In addition to serving as Mayor of Morro Bay, Janice is a professional photographer, Coordinator of the Winter Bird Festival, and co-author of a new series of childrens books.
January 15 - 18, 2010
Special Guest Speakers: Rosalie Winard and Lars Tomanek - 866 464-5105
Photo by Janice Peters: Scarlett Sky
|
Karaoke - or How to Be a Singing Star in Your Own Hometown
by Janice Peters
Does everyone, as we sing in the shower or along with the car radio, imagine themselves a singing star . . . in a rock band, a Broadway show, an opera, a recording studio, on American Idol? I confess that I do!
There used to be piano bars for us singing wannabes, with very talented, long-suffering pianists who could play or fake just about any song in any key. And then it happened . . . karaoke! This "minus singer" musical accompaniment began in the Philippines in the late 1960's and was refined in Japan where the karaoke (which means "empty orchestra" in Japanese) machine was invented, showing lyrics for the singer. And what an incredible success that was! Now you can sing at bars, restaurants, parties, or in your own living room, with the sound of a full band or orchestra backing you up . . . instant stardom.
Of course, it's a little more difficult to sing in front of an audience than it is to sing in your shower or car. It can take awhile to get over being nervous. My nieces talked me into it the first time . . . we sang "Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" together and I was hooked. But it wasn't until several weeks later, in the middle of singing "Love Potion #9," that the nervousness suddenly disappeared and it became just pure fun.
I joined the other "karaoke junkies" as we migrated from Mother's Tavern on Monday to Otter Rock on Tuesday, Rose's Landing on Wednesday, Cambria Pines Lodge on Thursday, San Simeon Lodge on Friday, Merrimaker on Saturday, Bill's Tavern on Sunday and then started all over again. Of course we didn't go every night every week, but wherever you dropped in, you found a familiar face and voice.
One thing about karaoke singers . . . they are a great audience for each other. It doesn't matter if you're a good singer or not . . . if you've got the courage to stand up there and sing your heart out, you get support and applause from your fellow singers. (Hint to beginners: one glass of alcohol may help overcome stage-fright jitters, but additional glasses tend to decrease singing ability exponentially.)
You get to know the singers by their songs . . . we all have our favorites: Nettie's "Cabaret," Aaron's "Greased Lightning," Millie's "What'd I Say" (sadly, Millie, one of the most talented singers, recently passed away), Don's "Bad to the Bone." Mine is "When You're Good to Mama." Sometimes there's competition for a hot new song . . . "You can't sing that, it's MY song!" (No, it's not . . . get over it and try another one.)
On slow nights, there's "Kamikaze Karaoke," where people write song titles on pieces of paper, which are then mixed up and chosen by all the singers. You have to sing the song you pick, whether you know it or not. My favorite Kamikaze performance was Nettie (an energetic grandmother), who wowed everyone with her rendition of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody."
Friendships develop, romances bloom. I fell in love with a KJ (karaoke jockey) and we were together for several years before a karaoke fling broke us up. But the karaoke scene helped me recover, too. Switch to another venue, one that emphasizes country music and line dancing (Bill's in Arroyo Grande), and you can't stay sad for long.
When I travel, I look up the karaoke spots in the cities on my itinerary and take my disks along, because you never know how good a song collection a particular venue will have. I've been to karaoke places in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Sacramento, and other large cities where you'd expect to hear really good singers, and discovered that the singers in this county are some of the best anywhere. They all have day jobs, but at night they are stars.
So if you've ever fantasized about wowing an audience with your rendition of "My Way" or "I Will Always Love You," or "Love Potion #9" (no, that's MY song!) check out the Otter Rock on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and Rose's on Thursdays. You'll feel like a star!
|
