Brad here.
Turnbaby asked me to write a guest post about our recent karaoke experiences around town.
We've been to three venues. We're like Little Red Riding Hood, in that we have been testing each one out to see which one is
just right for us.
The first venue was a popular sports bar with no stage and no one really paid attention to the singers. Meh.
The second venue takes its karaoke much more seriously and has a little stage, but it's the bar at which I am most likely to be shanked for looking at someone the wrong way.
Then we found the third venue, a bowling alley. And it was
just right.
We've spent the last two Friday nights there. We are in danger of becoming regulars. They start at 9:30 and run till about 1:00 or so. There is a good sized stage to sing on, a large selection of music, and they even have a little dance floor.
We've actually gotten several compliments from the regulars about our singing. Turnbaby is the good singer, I just (usually) know which songs to sing that I won't screw up too much.
Good choices: Soul Man, Sweet Caroline, Only The Good Die Young, Play That Funky Music
Bad choices: Life In The Fast Lane, Leather and Lace, anything by Prince
A lot of the fun on Friday nights lies in the people watching. There is the Tim McGraw lookalike who seems to be the main house singer because he gets more turns at the mic than anyone else.
There is the Kid Rock lookalike who resembles a freshly-released convict that chooses odd songs like The Lion Sleeps Tonight. It's oddly compelling to watch (what we imagine to be) a convicted felon sing strange songs such as that.
The first time we were there we saw a Wally Cox lookalike as well as a Gay Jesus lookalike, but they weren't there this past weekend.
Who
was there both weeks was 80's Hair and his (maybe) girlfriend Gum Girl. They are the most uncomfortable couple ever. He knows everyone and works the room and sings often, and she mostly stares at the TV screen behind the bar, her back to the stage, and works her gum until you swear her jaw is about to dislocate.
The place seems to be a popular choice for celebratory events. The first time we visited there was a birthday party group assembled in the bar, and this past weekend there was a baby shower in full swing. We noticed the mother-to-be, I might add, both smoking and drinking. Hello birth defects!
And there is the inevitable sorority girl clique that seems to always show up at these venues, slumming with the locals.
In all seriousness though, it makes me feel good to see that The Eleventh Frame is all about inclusion. The atmosphere is definitely slanted toward the rednecky (that's a word, right?) yet there seems to be a regular gay contingent that feels very much at home, as do the frequent African American patrons. It's a big karaoke melting pot!
If any of you ever come visit us, we will probably drag you there. So start practicing now.
She made me send these here smooches and gropes;-)
