How to Become Famous - or Infamous - at a Karaoke Bar ;-)

I love my favorite karaoke bar Terry's State Street Saloon and my friends who are "regulars" there! We have literally become a bit of a family over there. Some of the customers could be classified as "famous" while others are more deserving of the title "infamous". I think the following list of amusing observations sets these two types of customers apart (yes, it is quite subjective and all based on my own opinion, for entertainment purposes only!):

* Famous customers have an awesome voice, but even if they don't, they sing great songs, try their best - and what's more important, have a fantastic attitude!

* Infamous customers choose songs most people don't like, sing off key, don't care whether they do and quit halfway through the song, even if the KDJ tries his hardest to back them up...

* Famous customers may have a few drinks to get in the mood and relax their vocal cords. They do a good job singing no matter if they are sober or a little tipsy. They get into the music and convey the meaning of songs in their performance.

* Infamous customers get horribly drunk before approaching the stage, either slurr the lyrics, sing the wrong lyrics, or miss a lot of the lyrics, though intently staring at the karaoke screen. They often stumble around and mess with the KDJ who struggles to protect his equipment from the drunk singer.

* Famous customers have a song card or put their song requests in early. They wait their turn in the song rotation, perform well and tip the KDJ AFTERward or buy him a drink as a "thank you", if they can afford it.

* Infamous customers put their song requests in late, complain about having to wait their turn, try to bribe the KDJ to move them up in the rotation with offers of sexual favors or by putting money into the tip jar PRIOR to the performance, then steal the money back when the rotation is too big to allow them to still sing that night. They often make a scene and stomp off...

This all stems from real life experiences. Be "famous"! :-)

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Getting My Voice Back...

I used to work in a call center for almost 8 years, and my voice has been a mandatory asset in any job I have held so far. I also always loved to sing. However, back when I was a child, I caught a virus that caused my first case of laryngitis. Laryngitis affects your vocal cords and makes you lose your voice for several days, if not longer. It seems like I have been susceptible to inflamed vocal cords ever since, especially when I happen to get a cold. Recently I picked up a new hobby, karaoke. Well, in the beginning I was a little shy and didn't strain my vocal cords very much, but my new confidence often makes me sing all out 3 nights a week these days. My vocal cords thank me with a hoarse voice by Monday morning. Then the work begins. After all, I want my singing voice back by the next weekend lol.

I have tried many known remedies, some more and some less effective.

Some methods:

Drinking lots of water.
Water keeps you hydrated and keeping you vocal cords moist is essential to retaining their function.

Anti-inflammatories.
Anti-inflammatories as contained in many pain killers and cold remedies like Theraflu will indeed reduce inflammation of the vocal cords and sore throat pain.

Honey. 
Honey is a natural antibiotic and healing agent that will also soothe the vocal cords. I usually let a spoonful slowly melt down my throat and add it to teas and milk.

Herbal Teas. 
There are many teas that will soothe and shield the vocal cords. Some of the best ones are slippery elm bark, liquorice root and marshmallow root tea, due to their ability to coat the vocal cords. Other ones are honeysuckle flower and ginger tea. An old tea recipe made from lemon juice, apple cider vinegar and cayenne pepper, sweetened with honey is also said to work well.

Steam. 
A hot shower with inhalation of steam from the water will moisten and soothe vocal cords.

Gargling hard alcohol. 
This is something that was recommended to me, but is to be used with caution. Apart from the fact that you don't want to be horribly drunk when you sing, alcohol can adversely affect the vocal cords when you are dealing with virus-caused laryngitis. However, the short-term effect of gargling hard alcohol is the ability to numb your vocal cords and temporarily improve their use.

Non-use of your voice. 
Like a doctur put it to me bluntly when I was a kid with a first time occurrence of laryngitis, "you just need to shut up for a while!" This is probably the hardest thing to do, but resting your voice is very important!

Reflexology.
This method amazed me quite a bit, as it appears to be very effective. It basically consists of massaging a pressure point located on the top of your foot, right above the area between the big toe and pointer toe periodically throughout the day. The 2nd diagram on this page shows where it is located (46).

Click here for more home remedies you can try.

Stage Fright.....Just a Symptom of Something Else

I used to be really shy... so shy that I would not easily walk up to people to talk, or make friends easily. I remember a time when my American (now Ex-) husband asked me to call the Air Force base in Germany to inquire about something (I am a German-American citizen). I was so afraid to make a mistake speaking English that he had to push me so hard to do it that I broke out in tears...
Later, in America, I had a hard time bringing up the courage to apply for jobs, but I slowly became a little more confident and started working part-time and interacting with people more. Eventually I got into retail management and sales, then another position as a manufacturing technician making microchips. I took on great responsibility, working with engineering and saving my company thousands of Dollars, preventing manufacturing defects, that would not have been discovered otherwise, and suggesting process improvements. Unfortunately, that company went out of business. I needed to look for something else, and one day, my former spouse drove me to a local call center to apply there. I ended up working in that call center for almost 8 years and I became a much more confident people person. Still, it wasn't quite the confident person I am today.

Stage fright had always been an issue for me. I love to sing, and not bad either, and I love to share opinions and advice, but getting in front of people to speak or sing, scared the living daylights out of me. I still get very nervous. I found that it's not because of the people, or necessarily the information or song being presented, not even the fear of making mistakes, but the fear of rejection!

Just a couple of weeks ago, I agreed to join friends in going to a karaoke bar. My friends know I love to sing, and that I am at least somewhat talented. I finally I came to the conclusion that it doesn't matter, if other people like what you have to say or what you want to present. It does, however, matter what you think of yourself, and whether you can overcome your own insecurities! Being able to go out there and be yourself, carry yourself well and look people in the eyes creates such a sense of freedom! What's even more interesting, is that once I got over my fear of rejection, I no longer sang halfheartedly, but out loud and with passion! I sounded SO much better! LOL When I made a mistake with the lyrics, I started laughing and just kept going. People joined me in singing, and the crowd cheered. Most of all I cheered inside! I no longer felt that I would be rejected, regardless of whether I made mistakes. I made it happen, not the crowd!

And life is the same way. We have to take action and MAKE things happen - and not let things happen TO us! We have to take that leap of faith! I once heard a saying: "God pushes us to the edge, to see how strong we are. And sometimes he pushes us over the edge, just so we see that we can soar like an eagle!" It is so true! A lot of times it's the fear of fear. We are worried based on the assumption that we might fail. But we may not fail at all! The only wrong step is the one you don't take. Don't let fear hold you back!

Shorty's Karaoke at Terry's State Street Saloon in Boise

Last weekend, a girlfriend of mine invited me to join her and other friends at Terry's State Street Saloon in Boise. I had a blast! The atmosphere was loaded with fun and the music was great, ranging from hip hop, pop, rock and alternative to country. KDJ Shorty is a riot, to say the least! He engages the audience like no other and sings karaoke like there is no tomorrow! If you're shy up on stage, he makes sure you feel as comfortable as possible and even assists with backup vocals.
There is no such thing as being bored at Terry's! If you don't want to sing, you can play pool on 2 tables or have a drink at the bar. The Swedish bartender Shel makes great drinks and is also fun to talk to, I noticed! My verdict: BEST place to be hanging with friends and singing karaoke Friday, Saturday and Monday!!! ;)

Shorty's Karaoke takes place 7 nights a week from 9pm-2am.
Terry's State Street Saloon is located at 3301 Collister Drive, Boise, Idaho