My Time at Karaoke is Over

I've been not wanting to write this post because it's a bit painful to make.

It's more than just me not hosting it anymore, which is for some good reasons. It's also a matter of no matter how hard I try I can't find that Karaoke home anymore.

Last year I took some trips to LA, Vegas, and DC. In all three cities I couldn't find a suitable karaoke place. Maybe I need to look harder in LA, but still. There are of course some Eastern style places, but nothing like that dive bar crowd vibe.

The reason I initially started going

When I was 19 or so, one of my coworkers and their friend would go to Karaoke, and one night they brought me (you could be under 21 at the time, just of course no drinking which was perfectly fine with me).

After they brought me, and I pushed myself to sing more in front of people. I was still nervous for quite some time, but it was thrilling.

At the time I was living on my own, and while I didn't have a car. I wanted to learn how to sing. I would always sing on my way to work, and also on my way to karaoke. So the habit was there, but I needed to be on stage to hear the difference. How to control my volume, air control, and projection. Not to mention stage presence.

I would walk to and from Karaoke, which was about 45 min each way.

Over the first half of the decade I was going religiously, 3-4 nights a week (including another bar), and trying to sing as much as possible. There was this flame I could feel when singing, and I would often say "singing is one of the only times I feel something".

What got me coming back

Between the friends I made, and the new songs I got to try.

The people at the bar were more than friendly, and some I would spend time with over the decade of me going there. I'd known them longer than a lot of people even.

Eventually things changed, a new DJ took over, which happened to be my friend. One of the original two that brought me there initially, which made things quite fun. As I got a bit older I think I got a bit bored of going, even despite it being my friend now running it.

Part of why I kept going was that search for the flame again. I'm not sure if it is adaptation to the skill of singing, which I still need to improve, but I've certainly gotten alot better. Thus the challenge and FLOW is no longer there.

Thus I would try harder and harder songs, songs I could belt out, and anything I felt would challenge me or embarrass me. Such as singing more feminine songs like from Britney Spears or Celine Dion.

Eventually around quarantine/covid time I was asked to be a sub for my friend as DJ, and I loved the idea. Bit apprehensive to turn my "third place" into a place of work, but at the time I was getting bored of going anyways.

Over the last many years since then I have run karaoke a couple hundred times or so, even if he may not want to admit it haha. Even on holidays like Thanksgiving and New Years. Which were interesting experiences.

The events that caused me to stop hosting

Okay well I'm probably not going to be able to put in every detail here, but I'll try.

First and foremost I came in at the start of Summer 2025, and someone besides my friend was running karaoke. Now he did say he wanted to step back a bit, but it totally seemed that it was ways off in the future.

When I asked about this new person doing it, they had said they took over on 2 nights of the week out of 3. However as the DJ who ran the most times after my friend, as in I was next in line.

I should have been asked, let alone EVEN TOLD, that this was happening. I left fuming at the blatant disrespect, and lack of communication.

Over the next two months I tried to get over it, and at least go as a regular again to sing. However more and more me and the regulars were not enjoying the change. As the new guy lacked that stage presence a DJ is supposed to have, and sounded monotone.

Even worse the person keeps the microphones so low, that they basically fade out, and you can't even hear anyone singing. Not just yourself, but anyone.

Towards the middle of Summer I got a message from the bar owner, asking if I would be willing to take over Fri and Sat nights, the nights that this guy was doing, as a bartender would be leaving. Thus he wanted to move the guy who took my job, and have me take over.

Me thinking this would be a good way to fix the standing tension, and I could use the income. I was still salty at this point mind you, but I bit my tongue and stepped up to the plate for them.

Not a day later, the job offer got taken back, as the person didn't want to move. Fine. But that should have been figured out before asking me.

After all this, there is not much of a point to even think about going there. It is not fun anymore, and the vibe is gone.

While there are other bars...

I don't think that same feeling will come back. I started going because of my love of singing. I mean I have musicians on both sides of my family after all.

The future output for that part of me is simply going to be 🎶 PolyInnovator Music.

I need to find a way to create music, covers, and sing more.

Maybe hopefully one day I'll find another place to sing with friends and family out there. Certainly not in Como, but perhaps in another city around the world.

Here are the songs I would sing:

• Lion King - Circle of Life
• Elton John's version of Can You Feel the Love Tonight
• Most Queen songs tbh.
• S.O.B.
• Macklemore - Downtown
• Kygo - Higher Love
• Bruno Mars: Just the way you are, It will rain, grenade, Talking to the Moon, etc
• Celine Dion - It's all coming back to me now
• Come get your love
• Journey Faithfully
• I believe in a thing called love
• Goldfinger 99 Red balloons

And many many more.