THE TIN HAT TAVERN; KENNEWICK, WA
New faces at the Tin Hat, what does it all mean?

By By Mike Carlin, Owner, Karaoke Tonight

Well, it's March, temperatures in the Tri-Cities are starting to climb, and spring is not far behind. Maybe it's this sense of rebirth right around the corner that has me waxing a bit philosophical in this month's edition of the Karaoke and Live Entertainment Guide.

Since we joined the quality family of writers across the Northwest contributing their thoughts and stories, we have seen plenty of new guests come to our little bar, the Tin Hat Tavern in Kennewick. One employee asked me the question, "What is the purpose of karaoke?" The answer, for me, was easy, and it took a fraction of a second to say... "it's all about having fun."

I was reminded of this a while back. I consider myself as a karaoke host to be a pretty good singer. Like all 'pretty good singers' I enjoy showing off my talents to the crowd. I love singing country classics. One of my favorite songs is "The Auctioneer" by Leroy Van Dyke, a 1961 classic that features the fast paced patter of a livestock auctioneer. The crowd loves it, the applause is always accompanied by hoots and hollers, and my ego is stroked. One night I was humbled by a new guest who chose The Auctioneer. He absolutely blew me out of the water! The man, whose name I do not recall, was electric. I still sing the song from time to time and its fun. My point here is this: To me, karaoke is about three or four minutes of living in the spotlight. We want our guests to feel that their effort is appreciated, no matter the skill level. As a karaoke host, the most important part of my job besides getting the right discs queued up is to help make them feel like stars.

Many guests come just to watch the performers, and enjoy themselves. That's what it's all about for me, music, fun and a bit of fantasy. No matter the skill level, when the performer and the audience connect, there is usually dancing in the aisles, and we have done our job. Until next month, keep singing!

P.S. Where can I get a couple of those cool "Got Karaoke" T-shirts shown in last month's guide?

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