John the Revelator sings!

I have had two interesting gigs just recently. They were not the regular karaoke gigs where I was the host. Instead, I brought in my karaoke setup (or at least a small portion of that) and sang. By myself. Almost like an entertainer.

My wife does not look at it as being real musicianship. True, part of the performance is canned. Who wants to go somewhere to hear canned music? That's just being a DJ, right?

I would like to hear some other opinions. If a person sings along to a karaoke backup, and does it well, is that legitimate art/music/entertainment?

Well, I disagree, at least somewhat. I sing. I think I do pretty well at it. If you could only hear how great it sounds inside my head! When I get a chance, I'm going to record myself singing to the karaoke backup, and post these.

There was something else interesting about these two gigs, though. Both gigs were at assisted living centers.

There are some unpleasant memories brought up here. My father was in a nursing home the last five years of his life. Ok, ok, an assisted living center is not a nursing home. I understand the difference, at least intellectually. At the gut level, though, there is a reminder of unpleasant stuff.

I have my wife, the Gypsy Songstress, to thank for helping m dig past this. She starting performing for assisted living centers and nursing homes a few years ago. She brought her guitar and brought piano music. Good stuff.

When I was available, I tagged along. I brought my drum, I sang some harmonies and every once in a while, she let me sing. Actually, she had me sing a few songs whenever we performed together.

These two gigs were my first solo gigs. I loved them.

I selected a theme: "I promise you the moon and the stars". All of the songs I sang had something to do with the moon or the stars. And all the songs were from the 30's and 40's.

Here is my playlist: Fly Me to the Moon, It's Only a Paper Moon, Stairway to the Stars, Moonlight in Vermont, By the Light of the Silvery Moon, Moonglow, Catch a Falling Star, Moonlight Serenade, When You Wish Upon a Star, Shine on Harvest Moon, Stardust, I Only Have Eyes For You, That's Amore, The Nearness of You, and Blue Moon.

I knew that it was a hit in my first show when three women sang along, and knew the words for all of the songs!

I am pondering over a new theme. I am keeping my eyes open for another singing gig.