Karaoke Krooner – Upbeat Musings
KARAOKE KROONER A Mystery Writer
Upbeat Musings
One of my friends thinks I may push too hard to get newbies up to the microphone. I confess, I am guilty. But on the flipside, I also have people come up to me months later and say that because I encouraged them, they are now singing. That is really a feel-good moment for me because they are becoming a better, healthier, more confident person just because they sing. I truly believe it.
For some wannabes, it’s quite hard to take that first step. If you have some success your first time up and the crowd claps for you when you are done, you’ll probably continue down that path and become quite proficient at a number of songs.
Making a list of songs that you can sing, and keeping another list of songs you want to learn really helps, since every show has a different book with different offerings. Anyone with the Internet can find versions of the songs to listen to and practice them. YouTube has many renditions of people trying to sing the songs and with the variety of talent levels out there, you’ll see that if they can do it, you can too. We all have experienced the growth of singers as they continue down the road. The more you sing, the better you get.
Eventually, you may be comfortable enough to take on a hosts’ blind suicide, where they pick a song for you and you don’t know what it is until you’re at the mic and it starts to play. Or maybe you’ll be brave enough for a kamikaze suicide, where the host opens a book and points to a spot on the page without looking and sing that song.
You, as the crowd, play an important role in all of this. When a singer is done with their rendition of a song, whether done with true talent or at a level where you were praying it would end soon, let them know you heard their performance. Clapping works, a hoot or a howl is nice, getting a few or a crowd up to dance is especially wonderful. It’s very disheartening to sing your song and sit down and not have one person clap for you or noticed you finished your song. It’s such a small thing and makes a huge difference between a good show and a mediocre show. “They like me, they really like me” feels so good.
I know, I get on my soapbox a lot, but karaoke is one of my very favorite pastimes and if you haven’t tried it yet, you don’t know what you are missing. As a loyal reader of this magazine, I’m probably preaching to the CHOIR, literally. But please, please, please, encourage your friends, families, co-workers, etc., to let it out and vent all their frustrations, feelings and get to that “feel good”, happy place.
With the economic challenges we have been facing, unemployment rampant, where else can you have live entertainment for the price of a drink or two, close to home, surrounded by friends, all sharing a memorable time together? You can go mellow with a soulful country tune, sing the blues if you need to, pick a silly song that has no meaning, dedicate a sappy love song to your honey, share the most profound song you have ever heard, dig way back into songs from the past and trigger memories from long ago – it’s your choice.
Join the CHOIR!! Sing!… Rock-Out!… Dance or Wiggle to the music… Rap (or try singing your normal song in a rap version of your own!)… Let your hair down… Have some fun. “And the world will be a better place…”
The winter doldrums are upon us. Some nights, coming home from work, it feels so good to put on your sweats and just relax. Forget going out, doing anything.
But, if you are true karaoke diehard, these are the nights where you might stick closer to home instead of driving to the further-out shows. With the economy being the way it is, I like to support the local karaoke shows, right in my town. And because we go out so much, I know that I have 19 places to choose from during the week (Aha! A hint to my location). Some nights there might only be a choice of one or two shows, but still, they are close to home and that counts for something.
New Year’s Eve, we hopped around, but ended up back near home just to be with our singing friends.
Over the years, we might become more than superficial friends, but for now, I’m fine with visiting their garage sales, carpooling to different karaoke venues as we hop from place to place, or supporting hosts as they start a new show at a new venue. I play with the idea of having a karaoke party at my house and inviting a bunch of friends, but alas, if they are all singers, we’ll get no sing time. What a dilemma!
One thing any longtime Karaoke & Entertainment Guide reader already knows is the listing of venues in the Guide only lists those venues that believe promoting their show is worth three dollars per month. You should always make a phone call if you are checking out a new place further from home, because shows come and go according to whether they are getting enough people in or not. New shows are smart to get listed in the Guide because it helps get the word out to their target audience. The older venues that stopped listing in the Guide are missing the boat because lots of people in the region just don’t know about them.
My honey and I do what we can to support ALL the shows. Unfortunately, the alarm clock rings way too early on the weekdays to stay out late every night, but we really do try.
