Karaoke Forums

I like a place where my friends and I can feel comfortable - no huge, rowdy crowds please. We all like to sing as much as possible, so if the place has like an hour long rotation we'll maybe go to a less popular place instead. A little dance music thrown in is fun sometimes, but I'm mainly there for the karaoke and conversation. A good, clear sound system is a big plus but please don't over do it with the volume. It's not fun having to shout at your friends all night when trying to talk. A few added new songs in the book to choose from is always appreciated too. Decent prices on drinks and food helps make a place good especially since we're all pretty broke these days.

Ollie, I’m not crazy about a bunch of “silly rules” that is put on the singer to follow. I don’t appreciate a KJ that wants to demonstrate his power over the singers. A KJ that can maintain control without much notice is what I appreciate.



Here recently I decided I needed a break from KJing. I wanted to take a few months off but they talked me into playing every other weekend. A couple of weeks ago we went to check out the other KJ’s show. Maybe I shouldn’t have but I was expected to, so I did.

The other KJ is a nice enough guy. But his sound was really muddy and he set up his table on the back side of the stage so that when you’re talking to him you’re standing directly behind the singer. Which shouldn’t be a problem because he does the "sing one bring one" rule. As a singer I don’t like this "silly rule", but whatever. I don’t use it at my show and so most of the singer’s there didn’t understand it until I went around explaining it.

I spent most of the night explaining why I was only playing every other weekend and defending the KJ. Not that his show was all that bad but maybe just in comparison. This was one of the few times I didn’t enjoy karaoke. But it was more about the situation than anything else. People just have a tendency to believe that something different is a bad thing but it’s not always.





Seriously, I know a place where the beer is good, cold and cheap. And at least one cowboy that can be made cheap.

I'll buy you a drink anytime you want Melinda!

I don't go to karaoke to get drunk (although it helps...)
I want to go and sing and relieve stress.
I hate places that get filled up with smoke because I can't sing high notes when my throat is burning...
Stage lights or not, wired or wireless, computer or disc based, I don't care just as long as the system sounds good, and stays true to the original music. Nothing worse that going to sing a song and the background music sucks. Major buzzkill.

Bottom line, I want to feel welcome. I'm a big guy and alot of people turn a blind eye to me (or point at me). That is, until I sing, then it's a whole different story.

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"Anything worth doing, is worth OVERDOING"... - Steven Tyler of Aerosmith

haha, I saw that....

And it's in Tennessee I presume?

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♥ Laugh your heart out, dance in the rain. Cherish the memories, ignore the pain. Love and learn, forget and forgive. Because you only have one life to live. ♥

Well I'm hoping to meet with Charm and a few other KS members up in the Portland area sometime during the summer if things go well with scheduling vacation time at work.

A couple of you have mentioned tidbits about the KJ singing at shows....I am just about to begin my own show here shortly but have been to as many different karaoke bars and places that I possibly can to check out what else is going.

One place in particular that I actually go to every week that is right down the street from my home, has karaoke every thursday and normally it is always very very busy. In 3 hours you are lucky to get two songs...LUCKY!!! Now I believe the KJ is pretty fair with the rotation but also sings a bit himself. Normanlly 6 songs in that 3 hours. This really bugs me as a singer, in a busy busy bar to have him singing when other people could be.

So here is my question, when I start doing my own, I like to sing, but as a customer, is it a strange thing if the KJ does NOT sing. The way I kind of look at it, is if there are customers will songs in WHY and I singing? I dont need the ego boost or anything, but I guess what I am thinking is are people going to say "I wonder if that guy can even sing"

Does that make sense?


Thanks

Cory

Sure you can sing as KJ. Sing to get the ball rolling. Most of us who have been doing this for awhile pull out after rotation gets to a certain point though. Mine is a half hour's worth of singers... 6 to 8.

You can make an argument for once a round just like the customers I guess. But when we've discussed this before most of us "turn it over to the room" giving our spot to someone actually paying our way when it's busy.

A KJ singing two or three times each round himself isn't being fair. And I'll bet the rest of his rotation isn't all that fair either.

No one will wonder if you can sing. Or if they do, it won't obsess them. When they do find out you can sing, I am guessing they will think "that's nice" and that's it.

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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.

If its busy and you have people waiting to sing....... why would you sing?? I can assure you that the people waiting to sing are not contemplating whether the kj is a good singer or not. They want to be recognized and put on display. This is what you as a kj provide.
Down in my neck of the woods its very common for me to not sing at all during a show. I almost always have 10 slips or more waiting for me during setup. My ego was fed long ago and I see no need to sing with everyone else chomping at the bit.
I guess starting the show with a song makes sense but after that, no need if you have multiple people waiting.

I agree - pull yourself out when there are 6 to 8 singers - hubby and I always start our shows...then he always pulls out after his and I'll keep singing if there is room. I will pull out, too, once the rotation reaches a certain length. If the majority of singers are male, I'll get thrown in to break up the monotomy once in a while. If the majority of singers are female, I'm happy to just socialize.

However, I do have a gig that is about 70% listeners who come specifically to hear the singers, me included, so I oblige when they request. MInd you, totally different environment than the usual bar scene. This is a small lounge and very much a family atmosphere. A new singer who came in for the first time this past week had a big smile on her face and said, "This is just like Minnesota," whatever that means - she kind of laughed, said it was really a family atmosphere. I didn't even know she was from Minnesota ...

I mostly do shows for Businesses, they are really fun. It is so funny seeing a bunch of uptight people loosen up. Also they pay good and tip extremely good. When I am not doing the show and go out with my husband I prefer to go to restaurants, I don't like the bars anymore, to much smoke, and some people really can not handle their alcohol!

I was just about to say, come to Iowa, no smoking in the bars when I remembered I came to a new place Saturday and the owner was smoking and one of the patrons was puffing away as well. They just don't learn. Several other bars have been hit and are fighting it all the way to the state capitol. Not likely they will win.