Singers Pounce on the Cat Club

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Many people do not know that the Cat Club does Karaoke every Wednesday night, from 9pm to 2am. It's hosted by Bruce Rogers, one of the nicest people you'll ever meet in a nightclub. Along with Bruce there is the awesome and lovely bartender Rachel, who really knows her drinks. The combination of Rachel, Bruce, and the Cat Club sound system form the perfect storm for singing out loud.

 For those of you wanting to get a head start on the evening, you can access Bruce's song list online and write down the songs you want to sing before leaving for the club. Speaking from personal experience, and I've been here many times for Karaoke, Cat Club is one of the best places to hang out on a Wednesday night. The bar staff is very welcoming and you'll feel right at home singing here your first time out. Plus, your song lyrics are displayed on the large screen, making for some great sing along's. And with the powerful sound system, your voice will never get drowned out.

Who sang what?

Let's see... Jan and I sang "Wonderwall" by Oasis; Jenner and Kym sang a something from Lady Gaga but I can't remember the name of the song; Steve sang "Fantasy" from EW&F; Patrick sang The Beatles "Imagine;" Jade and Randy performed a rap song together. Bartender Rachel was feeling under the weather and did not sing. There were many singers of all skill levels, and everyone was equally supported by the friendly, encouraging crowd.

In Conclusion

Everyone can be a star at the Cat Club, even if it is only for one evening. Come early, have a few drinks, sing lots, go home happy. Remember, it's every Wednesday starting at 9pm. Best part is it's Hump Day and nearly the weekend. So sleep when you're dead. And if you hang out until 2am... well, do find out for yourself. You won't be sorry you did!

Singing in the Dark at Dalva

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Some bars turn their lights way down low, and then there is Dalva. And somewhere way in the back lurking in the shadows you'll find a unusual group of nocturnals singing, sometimes screaming, while playing faux guitars. Yes, this is Dalva's Sunday Karaoke, hosted by the man who invented the combination song request slip and business card, KJ Paul.

Reviewers on Yelp gave Dalva four stars, impressive for any bar in The Mission. It also seems to be one of the cleanest neighborhood bars in The City. Well, at least it smells that way, which goes a long way in my book. KJ Paul is a pretty clean smelling guy and has integrated himself well there. ;-)

If you love singing Rock, then you're in good hands. Paul has an great collection of Rock in his songbook. From Alice in Chains to Temple of the Dog, Paul's got it. And if you can't find a song in the songbook, just ask Paul to find it for you for the next time.

Get yourself a drink and settle in. Before you know it, your eyes will adjust to the cavern like darkness which, by the way, lends itself well to karaoke. It seems to lower people's inhibitions, allowing them to sing with more emotion and power. Some people will testify to this phenomenon.

Or perhaps Lyndsey was swooning to Scott's rendition of "She Talks to Angels" by The Black Crowes? :-) Have you ever of dreamed of being in a Rock band, but don't play an instrument? Well, you can start a faux rock band here, complete with a real audience to back you up.

With that in mind, are you ready to sing your ass off at Dalva?

500 at 5:00

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Sundays from 5pm to 9pm is when Karaoke and the 500 Club in San Francisco merge to become the spot for some late afternoon crooning. Hosted by the truly funny and talented Glenny Kravitz Karaokeshark, it is a great place to either or ramp up or wind down one's Sunday evening.

Certainly the 500 staff--Clare, Emily, and Olaf (forgive me if I've misspelled your name, dude)--are the prototype bar peeps any bar owner would be proud to employ. I mean, these guys are really freakin' cool! The crowds in that little bar sometimes make it an SRO affair, but all is handled in stride, by them truly. Cheap, yet strong drinks are par for the course there, so you'll get your money's worth. Plus, you'll have enough money left over to shower KJ Glenny with tips, leaving him sparkling clean and smelling fresh.

How it works

Find a song from the songbook, then write down the song and your name on the sign-up sheet on the table next to the Karaokeshark, then wait for your name to be called. It gets pretty loud in the bar at times so really listen for you name in between songs.

There were many good singers tonight, from Claudia to Clare, Scott to Spalding, Nancy to Ash Wednesday.

The funniest performance of the night was Glenn singing Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror." Unfortunately, the camera I used could not recharge the flash fast enough to catch all the funny moments of Glenn's MJ rendition, but if you want a good laugh, ask him to sing it for you sometime. Glenn, you're one funny M#th@f*ck#a!

Another Round of Applause at Encore!

Friday, April 9, 2010

Friday nights at Encore Karaoke Lounge are crazy, and I mean that in a good way. There is a reason people flock to this place other than the cheap drinks. One look at the Karaoke song book and it's easy to see why it's a popular place to sing; An extensive list of songs from every genre to suit any style of singer.

As with any bar, there are a number of douche bags present. But that's par for the course on a Friday night almost anywhere, isn't it?

My friends and I met there at 8PM. I was the first to arrive, and thanks to the online songbook search tool, I found three songs to sing even before I left my house! My first song was "Man In The Box," by Alice in Chains. This I do not recommend as a warm up song unless you just want to go big! My friend Claudia showed up a few minutes later and nailed "Superstar," from The Carpenters. Scott, Suzanne, John and Becca, arrived next. Suzanne belted out Aerosmith's "Dream On." Scott sang... I'm not sure if Scott sang. As you can see from the photo below, he was too busy being Scott!

From that point on, the rotation grew steadily until the wait time was more than one hour. Becca had just killed Aretha Franklin's "Respect." By now, we had sung two songs each and it was past midnight. I had just finished my last song and thought it might take too long to sing again. Yet low and behold, the crowd had quickly thinned to where it was possible to sing again within thirty minutes. Unfortunately, by then my friends and I had were ready to call it a night, so no more singing for Mr. Ash!