Karaoke Forums

Carrying over from another post where I mentioned I make a lot of public service announcements about the rotation, the next 5-7 singers, anything I'm noticing people are particularly having trouble understanding, etc.

Do you all talk much between singers, what kind of stuff do you say?  Jokes, band trivia, small talk, steering people toward the bar ... what kind of things are you saying that gets the crowd worked up?

It changes night to night depending on the crowd, but usually I try to keep it to a minimum to keep things moving.

* I announce who is up next and at the end some form of "Let's here it for so & so.

* Sing-a-longs I encourage people to answer back or sing to the designated part

* Acknowledge Birthdays, anniversaries & special occasions

* Joke a bit back & forth with the audience ( I'd like to thank Johnny for the fart machine  LMAO )

* Maybe a few words to stop a heckler or drunkin idiot

* I may make an announcement to thank people for being patient when I have a long rotation - This helps with complainers that don't realize how many people are singing.

I don't do announcement for the bar unless asked - I do announce when bands are playing if a band member comes into sing karaoke.

I don't make an announcement to tip me or the bartenders. I think that is obvious.
Although if a bartender comes up to sing I point out who they are.

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I keep it lite.  Call the singers, promote applause, make bar announcements/bartenders by name, special events ie birthdays etc,.  We took an inhouse poll with our customers & the result was they don't like the kj doing a lot of unnecessary talking between songs, just get the next singer up.  May not work everywhere.

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I used to treat the crowd to a diatribe of complete non-sense, rude remarks and gestures, sing dirty dittys with "Stop him before he sings more" or some such blather interjected.  Announce to the bartender that I needed another beer anything to keep the party hopping while the singer came on stage.  If you're not having fun, they're not having fun.

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Okay, who took my pants?

Just curious.  I do the usuals to.  I used to do more barbing, but my ex girlfriend said it wasn't very becoming of the show (it was one of the few things she said that I listened to ).  I will throw out comments and uselessities and have had comments that it helps people connect with the show.  People have commented that they love it because they never know what's coming out of my mouth next, which started after I stopped slamming on people.  I do keep it to a minimum, rarely stop the show for it (usually while waiting for the slow to respond types coming up for their song).  My show is computerized so it flows fast and furious.  I used to be a singer, and I remember the things I liked and didn't like.  I like information (like where I'm at in the rotation, etc.)  I give it to 'em.

In terms of STYLE of speaking I keep it CLEAR and DELIBERATE.

The mistake I hear alot of KJ's making is that they try to speak WAY TOO QUICKLY, so that all you hear is a blurring of the words themseves---they sound like one of those really fast car dealership commercials. Cant pick out what they are saying. The other thing is trying to use sing-songy tones and strange phrasing combined with speaking too quickly. Makes it much too hard to UNDERSTAND what is being said. And can come off as VERY ANNOYING over the course of 3-4 hours of a night.
Really limits thier speaking effectiveness.

I will always speak a bit slower so its clear, deliberate and easily understood. I also try to limit the cracks, barbs and shots as that can be offensive to people you really dont know well. So keep it simple clear and easily undrstood with positive, enthusiastic introductions and applause remarks.

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"You know that I sing the Blues and I do not suffer fools. When I'm on that silver mic, it's gonna cut ya, just like a knife"-The SWINGCAT

Turn up the highs on your mic a little to avoid that mid-range muddy sound, bring up the volume a little, and hit the bypass on effects when you announce - keep it slow and to a minimum. Singers are there to sing!

Don't know about the highs unless your house eq is adjusted wrong to begin with - the mud is usually found in the low mid bands, a slight cut on (with a sweepable mid) those will eliminate much of the mud on a vocal, but YES on the bypass of any effects!!!!!  MUCH too often i've heard hosts that don't turn the effects off & it sounds like you're in a stadium - not the desired effect!

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Interestingly, re the highs, I find that people who are somewhat hard of hearing (I have lots of ex musicians in my crowd) can hear voices better when the highs are upped just a tad - nothing major, though.  Don't do it when I'm singing, but also dont sing through my headset mic (even though it's a shure as well). S/O, who is a lead singer in a band and suffers the effects of years in front of Marshall stacks, mentioned this trick to me and I had a lot of people thank me - said they could always hear me clearly.

I disagree only slightly that the mic talk has to be kept to a minimum.  As KJs, we deal with a lot of crap from drunks.  Crap, that common sense should tell them isn't acceptable.  There are plenty of instances where the singers we so affectionately entertain, take their sweet lovin' time getting up to the stage.  It's mostly during these lulls that I'll repeat rules, encourage people to play nice, subliminally suggest people drink more and make odd observations of the happenings in the bar.

I've found that it keeps people into the show.  It depends I suppose on the show.  I don't fiddle with my discs at the shows, so I've got a little more time on my hands to engage the crowd with.  

Friday's show what the busiest I've ever seen.  I didn't get through my first rotation until almost two hours into the show.  Singers, as we all know, can be very persnickety, and often need to be reminded why they aren't getting up to sing as fast as they'd like.  I'll do next 5-10 singers so people have time references.  I keep 'em informed.

When I was a singer, before I became a host, one of the most irritating things to me was as the show was winding down, knowing there were more songs then time, and not knowing if I was in the rotation, then finding out after the show closed that I was not.  I'd have liked that information 10-15 minutes earlier so I could have closed out my tab and taken off if I so chose.  I keep people informed so they know their host is a straight up, stand up kind of guy.  I don't want people thinking I'm cheatin' them, or toying with them, or keeping them around for no apparent reason, if they're done singing for the night.

This is where you train the singers, if they are taking their time, it goes - going once, going twice - if they aren't there by 3, next singer up.  Usually it only takes the first one & they are up & ready.

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Mic talk usually can be kept in the time allowed for a singers to get to the mic, so there is no lost time. I don't see a problem with it if it's done in a manner that fits the venue.

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[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

Lonman, with all due respect ...

I try my best to let singers know where they stand, especially for those of us living in the smoke free states, so those who do can go outside for a cig when the want to without needing to have one ear at the door listening for their name.  

I move people down and take them out of the rotation:

If they don't come up when first called,  I wait a few seconds looking for stirring in the crowd, if I don't see them and they don't come up I move them down 2-3 singers.

If I call them again and they still don't come up, I take the song out of the rotation.

I've tried the 1-2-3 gone approach and have had quite a few collisions at the microphone, with people sprinting in from outside.  For someone who just crushed a freshly lit smoke to have to wait another five minutes to sing ... I mean what's a few extra seconds with some clever mic work.    

Some people take a little longer than others, and the busier it gets and the drunker people get, and the migration to the beer garden for smokes ... latitude is the best policy and I use my time wisely to suggest people be within earshot if they know they're up soon.  

Sounds like there are quite a few different kinds of shows.  I hail from a small town and my gig is the favorite of the three/four that happen throughout the week.  I like it that the keep coming back.  And because I know most of them and have a rapport with them, 1-2-3 wouldn't be the coolest thing to do.

Now, with that said, shows in the bigger cities where people are more apt to walk in off the street the protocols are probably different as the rapport isn't as strong.

Hosts make the shows flow and from the responses on this post, each show is different but still made possible by the host keeping the energy up, the sound great, and the rotation moving. I applaud all of you for doing your job the best way you see fit, and hope your following stays with you as long as your shows run. Hosting to me is one of the greatest challenges each show we do, for each show, each night, each rotation is always going to change withe each one we host, and we all know the challenges each show brings.
Great Job everyone!!!  :oh yeah:  :oh yeah: