Idol is for karaoke lovers

By Rocky & Kristine Fields

“It just sounds very karaoke to me.” You will hear the American Idol crew Randy, Simon and occasionally Paula spew this statement to the competitors on the ever-popular American Idol show to let a singer know that they aren’t doing so well with the song they just performed. Apparently this is meant as an insult or a put down.

Well all we have to say is, what karaoke shows have they been hanging out at? About 10 to 12 years ago, we would have had to agree, karaoke singers just weren’t that great back then, but now, oh my gosh, look out! Karaoke singers, at least the ones in Washington Sate, sound awesome and in many cases are often praised by the people listening as performing the song they sang better than the original artist. People who played in bands back then used to see that a karaoke show was at a bar or lounge and stick their nose in the air as if karaoke singers just don’t have a clue as to what it takes to really perform a song. Now, many band members not only have a better opinion of karaoke singers but, they will even go out to have fun and sing at karaoke shows too.

We’ve noticed that the popularity of karaoke shines in such local shows like Gimme the Mic and Seattle Star and there’s the ever-popular American Idol along with Nashville Star and who knows what other shows are out there that we’ve yet to discover. The local, not televised, contests have become a staple in the Northwest as well and we get calls regularly from folks asking about when the next big contest will be, who will the next winner of Evergreen Idol open for and who’s giving away the biggest, best prizes.

Another positive change from several years ago until now is the amount of people who just come out and enjoy watching karaoke singers do their thing. We recall one couple that we have seen at our Skagit Valley Casino Resort karaoke venue tell who tell us that they just love to come in and enjoy listening to all of the singers. Then they pointed out a couple of people and told us “we love to just sit and listen to anything those two sing!” We think this is due to the variety of music that people here sing at karaoke shows. At most karaoke shows, you will hear everything from Johnny Cash to AC/DC, The Doobie Brothers and Elton John, along with Top 40 and Country music hits.

In conclusion, we would like to point out that there are many stars that we know of who sing karaoke just for fun like; Jake Gyllenhaal, Paris Hilton, Victoria Beckham, David Spade, Jamie Foxx, Queen Latifah, Heidi Klum, Kid Rock, Lindsay Lohan (a bigtime karaoke lover), Harry Morton, Ellen DeGeneres, Portia DeRossi, Spider Man Co-Star Kirsten Dunst (another bigtime karaoke singer), and even Jim Carrey. Personally, we have had the opportunity and pleasure of having members from Josh Gracin’s band, Lorrie Morgan’s backup singers, the nationally known tribute bands who play as Chicago, The Eagles, Bruce Springsteen, and many other lead singers and band members. Also, Jamie Foxx the opening act for Phil Vasser and Shane Thomas, an up and coming Nashville star may grace the stage for some fun karaoke tunes.

So when we hear it sounded a little too karaoke, we say YES! Karaoke sounds Great! Keep on singing. Karaoke in the Northwest just keeps getting better and better.