Friday, August 26, 2016
Karaoke Night 2
I went to SoBo 151 bar (celebrating its 14th anniversary of existence today) last night and things were kind of the same as last time but one of those short buses which take senior citizens to activities out of the old folk's home had apparently dropped off about a half dozen at the bar.
That's a pretty snide comment coming from me at age 63. No, they came on their own accord and the big surprise came when three of them had their turn at singing. They were terrific. The first old guy sang Unchained Melody, a song that will chew up most singers, and hit it note for note. The karaoke DJ Amberama said jokingly that she was shutting down the show right there because it's good to end with the best singing of the night. I was too dumbfounded by the excellence of his voice to think to take a picture or him, but later I took a few of the group. That first singer of the group later did Billy Joel's Just the Way You Are very, very well. The only woman singer from the group did When Will I Be Loved and Stand by Your Man. The last aged singer, besides me, did two 21st Century rock songs but I can't recall which ones just now. He gets praise just for the choice and attempt.
No one sat with me this time but the really young girls I like came by with their friends and sang a lot.
Over the months, no, years now that I've been going, I've learned that there are certain songs that, if the singing goes on long enough (and the singers drink enough), will always be sung. These apparently mandatory songs include: Love Shack and Bohemian Rhapsody. (Hey, how come there is no Moravian Rhapsody?) We got them both last night and the Queen song was a ragged mess as usual, but the women on the B-52s song did great. The men singing in the inevitable group version of Love Shack have to learn to talk their verses, just like Fred Schneider has always "sung" his. When they sing their lines, it kind of sucks, even if they can actually sing.
My ability to take a phone photograph continues to suck but I hope you enjoy them anyway.
I did the Beatle's Come Together, a modest success, Toad/Sprocket's Fall Down (meh), Delbert's Two More Bottles of Wine and Pink Floyd's Time from Darkside of the Moon (I did it OK). All in all a very fun night. I might go back.
Apparently these sisters can only sing with Miller bottles in their hand, but they sure can sing.
UPDATE: There are Karaoke songs you have to suffer through, even when the singers are good. For me, it's most rap and anything by Disney. Stuff your Whole New World up your butt. But I'm beginning to think that Total Eclipse of the Heart is a form of torture or could be if used properly by trained operatives. There is nothing about many rock songs after August 1968 which wasn't made worse, sometimes much worse, by the insidious influence of Hey Jude. That song, the most destructive of all 60s songs, gave permission to lesser bands, which were most of them, to just keep on playing and singing even though the song ended minutes ago. Sometimes it seems like the song ended days ago but they're still singing. Stop, my mind cries out, but they keep on singing. I try to clap for all the singers, but when people end Total Eclipse, I clap enthusiastically because at last that awful song is over.
That's a pretty snide comment coming from me at age 63. No, they came on their own accord and the big surprise came when three of them had their turn at singing. They were terrific. The first old guy sang Unchained Melody, a song that will chew up most singers, and hit it note for note. The karaoke DJ Amberama said jokingly that she was shutting down the show right there because it's good to end with the best singing of the night. I was too dumbfounded by the excellence of his voice to think to take a picture or him, but later I took a few of the group. That first singer of the group later did Billy Joel's Just the Way You Are very, very well. The only woman singer from the group did When Will I Be Loved and Stand by Your Man. The last aged singer, besides me, did two 21st Century rock songs but I can't recall which ones just now. He gets praise just for the choice and attempt.
No one sat with me this time but the really young girls I like came by with their friends and sang a lot.
Over the months, no, years now that I've been going, I've learned that there are certain songs that, if the singing goes on long enough (and the singers drink enough), will always be sung. These apparently mandatory songs include: Love Shack and Bohemian Rhapsody. (Hey, how come there is no Moravian Rhapsody?) We got them both last night and the Queen song was a ragged mess as usual, but the women on the B-52s song did great. The men singing in the inevitable group version of Love Shack have to learn to talk their verses, just like Fred Schneider has always "sung" his. When they sing their lines, it kind of sucks, even if they can actually sing.
My ability to take a phone photograph continues to suck but I hope you enjoy them anyway.
I did the Beatle's Come Together, a modest success, Toad/Sprocket's Fall Down (meh), Delbert's Two More Bottles of Wine and Pink Floyd's Time from Darkside of the Moon (I did it OK). All in all a very fun night. I might go back.
Apparently these sisters can only sing with Miller bottles in their hand, but they sure can sing.
UPDATE: There are Karaoke songs you have to suffer through, even when the singers are good. For me, it's most rap and anything by Disney. Stuff your Whole New World up your butt. But I'm beginning to think that Total Eclipse of the Heart is a form of torture or could be if used properly by trained operatives. There is nothing about many rock songs after August 1968 which wasn't made worse, sometimes much worse, by the insidious influence of Hey Jude. That song, the most destructive of all 60s songs, gave permission to lesser bands, which were most of them, to just keep on playing and singing even though the song ended minutes ago. Sometimes it seems like the song ended days ago but they're still singing. Stop, my mind cries out, but they keep on singing. I try to clap for all the singers, but when people end Total Eclipse, I clap enthusiastically because at last that awful song is over.
Labels: My Neighborhood; Karaoke Bar, Surprise Surpassing Unwarranted Low Expectations
# posted by Roger Fraley @ 7:11 PM 
