The Wonderful World of Karaoke

Check this out. If you haven't seen the move Duets, WATCH IT.. it is a hilarious movie with the Karaoke world being the sombraro that the plot dances around! HA HA

Last night after band practice, Brian the bassplayer in KHP asked if I would drop him off at the bar that is just a few blocks from my house. After dropping him off, I was thinking about how much I love the hotwings that they serve from the kitchen of that bar. So me and the wife jumped in the car and headed up there to hang out for a while. Unfortunately by the time I got there the kitchen was closed for the night so I never did get those hot wings, but I did get something that I didn't expect. Some great Karaoke Entertainment!


Apparently Thursday is Karaoke night at the bar, and this is something that I have never really experienced before. I mean I live right down the street and had no idea that this place was that packed on a Thursday night. There were some great performances and some ones that made you flinch and knock back another beer in the hopes that it would at least make it sound a little better.

Now being at a karaoke bar with a member of my band was a mistake. He kept telling everyone that I was the singer of the band and helped everyone try to badger me into getting up there "since I am a singer".. But I refused, being a singer there are two scenarios that I can chose from when doing karaoke.

Scenario 1: I get up there and pick a good song that fits the tone of my voice in a key that I am comfortable singing in and give all of those people that are trying to make me sing exactly what they are looking for. Of course in doing this, everyone that is in the bar that doesn't know me and doesn't know that I am the singer in a band will just think that I am a douche that is trying to show off. No Thanks

Scenario 2: I pick an over the top song that doesn't fit my voice or singing style to really push it, have fun and give everyone in the bar a funny show because being a singer, I may have the control to sing in tune and in key, but I also have the control to really throw the singing in to left field. Of course in doing this I would disappoint my friends that went around the bar saying check this guy out he is an incredible singer. I would make them look like fools and they would be pissed and tell me all night to redo it "for real this time" Once again, No Thanks

So I didn't end up doing it, I just stood my ground by saying "No, I don't do Karaoke!!!" and eventually they left me alone so that they could go and sign up themselves and I enjoyed every song that they did. I don't know, does that make me a hypocrite?

On a side note to this story, at my work they always get a cake and sing happy birthday to everyone. Back in July, it was my brothers birthday who also works with me and it came time to sing happy birthday to him. Someone in the office says "Kristian, you are a singer. Start us off" I think to myself "HA HA HA.. you shouldn't have done that!!" as I rub my hands together in a maniacal way. I start out the song in a higher octave than most people can sing in, an easy thing to do with the happy birthday song because it gradually gets higher, then as I would start each line of the song I would change it every time. First dropping it a whole octave, then singing it sharp, then flat, then another octave lower. I just kept doing this through the whole song. By the end of the song, it was a complete train wreck. Each person in the office had followed me until they found something comfortable and then stuck with it, which because that point is different for each individual, they all ended up sounding like they weren't even singing the same song! Ahhh the great things that I can amuse myself with in the office. Maybe now they will decide that we are not 6 years old, and so there is no need for the "Happy Birthday" song in the workplace!