LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
Karaoke - A Sport for the Vocally Challenged |
by Kelli Steele |
Gladys Kravitz at the Renegade. Shelley Abbott singing "Crazy" by Patsy Cline at Plub Loco. Mariah Aichinger singing, "Man I Feel Like a Woman" at the Purple Parrott. Do-Re-Mi-Fa-So-La-Ti-Do! MMMM, let me try that again. Do-Re-Me-Fa-So-La-Ti-Do. Tuesday, August 1 Here it is a week before deadline and my editor (Steve Elkins) calls and tells me he wants me to write an article about none other than Karaoke. Me of all people; a person who cannot carry a tune in any shape or form, writing about, shall we say a sport for the vocally challengedKaraoke. Anyway, so I'm thinking that if maybe I practice singing or even humming along to my favorite songs, I would be more apt to understand why Karaoke has become so popular. And why would anyone even consider getting up in front of a group of people they don't know to sing a song that they think they can sing with the possibility of making a complete donkey's hiney out of themselves. These questions and more will soon be answered because I'm about to go inside the Karaoke machine to find out. Now excuse me while I go pretend I'm one of the seven von Trapp children from "The Sound of Music." Do-Re-Mi-Fa-So-La-Ti-Do! Do a dear, a female dear...Re a drop of golden sun...Mi a name I call myself... As a friend of a friend of mine says in her very best New York accent, "AWRIGHT AWREADY." Wednesday, August 2 And so my journey begins. If you venture into Plumb Loco (First St. and Baltimore Ave.) on any given Wednesday night, May through September from 9 p.m. until 1 a.m., you'll find Karaoke by "Da Girls" a.k.a. Shelley Abbott and Tina Krahn. Shelley and Tina have been performing Karaoke at Plumb Loco the past three summers. "We kind of stumbled across this gig while we were looking to get where it was more (gay) friendly," Shelley said. "Da Girls" have been doing Karaoke for the past five or six years mainly on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Shelley is an Eastern Shore native and Tina is from Chicago. They currently live in Maryland between Easton and Trappe. When I asked how they got interested in the Karaoke scene Abbott said, "I've been a musician for the past 20 years. I'm a vocalist, a songwriter and a guitarist and I got tired of the band scene, always having to fill in for band members who simply didn't show up for a gig. I kind of pioneered Karaoke over on Maryland's Eastern Shore and I wanted to continue it here in Rehoboth." Shelley went on to tell me that, "Karaoke is all about having fun. We don't care if people sing well...it's not about talent. Karaoke is popular because people want to be a star...it's an ego boost...a spotlight if you will, for participants." Before "Da Girls" went on stage, I had to ask if either one of them could tell me about a memorable moment during a Karaoke performance. Tina actually had one. "I remember once when this man (I think his name was Gary something) came in and asked us if he could play his violin. We said sure. So he plugged the thing right into our sound system and while he played, Shelley sang Bette Midler's "The Rose." That was the very first year we played here at Plumb Loco; it was really great." Plumb Loco owners, Georgette Schaeffer and Pat Whittier, agree that Karaoke at their bar/eatery has been pretty popular. "It's run professionally and we have a lot of fun and some really good singers," said Schaeffer. Schaeffer also had a memorable moment of her own to tell. "I remember a girl came in here one night and sang Sonny and Cher's "I Got You Babe." She sang both parts and it was funny as hell," she said. Okay, so maybe I'm starting to see why Karaoke is considered a fun night out. After I left Plumb Loco, I headed straight to the Purple Parrot (247 Rehoboth Ave.) to see what kind of reception Karaoke was getting in the Birdcage the bar upstairs at the Parrot. Michelle Gagnon hosts Karaoke every Wednesday night beginning at 10 p.m., year round, in the Birdcage. Schell(as she like to be called) told me, "It's fun because I get to spend my days on the beach with my 6-year-old son. I've been in the Birdcage for the past two years and I've spent the past six years doing Karaoke gigs." You can also catch Karaoke in the Parrot's Birdcage on Friday nights with Malik and David according to Purple Parrot Owners Hugh Fuller and Troy Roberts. Before I tell you about my next experience, I should mention that Karaoke began in the early 1970s in Japan as a means of relaxation and to draw Japanese businessmen together. I wonder if we'll ever see that as a question on "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" Saturday, August 5 If you're familiar with the Renegade Resort (4274 Highway One), you're familiar with this next Karaoke hostGladys Kravitz, a.k.a Howard Hicks. The past 6 summers, this Springfield, VA resident has been the Queen of Karaoke in the lounge at the Renegade every Saturday night starting at 10 p.m. On this particular night, Gladys was decked out in a blue and white sequined dress, cut just above the knee, a blond Marilyn Monroe-type wig and white six inch pumps. "I have two looks," Gladys told me. "Conservative/glamorous and trampy/slutty. Tonight I think I'm pretty conservative," she said. "People should come to Karaoke at the Renegade because I don't take it too seriously; it's entertainment...I'm there to have fun and I try to keep it light," Gladys said. Jokingly she continued, "I don't want people in the audience to begin slashing their wrists if people get too serious." From what I could see, people were having a great time as singer after singer stepped on stage and belted out a new tune. Gladys is very encouraging. If someone doesn't sound too great, she sings with them and as she told me, "I encourage the hot-studly boys to dance in their underwear and take their shirts off. It's all for my enjoyment of course." If you can't catch Kravitz at the Renegade, she also hosts Karaoke on Mondays at Woody's in Philadelphia, on Tuesdays at the Dupont Italian Kitchen in D.C and on Fridays at D.C.'s Badlands. I have one other Karaoke host to tell you about, and then it's off to the stage for me. Sandigirl, a.k.a. Sandi Long has been quite busy this summer. She hosts Karaoke on Sunday nights at Arena's, Monday nights at the Renegade and Thursday nights at Cloud 9 Restaurant (234 Rehoboth Ave). "My shows are very personable...I care about my singers because they're very genuine," said Long. Long has been doing Karaoke for the past four years. She said, "It's a lot of fun. When you sing you feel good in your heart." What's Karaoke all about? I think Sandigirl summed it up best when she said, "music is the window of your soul, and everybody has a little bit of soul somewhere." So there you have it, the Rehoboth Beach Karaoke scene. Have fun and don't strain your vocal cords. As NSync sings so do I, "Baby, Bye Bye Bye!" |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 10, No. 11, Aug. 11, 2000. |