Karaoke Forums

I'm very curious how many shows are strictly karaoke, and what percentage allow other stuff as well. My show gets a little nutzo sometimes. Mostly Karaoke, but some a cappella, some "Interpretive Dance" (Three old fat guys in tutu's)... and at the Wed. show, we pause around 1:00 for a comedy karaoke contest, with all the rules the same as "any old karaoke contest anywhere else"... but with one little change. (Last week they couldn't have their feet touching the floor... Before that they had to eat Ritz crackers with peanut butter and marshmellows while they sing.)
Am I just weird? Do other KJ's sometimes stray a bit to kick up the fun?

Pretty much all kaaoke 7 nights at our club. Not much time for anything else.

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Wow...all that stuff sounds really wild and fun! You've carved out quite a niche with your show.

I've seen variety acts like that at "open mike" nights, but never anything promoted as a "karaoke night". Other than playing some jams for dancing between singers, and maybe some of the singers dancing on stage, I guess my show is pretty normal.

Or about as normal as karaoke gets!

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We've combined karaoke with RockBand at our Wednesday show -- each gamer gets a slot in the rotation like any other singer, but they play a rockband song on Xbox 360, then we flip right back to karaoke (or whoever is next in the rotation)

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Chuck
Powerhouse Productions
Live Karaoke Broadcasts Daily

call me old fashioned but I would get rather p i ssed if my turn was coming up and you suddenly stopped the rotation for a couple of old guys in tutus...realistically if I wanted to see people making fools of themselves I could think of other places

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"Be who you are and say what you feel... Because those that matter... Don't mind...And those that mind... Don't matter."

Again, regional probably - I know our regulars would NOT be impressed by anything breaking up their rotation. I tend to agree. If I have a whole roster of singers, I'm doing my best to get them up as many times in a night as I can. If they want comedy there are other clubs in the area that are COMEDY providers, not karaoke providers.

k

I can't even stand more than 15 sec of filler music.

OK... If this were a Variety Show, I'd probably stay, but like others have stated, when I go out to Karaoke, I like for the show to be all Karaoke. As for the shows that do DJ breaks, I try to avoid them as well. It sucks to be sitting there for 1 or 2 hours, waiting patiently for my turn to sing, and to watch the KJ suddenly put in 2 or 3 dance songs (in a row) for the other people in the Bar (of which, most of the times, they don't even get up to dance (at least not at the places where I've been)).

Now, these guys that you mentioned.... I have no problem listening to someone sing a cappella, as long as it's his/her/their turn. As for the three old men in tutus, that's just wasting our time (the Singers who are waiting to sing) unless they are also singing while they're dancing. There's a time and a place for everything. Are you advertising your show as a Karaoke show or an Open Mic show? If it's a Karaoke show, I can see a lot of us that will be grumbling if the person on stage isn't singing (regardless of whether the person sings good or bad).

The Contest you mentioned sounds interesting.... especially to break up the monotony of a regular night (where everybody sings the same songs week after week after week). OK... there's got to be a little bit more to the no feet touching the floor, because I would just sit on a chair. I love that one about trying to sing while eating Ritz Crackers with Peanut Butter. What kind of prizes have you offered?

Karaoke and dancing. Thats it. No time for Improv, Comedy or any other distracting chatter.

If you want open mic or improv or variety shows there are clubs that have that and they are the places to go for that.

Fat guys in tutu's .............PUUUUUUUUUULEEEEEEEASE!!!! Unless its halloween then it would be tolerable.

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"You know that I sing the Blues and I do not suffer fools. When I'm on that silver mic, it's gonna cut ya, just like a knife"-The SWINGCAT

To me, if you're going to have those other kind of acts, it's NOT a karaoke show. It HAS karaoke interspersed within' it! As Cueball intoned, I feel that's best to call that an Entertaiment or Variety show. NEVER a karaoke show. It would hardly be appropriate to bill it as such, because MOST of us know that a karaoke show is where, well, you go SING, and that's about it!

I feel the same way about those that do lots of full filler songs!

I'm with the majority on this one. Indeed, I won't even allow someone to sing a cappella. The people who ask to do it (for whatever reason) really tend not to do it well. I've turned down a number of purported "professional" comedians who asked for 5 minutes. I'm sure many people think I'm a jerk, but I don't want to host open mic night with all that it entails. I'm a DJ and Karaoke Host. I want to be consistent so that people know what to expect at my events. Not that I'm prudish -- I'd get a real kick out of three guys in a tutu! I think there are a whole bunch of prudes at my shows, though. I also tend to agree with the commenter who said that such things are regional. I would add to that - they are age-related. My gigs attract middle-aged baby boomers with a few 20-35 year olds thrown in for good measure. I might handle things differently were those age groups reversed.

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Personally I've run open mic jams for bands and musicians, play drums and sing in a band, and occasionally show up on the Rockband night at one of my venues to vamp it up on the drums and show people my less serious side. (Its also one of the few video games I can actually impress my son at). But really, I focus on providing the best sound for my singers and aim to give them the best KARAOKE performance I can. Sometimes I'll run a quick Kamakazi contest to change it up and have some fun, but this is still singing karaoke albeit randomly. If you water your show down too much with non-karaoke performances, you'll start losing the best singers and really why DO WE drag all that karaoke equipment around for anyway?
BTW- A guy asked me if he could play his guitar along with the karaoke track as he sung, and having a soft spot for singing musicians I said why not... The guy cleared out the place in short order. After attempting to tune for a few minutes, he nodded to me, I started the song, and his train began to wreck immediately. I've never seen so many people need a cigarette or have to hit the bathroom at once before and well, it was sadly comical. Of course it was my fault - lesson learned - no guitars.

Well ok maybe AIR!

No offense to anyone here, but I've seen a trend on this board, and I gotta say, it's starting to get to me a bit.

The OP simply asked if you guys do some of the same things he does at his show to break up the monotony. He wasn't looking for opinions on whether you would hate his show, or if it's something your crowd would be into. Couldn't you just say, as one or two posters did, "Not sure that would go over well here, but hey, kudos to you for making it work." It doesn't sound like a "variety show" to me. It's a karaoke show that has some fun stuff attached to it.

I'm fully prepared to take a smackdown for what I'm about to say next, but I feel it needs saying.

I first came here to exchange ideas and such, hoping to find that a lot of other jocks out there are doing interesting things with their shows, and maybe I could adopt some of them to help change it up from time to time. What I've found is a majority of people who take this stuff WAY too seriously. Time and again, post after post, I've seen a lot of jocks stuck in their ways, with no wiggle room whatsoever. Maybe it's just me, but I'm constantly looking for new ways to entertain my crowds, and I think they appreciate that.

I'm not all that big on a cappella, fat guys in tutus, or jokes between songs either, but I allow it every once in a while, as long as it doesn't dominate my show.

Some little things I do to break it up:

I used to take a five dollar bill and put it into a bank at each show, and if someone were to choose a "secret song" I'd picked ahead of time, they'd get the money in the bank. The money would accumulate until someone picked the song. Someone got a surprise $70 one night for singing some Jame Brown.

I've picked an "obscure song of the week" and sent it out to my MySpace friends. Whoever came in and sang it first - and as accurately as possible - would get a drink or a prize or something.

I've done a kamikaze thing where I opened the book, pointed, and whatever song I landed on, offered a drink to the brave soul who could come sing it. The best was when I landed on "Gonna Make You Sweat" by C&C Music Factory. Two people came out of the audience and absolutely nailed it, to the complete delight of the crowd. Sax and Dotty's has a kamikaze feature, but it's much better if the crowd actually SEES you pick the song.

I've done themed nights, asking singers to pick 80s songs, or asking singers to do "blocks" of songs (like an all U2 block for one round or something), or everyone has to do a song they've never sung before. Stuff like that.

I realize these are all singer-based options, but would it p!ss you off if I did something like this in the middle of a rotation, forcing you to wait an extra five minutes before you get to sing again? If so, maybe you shouldn't come to my show.

For me, karaoke is supposed to be fun. If it's the same singers singing the same songs week after week, with nothing to break it up, well, that's just not fun to me. When I started my show a few years ago, the whole intention was to AVOID being bland and monotonous, because every show I went to was the same thing, just with different hosts and song books. I wanted to create something a little better. I feel like I've succeeded.

I give props to the OP for trying something different. No props to those who poo poo new ideas.

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hi-voxentertainment

the only smack down I'll give is that you have the name of "Entertainment" in your tag line... you think outside the box. Nothing wrong with that.

For those of us that run DEDICATED karaoke shows, that's what WE want.

The title of the place you're conversing at is "KARAOKE SCENE".

And yes, for someone like myself that's invested over 50K into the business, yeah, that's what I want to discuss. Because patrons go to another person's show that bills it as "Karaoke", only to discover it's a junior Star Search, where lots of other things OTHER than karaoke are going on. And they might start thinking that OTHER shows are like that as well. Maybe they are, maybe they aren't. MOST karaoke shows are PURE karaoke shows...

Excuse the heck out of me for taking that $$ investment and 15 years into this as "Serious"!

Yes, the name of this place is "KARAOKE SCENE." Not "IF I DON'T LIKE THE WAY YOU DO THINGS I'LL JUST POOP ON IT SCENE." And unfortunately, I see a LOT of that happening around here.

To me, Dax's show sounds like a karaoke show, but he mixes it up with fun things from time to time. To demean it, sight unseen, as a "variety show" or "junior star search" is a bit short-sighted, not to mention close-minded, but that's purely my opinion.

All I'm saying is, if you don't like the way someone runs their show, that's cool. Different strokes for different folks and all that. I just don't see the need to constantly tear people down whose opinions and ideas are different than yours. And don't think I'm singling you out. I see it around here a lot. If I'm being honest, it's made me really not want to stick around, because of the pile-ons that happen when someone suggests something the majority disagrees with.

Just an observation. Your mileage may vary.

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hi-voxentertainment

Hey Swirl good to meet you. I'm new here and don't mean to offend and am certainly not trying to poop on, or degrade anyone but people post on forums like these to discuss things. Respectfully, its dangerous to speak for others and here I think you have perhaps read a bit too much in the original message. Daxalaska was "very curious" to know the percentage of us who stray from karaoke in our shows however, he didnt specify not offering an opinion as to why. In fact, he did ask us if he was weird.
Dax, your not weird. I commend you for being diverse but beware in my experience there is always a trade off for this.
I really didnt see any bashing of his show there and I think (hope) the intent was to exchange ideas.
I know so far, I have really enjoyed reading all the stories and advice here.

THX!

Here's your smackdown! Swirl the trend I also am starting to see and dislike is this pack mentality, a self righteous we are the best KJ's and we never do anything wrong attitude, that is a load of crap. I'm sorry none of you out there are perfect, ( us included ) whether it's how you run your show or your holy than thou attitude. I am not going to single anyone out, but it's fairly easy to see in the last few threads how this has been going on.

How about a thread where we discuss the things we do wrong. I don't care what you do in life, be it a doctor, or garbage man or a KJ, we all make mistakes, sometimes they're honest mistakes, and maybe sometimes they're snap judgment mistakes to a situation that happens suddenly, whatever, we all make mistakes.

I am a member of the corvette forum and it has become a running joke that all members are 6' 4", date or are married to a supermodel and make at least 6 figures a year, oh, and are never wrong. I don't want to see that happen here.

Swirl I for one applaud you for saying what I have been feeling lately too. I have private karaoke parties at my house and we do kamikaze karaoke or we let other people pick at least one song for you. Sometimes it a song that you do well other times it's a song that gets laughs. I had to do " Look at me I'm Sandra Dee " once. Truthfully, I prefer straight karaoke for a public audience, but what the hey, whatever works for you, and I always have the option not to go to a show I don't agree with. And yes it's Karaoke Scene Presents karaoke forums, not Karaoke Only Presents karaoke forums. His scene just happens to include a few other things, right or wrong. Flame suit on! Rudy.

I have had a older gentleman I've know from around come in and play a few songs on a ucalaylee?, some also on a guitar. It don't happen all the time, but the few times it has...I've welcomed it with open arms. Then again, I do have "Entertainment" in my business name. I set out to please the largest group of people that I can at any given time. With No restrictions...I'll do the best I can! I have a gentleman that I've grown fond of at my shows, but he also borders on the 'too serious' side. Something is ALWAYS wrong, ie mic too high, too low, music to high, too low, monitor not loud enough, too loud, too much reverb, not enough.....never happy......Which brings me to my next point. I've been to several 'sub-standard' show IMO where the people are having the time of their lives, systems are crappy, mics are crappy...but they could care less. Then there are ones putting on a good show, with good equipment and good sound and the people are complaining about littlest trivial things. MrD

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[highlight=midnightblue]MrD - KJ/DJ Specialist
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Wow I'm part of a trend?
YES!

Look man, I'm new here and don't know anyone or have any agenda. I'm just here supporting karaoke and discussing things on a forum. I commented on the original message and got what I thought was a misguided retort on the behalf of the OP. I'm not part of a pack, simply exchanging info. Fact is neither you nor DJ Swirl have responded to Daxalaska's poll - Do you stray from karaoke at your show? I'm not really sure why you'd want to hear all my faults and mistakes but suffice it to say I'd quickly bore you with that long list. I really am happy to meet you all and humbly suggest you read my message again and lighten up a bit.