Karaoke Review 12-28

Not much to report.

KK’s new earphones.

I’m on the phone with KK, who is enjoying his gift from our Secret Santa exchange this past weekend.   He’d asked for a pair of good quality in-ear earphones, & gotten the Denon AH-C351Ks.

KK’s music collection is basically all mp3s.   He subscribes to the message in the XKCD.com comic regarding the limitations of DRM-locked media.   From where I stand (next to my full 3′ x 5′ CD rack), I wonder why someone with ears as trained as Keith’s would want to use good earphones to listen to compressed crap.   I’d think that good equipment would only make more obvious the flaws in the sound quality.

If She Knew What She Wants

I want to know who taught Susanna Hoffs to do that side-to-side eye thing when she sings.

Winter Wonderland.

Karaoke Review 12-21

Mele singing one of my favorite songs of all time.

The last Sunday before Christmas.

At 9:30 it was just me, T, & one of our several-year regulars who doesn’t sing.   Christmas season is always tough on bars because everyone is either too tired after fighting the mobs at Ala Moana & planning Christmas party potlucks, or broke.   Or both.

(plug) Myself, I shopped at Starrcandy, owned & operated by one of our rocker singer gals, & the goods are of excellent quality.   The only thing is it’s mostly kids clothes.   But it’s awesome kid clothes. (end plug)

I thought it was going to be a dead Sunday, which was preferable to last Sunday.   And then 2 white chicks walked in & I heard one tell the other that her friends were just here last week.

What Lauren Is Listening To Right Now.

I like my life.  =)

Karaoke Review 12-14

It’s a little scary.

It’s like that time a certain Honolulu Advertiser writer took it upon himself – completely uninvited – to write a raving review of our rock karaoke selection & the friendly, forgiving atmosphere.   Where you could sing badly & everyone would still love you.   He must not have come in on a Sunday night.

Suddenly, hordes of bad singers who wanted to ROCK started bombarding the bar.   Our pleasant group of laid back regulars, many of whom had made their home at our place because their ears were quite functional – got pushed out on the weekends, scared away by hand waving, mic cupping, dancing, screaming strangers.

Dar Williams’ “Comfortably Numb”

I never thought anyone would ever be able to cover this song. Or, I never thought someone would cover this song & that I would like it.  

It’s not just the staggered Tori Amosesque vocals or the surprising harmonies.   She gives the song an entirely new attitude while remaining true to the melody with only minor changes in phrasing.   I’m not sure this is an improvement, but the mere fact that it goes over quite smoothly — that the little voice (ok, the big voice) in my head isn’t screaming heresy — is impressive.

Parties.

Oh, Nostalgia.

For The Love Of God, Why?

I tolerate a lot of things in life — the current economic recession, the short-sightedness in national politics, New York Yankee fans — but this takes things too far.  What no-talent hack producer pitched this crap to Hillary Duff?  How did the record label get permission from Depeche Mode to allow Personal Jesus to get butt-raped like this?  When did Satan saunter up from the underworld to claim Hillary Duff’s soul as stated in the contract between the Whorrey Netherworld and the Walt Disney Corporation?  I would say this is a sign of the Apocalypse, but it’s just the state of popular music these days.  I weep for the future.