Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, January 19, 1995 TAG: 9501190073
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CHRIS HENSON
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
However, Christie Carroll, now on stage, just might be. She holds the mike like a pro, looks directly at her Blueberry Hill Lounge audience and belts out a convincing "Me and Bobby McGee." Never mind that she's being accompanied by a CD player, or that a trip to the Bahamas is on the line. She's singing - and if there is a tomorrow, she doesn't care.
Meanwhile, Curtiss thumbs through a book that lists thousands of familiar tunes. He won't find a song he'll be comfortable singing in front of strangers - not tonight.
Singing is a steady attraction at some very popular spots that give you the opportunity to tempt stardom - via a karaoke machine. Karaoke (pronounced ``carry-okie'') is a Japanese word apparently meaning "I sing worse than you do."
"It combines live music with a DJ and also appeals to people's egos," says Dickie Dickson, manager of Blueberry Hill at 5301 Williamson Road.
Karaoke is a way a bar can have live music - tunes by the Stones, Janis Joplin, Frank Sinatra, Clint Black and Pearl Jam, all on one night. And best of all, the bar doesn't have to pay for a band.
You, the customer, work up the courage to stand on stage and sing a popular song. A DJ provides the background music, and you're off.
Dan Haner supplies special CDs that work with a computer that scrolls the lyrics to the song on a television screen. That's a TelePrompTer. (If the president isn't ashamed to use one why should you be?)
"It makes people more comfortable," says Haner. "I've got about 2,000 songs, so everybody can find something they like."
Indeed, at a recent visit to Karaoke Night at Donnie's Cue and Brew in Salem I heard one young man sing the following trilogy: "All My Rowdy Friends are Coming Over," "Coward of the County" and "Whoomp - There It Is!"
Blueberry Hill is a haven of classic rock 'n' roll. Many a retro-phile has found his or her thrill at the '50s- and '60s-themed restaurant. Go in any night and people are dancing to the music we now call ``oldies.'' There's a collective gasp of nostalgic recognition as each new song starts. And then the twisting continues.
And they'll dance to anything - shamelessly. Tonight, a Wednesday, for instance, it's ``Don't Bring Me Down.''
But the real floor thumper is that darned ``Electric Slide.'' It just won't die. And why should it? There are more than 30 people doing the popular line dance, with few major collisions.
At the stroke of midnight, however, Haner cranks up the big Karaoke Contest, the main attraction. People have been signing up all night to try their tonsils on a beloved ballad or some cowboy croonery.
The prize is worth almost any amount of humiliation - a trip for two to the Bahamas.
Haner and a friend decide to warm up the crowd of about 70-plus people (on a Wednesday night!) with a rendition of that Ray Stevens chestnut "The Streak." North Carolinians Robin Hagy and Wardy Thomas hit the floor and fall into a flat-footin' frenzy.
Why flat-foot to "The Streak," a song about running naked through the produce section? "Because you can't two-step it," Hagy says.
Now that the karaoke palate is cleansed the contestants take to the stage.
And some are mighty darned good.
Christie Carroll sings with contagious enthusiasm. There is an "applause" sign at the ready, but it isn't needed. Her voice is warmly appreciated.
Later, contestant number four, Marty, gets Hagy and Thomas two-steppin' for real with "I Like My Women on the Trashy Side." He sings with such sincerity that you really believe he does.
Marty is followed by Tony Scott, who performs a bawdy version of "Stroke It."
Then it's time for the judging. The contestants are lined up, and a winner is chosen by a show of applause. But tonight there is a tie between Tony and Christie. This spells a "sing-off."
For the intermission Judy Gevrekian shows off her award-winning karaoke talents in a proud version of "My Way." Her performance is climactic, smooth and calculated. She is already a finalist for the championship on Jan. 25 at Blueberry Hill.
To the winner goes the trip.
Gevrekian is calm about it. "Sure, I think I stand a chance," she says. "We all do. There are some great voices in town - good competition."
Not surprisingly, Tony Scott performs "Super Freak" for his sing-off. His voice exhibits all the testosterone of the original version.
But it is Christie Carroll and her awe-inspiring rendition of a modern-rocker "What's Up" that wins the crowd over. She'll be in the finals.
"If I win I don't know what I'll do," says Carroll who is a hostess at the Olive Garden. "I'm afraid of flying."
After winning she sits with all the other contestants. "This is my karaoke family," she says. "We've sung in all the places in town that will have us."
Here's where and when to join them:
C C's Lounge, Thompson Memorial Drive in Salem, on Friday nights.
Friday and Saturday nights at Donnie's Cue and Brew on Main Street, Salem
Cheers on Virginia 419 every Wednesday.
The Coffee Pot on Brambleton Avenue each Thursday.
And, of course, midnight Wednesday at Blueberry Hill on Williamson Road.
by CNB