posted
I guess I pose this question to those who have been in it awhile. I am constantly asked, "How do you do it, night after night, the same energy levels". For me it is easy, I love music and I have a fond appreciation for people in general. This has lead me to asked the question, is Karaoke still a passion or has it turned in a different direction for you, IE; refine to just a singing art? or doesn't have the same response to your soul as it did when you first started? Posts: 33 | From: Orange County, California | Registered: Feb 2003
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Yes, on both counts! After years of doing karaoke, I still get a pre-performance adrenalin rush and a post-performance emotional high whenever I get a chance to get into the spotlight and sing before an audience. As a collateral benefit, karaoke performance also serves to hone my vocal skills......"it's a good thing"!!!
Posts: 682 | From: Seattle, Washington, USA | Registered: Jan 2003
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For me, the passion comes from the drive to always try new songs. It's an evolving thing. At first, the passion was just finding ANY song that I could do OK. From there, it turned into "What can I sing that would applease the audience the most?" or "What can I sing that will surprise everyone?".
And that's what I mainly focus on now. As long as new releases keep coming out, I can keep doing this for the rest of my life! Last night "Little Girls" went over great; even better than "In Da Club" (the most popular hip hop song out).
There's always a never-ending number of songs to learn and try... I don't believe "burning out" is an option.
Posts: 1487 | From: Irvine, CA, USA | Registered: Jun 1999
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Passion no, passionate yes. This is a very enjoyable (and profitable) job , but at this stage it is an occupation. People do help bring me up, but I am focussed more on the biz end of this now than I was when I started over 6 years ago.
If the KJ is focussed on the job at hand it is NOT about the KJ's singing, although we do sing and are expected to do an above average job of it, while not being mic hogs.
I do it in a fair and balance way, as it is the customer who makes me my money. There are those who come to hear me sing, but sometimes that takes second seat and I don't do more than open a show when I have over 21 singers to 30 something waiting to sing in a rotation.
I do get pumped after a successful evening though, knowing the volume I attracted and made happy handling at a clip of 14 to 15 songs an hour. THAT is the rush I like to heave, mental exhaustion! Keeping things snapping and moving, people laughing, paying attention to the stage.
My feelings have changed, not to burn out, but there was one time I came close. Almost let some, "one more song" types get under my skin.
As far as "noives" I no longer get them, I am usually cool as a cucumber. My job is to help others not feel nervous, feel relaxed and have fun-THAT is fun to me. I can more easily handle a situation this way after years of being "ON"!
posted
The BIGGEST pleasure I get at a show is watching new people come in and seeing how they enjoy our show format and our music selection! There is nothing better than hearing someone say "Oh my God I can't believe they have this song!" I also get a kick out going to our shows when I'm not working so I can see the other members of my KJ team do their thing...they are very funny and very courtious to the singers, they know how to run a good show!....it makes me proud
------------------ Average Joe Entertainment http://members.rogers.com/joekaraoke
posted
In my earlier post I responded as a singer in the audience at any given karaoke show, not necessarily at my own show. Generally speaking, when I am acting in the capacity of KJ/Host, I can become so busy that I many times skip my turn in rotations and may only sing when someone makes a special request. During those times when I attend someone else's gig, however, I still get a certain rush as a karaoke performer withinan audience of karaoke performers....those times when I have no responsibilities with which to occupy the majority of my time...those times when I am free to occupy my time anticipating my next turn in the rotation and experiencing the resultant "jitters", if you will. I must admit, even after all these years in karaoke and as lead singer in a rock band, I still get nervous prior to performance....nothing I can't handle, mind you......but nevertheless, the excitement in the pit of my stomach remains ever existent! It's part of the game with me and I don't even mind it any more....in fact, if it were not still there, I'm afraid that I might start losing interest, and I just can't risk that!!!
Posts: 682 | From: Seattle, Washington, USA | Registered: Jan 2003
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posted
These were all great reponses and were pretty much inline to how I thought everyone would answer. One reason I posed this question is because I have had the opportunity to visit some local shows in my area and to be quite honest, I wasn't impressed. I went in with an open mind, cause I too want to have fun and feel the fun as a "singer", but these shows I have been to are extremely boring, lacking showmanship, and to make this worse, all of them use burnt cdg's to fill their libraries. I have been doing this well over ten years now and I still do shows like it was the first time, and let me tell you, I still get the little butterflys before each show. What I also noticeis that they all closed very early, now come on 12 midnight is early to me, if I'm going to spend my time searching a place and get dressed up to go out, I don't want to have to get somewhere and then have to leave by 12 midnight! It's like wanting to have sex and they give you a magazine and a paper towel! Hence is the reason I asked this question.... Remember, this is theraputic for a lot of people, me included. Rodney
Posts: 33 | From: Orange County, California | Registered: Feb 2003
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Rodney What exactly are you looking for in a show when you go out?
This was my show last night first I started the rotation with Jump Around from my new disk and couldn't even keep up with the lyrics but I was having fun trying and everyone was also trying to keep up singing from their seats. Well when I was done everybody applauded which I was surprised cause I was having a hard time keeping up but you could see that I was having fun.
Kim sing Welcome to The Jungle well I decided to walk up by her and throw my hair in front of my head and head bang and give myself whiplash lol. I could go on but I won't. I also wonder why people call it our show? It is not our show it is our singers show I've actually thought of changing my biz to uentertainme.com cause the singers are the one's entertaining us. Except for the Kj's who hog their own show. I tell ya I don't have the frills of some people cause I need to keep the line going and I would say I have a pretty successful company so far.
posted
I totally agree with you about K.J.'s hogging shows...this is the main reason I started my own company, so there would be a show where singers could go where they are the attraction..."look at me hosts" make me sick! We try to blend as much into the walls as possible during the singers songs...there is nothing more distracting when a singer is singing than a KJ singing loudly along with the song or yapping really loud to his friend. At our shows (meaning, the shows our company provide karaoke for) the singer ALWAYS comes first, not the KJ!
------------------ Average Joe Entertainment [url]http://members.rogers.com/joekaraoke[url]
I don't know how many times I have heard the host singing a la SNL Delta Burke episode (She played a akraoke host who MUST sing with the singer and then bump them off)
posted
Absolutey! But the fact of the matter is, in my town at least, is these "show hogging hosts" are still getting shows...do bars really even research what they are hiring anymore or are they going on price? Very sad, when they come make more money in the long run by hiring a legitimate, proffesional company.
------------------ Average Joe Entertainment [url]http://members.rogers.com/joekaraoke[url]
posted
Well I will tell you right now I rarely ever sing at my own shows and I have come to the conclusion that is why I have the most shows in my area. I feel I can sing when ever I want I have the system not all my singers have that priveleage so they are out there to sing and that's what they get. Not a KJ hogging her own show. Plus I'm not that good of a singer. lol
Posts: 798 | From: Wisconsin | Registered: Mar 2001
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I'm sorry I didn't post back in a timely matter. You posed a question," What do I look for in a show "? I look for a KJ who knows that the singers are the most important part of the show, not them! Sure I would like to see a great sound system, a great song library, and of course a lively host. What I don't want is, favortisms, buy offs, KJ's who sing with every rotations, or a KJ who doesn't pay attention to their show. You also asked, " Why do we call it our show "? Well this can be interpeted in several ways:
1) Our Show, we as KJ's have called it this for at least a decade now, reason being, usually a KJ has promoted, developed, and/or encouraged the crowd to participate. 2) The meaning show for us, simply was an easier way to tell people about that particular venue, as oppose to another persons show.
There should be no doubt that "the show" is geared and is driven by the singers that come and go, but it is still the KJ's responsibility to create an atsmophere that will have everyone enjoying their experience with Karaoke.
Note: I personally bought all my own equipment and software and started my own "show" cause the KJ who I attended his "show", kept on losing my slips, would forget to be near his machine to acknowledge the previous singer had finished ! So, before I could put him down or say anything, I figured If I could do better, I'd better try it myself! I do NOT sing myself, in fact for about 3 or 4 years I probably sang about 50 times total, my love for other people singing went beyond having to hurt them with my voice. Hopefully this answered any questions you may have had for me. I love and respect this business and look into the future and not what I can get from it NOW. I had Ryan from SC come to one of my shows here in Southern California, he could tell you how much I love what I do, it hasn't changed from the first day I started on my own............. Karaoke is not about how great one is with it, rather how much Karaoke is to us. Respectfully Rodney awildnkrazykj
Posts: 33 | From: Orange County, California | Registered: Feb 2003
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Rodney It always interesting what other KJ's are looking for in a show. See I just called it a show myself. In no way was I trying to be mean. I run into people all the time at the stores and etc and they ask how my show was and of course I respond. I guess "show" makes sense.
Posts: 798 | From: Wisconsin | Registered: Mar 2001
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Stacy, I too apologize, I was actually referring to the word "show"cause some people have a great mis understanding about it. I have seen where a person had lambasted everyone who used the words "My Show", implying that we consider all the singers "OUR" singers, when in fact our english language just streamlines the words into set catagories, ei; my show, my songs, my business, & etc. After rereading my repost, I could see where you may have thought I was "snappy",lol, but as you'll know, I love everyone and everything about our profession. I'm not on much in here,as you could tell, so if I miss a posting or anything important, email me or holler at me over at Jolt. Thanks Respectfully and Humbly Rodney
Posts: 33 | From: Orange County, California | Registered: Feb 2003
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Exactly what happened with Ryan during his visit to your show? All I can get out of him is that he "had a great time".
No details at all, but the look on his face belies some sort of mischief, or, at the very least, masculine pursuits. I guess we'll have to send a chaperone with him next time.
Posts: 4262 | From: Charlotte, N.C., USA | Registered: Oct 1999
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BC Studios, I guess he was cooped up in his hotel room, decided to look for area Karaoke shows, looked up our venue, waltzed in, sang a few songs, they rest is under tight lipped security scrutiny...LOL.. I hope I hadn't corrupted Ryan, he was a very innocent guy before he walked in. Actually he is a very nice guy, we had good time at Lofflers. I hope he told ya about my strong library built with the catalog from Sound Choice CDGs. I appreciate great music and so do my followers, I try and provide a fun and energetic show that promotes the goodness of what our side of the business can do for everyone. Your products have and will continue to supply us with such high standards and the committment to excellence in the Karaoke music industry. I thank Ryan, yourself, and all your associates for keeping in "tune" to what we want. Keep em' coming! Rodney BTW, Who's this other guy named Rodney,LOL, I thought I was the only one cursed with this name....lol
Posts: 33 | From: Orange County, California | Registered: Feb 2003
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Rodney It's nice to see you posting over here too. Sound Choice is actually home to me. lol Stacy
Posts: 798 | From: Wisconsin | Registered: Mar 2001
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I read that somewhere over there. I just wanted to get some more love....lol I nice to see many of the same posters here too. You're still a cutey in here too.... Respectfully Rodney Posts: 33 | From: Orange County, California | Registered: Feb 2003
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