Over the Edge/CFUR Multimedia Reporter, Jon White, belting out Tenacious D at Thirsty Moose's Karaoke Night. Photo by Kathryn Berry
Karaoke: The Way to End the Semester Right
By Jon White, Multimedia Reporter
Tunes and booze: two great things in life that are even better when combined. With the semester ramping down and exams on everyone’s minds, one has to take the time out to make sure one can relax a bit or else the brain will overload . The Thirsty Moose had a great karaoke night on Wednesday 26 March 2014, and one could hardly tell exam time was looming by the celebrations and good cheer that filled the pub. The pub was packed, everyone had a good time, and there were smiles from wall to wall. The reason? Karaoke mixed with the magic of liquid courage.
An enthusiastic gentleman named Matt, using a program called Karafun, handed out binders packed with song choices, including many uncommon artists, such as musical comedians Stephen Lynch and Tenacious D. Once the binders got passed around, there was the usual reluctance of having someone go first. However, much like dominoes, once it starts, there is a chain reaction and there a constant flow of people getting on stage trying to sing.
The music selection is usually varied, as people’s music taste varies from person to person. In the span of an hour, some songs that were heard were, “Juicy” by Notorious BIG, “Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy” by Big & Rich, “Buttercup Baby” by The Foundations and “Beelzeboss” by Tenacious D. The refreshing thing was that all of these songs were sung uncensored, which is a relief for fans of the artist as their product is being represented in the original artist’s vision. Granted, not everyone sounds as good as the original artist, but the lack of singing ability is part of the karaoke fun.
People are guilty of singing along to their favourite songs, whether it is in the shower, the car, or even at work when they think no one is watching. So why not try belting out a song at karaoke? One is in a room filled with other like-minded individuals, as karaoke nights are a popular activity in this town, so there is less judgement being passed onto the singer. There is no denying that there are some phenomenal singers on any given night, some equaling or surpassing how good the original artist was. Regardless of skill level though, if one knows the words to a song, karaoke can be an engaging and liberating night out. To see how enthralling a song can be, just take a look around and notice how many other people are singing along or even nodding their head in time with the beat.
Karaoke brings people together and celebrates music, whether they realize it or not. So for anyone who is a fan of music, go out and grab a microphone and sing. Granted, alcohol may be needed to coax someone on stage, but hey, that is why alcohol is called liquid courage, right ? For those who are not fans of drinking, a night of music is still a good reprieve from the drudgery of a weekday.
What are some of your favourite karaoke songs?