Faithful readers of this blog will recall that I have done a bit of mocking of the "karaokecam" that is located at Cat's Meow in New Orleans. It started with this post, where I let my adoring fans know that the webcam was not working.
When I ran into a site that listed KaraokeCam as one of the best 25 webcams in the world, I naturally had to post a followup.
I had the pleasure to visit New Orleans in March of 2009. I went down there with high expectations, since I had wanted to visit there for a long time. I was fully expecting that I would be disappointed, not so much because of Katrina, but just because I was expecting so much.
I was not disappointed in the least. New Orleans was fabulous. The cuisine, the 24-7 party atmosphere, the friendliness of everyone, the music, the music, the music, and yes, the music!
I also stopped in to sing karaoke at two places. Sorry to say, that was a tiny bit of a let down. Each place had a song "book" that was a single sheet of paper, printed on front and back. Neither place had more then a few hundred songs in the library. That blew me away. I don't think a KJ could survive in Milwaukee with less than a few thousand songs. But it was ok, really. I didn't visit New Orleans to sing karaoke. And maybe that's why they don't need more than a small collection of songs.
I ran into an article that has me confused again. The article talks about the top five nightclubs in New Orleans. The Cat's Meow is on that short list. To my surprise, the article had this to say:
it was one of the first clubs in the US that had karaoke, and fanatics
say that it is one of the best (if not the best) karaoke club in the
whole world.
Wow. I am not sure that the Cat's Meow was one of the places that I sang at. I was there for a week. I was looking for karaoke. I think I would have found it. If it was one of the places that I sang, then I really don't understand the fanatics would say this is the bests karaoke spot in the world. If didn't sing at the Cat's Meow, then I guess I really missed something big. Yet another reason for me to take another trip to New Orleans!
Showing posts with label karaoke. Show all posts
Showing posts with label karaoke. Show all posts
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Quote from Davy Jones
Anyone from my era will recognize the name "Davy Jones". He was the cute one.
Well, that's not quite what I would say. I would say that he was the British guy in the Monkees. I would say that he was the guy that all the girls said was the cute one. I was so jealous. Of course, I am still jealous. His wife is a flamenco dancer who is 33. He is 64.
He was recently interviewed by the San Francisco Chronicle.
Well, that's not quite what I would say. I would say that he was the British guy in the Monkees. I would say that he was the guy that all the girls said was the cute one. I was so jealous. Of course, I am still jealous. His wife is a flamenco dancer who is 33. He is 64.
He was recently interviewed by the San Francisco Chronicle.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Is karaoke a performance or a sing along?
Mitch Miller passed on this last month at the age of 99. He is best known for his early 60s TV show called Sing Along with Mitch.
Miller deserves a place in the history of karaoke, having pioneered the idea of using video to display words in sync with the music. For this, he has earned mention in the Wiki entry on karaoke. But Wiki is quick to point out that this was not karaoke, and not even a precursor.
I suppose the whole meaning of the word (karaoke literally means "empty orchestra") supports relegating Mitch to the footnotes rather than claiming him as the inventor. But still I find this a bit disappointing.
It reminded me of some comments that showed up on my Milwaukee Karaoke blog. There were two conflicting reviews of a karaoke spot. Somewhere buried in the comments was a dichotomy... two different views of what karaoke is, or perhaps, two different reasons that someone would go to a karaoke bar.
The traditional answer to the question of "what is karaoke?" fits in with "empty orchestra" and the Wiki page. This traditional answer also fits in with the ubiquitous and completely erroneous statement that the definition of karaoke is "a method for the intoxicated to embarrass themselves". (This is a quote from US patent 7,551,161. Honest. Nothing could be further from the truth. Alcohol and karaoke have nothing to do with each other. The fact that there are 116 different bars in the Milwaukee area that offer karaoke is just coincidence.) The traditional answer is that karaoke is a performance.
But there is a different answer to the question of "what is karaoke?" I saw it when I did my first karaoke gig with teenagers. I see it at my gig at Bootleggers every night. Sure, there are people who get up to sing solos and duets. But there are a lot of people who get up in large groups. Ten people on stage is not uncommon. If the stage were larger, there might be twenty, or thirty. It is not uncommon for there also to be a crowd of people in front of the stage, singing along with the crowd of people on the stage.
This is karaoke in the style that Mitch Miller pioneered. Karaoke as a sing along.
The August 14 issue of Science News has an interview with Ian Cross, who is the director of the Centre of Music and Science at Cambridge. He drives home this same distinction between "music as a performance" and "music as a group thing":
In traditional societies, there are performers, but music is primarily interactive, so everybody participates and it's embedded in daily experience. ... I've worked with ethnomusicologists [people who study music across cultures] who play recorded music to members of non-Western groups and try to measure how they perceive and react to it. But these people don't think of a recording as music. They're bored by it. It makes no sense to them because it's not interactive.
This is just my little ethnomusicology, but I think the huge popularity of karaoke among younger folks has a lot to do with getting back to our roots of interactive music.
Miller deserves a place in the history of karaoke, having pioneered the idea of using video to display words in sync with the music. For this, he has earned mention in the Wiki entry on karaoke. But Wiki is quick to point out that this was not karaoke, and not even a precursor.
The primary difference between Karaoke and sing-along songs is the
absence of the lead vocalist. This renders most forms of sing-along
songs as footnotes to Karaoke rather than precursors.
I suppose the whole meaning of the word (karaoke literally means "empty orchestra") supports relegating Mitch to the footnotes rather than claiming him as the inventor. But still I find this a bit disappointing.
It reminded me of some comments that showed up on my Milwaukee Karaoke blog. There were two conflicting reviews of a karaoke spot. Somewhere buried in the comments was a dichotomy... two different views of what karaoke is, or perhaps, two different reasons that someone would go to a karaoke bar.
The traditional answer to the question of "what is karaoke?" fits in with "empty orchestra" and the Wiki page. This traditional answer also fits in with the ubiquitous and completely erroneous statement that the definition of karaoke is "a method for the intoxicated to embarrass themselves". (This is a quote from US patent 7,551,161. Honest. Nothing could be further from the truth. Alcohol and karaoke have nothing to do with each other. The fact that there are 116 different bars in the Milwaukee area that offer karaoke is just coincidence.) The traditional answer is that karaoke is a performance.
But there is a different answer to the question of "what is karaoke?" I saw it when I did my first karaoke gig with teenagers. I see it at my gig at Bootleggers every night. Sure, there are people who get up to sing solos and duets. But there are a lot of people who get up in large groups. Ten people on stage is not uncommon. If the stage were larger, there might be twenty, or thirty. It is not uncommon for there also to be a crowd of people in front of the stage, singing along with the crowd of people on the stage.
This is karaoke in the style that Mitch Miller pioneered. Karaoke as a sing along.
The August 14 issue of Science News has an interview with Ian Cross, who is the director of the Centre of Music and Science at Cambridge. He drives home this same distinction between "music as a performance" and "music as a group thing":
In traditional societies, there are performers, but music is primarily interactive, so everybody participates and it's embedded in daily experience. ... I've worked with ethnomusicologists [people who study music across cultures] who play recorded music to members of non-Western groups and try to measure how they perceive and react to it. But these people don't think of a recording as music. They're bored by it. It makes no sense to them because it's not interactive.
This is just my little ethnomusicology, but I think the huge popularity of karaoke among younger folks has a lot to do with getting back to our roots of interactive music.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Kelly Clarkson sings karaoke
Kelly Clarkson took the stage at a karaoke bar in Nashville and (understandably) she thrilled the crowd.
This got me thinking. If Kelly Clarkson showed up at one of my gigs, would I get her up on stage more than the other patrons? First off, I am not sure if I would recognize her, but let's just say that I did. Would she deserve special status and get moved up to the head of the rotation?'
I should explain something before I go on. The gig I run at Bootleggers on Monday nights is very busy. Last Monday night, at 11:00 we realized that we had more than enough song requests in to take us until 2:30 AM. And we stop at 1:00 AM.
Would I let Kelly butt in line? I think I probably would. I mean, wouldn't the folks in the crowd love to go to a free Kelly Clarkson mini-concert? Well. Maybe not. The crowd at Bootleggers is not primarily country. I probably won't have to make this decision, though. I don't expect to see her at one of my gigs.
What if I had a minor celebrity popped in? Like someone who made it to American Idol but didn't win? That actually could happen some day. Danny Gokey is a Milwaukee boy. He placed third in the 2008 - 2009 season. I'm not sure what I would do if he turned in four slips at once.
Danny, if you do stop in to Bootleggers some Monday night, please introduce yourself when you hand me the request slips. I may not recognize you... unless I notice the glasses. Where do you get those glasses, anyway?
Ok, so what if somebody just comes in off the street, and he is fabulous but not at all famous? The crowd stops talking when he starts. At the end of the song, the crowd gives an extended cheer. Do I give this person privileged status? This actually does happen to me. I mean, I'm not the guy that gets the extended cheer. I mean pretty much every night there is at least one singer or two who could make it to the big time.
When I get a great singer like that, I would like to get them on stage more often, but I generally don't. Lemme 'splain...
Here is something that I get pretty much every night. It's 11:30, busiest time of the night. The place is packed, and even if I only brought up singers who were waiting to sing for the first time, it would take 45 minutes to get someone in. Inevitably, there will be a small group of folks who walk in, hand me a slip and say "Am I next?"
I'm sorry. I don't like to be negative. And I don't like to put folks down. But that's a dumb question. You are in a karaoke bar with 150 people. In the ten minutes that you have been here, there were three groups of people that sung. You had to wade through a bunch of people to get to me. Ummm... is there some reason for you to believe that there is nobody else ahead of you?
I will politely explain that I have a lot of people in line that have been waiting a while to sing. And here comes the response that I love. "But I am a great singer!"
Truth be told, only one in five people of the people who tell me they are great singers really are great singers. Generally speaking, the great singers are pretty quiet about their talent.
But aside from that, the comment misses the whole point of karaoke. People don't come out for karaoke on the off chance that they will get to hear a duet with Kelly Clarkson and Danny Gokey. Let's face it. They come to hear themselves sing. They sit and listen patiently while other people sing, but in the end, they just wanna hear themselves.
But Danny or Kelly... just in case you do show up... I'll let you cut to the front of the line. Arrangements for other celebrities will be considered as needed.
I should explain something before I go on. The gig I run at Bootleggers on Monday nights is very busy. Last Monday night, at 11:00 we realized that we had more than enough song requests in to take us until 2:30 AM. And we stop at 1:00 AM.
Would I let Kelly butt in line? I think I probably would. I mean, wouldn't the folks in the crowd love to go to a free Kelly Clarkson mini-concert? Well. Maybe not. The crowd at Bootleggers is not primarily country. I probably won't have to make this decision, though. I don't expect to see her at one of my gigs.
What if I had a minor celebrity popped in? Like someone who made it to American Idol but didn't win? That actually could happen some day. Danny Gokey is a Milwaukee boy. He placed third in the 2008 - 2009 season. I'm not sure what I would do if he turned in four slips at once.
Danny, if you do stop in to Bootleggers some Monday night, please introduce yourself when you hand me the request slips. I may not recognize you... unless I notice the glasses. Where do you get those glasses, anyway?
Ok, so what if somebody just comes in off the street, and he is fabulous but not at all famous? The crowd stops talking when he starts. At the end of the song, the crowd gives an extended cheer. Do I give this person privileged status? This actually does happen to me. I mean, I'm not the guy that gets the extended cheer. I mean pretty much every night there is at least one singer or two who could make it to the big time.
When I get a great singer like that, I would like to get them on stage more often, but I generally don't. Lemme 'splain...
Here is something that I get pretty much every night. It's 11:30, busiest time of the night. The place is packed, and even if I only brought up singers who were waiting to sing for the first time, it would take 45 minutes to get someone in. Inevitably, there will be a small group of folks who walk in, hand me a slip and say "Am I next?"
I'm sorry. I don't like to be negative. And I don't like to put folks down. But that's a dumb question. You are in a karaoke bar with 150 people. In the ten minutes that you have been here, there were three groups of people that sung. You had to wade through a bunch of people to get to me. Ummm... is there some reason for you to believe that there is nobody else ahead of you?
I will politely explain that I have a lot of people in line that have been waiting a while to sing. And here comes the response that I love. "But I am a great singer!"
Truth be told, only one in five people of the people who tell me they are great singers really are great singers. Generally speaking, the great singers are pretty quiet about their talent.
But aside from that, the comment misses the whole point of karaoke. People don't come out for karaoke on the off chance that they will get to hear a duet with Kelly Clarkson and Danny Gokey. Let's face it. They come to hear themselves sing. They sit and listen patiently while other people sing, but in the end, they just wanna hear themselves.
But Danny or Kelly... just in case you do show up... I'll let you cut to the front of the line. Arrangements for other celebrities will be considered as needed.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Update on getting discovered
I posted the question ("who was discovered singing karaoke?") on the karaoke forum and got some interesting answers...
One fellow - SwingCatKurt - expressed the sentiment that you gotta pay your dues. Good answer. Maybe that was the thought in the back of my mind when I asked the question? A message to people who have delusions about making it the easy way? I dunno if that was the thought... I don't spend much time in the back of my head.
SwingCat went on to list a number of folks he knows that have used karaoke as a way to hone their singing and stage skills. That is to say, they paid some of their dues on the karaoke stage. But, they went on to start bands or join bands and work hard to get there.
One fellow suggested that Tommy DeCarlo of Boston was discovered singing karaoke. The story is truly touching. But it was a MySpace video that got him the big gig, and not walking into a karaoke bar.
Another suggestion was Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland. From Wiki, it looks like she started her own band (twice) before joining Sugarland.
Mindy McCready is another interesting story. It looks like she discovered country through karaoke, rather than country discovering her through karaoke.
"After learning her craft with private opera training from a retired Julliard School Of Music professor, McCready discovered country music from the karaoke scene and decided to sing country rather than opera in 7 other languages." McCready's bio
So... here is my conclusion so far... No one (that I know of so far) ever found their road to fame by walking into a karaoke bar. There have been some notable folks discovered through karaoke videos on the internet, and some by peddling karaoke recordings of themselves. And naturally, karaoke competitions are breeding grounds for people getting discovered.
One fellow - SwingCatKurt - expressed the sentiment that you gotta pay your dues. Good answer. Maybe that was the thought in the back of my mind when I asked the question? A message to people who have delusions about making it the easy way? I dunno if that was the thought... I don't spend much time in the back of my head.
SwingCat went on to list a number of folks he knows that have used karaoke as a way to hone their singing and stage skills. That is to say, they paid some of their dues on the karaoke stage. But, they went on to start bands or join bands and work hard to get there.
One fellow suggested that Tommy DeCarlo of Boston was discovered singing karaoke. The story is truly touching. But it was a MySpace video that got him the big gig, and not walking into a karaoke bar.
Another suggestion was Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland. From Wiki, it looks like she started her own band (twice) before joining Sugarland.
Mindy McCready is another interesting story. It looks like she discovered country through karaoke, rather than country discovering her through karaoke.
"After learning her craft with private opera training from a retired Julliard School Of Music professor, McCready discovered country music from the karaoke scene and decided to sing country rather than opera in 7 other languages." McCready's bio
So... here is my conclusion so far... No one (that I know of so far) ever found their road to fame by walking into a karaoke bar. There have been some notable folks discovered through karaoke videos on the internet, and some by peddling karaoke recordings of themselves. And naturally, karaoke competitions are breeding grounds for people getting discovered.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Getting discovered through karaoke
A recent news article caught my attention. (from Rolling Stone, and from RTT News). It seems that Steve Tyler (lead singer with Aerosmith) was seen singing karaoke at a bar in Palm Springs, California. He apparently did not go to the bar intending to sing, but one of the groups that sang butchered a song of his so badly that he felt he had to redeem himself. He took the stage and showed the crowd how it should be done.
I don't want to get into what is going on with Steve Tyler and rehab and whether he is going to sing with Aerosmith and Aerosmith's search for a replacement for Tyler. That's all interesting stuff, but there has been plenty of news coverage on that.
Another topic I just want to mention ... the two guys that sang "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing" were booed off the stage. Don't get me started on this. All I want to say is that this is poor form for the audience. Please be respectful and realize that by golly, this is karaoke.
The news item got me thinking though. Steve Tyler went from being a rock star to being a karaoke singer. Does the opposite ever happen? Do rock stars actually get discovered singing karaoke?
I had a patron once tell me that Mary J. Blige was the only rock star who had been discovered while singing karaoke. Interesting. Sounds plausible. Or could this just be urban legend? That sounds plausible, too. I googled around and found the statement to be half true. It seems that Blige didn't go to a karaoke bar, but rather she made what was essentially a demo tape in a karaoke-style booth. (See article 1 and article 2.)
I spent quite a bit of time googling and found a couple of interesting articles about discovering rock stars: how some black singers were discovered, and how some women singers were discovered.
After 37 hours of gruegling [this is a word I just coined - a combination of grueling and googling], I only found one reference that claimed a discovery through karaoke: Coco Lee. She entered a karaoke contest and was discovered. Her Wikipedia entry does not mention karaoke, however. It says that she was discovered through the "New Talent Singing Awards" in Hong Kong. I wouldn't exactly call that being discovered singing karaoke.
That begs the question. Is American Idol just a glorified karaoke contest? I mean, most karaoke contests have a first place prize of maybe $50, or a gift certificate for the bar. I have personally given away quite a number of vintage Les Paul inflatable guitars as prizes. The only real difference with American Idol is that you win a recording contract, you are seen by millions of people, you get a real live band for backup, and Simon gets to tell you how awful you are. All that pales in comparison to the vintage inflated-with-air guitar.
If American Idol is really just a karaoke contest, then there certainly have been a number of stars discovered through karaoke.
Maybe I need to refine my question. What I really meant was more along this line: "Hey Revelator! I got this really awesome voice. You won't believe it. Really. Trust me. Do ya think a talent scout from a major record label will just happen to stop into this place for a beer one night, hear me totally rockin' out, and then sign me up on the spot?!?!? I dunno if I mentioned this, but my voice is fabulous."
Sadly, I'm going to have to answer "prob'ly not". I often have people tell me before they sing that they have an awesome voice. And they tell me that I gotta let them sing next because every one in the club is dying to hear them sing. So, I know that the awesome voice is not the issue. Still, it doesn't appear that people get discovered that way. So, maybe the talent scouts from major record labels don't visit karaoke bars? Or maybe these talent scouts just quietly sip their beers and leave, oblivious of the major talent that they are missing out on?
I dunno the answer to this. But I would like to hear if anyone knows of another singer/rock star/recording artist who was discovered while singing karaoke.
John the Revelator
I don't want to get into what is going on with Steve Tyler and rehab and whether he is going to sing with Aerosmith and Aerosmith's search for a replacement for Tyler. That's all interesting stuff, but there has been plenty of news coverage on that.
Another topic I just want to mention ... the two guys that sang "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing" were booed off the stage. Don't get me started on this. All I want to say is that this is poor form for the audience. Please be respectful and realize that by golly, this is karaoke.
The news item got me thinking though. Steve Tyler went from being a rock star to being a karaoke singer. Does the opposite ever happen? Do rock stars actually get discovered singing karaoke?
I had a patron once tell me that Mary J. Blige was the only rock star who had been discovered while singing karaoke. Interesting. Sounds plausible. Or could this just be urban legend? That sounds plausible, too. I googled around and found the statement to be half true. It seems that Blige didn't go to a karaoke bar, but rather she made what was essentially a demo tape in a karaoke-style booth. (See article 1 and article 2.)
I spent quite a bit of time googling and found a couple of interesting articles about discovering rock stars: how some black singers were discovered, and how some women singers were discovered.
After 37 hours of gruegling [this is a word I just coined - a combination of grueling and googling], I only found one reference that claimed a discovery through karaoke: Coco Lee. She entered a karaoke contest and was discovered. Her Wikipedia entry does not mention karaoke, however. It says that she was discovered through the "New Talent Singing Awards" in Hong Kong. I wouldn't exactly call that being discovered singing karaoke.
That begs the question. Is American Idol just a glorified karaoke contest? I mean, most karaoke contests have a first place prize of maybe $50, or a gift certificate for the bar. I have personally given away quite a number of vintage Les Paul inflatable guitars as prizes. The only real difference with American Idol is that you win a recording contract, you are seen by millions of people, you get a real live band for backup, and Simon gets to tell you how awful you are. All that pales in comparison to the vintage inflated-with-air guitar.
If American Idol is really just a karaoke contest, then there certainly have been a number of stars discovered through karaoke.
Maybe I need to refine my question. What I really meant was more along this line: "Hey Revelator! I got this really awesome voice. You won't believe it. Really. Trust me. Do ya think a talent scout from a major record label will just happen to stop into this place for a beer one night, hear me totally rockin' out, and then sign me up on the spot?!?!? I dunno if I mentioned this, but my voice is fabulous."
Sadly, I'm going to have to answer "prob'ly not". I often have people tell me before they sing that they have an awesome voice. And they tell me that I gotta let them sing next because every one in the club is dying to hear them sing. So, I know that the awesome voice is not the issue. Still, it doesn't appear that people get discovered that way. So, maybe the talent scouts from major record labels don't visit karaoke bars? Or maybe these talent scouts just quietly sip their beers and leave, oblivious of the major talent that they are missing out on?
I dunno the answer to this. But I would like to hear if anyone knows of another singer/rock star/recording artist who was discovered while singing karaoke.
John the Revelator
Thursday, January 14, 2010
2009 in karaoke
I spent a lot of time not blogging in 2009. Here are some highlights that I might have written about...
I was quoted in the March issue of Milwaukee Magazine. I was excited to see the article, but I was a bit disappointed when I read it. Aside from the two paragraphs in the middle that I contributed to, the article does not portray karaoke as a very positive activity. I sent a letter to the editor.
In March, I went to New Orleans on a trip for my regular job. I presented at the conference and gave a tutorial (which were both fun). Actually, I got a little good PR on my tutorial!
The biggest part for me, though, was New Orleans. I have always wanted to see New Orleans, and was worried that my expectations were so high that I would be disappointed.But I was definitely not disappointed at all. Live music was everywhere. The food was fabulous. Bourbon Street is one solid 24/7 party. And yes, I tried the Hurricanes. At many establishments. And the people? Nowhere else can you find people more accommodating and friendly.
Here are two very memorable things from my trip. The first was running into a Doo Wop quartet that just happened to be singing as a trio because the bass was gone. Naturally, I jumped right in for him.
But that experience was soon trumped. I went to Preservation Hall, which is kind of ground zero for New Orleans jazz. It is a small place with very little seating, but the jazz group was great. They did a few songs and then moved into What A Wonderful World. They led the audience and I sang right out with my Louis Armstrong impression. The band leader heard me and had me do a verse by myself.
I can die happy. I can say that I sang a solo at Preservation Hall.
In May, I was honored to be asked to sing at a wedding. That is something I hadn't done in four years. Always a pleasure. I didn't do Louis Armstrong, though. I did learn another country song, though: Amazed by Lonestar.
There was a string of five weeks starting in mid-July where I hosted seven karaoke gigs in addition to my normal weekly gig. For me, that's a lot. Several of those weeks, I had three gigs.
I should explain here... I have a full time job. KJ-ing is a hobby job for me. When I first started this, I was thinking that I would do a gig a few weekends a month. Then the Bootleggers gig came along, and I had fun. I kept doing it. Tuesday mornings, it's hard to get up and keep moving, but I love it. So... Three gigs is perhaps another 20 hours of work on top of a full time job.Those were five long, but exciting weeks.
One of those summer gigs was at State Fair! Yes... I hosted karaoke at State Fair!! Well. It's actually not as impressive as it sounds. It was for a company party. They rented a tent. I ran karaoke in their tent.
In 2008, I had a karaoke party for my 50th birthday. In 2009, I had two more 50th birthday karaoke parties. No, I didn't turn 50 for the third time. They weren't my birthdays, I just hosted karaoke for them. And this coming Tuesday (January 19)? I will be hosting karaoke for yet another 50th birthday party. My fourth!
Stop in. I will be at Joe's K Ranch in Cudahy.
I am pleased to say that I have taken on a partner for my KJ services. Anthony (AKA "Sven") is co-hosting the Bootleggers gig every Monday night. He and I have a group on Facebook. Bringing in Sven was a fabulous decision. Yes, I get less money, but he totally rocks. I can't keep from patting myself on the back.
As for numbers, I had 69 gigs all together. My songbook went over 8,000 songs. My website got 1,408 hits.
So... that was the year in karaoke.
I was quoted in the March issue of Milwaukee Magazine. I was excited to see the article, but I was a bit disappointed when I read it. Aside from the two paragraphs in the middle that I contributed to, the article does not portray karaoke as a very positive activity. I sent a letter to the editor.
In March, I went to New Orleans on a trip for my regular job. I presented at the conference and gave a tutorial (which were both fun). Actually, I got a little good PR on my tutorial!
The biggest part for me, though, was New Orleans. I have always wanted to see New Orleans, and was worried that my expectations were so high that I would be disappointed.But I was definitely not disappointed at all. Live music was everywhere. The food was fabulous. Bourbon Street is one solid 24/7 party. And yes, I tried the Hurricanes. At many establishments. And the people? Nowhere else can you find people more accommodating and friendly.
Here are two very memorable things from my trip. The first was running into a Doo Wop quartet that just happened to be singing as a trio because the bass was gone. Naturally, I jumped right in for him.
But that experience was soon trumped. I went to Preservation Hall, which is kind of ground zero for New Orleans jazz. It is a small place with very little seating, but the jazz group was great. They did a few songs and then moved into What A Wonderful World. They led the audience and I sang right out with my Louis Armstrong impression. The band leader heard me and had me do a verse by myself.
I can die happy. I can say that I sang a solo at Preservation Hall.
In May, I was honored to be asked to sing at a wedding. That is something I hadn't done in four years. Always a pleasure. I didn't do Louis Armstrong, though. I did learn another country song, though: Amazed by Lonestar.
There was a string of five weeks starting in mid-July where I hosted seven karaoke gigs in addition to my normal weekly gig. For me, that's a lot. Several of those weeks, I had three gigs.
I should explain here... I have a full time job. KJ-ing is a hobby job for me. When I first started this, I was thinking that I would do a gig a few weekends a month. Then the Bootleggers gig came along, and I had fun. I kept doing it. Tuesday mornings, it's hard to get up and keep moving, but I love it. So... Three gigs is perhaps another 20 hours of work on top of a full time job.Those were five long, but exciting weeks.
One of those summer gigs was at State Fair! Yes... I hosted karaoke at State Fair!! Well. It's actually not as impressive as it sounds. It was for a company party. They rented a tent. I ran karaoke in their tent.
In 2008, I had a karaoke party for my 50th birthday. In 2009, I had two more 50th birthday karaoke parties. No, I didn't turn 50 for the third time. They weren't my birthdays, I just hosted karaoke for them. And this coming Tuesday (January 19)? I will be hosting karaoke for yet another 50th birthday party. My fourth!
Stop in. I will be at Joe's K Ranch in Cudahy.
I am pleased to say that I have taken on a partner for my KJ services. Anthony (AKA "Sven") is co-hosting the Bootleggers gig every Monday night. He and I have a group on Facebook. Bringing in Sven was a fabulous decision. Yes, I get less money, but he totally rocks. I can't keep from patting myself on the back.
As for numbers, I had 69 gigs all together. My songbook went over 8,000 songs. My website got 1,408 hits.
So... that was the year in karaoke.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Pics from Bootleggers
Here are some pictures that I have taken at my last three gigs at Bootleggers....
Come join me at Bootleggers every Monday night!
Come join me at Bootleggers every Monday night!
Sunday, September 21, 2008
The hippie party
Dig the groovy threads on that Jeannie chick. She's the one that got this scene happenin'.
Naturally, Elvis was invited. After all, what's a 60's and 70's party without the king?!?
Willie Nelson stopped by, and so did one of the Beach Boys, and some guy who was with Styx?
The gals sang and the guys tried to compete.
We were honored to hear Alyson sing. She was one of 25 finalists for Nashville Idol!
And by the way, her aunt Jeannie can belt out a ballad, too!
Until, later, here are the Gypsy Songstress and John the Revelator, hoping that all your 60's and 70's parties are as successful as this one was!
Naturally, Elvis was invited. After all, what's a 60's and 70's party without the king?!?
Willie Nelson stopped by, and so did one of the Beach Boys, and some guy who was with Styx?
The gals sang and the guys tried to compete.
We were honored to hear Alyson sing. She was one of 25 finalists for Nashville Idol!
And by the way, her aunt Jeannie can belt out a ballad, too!
Until, later, here are the Gypsy Songstress and John the Revelator, hoping that all your 60's and 70's parties are as successful as this one was!
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Great party coming up...
Time for me to find a pair of bell bottoms, get out my sandals, buy a vest with leather fringes, get some love beads and find that old peace symbol necklace! Why is that, you may ask??
I have been invited to host karaoke at a 60's and 70's party!! Far freakin' out! I will be grooving out at this happening place on Sept 13. Sorry... it's a private party, or I would be asking more people to make the scene.
That following Friday, I will be singing at Trinity Village, assisted living center. I have sung there before and have gotten such a warm reception that it's well worth it to take half a vacation day from work.
In the mean time, I have been soliciting the patrons at Bootleggers for songs that I need to add to my collection. In the past month, I have purchased nearly 700 songs, which brings my total up to 4,510 songs as of this morning. See the latest songbook at John the Revelator.
I hope everyone has an enjoyable and restful Labor Day.
I have been invited to host karaoke at a 60's and 70's party!! Far freakin' out! I will be grooving out at this happening place on Sept 13. Sorry... it's a private party, or I would be asking more people to make the scene.
That following Friday, I will be singing at Trinity Village, assisted living center. I have sung there before and have gotten such a warm reception that it's well worth it to take half a vacation day from work.
In the mean time, I have been soliciting the patrons at Bootleggers for songs that I need to add to my collection. In the past month, I have purchased nearly 700 songs, which brings my total up to 4,510 songs as of this morning. See the latest songbook at John the Revelator.
I hope everyone has an enjoyable and restful Labor Day.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Graduation party
Gary asked me if I expected any of the kids to get up and sing. I think Gary was a bit skeptical, but I knew they would!I have known Gary, all my life. When I heard about his son's graduation party, naturally I offered my services. Much to Gary's surprise, Richie thought it was a great idea.
Richie's friends came. They sang. Here's what Richie had to say:
The karaoke provided by John was superb. He started it off himself, and before the end of the party, everyone was enthusiastically participating. When the party was over, no one wanted to leave. John even sang a special request from the audience without the music! Thanks so much for a great party pleaser John!
The rest of the story I will leave to the pictures. I think they had fun. So did I.
H
Sunday, May 11, 2008
My second gig
My second gig was in December, 2007.
Every year, my company (QuadTech) has a holiday party. It's always the last day before Holiday break. Everyone brings a little something to eat, and pretty much everyone brings a little something to drink. We are instructed that we must work at least until 11:00 that day.
Many teams go all out for the cubical decorating contest. My team, not to be outdone, brought in one string of lights AND a green garland. I added to the festivities by writing on the board the equation of the catenary that described the shape of our hanging garland. I suppose the judges felt sorry for the teams that had worked until three in the morning for a week to set up the Elvis Workshop (or wait, was it "elves"?) and the "Christmas on Battlestar Galactica" cubicals.
As for me, while everyone was noshing and sloshing, I set up my full set of karaoke gear for the first time. I had literally been painting the subwoofers the previous day, so this was a maiden voyage. I came with a book of about 2,500 songs.
My car, by the way, was not all that happy with me. the night before, while I was packing, I started thinking seriously about going out to buy a larger car. Please don't tell Url, my car. It was only a fleeting thought. I still love ya, guy!
The engineers came by to critique the equipment and laugh about my lack of woodworking skills. They were jealous. Or, maybe they were just engineers?
But eventually, people became lubricated enough to get up and sing. I was completely floored by one ringer who got up to sing. I hadn't known that the guy was a professional. He goes by the name of "Downtown Harrison". Check out his website - he has some clips. Whether you want Elvis or James Brown or Nat King Cole, or Cher, he has it!
There were a few other surprises for the day. The biggest surprise was my office mate, Mike. Not only does he know some country songs, but he could sing! Not bad, actually. Here I thought he was just good for a bit of trivia now and then. The picture shows my wife, Gypsy, myself (drinking as usual) (it was soda) (honest) (would I lie on the internet?) (everyone knows that everything on the internet is true), and Mike.
I should also mention Paul. I love to listen to Paul sing. He has been in bands and he puts everything into his singing. Keep it up! (Sorry, I don't have a pic of him gettin' into it!)
Although the party was going on throughout the building, the karaoke just kept getting more and more popular as the crew got more and more liquored up. By the way, did I mention that QuadTech is a great place to work?
Other than a bit of constipation, I had a fabulous time.
I will end this blog with the endorsement that I got from Karl, the company president:
Every year, my company (QuadTech) has a holiday party. It's always the last day before Holiday break. Everyone brings a little something to eat, and pretty much everyone brings a little something to drink. We are instructed that we must work at least until 11:00 that day.
Many teams go all out for the cubical decorating contest. My team, not to be outdone, brought in one string of lights AND a green garland. I added to the festivities by writing on the board the equation of the catenary that described the shape of our hanging garland. I suppose the judges felt sorry for the teams that had worked until three in the morning for a week to set up the Elvis Workshop (or wait, was it "elves"?) and the "Christmas on Battlestar Galactica" cubicals.
As for me, while everyone was noshing and sloshing, I set up my full set of karaoke gear for the first time. I had literally been painting the subwoofers the previous day, so this was a maiden voyage. I came with a book of about 2,500 songs.
My car, by the way, was not all that happy with me. the night before, while I was packing, I started thinking seriously about going out to buy a larger car. Please don't tell Url, my car. It was only a fleeting thought. I still love ya, guy!
The engineers came by to critique the equipment and laugh about my lack of woodworking skills. They were jealous. Or, maybe they were just engineers?
But eventually, people became lubricated enough to get up and sing. I was completely floored by one ringer who got up to sing. I hadn't known that the guy was a professional. He goes by the name of "Downtown Harrison". Check out his website - he has some clips. Whether you want Elvis or James Brown or Nat King Cole, or Cher, he has it!
There were a few other surprises for the day. The biggest surprise was my office mate, Mike. Not only does he know some country songs, but he could sing! Not bad, actually. Here I thought he was just good for a bit of trivia now and then. The picture shows my wife, Gypsy, myself (drinking as usual) (it was soda) (honest) (would I lie on the internet?) (everyone knows that everything on the internet is true), and Mike.
I should also mention Paul. I love to listen to Paul sing. He has been in bands and he puts everything into his singing. Keep it up! (Sorry, I don't have a pic of him gettin' into it!)
Although the party was going on throughout the building, the karaoke just kept getting more and more popular as the crew got more and more liquored up. By the way, did I mention that QuadTech is a great place to work?
Other than a bit of constipation, I had a fabulous time.I will end this blog with the endorsement that I got from Karl, the company president:
John the Revelator helped to make our Christmas Party a blast! He helped break the ice in the early stages and slowly made everyone feel comfortable singing and performing with their friends. It's a great way to get people to interact with each other in a fun environment!
KarlFriday, May 9, 2008
Karaoke in Milwaukee
I'll take a break from my extremely engaging story to mention some of my favorite karaoke spots around the Milwaukee area.
For the smoothest run karaoke in the area, I recommend going to Clifford's Supper Club in Hales Corner's. They have a raised stage behind the bar, so everyone can see you. In addition to the words coming out on a screen in front of you, there is a huge TV behind you, so everyone can sing along. The DJs are very good at keeping the show moving. But... since this places is popular, it may take an hour to go through the rotation.
Last weekend, my lovely and I went to a little spot in Lannon, WI (near Sussex?). We participated in "Neil and Larry's Classic Kick A$$ Karaoke" show. Larry is a very personable guy. If he weren't competing with me for karaoke gigs, I would probably like the guy!
One place that runs karaoke a lot is the New Yorker Bar in downtown Milwaukee. I am not sure just what nights it runs(Friday and Saturday? Maybe more?), but I guess the equipment belongs to the place. The bar is not big, the equipment is nice, and they have a lot of good songs. If you like Frank Sinatra, you could sing all night.
Another more intimate spot is the Bavarian Inn, which is not all that far from Bayshore in Glendale. If you get there, be sure to say hi to Marlavours Marla. The crowds are not huge, so the rotations are short.
I know there are plenty of good spots for karaoke around town. These are just my current favorites. Let me know yours!
For the smoothest run karaoke in the area, I recommend going to Clifford's Supper Club in Hales Corner's. They have a raised stage behind the bar, so everyone can see you. In addition to the words coming out on a screen in front of you, there is a huge TV behind you, so everyone can sing along. The DJs are very good at keeping the show moving. But... since this places is popular, it may take an hour to go through the rotation.
Last weekend, my lovely and I went to a little spot in Lannon, WI (near Sussex?). We participated in "Neil and Larry's Classic Kick A$$ Karaoke" show. Larry is a very personable guy. If he weren't competing with me for karaoke gigs, I would probably like the guy!
One place that runs karaoke a lot is the New Yorker Bar in downtown Milwaukee. I am not sure just what nights it runs(Friday and Saturday? Maybe more?), but I guess the equipment belongs to the place. The bar is not big, the equipment is nice, and they have a lot of good songs. If you like Frank Sinatra, you could sing all night.
Another more intimate spot is the Bavarian Inn, which is not all that far from Bayshore in Glendale. If you get there, be sure to say hi to Marlavours Marla. The crowds are not huge, so the rotations are short.
I know there are plenty of good spots for karaoke around town. These are just my current favorites. Let me know yours!
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Singing to the choir
On a whim, I plugged a karaoke CD into my DVD player. Not only did it play the music, but the words came up on the screen. I have since tried several DVD players that don't support this wonderful feature, but the folks that engineered this one felt it was important that I be able to do karaoke in my living room. Thank you, whoever you are!
Our music director at church was getting married and the choir was throwing him a shower. The music director is a truly unique individual. He is probably the best pianist that I know, he is an excellent warm and caring choir director, and he is modest to a fault. At the time, I had collected perhaps a dozen karaoke CDs. I offered to run a karaoke show for the shower.
I set about looking for disks on sale so that I knew there would be enough of a selection to make everyone happy. By the time of the gig, I had about 20 CDs. I threw together the equipment that I could scrounge and ran my first show.
It was quite a hit. It was like singing to the choir! Everyone wanted to sing, everyone was attentive to other's singing, and people were excited to sing together or solo. I heartily recommend a karaoke party for any choir!
I learned a few things from that gig:
1. The kind of speakers you get for you computer are not beefy enough for a karaoke gig. Also they are not particularly handy to cart around.
2. If someone can't hear their own voice, it is hard for them to stay in the right key. You need to have speakers pointed toward the singer. I later bought a set of Roland MA-8 speakers for this purpose. Actually, I now have two sets.
3. I didn't have nearly enough Beatles songs to keep Karen happy. I now have a dozen, and she seems pretty content.
4. Omni-directional mikes are not such a good idea for karaoke, unless you happen to like feedback.
Oh yeah... one more thing I learned...
5. I really wanted to do this again!
Our music director at church was getting married and the choir was throwing him a shower. The music director is a truly unique individual. He is probably the best pianist that I know, he is an excellent warm and caring choir director, and he is modest to a fault. At the time, I had collected perhaps a dozen karaoke CDs. I offered to run a karaoke show for the shower.I set about looking for disks on sale so that I knew there would be enough of a selection to make everyone happy. By the time of the gig, I had about 20 CDs. I threw together the equipment that I could scrounge and ran my first show.
It was quite a hit. It was like singing to the choir! Everyone wanted to sing, everyone was attentive to other's singing, and people were excited to sing together or solo. I heartily recommend a karaoke party for any choir!
I learned a few things from that gig:
1. The kind of speakers you get for you computer are not beefy enough for a karaoke gig. Also they are not particularly handy to cart around.
2. If someone can't hear their own voice, it is hard for them to stay in the right key. You need to have speakers pointed toward the singer. I later bought a set of Roland MA-8 speakers for this purpose. Actually, I now have two sets.
3. I didn't have nearly enough Beatles songs to keep Karen happy. I now have a dozen, and she seems pretty content.
4. Omni-directional mikes are not such a good idea for karaoke, unless you happen to like feedback.
Oh yeah... one more thing I learned...
5. I really wanted to do this again!
How I got into this...
I started singing karaoke about five years ago. There was a karaoke host in Madison by the name of jOHNNIE, who ran Koool Karaoke. Ok, a hokey name, but Johnnie is about the nicest guy you could imagine. He is a very caring guy and not surprisingly, he had quite a following.
From Johnnie, I learned that a good karaoke host is compassionate and supportive Karaoke is not about contests and winning and having the best voice. Karaoke is about having fun.
Johnnie is the guy that gave me the moniker "John the Revelator". Where did he get it? From the Blues Brothers' movie. Why did he attach that name to me? I dunno. I like the blues, I like jazz... He just called me up to the stage one day, and called me that. Hey, that's cool. I liked it. Funny, he asked me twice afterward whether it was ok if he called me that.
When I go to sing karaoke, I use this name for signing up. There are usually a few people by the name of John, and the name avoids confusion. (That, of course, is the rational explanation. To be honest, I use the name because I like it!)
So Johnnie taught me a bit about what karaoke means, and Johnnie gave me a nickname. He also inadvertently got me started on the path to DJ-ing. There was a song that I wanted to do, called "Steamroller Blues", written by James Taylor. He had it in his book, ut the CD was unfortunately messed up, so it wouldn't play. Drat!
I had done the song at karaoke a few times before, and I had started to make the song my own... adding a little scat, working the rhythm, the dynamics, etc. Since I couldn't sing it from his copy, I bought myself a copy, and proceeded to make the song and the CD my own.
That was my first CD. Once I had bought the first one, it became a little easier to visit karaoke.com and pick up a few more. Before I knew it, I had a dozen or so CDs.
To be continued...
From Johnnie, I learned that a good karaoke host is compassionate and supportive Karaoke is not about contests and winning and having the best voice. Karaoke is about having fun.Johnnie is the guy that gave me the moniker "John the Revelator". Where did he get it? From the Blues Brothers' movie. Why did he attach that name to me? I dunno. I like the blues, I like jazz... He just called me up to the stage one day, and called me that. Hey, that's cool. I liked it. Funny, he asked me twice afterward whether it was ok if he called me that.
When I go to sing karaoke, I use this name for signing up. There are usually a few people by the name of John, and the name avoids confusion. (That, of course, is the rational explanation. To be honest, I use the name because I like it!)
So Johnnie taught me a bit about what karaoke means, and Johnnie gave me a nickname. He also inadvertently got me started on the path to DJ-ing. There was a song that I wanted to do, called "Steamroller Blues", written by James Taylor. He had it in his book, ut the CD was unfortunately messed up, so it wouldn't play. Drat!
I had done the song at karaoke a few times before, and I had started to make the song my own... adding a little scat, working the rhythm, the dynamics, etc. Since I couldn't sing it from his copy, I bought myself a copy, and proceeded to make the song and the CD my own.
That was my first CD. Once I had bought the first one, it became a little easier to visit karaoke.com and pick up a few more. Before I knew it, I had a dozen or so CDs.
To be continued...
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