on the cover / By Joel Hartse and Reagan Nail

7 Days of Karaoke

An epic journey to the heart of the Humboldt scene

(June 28, 2007)  If you’re like us, these questions plague you: What is it about karaoke — singing other people’s songs, often badly — that brings tons of people to bars every night all over the country? Who are these people, what exactly do they do and why do they do it?

And most importantly, is it physically possible to sing karaoke in the course of seven consecutive nights and live to tell the tale?

Joel Hartse. Photo by Sarah Heng Hartse.

GALLERY >

We can’t say we have all the answers, but if you’re curious, read on.

TUESDAY: CHER-AE HEIGHTS CASINO, TRINIDAD

We arrived early to Cher-Ae Heights’ Firewater Lounge for karaoke with G-Money, and although the crowd was thin there was no shortage of singers — many of whom, like Cammi Cain, are also employees at the casino. “I changed my schedule so I could go,” Cain said.

Bartenders told us that people tend to crowd in around 11 p.m., but those who really want to sing come early so they can perform as many times as possible . One regular told us G-Money has a tendency to put his friends on stage before others, especially when the bar gets busy. (The friends disagree.)

G-Money has an impressive karaoke set-up: a stellar sound system, thousands of songs to choose from, a plethora of microphones for group sing-alongs and a variety of props (read: Bon Jovi wig). Usually, karaoke hosts only have two microphones, one of which never works, and outdated song lists. G-Money, though, provides a solid singing experience, even if he isn’t the greatest singer.

Although some trained singers think they are above singing karaoke, other musicians enjoy practicing their repertoire live. Joel, a drummer, put his reservations aside and did a passionate performance of the White Stripes’ “Fell in Love with a Girl,” complete with rock and roll stance and an Elvis-like leg shake. “I was really nervous.” Joel said afterward, holding up his fingers which quivered with adrenaline tremors. “Look at my hand. It’s still shaking!” Reagan, a singer-songwriter with a crystal-clear voice, took the opportunity to break out into classic ’80s butt-rock.

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