Live Kareoke???

I did it for a house party once and it was a lot of fun.

Lyrics must be provided, whether it be a monitor or printed out on a music stand for the "guest" vocalist. It will also give you an opportunity to play a lot of different music and prepare a lot of songs. Have fun with it!

yeah why not. I mean a cover band is essentially live kareoke with a more permanent singer. I think it would be tough because you'd have to get a huge range of songs sounding more or less like the original recording. Plus there wouldn't be as much freedom to pass on learning songs. Like that titanic song or that Whitney Huston one where she loved her bodyguard

I've been doing a live-band karaoke gig for about a half a year now (couple of times a month Oct-Dec, and every week since January).

I was pretty skeptical going in, but it's been *way* more fun than I would have believed.

A few tips:

1. Don't expect singers to be all that familiar with the songs they pick. Mostly singers will know the tunes they pick, but some people step up to the stage without clue one. Easy-to-read lyric sheets in multiple spots (a master book, copies to circulate in the club, and a full set on stage). Big type size. Color code verse/chorus/bridge, and indicate any solos, leads, etc.

2. If the band can provide strong harmony vocals, that will help a lot.

3. Get the best musicians you can find. Not only will the gig keep you on your toes, but it really helps if the band can put some hot life back into a tune that the "singer" has nearly murdered.

4. Quickly work up as big a songbook as you can muster, and be prepared to ad lib a lot of requests.

5. When you put your songbook together, favor tunes that will keep the party going -- especially upbeat tunes that aren't entirely carried by the vocals. There are worse things than a bad karaoke singer butchering a long, slow song--but it's a short list.

6. Line up a couple of dependable subs.

theshadow2001 said:

Like that titanic song or that Whitney Huston one where she loved her bodyguard

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Hate mail? Not from me. Sounds like a lot of fun, as well as a great opportunity to work on different styles of material.

billm

I started one up lat year - houseband.co.uk (couldn't belive that wasn't taken!). I called up the best ears I knew on guitar and drums, and it's a blast. We don't gig often - but by chance we've got a gig tonight. The quality of singers we get is usually pretty impressive - 30% are REALLY god, 60% are OK. It doesn't hurt to make sure you've always got a couple of ringers on call...

You really need guys who can roll with the changes - verses get cut, solo's moved, bars dropped, and you need to know that the guys on stage with you will be right where they need to be. You've got one wild card in the mix, so you need to trust the rest. It's GREAT fun, and great expreience.

Plus No Singer's ego to deal with and three way split of cash = good money

Definatly go for it.

Ian

There's a guy around here that does something like that. He has a drum loop, plays bass pedals with his feet plays guitar and sings. He's a really phenomenal player, but the amazing thing is that he knows just about every song ever written. He's got this one man show thing that he does, but if anyone wants to get up and sing with him, he's all over it.

It's really a lot of fun. Especially if you're just in it to make a little money and have a good time. The club we play most often has Karaoke regularly and a live band once per month. They know who can sing and want to hear them sing, so we oblige them and pass around our songlist to let them choose from. We have about 150 songs on our list, so they have a pretty good variety. The karaoke singers get up with us whenever they decide, or they've had enough alcohol to lose their nervousness. What's to hate? Everybody wins!

Oh, and +1 to the money split three ways. We're a 3 piece anyway and the music actually sounds better when our guitard isn't having to try to sing and play.

it wouldn't be for me, but I can see that there are advantages - force you to learn a lot of types of songs and lyrics. it's a steady income.

Only you can decide if it's what you want to do.

logicman69 said:

The club that wants us to do it has beer really good to us over the past years.!

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WOW! Talk about Freudian slips!!!!!

Last nights gig was a blast...

It certainly is a change of pace - what do you do when the singer starts changing the lyrics on the fly, skipping lines, and making up their own timing? You follow them, and hope the rest of the band will stay with you. You really can't take it too seriously, but its hard work - you need to be listening, and ready to make something new up every second. You screw up loads - mistakes are inevitable, but no one cares.

worst part of last night: playing Sweet child of mine and I Love Rock 'n Roll twice each.

Best Part: A version of Black Velvet (Yeah - pride is not an option!) by a girl who'd never sung with a band before - she was amazing.

Close second was Ace Of Spades. We'd never played it before, and it rocked.

It's certainly not for everyone, but it is a lot of fun. You need to be able to laugh at yourself, not mind playing "classics", and listen like crazy.

Ian

Good on U! No Hate mail here........I mean U R Muso's getting a paid gig..... Just singer's who'll miss out here-luck o' the draw I'm afraid- it aint as tho Bassists, drummers, keyboardists haven't missed out B4!!!!!!!! ;-0
Hope U get to learn LOTSA new songs-even ones U cant stand!! ;-)
Good luck with it!
Let us know how it goes!