We’re just about set to kick off another week of karaoke fun at the Cadillac Ranch with what I’m hoping are going to be some kick-ass shows. After a couple of days off behind me, I’m ready to get back to it… and I hope that you are, too!

Let’s start with the bad news. I’ve been unable to corral management into approving our big August contest idea. That means, unfortunately, that the semi-formal night will have to wait a little while. I still plan on doing one before the holidays, but I think that it’s going to take some coordination to try and get a decent group of people together who want to dress up and really participate in the spirit of the event. The big problem we had last year when running it was that only a handful of people came dressed up and it felt quite unorganized. So… I really need your input as far as prospective dates to hold the event, rounding up a group of people to actively take part in it, and really hype it up. If you really want to see the event happen as much as I do, then please let me know what your thoughts are– let’s work together to pull off what can be a very magical night of singing and fun. Feel free to leave comments here, drop me a line at my e-mail address (nerdykj@hotmail.com), or submit ideas via the KWP Facebook Group.

The good news is that I am holding a special KWP Spot Contest on Sunday night, August 16th. The I Love the ’80s contest is exactly what you think it is: an ’80s-themed contest where you’ll have to pick a song from that decade and perform it to the best of your ability. Costumes, props, and any other theme-related extras are certainly encouraged! If there’s a song that you wish to claim early– and therefore confirm that you’ll be participating– please e-mail or text me ASAP with your song choice. Songs are on a first-come, first-served basis and no repeats will be allowed. This theme, more than most others, is pretty wide open as far as song selections with no real gender advantage. How creative and daring are you willing to be? The prize pool will be at least $50, and maybe more, depending on how many participants that we have. (That means that, if we get a decent number of people, the payouts will increase!) If there’s only one show that you can make it to this week, I’d ask that you strongly consider Sunday night’s event. If we can generate bigger crowds for these contests, I’m hoping that management will sponsor more of them! Look for full details on the contest on Thursday… but the details will only be available online; as with the last contest, I will not be mentioning it during shows this week.

Some of you have received KWP Medals of Honor recently… I’m hoping to find more of them at Target in the coming days and try to keep them on hand. What are the medals for? Well, aside from recognizing contest winners, these medals are given to singers for a variety of reasons… ranging from overcoming fear and trying to sing for the first time to singing a difficult song to pulling off other impressive karaoke feats. They’re my way of saying “Thank you” to singers who really add to the quality and value of each show by sharing their awesome talents with us. I hope that those of you who have received them so far like them; and don’t worry… you can win multiple medals!

That’s about it for this installment. Don’t forget that shows start around 8pm, and that early birds get more opportunities to shine! If you let me know that you’re coming early, or submit songs in advance via e-mail or text, I can really start shows strong! That’s where I’m hoping that the KWP Text Group will come in, which I’m looking to start up on September 2nd. We’ve got three people on the list so far… but there’s still plenty of time to submit your information and jump on board.

Some benefits of the KWP Text Group:

• Running late? You can submit a song request to me so that I can slide you into the rotation within one song of your arrival!
• When are you up? If you’re in the KWP Text Group, I can text you when you’re next in line so that you are ready to sing!
• Don’t want to fill out a slip? You can submit song requests to me and I’ll do the work for you!
• Is the weather frightful outside? Be the first to know about show status, including possible cancellations due to snow or ice.
• Want to submit show ideas, suggestions, or song additions? Text messaging is the fastest way to do it!
• Looking for feedback on your performances? I’m always happy to give gentle, but unbiased, feedback to you privately.

There are a lot of advantages to being part of the KWP Text Group, so I hope that you’ll consider sharing your information soon.

In the meantime, I’m off to get some rest to be in tip-top shape for tonight! I hope to see you at some point this week… stay cool and keep on singing!

Before I begin, I wanted to let you know that the KWP Facebook Group is continuing to grow– we’re up to 70 members now. It’s fun to note that Sarah L. was member number 69. Please keep spreading the word… I’d love to get this group into triple digits at some point. Aside from the blog here and the soon-t0-be-live KWP Text Group, the Facebook Group is a great way to keep you informed of future KWP events, including the Spot Contest we ran last night. I’ve also been noticing that the blog has been getting increasing amounts of traffic, and that’s awesome. The blog here lets me type to my heart’s content without worrying about running out of characters. Feel free to leave comments at any time regarding any of the entries, or just to chime in and let me know who’s reading!

Now, then…

Last night’s KWP show was pretty lightly-attended, but the singers who did come out were generally very talented, indeed. Here’s the roll call:

• Paul
• Veronica
• Erin M.
• Holly
• Lisa F.
• Andy D.

Needless to say, we didn’t have any problems with long waits or within the rotation itself; in fact, we got to table a few of the show changes until Wednesday.

As for the contest, here was the contestant list:

• Andy D.: Eye of the Tiger by Survivor (Rocky III)
• Holly: Mrs. Robinson by Simon & Garfunkel (The Graduate)
• Erin M.: I Believe in You and Me by Whitney Houston (The Preacher’s Wife)
• Paul: Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You by the Four Seasons (Conspiracy Theory)
• Lisa F.: Old Time Rock & Roll by Bob Seger (Risky Business)

Anyone who has seen Andy perform knows that he’s certainly exuberant in terms of his performance. He may not be vocally proficient, but he does pour himself into what he sings and his performance (which may be his last KWP event) reflected that. Holly was trying her song for the first time and had a bit of trouble finding the song’s melody; however, she sang the harmony extremely well. Erin was fantastic, especially with picking a very challenging song to sing… her pitch was damned near close to perfect throughout and I had only minor quibbles with the overall performance. Paul continues to improve with every event; he was just a few points behind the leaders and is poised to make a big splash in upcoming events. Lisa rounded out the group and, as she did during a recent Thursday night KWP show, nailed Old Time Rock & Roll.

In the end, by scoring 44 out of a possible 50 points each, Erin and Lisa each came away with $25. Both young ladies have great chops and fantastic range, and each showcased plenty of diversity with their other performances.

I can tell you at this time that we will be having another Spot Contest on Sunday night, August 16th. I don’t have all the details yet, but please keep your eye on the usual channels for more information. I will NOT be mentioning the event at this week’s shows; I want to give those of you who are using the web some exclusive information and see how well word travels. Don’t worry… even if you don’t read about KWP online, you’ll still be able to participate in any and all events; however, for those of you who do read online, you may be able to secure songs earlier and be able to practice so that you’ll be more than ready to compete. It’s going to be another $50 prize pool.

Unfortunately, I do not have any specifics for the $100 August contest event. I’ve not been able to hook up with management to clear a specific date, so we’re pretty much in a holding pattern until I can make that happen. I’ll still be running smaller events like last night and on the 16th as long as my personal finances allow, but the big contests need to be run through the proper channels. We may postpone the Semi-Formal event to next month and change the theme altogether for August since it’s going to happen later than I anticipated. I have a couple of ideas running around in my head, but once I finalize everything, you’ll be among the first to know.

I do want to thank all of you, as the new books have made it through their first week unharmed. No spills, no missing pages, no broken binders. I do ask that, if you happen to even grab a book that’s damaged or incomplete, you please bring the book to me and let me know so that we can fix it quickly instead of letting the books degrade badly like before.

That’s about it for this morning. I’m beat and am looking forward to a little R&R. I am looking forward to Wednesday night, though– I may be exhausted after each show, but running them and spending time with all of you makes it all easier! I’m continuing to meet incredible people and hear some awe-inspiring vocal talent, plus it’s special for me to hear regular singers continue to improve vocally show after show. In spite of all that’s gone on with rules changes and song bans lately, the thing that keeps me focused and wanting to always get better is your support, friendship, and love. You are what drives me and makes all of the writing, organization, and everything else more than worthwhile.

I hope you all have a good start to your week! Now, off to my weekend! Sleep… here I come!

Anyway…

I have decided that I will be running a KWP Spot Contest on Sunday night, August 9th. I’m letting my blog readers and Facebook Group members know in advance so that you have a bit of an advantage in terms of preparation. First prize will be $25, and I’ll be giving a 2nd prize of $10. I’ll go over the scoring shortly for those of you who have not competed in one of my contests before, but here’s Sunday night’s theme:

KWP At The Movies

I’m sure that you know by now that John Hughes, who had a hand in such classic movies as Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Sixteen Candles, Home Alone, The Great Outdoors, and others, died Thursday of a heart attack. His passing got me to thinking that a lot of well-known music has gone hand in hand with movies… so, for this contest, you will need to pick a song that’s from any movie soundtrack. It doesn’t necessarily have to be from an ’80s movie, although that decade was big on soundtracks. Please keep in mind that KWP rules do apply, so certain songs may be out of bounds– such as from the movie Chicago, for example. Remember the rule: No songs from Broadway musicals or Disney animated features are allowed. Of course, when you submit your contest card, I will let you know if your song choice qualifies.

The interesting thing about this contest is that we won’t be stopping the show like we usually do in order to run it. The singer rotation will continue as usual, and I’ll be announcing whether each singer is a contestant before they sing. We’ll be looking to start at around 9:30pm, so I advise coming down to the Ranch early to submit your song and to get loose. We’ll still be letting non-competing singers keep their spots in the rotation and we’ll still be working new singers in as needed.

As for scoring, below is a brief reminder of my grading system for this kind of event. Keep in mind that each score begins with 10 points and gradually decreases based on vocal errors or performance issues. Here are the categories:

• Vocals: As you’d probably guess, this category is about how good you sound. If your pitch is off, if you rush ahead or lag behind the song, or if you mess up on the words, you’ll begin to lose points here. Some ad-libbing is allowed, but I’m looking for a solid cover of a song and not a completely different interpretation. For example, if you pick Before He Cheats, I don’t expect you to rap the lyrics. See?
• Performance: Singing is only one part of the karaoke experience. The challenge in these events is to apply as much effort to your performance ability and playing to the judges and crowd as you do in getting the pitch and rhythm right. The highest scores here go to singers who use the wireless microphone to their advantage by taking the performance offstage and into the crowd, or to singers who can make the crowd and judges feel their emotions if they’re singing a ballad or even an angry song. Points may be deducted for staring at the lyrics for extended periods of time or for singers who are too static. Bonuses may be awarded here for appearance, including costumes and/or props.
• Crowd Reaction: This is the part where bringing a group of friends or family really benefits you. This score is based on how the crowd reacts to you. Is there cheering? Is the crowd paying attention to you in general, or do they become distracted quickly? If you can make the crowd love you, you can score very well here.
• Song Difficulty: How challenging was your song? More points are awarded here for riskier songs that require range or speed to pull off. For example, if you picked Tequila (from Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, which we don’t have), your score here would be very low because the song only has one word and doesn’t require much skill to pull off. Conversely, if you were to pick My Heart Will Go On (from Titanic), the difficulty is high because of Celine Dion’s range… and it’s risky if you don’t have the chops to hit those high notes. This is where some strategy always comes into play.
• Pete’s Perspective: This score is what I thought of your overall performance. Impress me, and you score well.

Each category has a maximum score of 10 points, meaning that 50 points is a perfect score.

Of course, if you have any questions about this event, feel free to drop me a line (nerdykj@hotmail.com), leave a comment here, or write something on the Wall over at the KWP Facebook Group page. I’ve not launched the KWP Text Group yet (as there are only two participants so far), so we’ll keep questions in internet format for now. Don’t forget that, if you want in on the Text Group, to send me an e-mail with your cell number so that I can add you when we’re ready to go. I’d like to have it up and running by September.

That’s it for now. I’m curious to see who (if anyone here) is planning on coming on Sunday to compete. Anyone? Please… let me know. Remember: If we get decent turnouts for these contests, we can probably run more of them!

I hope to see you all on Sunday night!

The first change is that I’m going to be changing the singer rotation system. Up until now, I’ve been working things where I keep the rotation pretty static, working in new singers after repeat singers. Management has noted that new people have to wait too long after they arrive to get a chance to sing, and this has apparently caused some grumbling. What will happen from now on is that I’ll be trying to get new singers up on stage within 3-4 songs after their song slip has been received. This inevitably will mean that singers who have sung earlier in the evening– especially those who have had more than a couple of opportunities to sing already– will be pushed back in the rotation. With this change, everyone who comes to a KWP show is virtually guaranteed an opportunity to sing once with generally short wait times. What I’m hoping to do is to get everyone on stage 2-3 times per night, on average. If you arrive earlier, like in the first hour, you’ll likely get more songs in. If you arrive later, like after 11:30pm, you’ll likely wind up getting one song in… so you’ll need to pick your best song in order to wow the crowd. In short, don’t expect to sing after the same person each time thr0ugh the rotation; things will be much more varied from now on, based on how many singers are waiting and how many times you’ve sung so far per show.

The second change is that, from now on, I’ll be accepting only one song at a time per singer. This change will make things easier for me to organize when setting a rotation and also removes the sometimes unrealistic expectation that you’ll get to sing everything on your slip. I know that this will be an adjustment for some of you, but I’m pretty sure that this change will be good for everyone. For singers, it helps you to focus on one song at a time and can be valuable in planning what song to sing at which time. For me, it’s going to easier to maintain slips and not have several songs to juggle. The rule of thumb here will be that, when it’s your turn to sing, you can bring up your next song request at that time.

These changes will be effective immediately. I don’t think that they’ll affect the flow of the show too much, and hopefully the goal of shorter wait times for new singers will mean that more singers will want to get involved. If I can stick with my goal of having everyone sing three times per night, everyone gets their fair time in the spotlight. As the show gets busier and we enter the cooler months, the goal may be reduced to twice per night. Much like Starstruck, however, being busy and singing only twice (or three times) each show means that you’ll want to pick your best tracks to impress the crowd with.

Keep in mind, too, that there will be slower nights on occasion– which means more chances to sing. Although we’ve had generally busy nights lately, you never know when we’re going to have a more subdued evening unless you come down (or read my Facebook status). If you’re part of the KWP Text Group, I can also field questions about how long the wait is, how busy the bar is, and so on. If you’ve not sent along your cell number via e-mail (nerdykj@hotmail.com) or given it to me privately, I encourage you to do so in order to quickly convey show information back and forth. I’m also contemplating setting up a Twitter feed for the show, but I’d like feedback from you as to whether you use Twitter and whether you believe that it would be a worthwhile thing. Please remember that, if you join the KWP Text Group, standard text messaging rates will apply… so if you can only get limited messages each month, let me know so that I can be discriminate as to how many messages I send to you. Ideally, the KWP Text Group can serve as a way to find out when you’re singing, ask about certain songs, be informed about any show cancellations or changes, and more… but in order for it to be successful, we need you.

That’s about it for now. I saw so many great people over the last two shows… my thanks go out to:

• Group A(wesome), including Sarah, Aja, Regina, and Ayanna
• Lisa F. and Sue
• Celina
• Jay
• Rachel
• Paul
• Marsha
• Rick D.
• Jess
• Shawn
• Ashley
• Average Mark
• Vitamin D
• Lisa B. and Stylin’ Joe
• Krystal
• Jenn (who celebrated a birthday with us Wednesday night)
• Audrey
• King George
• Michelle
• …and anyone else I missed!

I’ll be back at the Ranch on Sunday night at 8pm. In the meantime, be sure to check me out on Facebook if you haven’t already done so… or check out the KWP Facebook Group. Have a great weekend, everyone!

• Carry your ID: There has apparently been a rash of underage persons at the Ranch lately, so staff has been directed to conduct frequent ID checks. For most of you, this shouldn’t be a big deal… as long as you’re 21 or over. Unfortunately, KWP is not an all-ages show, so if you’re not 21 yet– as much as it sucks– I need to ask you to please not come to the Ranch. Believe me, I’d love it if I could run an all-ages event, but the Ranch is not the proper venue for that. For those of you who are of age, please keep your ID with you at all times; don’t leave it at home, or in the car, or elsewhere. I know this sounds like common sense, but I’d like to make sure that we’re all on the same page here in order to avoid any potential problems.
• Microphone control: For at least some of you, handling a microphone is an unfamiliar thing. The general tendency when holding a microphone is to hold it considerably far away from your mouth when singing… but I’m here to ask that you change that tendency and hold the microphone close to your mouth when singing, in general. Please let me handle adjusting the volume if you’re too loud. It’s much easier for me to lower your volume than it is to raise it since feedback can result from turning a microphone up too much. For the best result, I ask that you trust me– at least, as far as this is concerned. The only time that you should establish greater distance between your mouth and the microphone is if you’re singing high notes or screaming or yelling (as some rock songs require).
• Keep those requests and suggestions coming: As many of you know, I’ve been working hard to find requested songs that aren’t in the Ranch collection of music. I’ll be continuing to do this as long as the requests keep coming, although I will admit that fulfilling those requests can take time based on my cash position at the time of request since I’m paying for the songs out of pocket. Some songs will come with on-screen lyrics while others require me to print a lyrics sheet for you. While not having the words on-screen can be a trying experience, it’s also the closest thing to really performing in front of a crowd. I encourage you to learn lyrics by practice so that you can forget the screen altogether and really deliver awesome performances. Feel free to submit song requests via e-mail (nerdykj@hotmail.com) or via a Wall Post on the KWP Facebook Group.

That’s it for now, but I hope to see many of you as soon as tonight. Have a Terrific Thursday, everyone!

It’s been a little while since I’ve updated here. I’d like to have updated more, but things have been super-busy between shows and weddings– and I simply haven’t had a few good minutes with which to spend on writing something here. Now that I am taking a quick breather as my weekend is finally upon me, I wanted to catch you up on what’s been going on and where the KWP show is headed.

The good news is that recent shows have been hosting a nice mix of new and recurring talent. The August 2nd show alone showcased plenty of new singers, including Laura, Tara, Alyssa, Sarah, Aja, Regina, Maria, and Janet. Adding new people to our core of familiar singers is a big goal of mine, and I believe that we’re showing signs of success here. Some new singers came due to word-of-mouth, while others just kind of dropped on in. Although meeting lots of new people tends to stretch me in several different directions, it’s one of the things about this job that I love. Please… keep spreading the word about the show to friends, family, and co-workers. With three shows per week, there’s plenty of room for new singers and established ones.

Another piece of good news is that we just got our updated karaoke books in. That’s right: No more speculating on what songs may or may not be in the computer– save for my own personal stash, of course. This means that, most likely, if a song is not in the book… then we don’t have it yet. If we don’t have it, by all means, continue to use the usual channels like the Facebook Group or Fan Page– or you can e-mail me (nerdykj@hotmail.com) your lists– as I’m continually adding special songs all the time based on requests. Thanks to Angus for his hard work in turning out the updated books. Here’s hoping they last awhile before getting torn apart.

Before moving on, I do want to thank our recurring singers and visitors for continuing to support the show while transitioning has been taking place. King George continues his regular visits on Wednesday and Thursday nights, and he’s been joined by growing legend Vitamin D (Dan). Thursday night regular (and immensely talented singer) Lisa dropped by on Sunday night, although her singing partner Sue was not with her. Paul has been a staunch participant in shows for months now, sometimes making all three shows each week. Each of the shows seems to be establishing its own identity, so each night tends to be somewhat different. All of you who have been coming to shows with any kind of regularity add a lot to each show that you visit, and that’s a truly awesome thing.

Now then, onto new stuff:

The first thing to address is the August contest. I still want to do an ’80s theme… but the date is a bit up in the air right now as I need to get approval from management to make it happen without any confusion on the Ranch’s end of things. That being said, I welcome your vote as to which day: Sunday (8/16), Wednesday (8/19), or Thursday (8/20). Please pick the date that you know that you can attend; I’d like to really pack the house for this event. I’m going to shoot for the same prize structure as last month’s event: $60 for first place, $30 for second place, and $10 for third. Once I get feedback from you, I’ll run the date by management and get things set up. I’m still thinking about doing the semi-formal piece for this contest, but if not, remember that appearance does factor into your score (as part of the Stage Presence grade)… so dressing up or costumes can only help.

Secondly, I’d like to point something out when it comes to your performances. I’ve noticed recently that some singers are putting too much faith in the screen for prompts as to their rhythm or when to sing. This is not always a good idea because there are times when the transfer of the graphics and lyrics on-screen from CD to computer causes the words to fill in erratically. Andy D., for example, had been struggling with Billy Joel’s She’s Always A Woman. His problem was that he was sticking hard and fast with the on-screen lyrics and not listening to the music for cues and proper rhythm. The best advice I can give is to use the words only as a guide and instead sing along with song like you would in the shower or in your car. As long as you know your song– and most of you do– you’ll be fine. I promise!

Lastly, I’d like to let everyone know that I’m going to be setting up a KWP Text List. This list will get text messages from me with show information within, including:

• Show cancellations (especially due to bad weather)
• Contest info (including $25 “Spot Contests”)
• Notifications including where you are in the rotation (if you’re attending that night) and when any music that you request becomes available.

If you’re interested in knowing more or in getting on that list, please e-mail me (nerdykj@hotmail.com) with any questions or to send along your number to be added. Remember that standard text messaging rates do apply and that no voice phone calls will be accepted at my number.

I’m also considering setting up a Twitter Feed for the KWP Show, but I’m curious first as to whether any of you have Twitter accounts of your own and how often you use Twitter. Feel free to add a comment here to let me know.

And… that’s it for now. Have a great start to your week, and I hope to see you at the Ranch sometime soon!

I have to say that I’m thrilled with the turnout that I’ve seen over the last two nights. Thanks to all of you for your support; I have admittedly been worried about the future of the show, regardless of format, but I’ve been blessed with not only a great mix of new and returning singers… but I’ve also been the recipent of some very kind words from many people who have been at all involved with the show in its three-year history. While it’s not always an easy job, working as the karaoke host at the Ranch has easily been my favorite job of all– and that’s thanks in large part to getting to meet and get to know so many of you. My aim is to make you feel special and part of the show… but it’s you who have made me feel special and– dare I say it– even a bit popular. So… from the bottom of my heart… thank you all for everything you’ve done and continue to do to make me feel so special.

I was going to run a contest last night, but things were busy enough that the event never happened. Sarah, our co-winner from Wednesday night’s KWP show, has requested that we run something on Sunday night. We’ll certainly keep it in mind, as long as I have a bit of cash left over from the weekend. I’ve been receiving some early signs that Sunday night’s show could be another well-attended one… so I do hope that between the possible contest and knowing that we could be pretty busy, you will consider coming out to the Ranch on Sunday night and closing out your weekend with us.

We did have a deep rotation of singers last night, ranging from show regulars like Paul and King George to new singers like Cherie and Brad. Andy D. made a brief two-song stop again last night, although there was no bear in tow. It was great seeing (and hearing) Celina again, and Jay got to try out Jason Mraz’s I’m Yours, which he requested not too long ago. Other singers included Colleen, Average (Mr. 226) Mark, Joe, Bob, Becky, Amanda, Andrew, Ed, Rick D.,Jason P., and a few others whose names are escaping me as I type this at 6am. We celebrated a couple of birthdays as well, and we’re looking forward to ringing in Audrey’s birthday this coming Wednesday night.

So… that’s it for now. I hope that you have a great weekend; feel free to drop me a line and let me know where and when you sang this weekend, should you be hitting up a karaoke show or two. I might even be out and about later tonight as a spectator, rather than a KJ… but I don’t know where I may go. I’m giving that one some thought as I get ready for a few hours’ sleep.

Before I go, I wanted to let you know that we’re now at 63 members in our Facebook Group! That’s an incredible number, considering that we just opened the group five days ago. Please keep checking back there for up-to-the-minute KWP info and song additions, and thanks for continuing to spread the word about the group and our blog here.

Look for the next blog entry to drop sometime on Monday. Until then… keep on singin’!

Aside from the new song rules, I really didn’t have to alter the singing rotation all that much, and that’s due in large part to all of the singers changing up their song requests and making them varied. We did have a few periods of consecutive slower songs, but all in all, there was a nice mix of music. Vitamin D and King George spearheaded the country music selections, I provided the rock, and new singers like Mariah and Sarah showcased their versatility. Audrey, who first came to the Ranch for Sunday’s show, also demonstrated a command of musical variety. Gersh and Diane made their return after several weeks away and Jess and Josh impressed the crowd with their vocal talents.

The contest was a bit unique in that it was an “opt-in” event, meaning that I kept the same singer rotation and asked each singer as I called them on stage whether they wished to compete or not. It worked pretty well, actually, and all of the contestants sang very well. In fact, it was impossible to pick one winner… so Vitamin D (who sang Me Neither) and Sarah (who sang Heartache Tonight) split the $25 prize. King George finished just behind them, followed by Karaoke Kouple Lisa and Stylin’ Joe. I might run another event tonight; stay tuned for that potential announcement.

It’s nice to see that I started a bit of a trend… Stylin’ Joe and Lisa have been playing their own version of my 1-2-3 game, where the singer picks a number (1=easy, 2=moderate, 3=crazy hard) and then the other person picks a song at random, based on the difficulty chosen. Joe got his comeuppance last night for sticking Lisa with Salt & Pepa’s Shoop last week; Lisa surprised him with Aerosmith’s Dude Looks Like a Lady, which drew “ooh”s and “aah”s from the crowd. To his credit, Joe sung it pretty well. Lisa wound up getting Amy Grant’s Baby Baby. While you certainly don’t have to do this, involving a friend or significant other to play this kind of game with you can be quite fun and the results can be rather amusing. I’m always willing to moderate and pick songs for you, should you wish to play this kind of game… just let me know whenh you bring me your slip.

No show recap is complete without mentioning Andy D. On Wednesday night, Andy made a surprise visit to KWP– usually, he attends our Sunday shows. Andy didn’t come alone, either… he brought a tiny teddy bear with him that he brought home from his recent trip to San Francisco. As it turns out, the bear is a female. Dawn, our Wednesday bartender, was given the 4-1-1 on the brown stuffed bear cub from Andy as the bear was ordering drinks from the bar.

That’s right. THE BEAR WAS ORDERING DRINKS.

See, when you miss a KWP show, you never know what kinds of craziness you’re going to miss out on. Come on… what other show has a drinks-ordering teddy bear? Indeed, the whole bear experience was one of those that you just had to be there for.

Our KWP Facebook Group is up to 59 members! This is an excellent start… I wonder how high we can go? If you don’t yet have a Facebook account (not that I’m shilling for them), I do recommend getting one. It’s a great way to stay in touch, and being a part of the KWP Group enables me to share info about the show with everyone all at once. I try not to send a bunch of spam from the group, either, such as Event Invites; you’ll only get those for major contests and other special events. Also, in addition to the Group, there’s also a KWP Fan Page that does pretty much the same thing, but it has some slightly different functionalities. It looks as though I’ll be splitting time between the blog here and the Facebook Group, but some of you may like the Fan Page. Be sure to let me know what you think!

Before I close out this entry, allow me to thank our singers from last night:

• Gersh
• Diane
• King George
• Audrey
• Paul
• Vitamin D (Dan)
• Mariah
• Jess
• Josh
• Drew
• Dawn
• Sarah
• Average Mark (Mr. 226)

We’ll be doing it all again tonight at 8pm. As for now, though… the sun is coming up, which means this nerdy KJ needs his rest. See ya!

I’m spending this afternoon scouting around for new music sites to try and continue to expand our library. I’ve been pretty successful at locating songs that many of you have been looking for, so I hope that you’ll keep those requests coming along. I’ve been adding a few things for myself, too, but that shouldn’t surprise anyone. To me, it’s always nice to try out new things or songs that I never really knew if I could sing or not. Admittedly, it is challenging when you have to use a lyrics sheet– rather than using the TV screen– but I think that it also helps me to memorize the words a little better. One of the reasons that I’ve never gone the “band” route is that on-screen lyrics have become a giant crutch for me over the years… so, without the words, I’m pretty much lost.

My search for medals today came up painfully short. I did a few possibilities, but they a little too expensive for me at this point. I’d really like to find something in order to bring back singer recognition… but it’s taking a but more work than I thought it would. If anyone reading this has any ideas, please let me know.

For those of you coming out to my show tonight, Dawn is tending bar and Brook is serving… which is pretty much the norm for Wednesday nights. New songs that I bought today are:

• Looking Through Your Eyes – LeeAnn Rimes (requested by Jess)
• Best Days of Your Life – Kellie Pickler* (requested by Sue A.)
• I’m Yours – Jason Mraz (requested by Jay)
• Coffee & TV – Blur*
• Hole Hearted – Extreme (This is the Sound Choice version…much better than the one we have now)
• Diary of Jane – Breaking Benjamin*
• Pieces – Dark New Day*
• At Last – Etta James (Finally.. a good version of the original! Lyrics sheet only.)
• Beyonce – Single Ladies (Lyrics sheet only.)
• Saving Abel – Addicted (Lyrics sheet only.)
• Careless Whisper – Seether*
• Hypnotize – System of a Down*
• Hold The Line – Toto
• In The Air Tonight – Phil Collins

(NOTE: The * denotes that I’m attempting to convert the on-screen lyrics for the karaoke computer. Lyrics sheets are also available.)

In other karaoke news, I’m excited for my buddy David, who’s hosting a show of his own at Angelo’s on Main in West Hartford tonight, starting at 9pm. He’s a multi-talented guy who has a knack for performing and being in the spotlight. I know that he’s running at the same time that I am, but for those of you who may not be big fans of the new format and are looking for a fun karaoke destination tonight, I recommend stopping in to see David. Also, as I mentioned before, I’d like this blog to be about karaoke in the area– not just about my show. The more people that go to karaoke, the better it is for all of us who run events.

That’s about it from here for today… it’s time to get ready and then make the trip to the Ranch. Don’t hesitate to drop me a line at nerdykj@hotmail.com to let me know about your song requests, karaoke exploits, or just to say hello. You can also join me and 54 others over at the KWP Facebook Group, which is continuing to grow every day.

I’ll drop by tomorrow and fill you in on tonight’s event and how things went. No matter where you end up tonight, remember: Keep on singing!

I also wish to thank many of you for your compliments and kind words about me. I’ve been touched by the outpouring of good things that have been said. With as stressful as this job can be sometimes, I still love what I do. Up to now, I’ve thrown conventional karaoke show wisdom to the wind and just tried facilitate a good time for everyone– myself included. I’ve been to a ton of shows in my lifetime, and I didn’t want mine to be anything like theirs. I’ve taken chances, I’ve said some questionable things, and I’ve made decisions that sometimes have come back to haunt me… but I try to learn from my failings and really do try to run the best show that I can. This will become a bit more of a challenge now, with the new changes, but I vow to continue learning and adapting to try and make the KWP show as fun as Anything Goes Karaoke ever was. You have my word.

Having said that, here are a few quick things for you:

I’m still accepting song requests and am also more than happy to run songs from your USB flash drive, if you’ve bought songs on your own. I’ve included links to both of the sites that I use here on the blog page, under the Karaoke Music heading. Karaoke Version tends to be more recent, but not all of their music has words (via a Windows Media, or .wmv, file). If you can only find an .mp3 file, that’s OK… but you’ll need to either print a lyrics cheat sheet or have the words memorized. The Karaoke Channel has karaoke tracks from Sound Choice, a company who has been producing karaoke music for a long time and generally does a great job. The Karaoke Channel is also cheaper than Karaoke Version… but the library is not as diverse, in my opinion. If you’re looking for a song, please use my nerdykj@hotmail.com e-mail address or you can leave a note on the wall of the KWP Facebook Group.

I’m still going to be running contests, hopefully about once a month. Management has asked that I schedule these contests with them ahead of time, so I won’t be announcing anything until I’ve received the go-ahead from the powers that be. This is not to say, however, that I won’t be putting on “spot contests”– which are spur-of-the-moment $25 events that I think may be appropriate given the crowd makeup and size. Basically: If there’s a decent crowd, and as long as I have the cash to pay out, I’m more apt to run something on the spot. I’m also still brainstorming new ideas for singer awards, so stay tuned for that. If you have any thoughts on what I can do for these awards that is relatively inexpensive, please drop me a line or comment and share it with me.

Lastly, I wanted to mention something about our microphones and how you sound. While the main microphone (the one with the silver head) is pretty good, both mics still need a bit of singer adjustment in order to generate great sound. The first piece of advice that I’d like to share is that it’s rare to sing too loud. There are a few vocalists (like Denise, Cameron, and Noelle) that already project well– many others tend to be almost afraid to sing loudly. DON’T BE. I have the ability to alter the microphone volume if you sing too loud. What I always suggest to my singers is to not just sing to the crowd at the top bar… but to quite literally sing out to the truckers zooming by on I-84 behind the Ranch. If you’re ever concerned with volume, look to me and I can give you visual cues as to how I think you sound. Also… for higher notes and strong passages, don’t be afraid to pull the mic away from you a bit to counteract anything too strong-sounding. These adjustments may take a bit of getting used to, but I csan almost guarantee that, once you master them, your sound will go from awesome to incredible!

That’s about all I have today. Please keep spreading the word as we continue to build a nice karaoke community here in the Greater Hartford / Springfield area. Even if you aren’t able to come to KWP shows, we can still talk about performances, songs, and other karaoke topics. That, my friends, is the master plan.

Have a great Tuesday, everyone!