before turning themselves into Tannenbaum troubadours.
“It was really an organic thing,” Carter said. “We love to record cover songs, and we had done a few Christmas songs in the past. Then we thought ‘Hey, why not … do it every day?’ I don’t know that we were fully aware of what we were signing up for at the time.”
People – this writer included – can’t get enough of the daily dose of good cheer.
“It’s such a fun and quirky thing, and I think that’s what people like so much,” Reynolds said. “[Viewers] never know what the next day holds – whether a video is going to be serious and vocally pleasing or if it’s going to be some off-the-wall crazy rendition of their favorite holiday song.”
The two sometimes ham it up for the camera, while other times, when singing a sacred song such as “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” for instance, they play it straight.
“We have had such a huge response from friends and fans, and they keep asking us to continue this tradition,” Reynolds said. “They are why we are doing it for the third year. I have had people message and comment that … these videos … [brighten] their day or week. As a performer, you want to give your audience a good show no matter what platform it’s on, and if people are enjoying it, then you know you’re doing something right.”
The pair has yet to duplicate a single song in the two-plus years they’ve been recording these videos. Their range is impressive. Their rendition of “Silent Night” is as lovely as their version of “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” is cheeky. Check out a compilation of all 25 songs from the 2016 series.
“Typically, we sit and brainstorm about what could be funny or impactful for a certain song,” Carter said. “The ideas come to us pretty naturally.”
Although they have plenty of Christmas standards yet to be used in the series, they’re still going to record an original holiday tune later in the month. A new holiday standard, perhaps?
The time it takes to record each video varies.
“Some are one take and done; others take hours,” Carter said. “Most of the time, there’s an insane number of takes because someone flubs a lyric, hits a funky note, makes a weird face or gets angry and curses.” (What? One of these choir boys might curse?)
“We have some funny outtakes that we might share at some point,” he adds.
Any thoughts on expanding the franchise beyond Christmas music?
“This question is asked so much,” Reynolds said. “I would love to do it for Valentine’s Day, or I think it would be cool to do something for Halloween, as well. We will see.”
My Top Five of 2017 … So Far
My list will change as the “25 Songs of Christmas” rolls on, but 14 days into December, here are my top five 2017 Otto and Brandon videos:
(5) “Where Are You, Christmas?” How have I never heard this song?
(4) “Little Saint Nick.” Those dance moves, though.
(3) “Angels We Have Heard On High.” Bonus points for the irreverent Chipmunks-style take on the holiday standard. Extra bonus points for balloon halos.
(2) “Home for the Holidays”. Because Christmas is about sipping coffee and snuggling under a blanket on your sectional sofa … and going shirtless.
(1) “Run, Run Rudolph”. Who can resist an adorable toddler?
Get in the holiday spirit by following along: Instagram @OttoReynolds, Twitter @OttoReynolds, Reynolds’ Facebook music page (facebook.com/OttoReynoldsMusic/) and on YouTube (www.youtube.com/user/OttoReynolds).
Photo/Videos: Otto Reynolds, Brandon Carter
This story was originally published December 13, 2017 at 10:00 PM with the headline "This YouTube duo’s twist on Christmas songs includes shirtless shots, an adorable toddler and balloon halos.."