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I was talking with a singer last night about a show across the street that just added a couple of nights (including the unspoken no no - Wednesday).  This is a small bar tucked behind and out of the way, so a lot of people don't know it exists.

Anyway this show is run of the mill, and while talking to this other singer, I asked what it was like over there (since I know he'd gone and checked it out).  He said it's a few older guys and a couple of girls.  And it was a 'Rat Pack' kind of show.  Frank, Elvis, that sort of stuff.

I then looked at the myriad bodies standing outside, and the decent crowd inside enjoying my show.   I thought to myself, the Rat Pack wouldn't do so well here.

My crowd is mixed, but somewhat void of the older generation.  It's Rock/Country/Pop and the show maintains a nice balance.  The average age, I'd guess is 25-35.  

I shape my show for the blend and the crowd.  I didn't really realize it until last night.  I play country/rock and pop before the show, and dance music afterwards.  


Do you find that how you bookend or fill has an influence on your crowd?

I dunno... I play what I like, and what others want to hear. If someone sings a slow groaner, with fill music (between singers, a few seconds here, a few seconds there), I bring the energy back up. If someone does a rocker or headbanger, I supplement it with some classic rock or country to bring it back DOWN...

And I let the singers know I'm there for THEM... and that gives it's OWN energy.

I deliberately don't try to do a certain kind of show. Not my thing... I'm not that talented I guess... for enevitably I'd slide back to MY way of running a gig!

If you're relying on specific filler music to change the "tempo" of things after some particularly distracting singer:
 
 1)  What system do you use to organize and find the "right" music and queue it up
 2)  How long do you play that "right" music for?
 
If you're using filler music, in general, between singers, how long do you typically play that music for?  

Do you ever use filler music specifically to attract dancers to the floor?

Every BAR has a personality to it,  shaped well before KARAOKE.
I think the most succesful shows are the ones that FIT this basic personality.

If you play at a bar known to be a  country honky tonk - Hip Hop will not be your best genre of music.   If you're hosting at a bar with 20somethings all over the place , RATPACK music won't be a mainstay ---even though the younger gens seem to like the older stuff.   As a KJ you can shape your show a little with FILLER MUSIC ....sort of .. but the singers SHAPE your show and the singers that frequent a place are usually a mirror of the place itself and the majority of patrons that frequent the place.   MY experiance tells me that the most succesfull shows are the ones when the KJ can keep everyone HAPPY by constantly tweaking the show and the music to BALANCE out the "personality" of the bar ..make sense ?

keep em all ....statisfied
If you keep some extremely happy ----others won't be happy at all
BALANCE  AND EQUALIZATION IS THE KEY

10-4.... I got a gig in a Tejano night club. I was scrambling for Tejano music and at first I didnt even know what it was

Music after a long period will change the atmosphere to a certain extent but mostly it is controlled by the patrons.

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I keep about 7-10 discs with assorted types of background music- 60's, 70's, 80's, dance, country, etc. I keep them on random play throuhout the night, because the songs on them are all favorites and appropriate for most situations. When a song ends, I bring up the filler music till the next song starts, or the next singer gets to the stage. It also helps for those last second song changes and long load times on some discs.

The only time I will let a dance song run is if it happens to come up on the background, and people just jump out of their seats and start dancing. In that case I will keep the singer up there and they will generally watch ith me, go dance, or on the one time they were annoyed, I told the dancer I would play it after the singer was done, and it worked.

Once again- doesn't work for everyone- just my system.

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Hubby uploaded almost all of our regular CDs onto a laptop - amazing what it will hold. Connects it up to the board, and we have access to literally thousands of songs for filler music. This is extremely handy. I used to carry CDs and inevitably wouldn't have the ones I wanted on hand when I needed them.  Just play them through windows media player - no extra software. Works just great. It lists all the albums, I can quickly scan the list, see which one I want, choose the song, pause it, and hit it just before the singer finishes.  No more carrying extra discs for filler music. (My dj rack has a flip-back lid and the laptop fits perfectly on that - it is protected, easy to view, close to board for connection, etc.) MIght consider that if you are currently carrying discs for filler music.

K

The question I posed in my last posting herein was generated by the specific description Knightshow offered of what he does to reinstate/maintain the "mood" he seeks.



So, my question again, is if things are going "south", how do you access the FILE you desire/what organizational system do you use to QUICKLY get to the music you need.  And I'm presuming this goal must accomplished quickly in order to be of any benefit?

Personally, I don't know if I could chose what song to use, much less find it and queue it up quickly enough?  My filler music is primarilly on CD's that play throughout the night and includes a variety of upbeat tunes from all genres!  I simply turn up the MP3 player when it is time for the filler music and turn it down when I'm done with it!

I have, from time to time, had filler music files ready to go on my computer.  That would be the only approach, as I see it, that could possibly accomodate queuing up a specific file when needed, but I'm still not sure how the would actually be done?

I don't know about other hosters - players, but my Siglos lets me mix audio MP3s and karaoke ZIPs. if I needed to I could just drag and drop a few dance cuts right in between the karaoke files and keep no dead are by manually pressing "next" when needed. Which means I'd have to stay at my station though.

Not sure that's what you're asking ericlater....

I go by feel... and only play the songs long enough to get the next person up... about ten to fifteen seconds.

Bill

That helps!   I just got the feeling the Knightshow had some "formula" as to what type of music, specifically, to use under certain conditions.  Guess, I was reading more into it than was is actually going on?

Nice thing with media player, you can set it to "overlap" songs. about 4 seconds kills a lot of the dead air between songs. I even use media player when I dj, even tho I have a really nice DJ program, its too complicated . when I do karaoke media player is open, as well as the karaoke player, so that I can go from karaoke to dj with a click.  I keep an Mp3 player going on the tape in to my board for "filler music" between singers, but have also just fliped from media player to karaoke and back for my filler..more work.

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the voices arent real, but they have some good ideas

usually, whatever someone sings, I play the opposite... or a standby pop song from the eighties... just to keep the mood MOSTLY up. But if it's too far to one degree or the other, I play the opposite to return it back to normal!

I did this as well & run the fill with OTSDJ on a repeat cycle in auto mode - takes about 3-4 days to recycle a playlist.  Never dead air & anything from Billie Holiday to Buckcherry.

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When I dj'd with discs i'd have book printed much like a karaoke book.  With the OTS program I have access to all my cd's & type in a quick search & load it.  It automatically crossfades when I hit play.

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I think most of the hosters out there can play regular music files, the ones that do crossfading would be the more beneficial to a show instead of having to manually stop & start a song.

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I shape my crowds to be what i want them to be.   By having all of the obnoxious swearing and rap and hip hop and angry rock music removed, it's easy to whip them into what i want it to be.

Mixed age group adult crowd acting normally.

SW, you are amazing, you have the ability to 'shape' your auidence into what you want them to be???.....Is yours, the David Koresh, mindshaping Karaoke show!!!

Does it go something like this -
(customer).....walk up to turn in a slip, can I sing....
(sw) Nope, don't have it (offensive language)
(customer getting upset) How about....
(sw) Nope, don't have that either (sexual undertones)
(customer upset) Well....how about...
(sw) Nope, can't sing that either....How about "this little light of mine", it's a crowd favorite!  The one couple over there really, really likes it...
(customer shrugs shoulders and leaves....)

MrD

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[highlight=midnightblue]MrD - KJ/DJ Specialist
Visit MrD on facebook - mrdsentertainment
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If he wants hip hop or rap or angry rock F bombing stuff.  Pick something else or  :wave:

David Koresh is a piker compared to me.  :dancin:

Granted each place has it's regular crowd and a defined atmosphere, but I disagree with the notion that a KJ can't have an influence on the crowd that comes in and enjoys the show.  

I remember when I started my gig at this place.  It was about 85.3% country.  The owner would get complaints from some of them because I played stuff other than country.  What I discovered was that some bar patrons honestly do consider their bar their second home, and so they feel entitled to whatever they want.

I didn't budge.  I played my before and after mixes and gave them enough of theirs that they eventually warmed up to me.  They're some of my most loyal singers now, but they have come to understand that it's my show, and karaoke is a privilege not a right.  My shows are high energy.  They have their ebbs and flows, but are always fun.  I don't do filler music, instead I tell poop jokes and have fun with people.  It's an engagement excercise and makes people feel a part of the show.  I've have people tell me they come to the show specifically because I make them laugh when no one else can.  They appreciate that I'm not a stale, run of the mill karaoke host.  Other DJs in town are trying to do the same, but you can't force it - My venue is a pretty quaint so I can get away with that.  That hasn't worked in other places I've gigged.

I'm the MC of a party, and still run a good karaoke show.  No rules, just right!!!!!