Karaoke Forums

After weeks of persisting, I finally have been given an opportunity to KJ at the same place that inspired to pursue this venture in the first place. I'm being tested as a possible long-term replacement to "Rock Band Night" which as described in a previous post was nothing short of atrocious.
That being said, I want to do my best. Any suggestions or recommendations you seasoned professionals want to pass along are more than welcome.

87 reads and not one word of advice? Anything?
Look, if you want this relationship to work, you have to communicate. I need to know what you're thinking, what you truly feel inside. It's about reciprocation. I have this gig, but I'm nervous, I'm scared. Will they like my outfit, will they like the filler songs I use? Will they really really like me?
Look, I know some of us have had our differences but I'm not the same person you met roughly a month ago. I've changed... Why you ask? Because knowing you has given me the courage to change. You don't know what it's like oh baby you don't know what it's like, to love somebody, to love somebody, the way I love you.

I'll be the Tina to your Ike and take anything you got. Hit me!

No two people KJ the same way. Do it your way. Don't be afraid to make mistakes. KEEP THE ROTATION HONEST! Be polite except on the microphone (my personal tactic.) Protect your equipment first and your body second. If you're not having fun, they're not having fun.

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Okay, who took my pants?

OK I'll respond

First off congrats!

Couple tips from me.

1.) Make sure you have a good variety of music. (Leave out request sheets. That's what I did in the beginning. I would then purchase songs of off the sheets.) Music can be expensive, make sure you are buying what your crowd wants to sing.

2.) Develop a little script for the beginning of your show; thank the patrons, the bartenders, etc... Mention tipping your bartenders... Mention applause for singers... Everyone likes applause.

3.) Give yourself enough time for setup. Nothing is worse when you have people chomping at the bit to sing and they are waiting on you.

4.) Keep rotation fair. Do NOT accept brides to move people up. Most places frown on this.

5.) Take it in stride and have fun. Any if you have questions post them here. I've gained tons of wisdom from different people on here. This is a great forum to be a part of.

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"Baby, Just Because I Rock, Doesn't Mean I'm Made Of Stone."

Well, I will put my $0.02 in even though I know I have far less experience than most of the major posters around here.

1) Make sure you get your system and speaker placement right for the venue. Nothing worse than feedback that you can't control, the volume too loud or too soft. Give yourself plenty of set up time, especially for the first few gigs there.

2) Have several filler playlists available. I have 3 or 4, I sometimes switch the filler music playlist depending on the crowd that comes in.

3) Take the time to get to know the staff names and specials prior to the show, so you can promote the people and the specials that are going on.

4) Have a monitor for the singers so they can hear themselves clearly. It is so much easier to sing with a monitor, and singers really appreciate it.

5) You might want to put a place on your song slips for people to opt to give you their email address. If they do, you can email them with updates on any future venues you may get.

6) You might consider getting an account at www.meetup.com and starting a Karaoke meetup group. It costs about $15 per month to be a host, but they give you lots of tools to get the word out and keep in touch with members. A great way to build a following.

7) Make sure you have enough songbooks for poeple, and make sure they are as indestructable as possible. I use heavy-duty binders with poly sleeves on each page. They hold up well.


These are just some things that had a positive effect on my shows.

#4 and #7 are excellent points!

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"Baby, Just Because I Rock, Doesn't Mean I'm Made Of Stone."

Don't worry so much about your outfit. As long as you appear clean, presentable, and professional, no one will really care about what you're wearing.
As for filler songs, I don't use them, but then my show is very fast paced and I don't have time for them. If you do choose to use them, you will know if they are a hit or not because you will see people tapping their toes and singing along.
Watch your crowd. Really LOOK at them. With time and experience, you will be able to judge their mood and energy level by what you see. You will also be able to know how to TURN the mood by what you say and HOW you say it.
Your voice, when speaking between songs, can really set the mood of the place.
If you speak softly and low keyed, the room will follow suit and will be lower energy.
If you are decisive and upbeat in what you say, you can bring the energy level up and really get the party juice flowing. Sound happy and like you're having fun, even if you're dead tired, sick, and only want to go home. Yes, you WILL have those days! When I'm having a day like that, I fake it and it always gets me through, and even if I feel really crappy, by the end of the night, I'm having fun anyway!

First off, congrats on getting a gig! I'd say the most important thing you can do is relax and have fun. Interact with your audience. Use humor. Smile. Have energy. Some people don't like filler music, but at my shows, I always have a CD/MP3 player going with catchy upbeat background music (to satisfy a variety of tastes) and I just fade it in and out between songs to keep the energy flowing while the next singer makes their way up. Keep tabs on your mixer and make sure your sound is well balanced for EACH song because they're all different and your singers all sing at different volumes. No one wants to be at a karaoke show with crappy sound. Hope this, along with all the other posts, helps you. Best of luck with your new gig and I hope you'll be posting afterwards and let us all know how it went!

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"K-Jay"
www.kjayskaraoke.8m.com

I can't really add much - sounds like everything is covered. I'd add don't get consumed by your job or the importance of it - you are the facilitator and as much as your personality will make or break the show, don't love yourself so much that you spend too much time on the mic. Establish rapport with your singers as soon as you can - if it's a new room and all the singers are new to you, it is part of your job to get to know these people - the sooner you do that, the sooner you inspire their loyalty to your show.

Don't promise that you'll get new music for people but you will definitely figure out soon what you don't have that you'll have to have.

BTW, I just started a new gig last week in a small but very intimate place, and I received several comments on how good it was to have filler music - this is particularly important in a small venue as the last thing people want is for everyone else to hear the between-singer conversations. But this is a room call definitely.

Like so much that has been said, it is your job to learn everything you can about the room and the crowd - those two things will determine how you do your job, including sound.

Congratulations! I hope you have a long and successful career.

There's not a lot to add to the great feedback you've gotten above.

You'll do some good stuff and some not so good stuff but mistakes can be a positive thing if you learn from them.

As you've found out by now there are about as many theories on how to run a successful show as there are kjs. That's because we're all individuals and we need to find what words for us.

I try to make the singers as comfortable as I can. After all, they are the show. I joke with them, encourage them, reassure them and most of all welcome them the first time they sing and invite them back each time they sing again.

Take care of your singers and you've got it made.

Most everything else is technical.

Can't wait to hear how this turns out for you.

Larry

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"Life is too short for diet soda and lite beer"

As KJ and host don't do At A Medium Pace. Just being honest, man.

Someone who knows you like to do it may bait you. Don't take the bait.

Like the deodorant commercial says:

"Never let 'em see you sweat."

Just be unflappable if you can be. Be ready with some filler music in case of technical difficulties.

And if I am there, I would appreciate it if you announce your name. I can't tell you how many shows I go to where I have to go ask if I want to know.

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[color=#ffff55]Mickey J.[/color]
Alas for those who never sing, but die with all their music in them.
-- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

just remember to have fun!

Congrats dfw!

Congrats and some advise:

ALL of the above

LEARN everything about your equipment and how to use them and use them properly; ie going for the best possible mix from what ever equipment you have at your disposal. Get to a point where you know where every knobs are without even looking.

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I can neither confirm nor deny ever having or knowing anything about nothing.... mrscott

Awesome inviting post here ! But like I seen someone tell you no two kjs kj alike just find whats "you" & go with it either they like ya or they dont Be yourself ! Glad to meet ya btw !

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Kelley
Star Sounds Karaoke & Mobile Recording Studio


[shadow=black][scroll]You have to respect your audience. Without them, you're essentially standing alone, singing to yourself....KD Lang[/scroll][/shadow]

Where and when is it? I might make the drive to support ya.

I don't have anything new to add to the comments above. Just relax and be yourself.

1. Be very organized.
2. Have a plan for the way you want to run your rotation. (but be flexible in case)
3. Have thick skin.
4. Breath mints. Drunks have a tendency to ignore personal space.
5. Pray

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~ D.J. ~
Dothan, AL 36301

My Rig:

- Shure PGX/SM58 Wireless mics (4)
- Yamaha MG-16 6 FX Mixer
- Behringer EP2500 Power Amp
- DBX 266XL Comp/Gate
- JBL MPro 15" Speakers (x2)
- Behringer 15" Powered monitor
- Compaq Laptop
- Furman Rack light
- Furman Power Conditioner

Go with the attitude that no matter what happens, its going to be a lot of fun! Even if you make a mistake, make a joke of it & keep grinning. Just from my own experience, this attitude has always worked very well for me.

Best of luck with your gig!

It's GameDay Bar and Grill in Mansfield and only runs from 9/9:30 to 11:30 so given the distance, and limited time I wouldn't bother. I do want to try to make your show Friday in Plano though.

I would say that one of the most important things is give yourself PLENTY of setup time, the more, the better. From my experience, you're going to be nervous UNTIL you have everything up and working. Once it's all together, and you test it, you'll feel ALOT more comfortable. If you are given time to set up earlier, TAKE IT. Then you'll have some time to socialize with the crowd (while having filler playing in the background), until it's time to start. You still may have a few "butterflies", but once you get started, you'll get over it. Good Luck, and Congratulations.

Rosario