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Who sets the general mood and tone at a Karaoke Show?
Poll ended at Wed Jul 16, 2014 5:30 am
The KJ 22%  22%  [ 7 ]
The Singers 13%  13%  [ 4 ]
A combination of both KJ and Singers 66%  66%  [ 21 ]
Total votes : 32
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 02, 2014 5:30 am 
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Since this came up in one of the other discussion threads, I thought I would start a Poll to see what everyone believes. It would be nice to hear your opinions on this, so please explain why you believe one thing or the other.

If you are a KJ, feel free to discuss what you do at your show/s to elaborate on your answers.

If you are a Singer, feel free to discuss who you perceive sets the mood for the show, and how that came about.


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PostPosted: Wed Jul 02, 2014 6:03 am 
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I have seen where it's been a combination of both Singer and KJ setting the mood for the night, but for the most part, I'm leaning towards the Singer over the KJ. I believe that the Singers set the mood and tone of the show during the night by what they choose to sing. Some nights, everything can be very upbeat, and you have both Singers and Non-Singers dancing and partying. Other nights, can be somewhat quiet or low energy because you may have a lot of people singing your typical ballads and standards (from artists such as Frank Sinatra, Neil Diamond, Whitney Houston, and even Elvis Presley).

Although the KJ is running the show, IMO, he/she can't really control what each Singer wants to sing. There have been many times I have seen a KJ post in this Forum that, "Last night was Ballad Hell." Yes, the KJ can sometimes nudge one of the Regulars to submit something else to alter the mood in the place and liven things up, but the Singers are not always willing to comply. Sometimes the KJ may be going through that "Ballad Hell Night," and try to shake things up a bit by taking a DJ Break to get people up on the (proverbial) Dance Floor, in the hopes that the next few Singers will change their song selections to keep that mood going, but that doesn't always work. Sometimes the KJ does have some leeway when he/she gets several Singers who hand up multiple song-request slips (for those KJs who still use song-request slips (such as me), and who don't enforce a "Sing One Bring One" rule). Then, the KJ can sometimes choose to juggle around the order of what those people will sing on their next turn (unless they specifically indicated the order of what they want to sing).

I believe that, for the most part, the Singer will choose what they are in the mood to sing regardless of what others may be singing, and not because of it. As for me personally (as a Singer), I sometimes gauge the Audience and their general reactions/responses to what others are singing. Based on that, I sometimes will go up to the KJ and have him/her change my next song. But that's just me. Not all Singers are like that. Some just want to get up and have their 2 to 11 minutes (short to long song) of fame.

There are too many variables involved where I don't believe the KJ can take an active part in altering. There are your Divas (not meant in any derogatory way) who want to perform something powerful, then there are your Divas who just want to perform anything to entertain the crowds. You have your "One Song Wonders" who will ONLY sing the same 2 or 3 songs every time they show up. You have your lousy Singers and then you have your great Singers. Sometimes you will even get a Singer that will surprise you. I once met somebody who rocked the entire place when he sang "American Pie." When I called him up, my only thought was, "Oh NO! Not THAT SONG!" To my surprise, EVERYONE was up on the floor dancing and swaying to the beat, and this guy was PHENOMENAL!!!


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PostPosted: Wed Jul 02, 2014 9:51 am 
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I am leaning more to the singers as well. But the venue has a lot to do with it. If I am playing a VFW it will more than likely be older country songs. If I am close to the university campus it will be newer pop, rock and hip hop songs. Near downtown will be a much more mixed crowd so anything goes. So I think the venue has a lot of influence on what you will be playing.


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PostPosted: Wed Jul 02, 2014 10:50 am 
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Both........

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PostPosted: Wed Jul 02, 2014 10:57 am 
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Of your choices - both.

But I think the venue .. it's location, staff, menu, décor, cleanliness etc. has the most to do with it.


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PostPosted: Wed Jul 02, 2014 7:56 pm 
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Robin Dean wrote:
Of your choices - both.

But I think the venue .. it's location, staff, menu, décor, cleanliness etc. has the most to do with it.
The way I see that, the Venue and what they have to offer (with regard to food, drinks, prices, staff, cleanliness, decor, etc...) is just an attribute that gets the people to (want to) go there. All of those factors you mentioned could be a factor in keeping or losing the crowd, but I don't see that as a mood setter during the Karaoke Show.

Kuelman1 wrote:
But the venue has a lot to do with it. If I am playing a VFW it will more than likely be older country songs. If I am close to the university campus it will be newer pop, rock and hip hop songs. Near downtown will be a much more mixed crowd so anything goes.
That just supports my claim about the Singers setting the mood. If it's a young crowd that hangs out at the place, then the chances are very high that newer pop, rock and hip hop songs will be sung there by the Singers. If it's a VFW place (with a 50's Plus crowd, chances are you will be seeing a lot of the oldies and standards (Country music might be a regional thing). But again, the Singers are setting the mood, based on the clientele that frequents the establishment.


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PostPosted: Wed Jul 02, 2014 10:28 pm 
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Nope, it's the host. Keep everyone in an energized and upbeat mood with mic work, filler music, and interaction, and they won't be singing "buzz kills ".

Sit-especially in a booth ( being "accessable " is not the same as interacting) and suck energy from the show....well, low energy tracks ensue...

For those with MEDICAL reasons to sit, no hit. Anyone else....time to re -evaluate.

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PostPosted: Wed Jul 02, 2014 11:06 pm 
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JoeChartreuse wrote:
Nope, it's the host. Keep everyone in an energized and upbeat mood with mic work, filler music, and interaction, and they won't be singing "buzz kills ".


When you refer to "Mic Work" to keep everyone energized, are you referring to how you announce people up to the stage? Are you doing some type of monolog or routine in between singers?

As far as filler music goes, IMO, most of the people waiting to sing don't pay much attention to the filler music in between the Singers. Most of the people waiting to sing just want to get up on the (proverbial) stage to have their turn. Now, the rest of the crowd (the ones who say they will never get up to sing) might be listening to the KJ's filler music, and some will get up and dance if the KJ does little DJ breaks at different intervals between singers or at a fixed time for 2 or 3 songs. At some places, a DJ break may be a drawback, and at others, they turn out to be highly successful. I don't think we need to get into the drawbacks or successes of this, as they have been discussed in many other past topic threads. Let's just say that this method (DJ Breaks) will or will not work for a KJ depending on many factors, some being outside of the control of a KJ. Now, as for the KJ using a DJ Break to change the mood of the show (transforming "Buzz Kill" songs to "High Energy" songs), I've seen that both work and fail. Sometimes, the Singers (or at least the Regulars) will "step up to the plate" to keep that "High Energy" going (thanks to the KJ), and I have also seen the singers go right back to their "Regularly Scheduled Program" (through no fault of the KJ) once the other people got off the Dance Floor and the Karaoke resumed.

I agree that interaction with the crowd does play an important part for any KJ, but that only goes so far. The KJ might be able to sweet talk a Singer into changing their song selections, but then again, the KJ will also find there are some people who will insist upon singing whatever they want to sing when they want to sing it (on their turn, of course). To me, the KJ's interaction with everyone is a VERY IMPORTANT FACTOR in coaxing them to return again on the next Karaoke night.


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PostPosted: Thu Jul 03, 2014 1:46 am 
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A kj can only do so much. If the singers are into doing ballads and nothing will change their minds (I have had this happen on occasion - Ballad Hell!), then that is what happens. The singers ARE partly responsible for the tone of the night - most nights if the singers are hearing too many slow or down beat songs, some will automatically change their song, often you can ask a singer to change to something more upbeat & usually they will oblige - but there will always be those handful of nights that nothing a kj does will work. A kj can try to interject with an upbeat song or a short dance break (line dances are usually good) to try to get people on the right track, but it does not always work. I don't care how good you are.

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PostPosted: Thu Jul 03, 2014 4:09 am 
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Even as a singer, I still have to vote that the KJ sets the general mood, if only because of the verbiage. Singers can alter the mood set by the KJ, but that moment at the beginning of the night when karaoke starts--that's what sets the mood.

As a singer, I can see what kind of night is in store by paying attention to the first five minutes, where the host sound checks, introduces, and sings a song. Over time, certain crowds will gravitate towards certain hosts if there are enough karaoke options in the area. There might be a three person overlap in crowds here between two local bars that are roughly a mile away from each other. One bar has the younger crowd, the other has the older crowd. They aren't in direct competition (younger crowd: Wednesdays; older crowd: Thursday - Saturday), and yet the overlap is minimal.

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I guarantee you that I can come to any karaoke show with 3 buddies of mine and we can change the whole show.

4 Ballads in a row
or
4 Rockers in a row
or
4 Rap/Hip-Hop in a row
or.....

you see my point.

Of course I am the kind of KJ that will suggest that a singer do something else and tell them exactly why - "We need to keep it up beat". It is one of the very few instances where I will toy with the rotation to ensure things don't get out of control.

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PostPosted: Thu Jul 03, 2014 1:23 pm 
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I do the same thing Chris. Fortunately I have several regulars that will rise to the occasion when called on. Sometimes it is just asking, and sometimes a little "You do that song really well and we could really use it right now", boom, instant song change. Yes, I am guilty a small adjustments of the rotation for the good of the crowd.


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Considering that most singers who go out regularly have a favorite KJ, and that KJ changes in a venue can make or break karaoke night, I have to say that the KJ sets the general mood for the show simply by the singers the KJ attracts. A KJ by his or her own actions and habits can set the mood tonight for many shows to come.

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PostPosted: Thu Jul 03, 2014 6:13 pm 
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The crowd makes the show.
The crowd IS the show.
Of course, a good host is able to help bring out the singers, but it's the power-to-the-people aspect that makes it so interesting.


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PostPosted: Fri Jul 04, 2014 2:44 am 
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Earthling, a very good post and valid point. different way of looking at it.

Jasaoke, that is more along the lines of how i view it.

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Jasaoke wrote:
The crowd makes the show.
The crowd IS the show.
And the crowd can kill the show My addition not Jasaoke's
Of course, a good host is able to help bring out the singers, but it's the power-to-the-people aspect that makes it so interesting.


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PostPosted: Sat Jul 05, 2014 12:37 pm 
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it's the KJ, all day

we KJs don't wanna believe it. but we have all the power in the world. like, how humans only use 10% of our brains, as KJs, we only use 10% of our full power. lol

if i had a dollar for every time someone came up to me after a show and shook my hand and thanked me for a fun night, i'd actually have a savings account. before, i never understood why folks came up to me after a show to thank me. i'd say to myself, "what'd i do but just babysit these damn drunks?"

but we do everything. um, i know and i don't know what folks mean by ballad hell. i guess i really rely on my filler songs. i try to find the best filler song that hits the reset button if i have to. it's a great manipulator, the filler song--i know if i play a particular song, someone will have the idea to sing something because i played a particular filler song.

you gotta say it's the kj. otherwise who's in charge of your shows? geez, when none of your singers show up, what do yall do if you think the singers have a hand in it? not to be mean or sound like an (@$%&#!). i don't rely on my regular singers for nada. i come in my shows like i'm alone and i gotta start from scratch.

i used to not think much of myself as a kj. nowadays, i try to force folks to respect me and respect it. regulars come up to me and whine and say "but i'm a regular, you can't treat me like that." i volley with "i'm a regular, too. i'm regularly here too. so GTFOH with your whining." seriously. you gotta say no to people especially divas everyonce in awhile. right outta the blue. sure, they'll boycott and snitch to the managers but by then you're good with the managers who will hopefully have your back. put the smackdown on divas and whiners everyonce in awhile.

we KJs set everything. you can hit the reset button on your show anytime. multiple times during the night. hell, sometimes, i start off the night with the wobble or cupid shuffle. i love flexing my power. i'll start off the night with the hottest song out or whatever just to push myself and not give myself a crutch. like, premature ejaculation, i'll bust my best song at the start of the night just to set the pace. every show is a restart button for me.

ballad hell? what i do is mix up the rotation. f*ck 'em. i'll go boy, girl, boy, girl to switch it up. men & women sing different songs, you'll mix it up. ballad hell, i'm putting in a filler song to knock that out. rammstein's song "du hast" lol. i'll use gentle sense of humor to switch up the night. announce i'll buy a shot to whoever gets us outta this ballad hell. there's so much we can do as kjs, it's limitless, to me. i'll warn the crowd if they continue in ballad hell, i'm playing ballad hell filler songs.

to me it's not even close. KJs rule. i came in as a kj to flex our power. i'd sit in the audience and wonder to myself, why doesn't the kj do this or why doesn't the kj play that. i told myself if i was a KJ all the crazy things i'd try just for kicks because i've never seen anyone do it or think of it. like i'll tell the singers, write down on the back of your slip what song you want me to play as you come up to the mic and i'll play it. so you have your own theme music.

and i do all this for myself. i don't kid myself. filler songs please me. what i do as a KJ pleases me, not the audience. they're on my ride. the venue pays me not the regulars. so it's my show. and i do it to make me happy.

KJs rule and I'll be a KJ foreverrrrrrrrrrr


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Product 19 wrote:
it's the KJ, all day

we KJs don't wanna believe it. but we have all the power in the world. like, how humans only use 10% of our brains, as KJs, we only use 10% of our full power. lol


Debunked - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_percent_of_brain_myth

Product 19 wrote:
if i had a dollar for every time someone came up to me after a show and shook my hand and thanked me for a fun night, i'd actually have a savings account.


Unless you sang every song for 4-5 hours, the singers had some part in it.

Product 19 wrote:
you gotta say it's the kj. otherwise who's in charge of your shows? geez, when none of your singers show up, what do yall do if you think the singers have a hand in it?


If no one shows up, there is no one to tell you you did an awesome job.

Do you find your job easier in a bar of 10 people? Or a bar of 75? I will take the 75 every time and the mood will almost always take care of itself too. I find it much more difficult to set and control mood in smaller venues.

Product 19 wrote:
i used to not think much of myself as a kj. nowadays, i try to force folks to respect me and respect it.


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Courtesy of Hugh McLeod....

Product 19 wrote:
we KJs set everything. you can hit the reset button on your show anytime. multiple times during the night. hell, sometimes, i start off the night with the wobble or cupid shuffle. i love flexing my power.


Where do you host? I will show you the power of the singers. :)

Product 19 wrote:
ballad hell? what i do is mix up the rotation. f*ck 'em. i'll go boy, girl, boy, girl to switch it up. men & women sing different songs, you'll mix it up.


There is only so much toying with the rotation that a KJ can do before they get a reputation as being unfair or playing favorites. I too will make small adjustments to my rotation to prevent ballad hell, but that is about it. I let the rest just flow. The best way to truly prevent ballad hell is to simply remove ballads from your books. I know of places that do that. They run great, up beat shows that I enjoy going to. But just so happens I am a ballad guy so I still prefer to go to places where I can sing a mushy love song now and then.

Product 19 wrote:
to me it's not even close. KJs rule. i came in as a kj to flex our power. i'd sit in the audience and wonder to myself, why doesn't the kj do this or why doesn't the kj play that. i told myself if i was a KJ all the crazy things i'd try just for kicks because i've never seen anyone do it or think of it. like i'll tell the singers, write down on the back of your slip what song you want me to play as you come up to the mic and i'll play it. so you have your own theme music.


There as many types of KJ's as there are colors in the rainbow. The ones that became KJ's for the simple fact that they think they can do it better than everyone else don't, in my observance, last very long. Simply because what they think is better as a singer is actually worse as a karaoke host.

For example - 99% of the singers that think "War Pigs" will be so totally friggin' awesome to sing and the audience will love.....are wrong.

Taking that mentality to the KJ booth will make for a short lived career.

Oh....and hearing the "Theme from Rocky" every time I come to the stage would turn even me off. No one wants to hear that week after week after week.

Product 19 wrote:
and i do all this for myself. i don't kid myself. filler songs please me. what i do as a KJ pleases me, not the audience. they're on my ride. the venue pays me not the regulars. so it's my show. and i do it to make me happy.


Up to this point I have enjoyed your posts. You started some conversations and broke up some of the monotony. Maybe what you typed doesn't properly convey what you mean or maybe I am just reading it the wrong way, but I expect the above quote to result in some less than flattering commentary.

I don't kid myself about what my real job is - Bring people to the venue, get them to stay, get them to spend money. If I don't do those 3 things with consistency, I am out of a job. There is no room for "It's all about me".

Everything I do MUST please the audience because they actually are the ones that pay my fee - If they aren't happy, they don't come back, cash stops flowing, I am out of work.

Sure, I indulge myself on occasion...maybe even for a the greater part of an evening. But I can't do what I want, when I want, all the time, or....I am out of a job.

Product 19 wrote:
KJs rule and I'll be a KJ foreverrrrrrrrrrr


I will take that bet.... :)

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PostPosted: Sat Jul 05, 2014 2:39 pm 
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first of all, i deeply respect everybody here. bar none. anyone who KJs is a hero of mine no matter what your show is like or what you think of me. i tip my hat to all.

i'm sure i sound like an (@$%&#!) sometimes or whatever, but i'll toss things out to get folks thinking differently because i see karaoke in a bit of a different prism and i'm trying to push folks to glance at it too

and i agree that KJs who think they can do it better than everyone else don't last long. i hope i wasn't saying that i thought i could do it better. my philosophy on KJs have always been: why aren't they doing THIS, or why aren't they doing THAT not because it's better, it may not be. by why aren't they doing it?

like i was training a KJ and she was floored when the first song i played was the cupid shuffle and she was like why are you playing that now why don't you wait? i was like because it's my show. there's no rules that says i have to wait for anything. i do it because i can. and i saw the lightbulb go off in her head. and i was like, there you go! even if it fails, take the reins in, it's your show for 3-4 hours. if it doesn't get you kicked out, go for it.

with my style of karaoke, which i'm sure isn't unique, i feel i create a lot of new singers from scratch. so i don't rely on regulars. and i try to tell them that. a KJ who walks in and plays the cupid shuffle or the wobble in his first song even though nobody dances will get your attention. either that KJ is crazy, a fool, or a genius. i'm gonna push the envelopes for KJs not because i think i'm better, no way, i'm the cat sitting in the audience screaming why don't you KJs do something out of the script. it's like we're hosts of a late night tv show, man. not everybody gets this chance so run with it.

it's such an honor to be able to host karaoke to me. that i'm the guy. i'm the party. i'm in control. so, i'm gonna push the envelope and experiment. life's too short.

yes, as a guy who does trivia, i know the 10% brain thing is just a myth, but don't rely too much on wikipedia, lol. but i appreciate you pointing that out.

again, i can't underline it enough. i love all my KJs and if i ever offend one, charge the head not the heart. i just want us all to be the force of havoc that we should all be.

just because i'll ask folks to write their theme song on the back of a slip doesn't mean i do it every show or that it's a guarantee that i'll play it. i'll poke fun of 'em and play a different artist or whatever. i don't always do it. i'll bait & switch my singers on a dime.

the it's all about me thing is real. i came across that recently. it's maybe a writer thing. i go to writer retreats and they fill you with so many eye-opening philosophies. one of 'em is, when you write, who are you writing to? that blew me away. as in, not in the audience you're writing to, but when you write, the style you write in, who are you talking to? and i realize, i'm writing to my parents. i don't want to. but i feel, when i write seriously, i'm talking to my parents. not in a bad way. they're alive, but i write to them like mom, dad, did you know this, did you know that? once i realized that, i became a better writer.

so i asked myself, when i do my shows, who is it for? it can't be for the audience in general. it's always specific. and i realize, i do it for me. we all do. everybody's selfish to some sort of degree. we just have to admit it. once you admit your show is for you, or you realize who specifically your show is for, you can relax and really love it, die for it and give your all to it. and wanna do everything for it. are my shows always the greatest? nope. but they're my shows. and i'm proud of each one.

this was a great question that was posted. the music i play as fillers are for me. if i asked every audience member to supply a filler song, then i'd be playing for them. nope, i choose the songs i wanna play. if i wanna mess with the rotation, i'll mess with it. so what if i'm branded whatever, sometimes? every once in awhile you gotta shake things up. i stay true to the rotation, but as we all know, you can't please everybody. saying my show is for me it's not a braggart talking. it's someone who loves being a KJ enough that I love every one of my shows, good or bad, i take the responsibility.

i love all my KJs because i know our struggle. but no KJ should say anything but the KJ rules. no singers, no venue gets credit, in my book, those can be excuses. it's tough. when i don't have enough folks, i blame myself. it could be the venue, not enough promotion, who cares, it's on me, i say. that's why i always experiment and hit the reset button. i blame myself for everything that goes right and wrong.

i'll end with this. about 3 years ago, for about a month, for some unknown reason all of the 3-4 venues i worked at (which i'm still at) folks broke into applause when i walked into the room. just walked into the room not even started the karaoke yet. none of these audiences know each other. bartenders, waitresses, crowd, broke into applause and whistles for 10-15 seconds and called my name. when it first happened i didn't even realize it was for me. and God knows why it all started and ended at the same time. i didn't even feel i was at the top of my game, or that my shows were even that great. as soon as it started it ended at all 3 venues. it weirded me out for sure. and embarrassed me deeply especially for folks in the room who had no idea why people were clapping for me. but i started to realize that i'm getting the credit for this. so, i can't ever give credit to singers or the venue or whatever. KJs rule. and my show ain't that great. i'm sure sound-wise i'm off, technically wise, i'm off, etc. until i see folks break out for applause for a good singer that walks into the room before karaoke, then i'll give credit to singers. ha.


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PostPosted: Sat Jul 05, 2014 7:52 pm 
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Product 19 wrote:
if i had a dollar for every time someone came up to me after a show and shook my hand and thanked me for a fun night, i'd actually have a savings account. before, i never understood why folks came up to me after a show to thank me. i'd say to myself, "what'd i do but just babysit these damn drunks?"
I look at this in a different way. I have had people come up to me many times to thank me for their having a fun night. Why did they have a fun night? Because I paid attention to them. I took the time to answer their questions. I helped them look through the song books to pick out what they wanted to sing. I got them up to the stage in proper order. I got their song selections queued up and ready for them to sing. I readjusted the Mic and other settings to make them sound as good and clear as possible. I got the crowd to give them their due recognition.

Maybe I'm just not seeing that as a Mood Setter. I'm just seeing that as doing what I'm supposed to do so that THEY can have fun.


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