Tequila Karaoke

I’ll try to keep this post short — after all, it’s a New Year’s party, not a place to meet up every week. But New Year’s with the folks behind Totally Twisted Karaoke was too good *not* to share.

First, there was a “house concert” by the group Waiting for One, featuring Leah (the female half of Totally Twisted Karaoke) on bass and backup vocals, and her boyfriend Kelly on guitar and steel. The lead singer for the band is Wayne, who plays a mean guitar. In fact, he plays half a dozen guitars, ranging from simple acoustic (complete with random stickers) to electric to a crazy 12-string. Drummer Sean, who also rocks, rounds out the band. Their sound ranges from roots to rock, with a strong Texas flavor. Watch for Waiting for One to start percolating around the local music scene, especially now that Dallas once again has a music-oriented public radio station (91.7 KXT).

The concert was followed by fireworks. I’ve never had the guts to lay down the sort of dough it takes to bring home one of those giant boxes with a name like “MEGATRON”, but these guys know how to party. The fireworks were awesome. A happy 2010 started with a bang!

Then, it was time for Karaoke. With the small group of friends, it would have been no problem for Leah and Robert (the male half of Totally Twisted) to just use the mikes from the Waiting for One concert and start spinning Karaoke discs. But that’s not how they roll. They set up the full Karaoke experience: the light bar with twirling disco ball, at least four other rotating multi-color lights, a strobe, and their amazing four-unit laser show. How often do you see a *purple* laser? All that was set up for a house concert — no wonder my company hired them for their annual party. If they put that much work into making the experience awesome for a few friends, imagine what they’ll do for their clients!

After the jump: Putting the Tequila in Tequila Karaoke

I can’t really describe my experience in detail... I hardly ever drink, but New Year’s Eve is traditionally the one day I get utterly wasted. Even then, I haven’t partied hearty in several years, going back long before I became single. So I brought a big bottle of cheap tequila, and a good-sized bottle of El Jimador. I don’t know why I like that brand... maybe there’s something about the burnt-wood taste that reminds me of chewing on my crib as a baby, or something. It turned out to be just the thing to keep the vocal cords clear, and the mind fuzzy. That, and the rum, and the Jagermeister — liquorice-flavored liqueur that I’d never tried before.

Plus, we sang until 5 am. So details are rather fuzzy. But I did make it through some songs I’ve wanted to do for a while. Leah put me first — which seems crazy, because there were *real* singers there. I guess I’m in that sweet spot, good enough to not cause pain, not good enough to be intimidating, shameless enough to jump on stage first (even when sober). She started me with Devo’s “Whip It”, which was surprisingly rocking. Other highlights that I can remember:

* “Somewhere in the Night”, Barry Manilow — romantic and sweet, came out just like I wanted. Of course, without someone of my own, it’s bittersweet, especially when drunk.

* “That Was Yesterday”, Foreigner — seems to be a song that makes us children of the ‘80s go “wow, I remember that!” It must be because it never quite hit #1 in 1985, so it doesn’t get added to the computerized playlists. But it’s an awesome song. After singing it again at The Goat the next Sunday, I realized that I probably didn’t hit the high notes that well, or perhaps I need more vocal coaching from El Jimador.

* “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life”, from Dirty Dancing — as a solo! Leah picked it (after she’d had a few Jagermeisters, herself), so I had no idea what to do. I ended up doing the girl part in falsetto. I thought it was freakin’ amazing, but I was pretty pickled at that point.

* “I Got You, Babe” by Sonny and Cher — this one, I got to do as an actual duet, with one of Leah and Kelly’s friends (or maybe she was a relative, I can’t keep up with those things even when not inebriated). She had someone else’s ring, but it was still a lot of fun. If it weren’t such an overdone Karaoke song, I’d add it to the Master Song List.

* “Asereje”, aka “The Ketchup Song”, by Las Ketchup, in Spanish — I’ve always wanted to sing this song, but I’ve never been drunk enough to consider it. That night, I was way past that point. And the audience was right there with me. It was so much fun... depending on the room, I may just pull it out again when I *can* see straight.

* “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers”, Diamond/Streisand — Leah sang this duet with me at Top Golf on the day after Thanksgiving, and she sang it again for New Year’s. So much fun — even though she says she was pretty wasted *both* times. Speaking of Leah’s singing... she has written some awesome parodies of overdone Karaoke songs, all of which are bawdy as hell! I’ll post a link to her YouTube page when I get it. But they’re definitely going to be marked NSFW!

That duet was the last song of the night (unless I’m missing one in the haze). Or, depending on how you look at it, the first song of the morning... it was 5am, and Leah and Robert were worn out. Nobody objected, and in fact two of the guests were already passed out on the sofas. The hosts brought out air mattresses, and we slept until the sun was high in the sky.

It was a great start to 2010. I’m looking forward to a Karaoke-filled year!

Tags: Totally Twisted Karaoke