Another Sunday at The Goat
Does three times make you a regular? I didn’t think Sunday night Karaoke would even be an option, but I’ve made it to The Goat three times now — staying ’till close twice. I still plan to check out other joints whenever I can, especially on Friday and Saturday nights, but The Goat is shaping up to be my primary Karaoke spot.
Like I’ve mentioned, Carmen doesn’t have a sheaf of pre-printed request slips. If you’re lucky, you can find a few scraps of paper in the song binders. So I came prepared — I got a 3x5 notebook at the store and wrote my song requests down ahead of time. I got in early and went through her books to find as many disc numbers as I could, so all I had to do was rip off a sheet and give it to her for the next song.
I also came with a strategy: Build up to the big finish. Instead of starting out with strong songs when there’s nobody there to listen, I should save those for the end. So my first song was Devo’s “Whip It” — fun to do, even if not terribly polished. I’ve got to find a better way to come in on “Crack That Whip!” — it still sounds weak.
The strategy helped when I did the Spinners’ “Working My Way Back to You”. I probably could have done it, but it was in a crazy key again. I stumbled all over it, but it’s a good crowd at The Goat. I guess they know when a song is in the wrong key, and appreciate a good effort. And of course, I make sure to keep smiling!
I think there were some other songs I tried out before the regular crowd shuffled in (gratuitous “Piano Man” reference), but I can’t remember them... I just know that if you get there before 9, you’ll get a lot more chances to sing. After that, you’ll be lucky to get in once.
I got two chances to wow the crowd. First, I sang “Turn the Page” by Bob Seger. I think I did a passable job, and it’ll be worth doing next time I’m at a new place. One thing I tried was an idea from the New Year’s Party — toss back a shot of Tequila before going on. Except that at $3.75 a shot, I can’t afford the whole thing, so I just gently sipped about half a shot. Not sure it had the desired effect... I’ll have to make room in the budget for a full shot.
At 11:45, Carmen announced that she was full up — any song slips after that point would be “standby”. She wasn’t kidding... I don’t think I saw anyone twice between then and 2am. Well, except for one guy — he looks to be one of the professionals, with blonde hair and a ‘do that looked like a point that had been violently shifted to the side. He absolutely rocked two songs back to back. Of course, there are other professionals there, too... but I didn’t hear the slightest grumble of discontent over his double-play. This isn’t a typical drunk Karaoke crowd, after all. These people are here to unwind and have fun, but they also know a thing or two about entertainment. They’re not going to complain if one of their own gets an extra shot behind the mike.
So that left me with one more song. Flipping through my notebook before doing “Turn the Page”, I kept coming back to a song I added while paging through Carmen’s books: “Thank God I’m a Country Boy” by John Denver. It wasn’t on any of my “gotta do this one” lists, but it just seemed to fit my mood. It went without a hitch, and there were more than a couple of folks clapping along.
More highlights — and other things exposed — after the jump
Other highlights of the night:
* Carmen doesn’t normally allow a song to be done twice... especially not by the same person! But she made an exception for one sweet little old guy, who appeared to be developmentally delayed. He sang a country song early in the night, then tried to do a hip-hop song with the friends that came with him. When his turn came up again, after the crowd had arrived, he did his first song again. Of course, his efforts were warmly received, and someone even bought him a beer.
* Some places are better than others for Karaoke novices. One Nostalgia Place was perfect for me, and anyplace that Totally Twisted Karaoke is working would be great as well. But The Goat? Not so much. A sweet young lady asked me how to request a song, and I told her to write the info on a slip... and let her borrow my pen and a piece of paper. She took her request up to Carmen, who reminded her that she’d need to put her name on it as well! A bit later, Carmen called out that she didn’t have the song that she’d requested. I was looking forward to hearing the lady’s backup song, but alas — she left without singing.
* There’s a real advantage to having a Live Band backing up your Karaoke tracks, especially when you don’t have your CD-G’s pre-loaded onto a hard drive. Scratches happen. One of the early arrivals had done a few songs, and was singing “Blue Bayou” just like Linda Ronstadt — when the backing track stopped. The band played on, and she finished up without a hitch. That earned kudos from Carmen. I think it was last week that a guy sang a song without the words (dunno if there was even a CD playing). I may need to see if Carmen will let me bring in my “Pickin’ on the Dixie Chicks” tribute disc for some Original Dixie Chicks goodness?
* Early in the night, after I gave Carmen my second slip, a couple of rather hot young ladies asked me about my fanny pack. Guys don’t get to carry purses, so a pack rat like me has to make do. Apparently, they had made a bet with each other about what it would turn out I had in there. Wallet: check. Cell phone: Check. Condoms: um, er, no. “Why not,” the more outgoing one asked. “Because I’m not *that* hopeful!” I replied. Later in the night, probably after several drinks, she was dancing on the floor without her leather vest, revealing a T-Shirt cut down the side (which, in turn, revealed some things itself). Her dance partner was the double-shot singer with the rakish hair. He probably *does* have condoms.
* A couple of songs I really want to sing, but aren’t in Carmen’s stock: “Dance Little Jean” by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and “Here’s Some Love” by Tanya Tucker. Both of them make me cry when I sing them in the car, but I’ve found that (fortunately!) it’s a different world on stage. Also, she did have Badfinger’s “Baby Blue” at one point — it was still in the book — but the disc was damaged and unplayable.
I had to work the next day, even though Martin Luther King Jr. day was dawning. I write tax software for banks, so this is the busy time — no holidays, no vacations. But I stayed until they closed anyway. My son was at his grandma’s for the holiday, and I had to check an overnight computer run in the morning. With the stars in alignment, staying out until 2am was a foregone conclusion. It was well worth the missed sleep.