Bivens
Toast n' Jam's Mighty "D" rocks the mic at Tiny's Lounge
Stavely
Anyone who has spent time hanging around Santa Fe at night knows that we are a simple people who love our karaoke. Seriously, go to places like The Cowgirl, San Q or The Locker Room, and you’ll see dozens of people anxiously awaiting their turn to get up and get down on some Skynyrd, some Garth Brooks, some Seal (that last one might just be me).
At the center of most of this is Michele Leidig, who hosts karaoke nights at The Cowgirl, The Palace and Junction. “Karaoke is a very social event which breeds familiarity,” Leidig says. “[It is] essential in a town like ours.”
When asked if there were any songs she couldn’t stand, Leidig remained quiet, but she does sum up the spirit of karaoke quite nicely, “The greatest thing about karaoke is all of the genres and eras mixed into one night.”
Totally.
A consummate professional and wonderful singer herself, Leidig offers up the following tips for making the most of karaoke night somewhere about town, which yours truly has helpfully annotated for a deeper understanding.
Mondays
Cowgirl
9 pm, no cover
Wednesdays
Junction
10 pm, no cover
The Locker Room
10 pm, $3
Thursdays
The Palace
10 pm, no cover
Relax and enjoy yourself
This goes double to those pro singers out there who act like karaoke is the performance of a lifetime. This is supposed to be a very casual, fun thing, so act like it.
Sing it like you’d do in the car or shower
Yeah, she’s right. Go nuts, especially if you kind of suck at singing. What’s the old phrase—if you can’t sing it, sell it.
If you happen to forget the melody, go “Shatner” on it
Great advice, as there are plenty of times when the best of us realize we don’t know that one song as well as we thought once we’re in front of everyone. So speak it and make yourself the butt of the joke, because people like stuff like that.
