Karaoke Forums

I would make a rule that anyone playing drums or tambourine has to stay sober

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I only date Karaoke singers.

Well you would be gone so you wouldn't know how long I was laughing, would you?

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I only date Karaoke singers.

I've been to some places where yes, the time between singers was very dead... and very lengthy. So for experiences like Charmin has, yeah, there's no need for filler music... most of the time, my filler is played lower than the karaoke music, so you hardly see it's there! Unless it's a jam that people just DIE for! Then you can bring it up while waiting for the next singer!

Unless you have 30-40 singers  all night long I t hink a KJ has to "think of" the non singers in the crowd: IE filler and or dance tunes.  We all know that SINGERS go out to sing --  But it is a very sharp double edge sword...  IF there are enough singers to support ONLY karaoke being played then the rotations are usually TOOO long for most singers  and eventually they complain or look for a place with less singers.  BUt a place with less singers needs to keep the non singers entertained or they GO SOMEWHERE ELSE leaving the management of the bar looking at the KJ and there $$$$.   The job of a KJ ????????   MAGICIAN !  :whistle:  :whistle:

Hey that grandma's plan sounds like a winner!
Background music----I play it lower also--so i can speak over it and still be heard clearly--but yes you must cater to both parts of the crowd---many are NOT singers but DO enjoy the background music and yes they will get up and leave if theres silence or just not transition music.

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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

Well said.  I stay away from Lebo's (the most popular place in Cinti) because of the sole emphasis on Karaoke.  Great stage.  Fantastic sound system.  But lots of singers and very long rotations.  Too many other places to go.

I guess if I were a KJ that was packing them in, I would keep doing whatever I was doing.  Otherwise I'd seek my own niche.  And that probably means singers who like being with non-singers, where they are also entertained and singers get to sing more.  Even with all the rest of the stuff going on.

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I only date Karaoke singers.

You forget one thing.  You say play dance sets etc for non-singers.  When people come to a venue that advertises karaoke, they know it's karaoke.  A lot of non-singers come to enjoy hearing the singers.  We have people who come and if it's a slow night they want to hear Laurie and I sing and get upset if we don't and we both say we are hacks .  

Just because there are non-singers doesn't mean they don't enjoy karaoke.

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You can be strange but not a stranger

Agreed, we have some of the same regulars since the beginning that don't sing.  They enjoy the company and the singing!!  Some will request songs of certain singers.  BTW we don't use filler music, not to say that we won't eventually but we don't see a need for it now.

Susie

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You do it in the shower,
you do it in the car,
Ccome do it with us,
and be a star!!!!

Karaoke with Full House Entertainment

[scroll]Just because I have a short attention span doesn't mean...... [/scroll]

Anybody that comes in to the place I sing and takes their singing seriously when they aren't that good can expect a steady flow of teasing and put downs from my KJ.  I like it that way.  Schizos and pushy people can take a hike.

The last time I was there, this guy was armed with his CDG collection and waited to sing standing near the KJ with a CDG is his hand.  He made me uncomfortable and I'm guessing he made others uncomfortable.  I wish he would have just sat down and got drunk.

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I only date Karaoke singers.

There is/can be a difference between people who think they can sing and Schizos and pushy people.  

I don't think teasing and put downs from a KJ is appropriate.  If I were a patron at a show where the KJ belittled people I would leave, even I weren't the one being belittled; even if I didn't know the person being belittled.

I don't think there is anything wrong with someone believing they have a talent, even when I believe they don't.  Who knows, even though I believe I can sing some songs passably well, it may grate on others... Does that give them the right to tease me and put me down?    

Karaoke, for me, is all about having a good time and enjoying the company of like minded individuals.  I would never tell someone they can't sing, first of all that's just WRONG and secondly that's only MY  opinion and some opinions are better left to yourself.

To each his own,
Susie  :?

_________________
You do it in the shower,
you do it in the car,
Ccome do it with us,
and be a star!!!!

Karaoke with Full House Entertainment

[scroll]Just because I have a short attention span doesn't mean...... [/scroll]

I guess the whole argument is based on the venue.  In a place where many good singers go, I'm sure I have the wrong attitude.  People there perhaps aren't using Karaoke as just another excuse to get drunk and have a good time.

But if the object IS to drink and have a good time, then everyone needs to admit to it and lighten up.  One person being a jerk spoils it for many people.

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I only date Karaoke singers.

place down the street from where I live... the kj doesn't get the discs out ahead of time... and there's an intolerable wait between the end of one singer and the start of the next one... now they use filler music to help, but it's still very noticable as to the incompetance of the kj!

One last "negative" or "positive" opinion, depending on how you look at it.

I think in general people are uncomfortable around people who act strange.  I laugh at it all cause I'm strange too and I'm too old to give a crap about anybody else.  To me it's all part of an evening's entertainment to watch weird people.

But I watch other people leave bars because of people who act strange.  And Karaoke attracts some weird ones, that's for sure.  So I think some restraints on weird people are necessary to keep others from leaving.

With that, I'm taking my five personalities and leaving for today :)

:-David

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I only date Karaoke singers.

Exactly!  I hear that all the time from non-singers - They enjoy listening to others even though they don't sing.

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LIKE Lonman on Facebook - Lonman Productions Karaoke & my main site via my profile!

Wow, I think that is the rudest thing i've ever heard!  You sir should NOT be in the business if you treat people like that.  I don't care if they are the absolute worst singer in the world, if I EVER heard of one of my hosts heckling, putting them down, teasing, that host would no longer be working for me & have the sole of my boot on his a$$ on top of that!  This is what give karaoke a bad name!

Wow I DID have respect for you but this thread just threw all of that out the window!  But then again, you don't give a crap about other people!

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LIKE Lonman on Facebook - Lonman Productions Karaoke & my main site via my profile!

Teasing and putting down a Karaoke singer??? What have you got going there?? The GONG SHOW???? If I ever went into a place and saw that going on:

1. I'd be OUT of there like REAL QUICK!

2. I'd be having a VERY serious conversation with the Bar Manager or the Bar Owner---the next day when I called them on the phone and asked for them DIRECTLY---that way no chance of being accused of just being some sensless DRUNK.

NO ROOM FOR BELITTLING ANYONE!

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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

PSCHIZOS and WIERDOS---yes you get them at Karaoke--but you get them at anybar too. Some are just a bit odd, others a bit annoying and other you simple have to tell them its time to tone it down or leave.

Speaking of which---you ever have to take a break in the show and go over the RULES WITH THE CROWD??? By that I mean explain courtesy, ettiquette and rotation and NO YOU DONT GET TO GO UP AND SING WITH EVERYONE THAT COMES UP TO SING--because the singers are there to PERFORM THIER OWN SONGS AND DONT NEED ANYONE ELSE's HELP!?

I had to do that the other night when these drunk guys started doing that---getting up and thinking they could sing WITH EVERYONE who came up. Had to stop the show and read em the riot act.

Subsequently they got up and left---which was very good by me as they were very much out of control with themselves and irritating the rest of the people.

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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

Is the attitude you are talking about filler music and dance sets or belittling poor singers?

And speaking of lightening up, how on earth is teasing a singer who doesn't sing well considered lightening up?  To me the only jerk in that situation is the person belittling someone else....

Susie  :confused:

_________________
You do it in the shower,
you do it in the car,
Ccome do it with us,
and be a star!!!!

Karaoke with Full House Entertainment

[scroll]Just because I have a short attention span doesn't mean...... [/scroll]

I make it a point to NEVER put down anyone's singing at my show - other than my own.  I have a catchphrase I use when the applause starts dying down - "We clap for everyone here at karaoke.  Some because they're good, and some, like me, because we're glad they're done!".  I almost use this right after I sing or a REALLY good singer adding - "I think I'll clap because they ROCK!".  I don't say it after a marginal performance because it might make the crowd think I was putting them down.  I also don't do 'sing offs' because of the potential for such a wide difference in quality between singers.  I did this once and learned to never do it again because of how it turned out.

I also found out that a comment I made about a person not being that good as a patron came back to bite me when I started a karaoke business about 6 months later when he was drunk and didn't hear me call his name 4-5 times throughout the night.  He just assumed I had dumped his song because I thought he wasn't any good.  Even after others told him that they heard me call his name time and time again he still thought I had treated him unfairly.  BTW, the comment was made to a friend of mine who also knew him and it was passed along - and it was that he needed practice because he was lagging behind too much and dropping lines in a rap song (Baby Got Back).  The harshest comment I make now is 'Ouch' to my fiance quietly when we're somewhere else or maybe make a slight face like I'm in pain (because sometimes I am) but only as a patron at someone elses show and always subtlely.  I do occasionally make a comment about mic handling but if that gets back to them and they try it correctly they'll be happy with the results.  But as a KJ I NEVER belittle any of my singers even if they're drunk and acting stupid.  That's when comments like 'That's what karaoke is all about - having FUN!' when they're dancing like a fool and singing poorly.

I can tell you that I 'would' belittle a singer only at one point.  If they make a public annoucement about how poorly someone is singing I'll smack 'em pretty hard.  Sometimes privately - sometimes publicly - depending on the singer.  Karaoke is about having fun - not about talking crap about others because they don't sing as well as you'd like.  If a KJ did something like that I'd get up to sing, sing, and then tell them they're an (@$%&#!) on the mic for talking crap about other people and walk out.  I don't have to put up with stuff like that and I don't think other karaoke patrons should either.

Fortunately there are two of us and I'm able to get the attention of the person who grabs the mic. get them to put it down and come over to me (sometimes I have to go up to them).  I then explain the situation and some stay, some leave.  Knock on wood it doesn't happen that often (famous last words).  It is such a drag to patiently wait your turn and have someone come up and sing along with you!

Last night we had a similiar situation, except this guy kept talking people into songs and "helping" them, then even turned in a a song slip with a nickname!  He came over to me after Richard handed him back the slip with the nickname and let him know the policy about not getting to sing multiple times in a rotation.  So.... he came over to me to gripe and I explained that when people were waiting 1 1/2 hours + for their turn they didn't like seeing him get up 3 times in that rotation.  I told him that people have come up to complain  when we had two different tables and one person from each table sang 3 & 4 songs respectively in one rotation and that's what initially set the policy.  He then stated he should be able to "help" people who want to sing but are afraid to do it by themselves, I told him that the two people he had already been up with needed no "help" and that we do allow people who are afraid to come up by themselves the option of that.  He then went into duets, I explained that he hadn't done a duet yet....  He said the policy should be a case by case situation, I told him it was and on nights when the rotation was over 1 1/2 hours from the get-go it was not allowed, during times with less singers it is certainly a possibility.  

This is the same guy that when a KJ filled in for Richard and I helped her he wanted to sing ONE MORE SONG after we had already gone over 30 minutes to accomodate the people who stayed with us and patiently waited their turn.  This guy is a good friend of her fiance's!  With friends like that.......

Susie

_________________
You do it in the shower,
you do it in the car,
Ccome do it with us,
and be a star!!!!

Karaoke with Full House Entertainment

[scroll]Just because I have a short attention span doesn't mean...... [/scroll]