A Night of Karaoke Escapades

Caves Lounge, a great spot for karaoke in Arlington. Photo by Dustin Kunze

Singer at Jack's Pour House

Tonight, If you followed me via my twitter handle, you'd know that I surveyed the scene and chatted with a couple locals while bar hopping karaoke style. Since living in Arlington, Texas I've noticed the karaoke scene is much more affluent then it was when I was in Dallas. You find many more locations in this much smaller city, and more people seem to flock to it. For example, on Monday nights at Sherlock's off of I-30 and Collins, they have a karaoke show (like I said, on Monday) that brings in a full house, some 150 people I'd say, sometimes more. They also have a big stage to make you feel that much more like a rock star. Sometimes they even have a live band to play along with you as well.

Me doing karaoke

I thoroughly enjoy karaoke after a few drinks, just as other people enjoy games of pool, poker, bowling, a movie, etc. Last night did not disappoint. The people I talked to were full of fun (and alcohol) and were just as into as I was. There are quite some talents singers as well. You can tell they practice or have been previously trained. I sang a few songs from my 90's days, such as "Mr. Jones" by The Counting Crows, "Comedown" by Bush, "Plush" acoustic version by Stone Temple Pilots, and a little 80's with "Love Song" by The Cure. I too use the practice, rehearse approach for just about everything I sing, otherwise my nerves might be unsettled.



Unfortunately, my phone died just as I was about to record me singing one of them. (I'm not that bad though really) I can redeem myself with embarrassment by posting some videos of me singing out and about in the next round.

I also have a karaoke DJ friend that is holding a competition in Arlington that is coming up soon. Winners can take home $100-200 for winning in a night and can be selected to participate in a finale where the winner competes to win $600. I doubt that I could compete against singers of that caliber, but It wouldn't hurt to try.

So, do you do karaoke? What are some of your favorite songs to sing in the shower at least?  Tell me about an awesome bar in your town that has karaoke.

The Border Between a Struggle and a Dream: The Life of An Aspiring Immigrant

Orlando Vite has been through trials unlike many musicians in the United States. He has a story that goes beyond music, and doesn't take things for granted. The purpose of the interviews I did with him was to offer a different perspective from someone who is determined to do whatever it takes, not only to be successful, but to become a citizen and have the luxury of freedoms many Americans don't appreciate.

 Orlando discussed many loves for music during our visit at his work office. His curiosity is to learn all genres music, from jazz to classical, heavy metal to hip-hop. Other than being an expert on guitar he can play drums, bass guitar and some piano.He said that he loves to play a game called "Rocksmith," a hybrid version of the first interactive games such as "Guitar Hero" and "Rock Band." Toward the back of his office where he currently lives, he showed me the many ways you can jam by plugging in a real guitar and setting it to whatever type of genre, key, and scale you want to play in. His skills at transitioning from one type of scale/style to the other were outstanding.

Orlando is currently working with local musicians to form a cover band that will compete to play with other bands at popular chain bars/restaurants in the Dallas area. He believes this is one step to getting back on the stage like he did in Mexico 16 years ago.


While hearing Orlando's story and following him on a "day in the life" at his office, listening to his exceptional musical talents, and watching him in the field selling and setting up signs, I felt myself asking, "What do I do everyday? Do I wake up giving the most I have, or the minimum to get by? How would life be if the freedom to do and be what I want to be is no longer an option?"

After hearing this story yourself, what would you do to obtain citizenship in a country of opportunity? Would you stay in your country and do your best, hoping you can get paid enough to live on or do a job you actually want? Would you ignore the threats and dangers of your unstable homeland? Or, would you take your chances at living a dream of freedom and opportunity, and how would you go about obtaining a legal status if you did?

Thank you for reading and listening today.

The State Fair of Texas and Post Storm Apocalypse



View of Dallas Skyline through the Ferris wheel. Photo courtesy:  www.semissourian.com

My escapades began on a typical Thursday afternoon this week. I was headed to the fair via DART train on a mission to not only stuff my face, but see the latest string of new local music artists that had made the cut this year. For those that have been already, (and those that haven't) you know that the fair has tons of stuff to do and see. (click schedule to see the daily list of events.) But I had a plan geared toward music...keyword HAD. Four bands that I was looking out for were:

•  Red White and You! a contemporary musical flashback show band that features songs from the icons of American pop music. 
• The Killdares a very cool, edgy alternative Celtic rock band 
• The Night Owls, a 10-piece soul band from Austin, Texas 
• Jolie Holiday, an international country music star born in Dallas. 

I got to the fair around 2 p.m. after a few mishaps on the wrong DART train, excited to spend some time trying out all the new fixin's at the food stands such as the The Texas Fried Chicken In A Waffle Cone and the Fried Chocolate Maple Bacon Amazeballz before the shows later on that afternoon. 

But, about two hours in the clouds turned gray and the wind began to rustle. I rushed to the Chevy main stage to see if the Night Owls were at least setting up. Nothing. No one was there. I bought a corn dog at a nearby stand, were the lady that served me warned of a rough storm coming through. The disappointment set in. It was no longer going to be the great day I had hoped for. I asked the same lady if things were going to shut down and she nodded with a yes with a look of misfortune. 

It wasn't ten minutes after that when the sky turned dark, the winds started screaming and the rain began hammering down. I took cover in a nearby stockyard building where others began swarming in. A guy with a look of terror rushed through the crowd yelling "It's a tornado, it has to be!" I scratched my head. Really? Surely not.

It wasn't a tornado, and it only lasted about 30 minutes, but it was rough. I made my way through the gusty, cold post winds and deep puddles back toward the train station. Except for police cars and emergency vehicles with their lights on, the place looked like a ghost town.

Fast forward hours later...HOURS later, because the power was out literally everywhere and the train was malfunctioning and at a stand still, I finally made it back to my car. It was about 8 p.m. now. Most people would have called it a day at that point, but not me. I am pretty stubborn when it comes to a good time. So, after traversing my way around the dark, mostly powerless city, I headed to Deep Ellum, hoping there was a chance that they one had power and two had music... and three, well I needed a beer too.

I was in luck. Adair's Saloon on Commerce Street was open and had a band playing. Also, just right next door The Free Man, one of my favorite bars, was also open and had some swingin' good times music going on from the sound of it.

Adair's had a band called Callahan Divide. Good band that played a few originals that sounded similar to Weezer, and some random covers that included Johnny Cash. I would say they were ok, about a 6 out of 10, but not very memorable.

The Free Man had a band called The Free Loaders, which I found very refreshing. They play mostly jazz covers, and the singer is the drummer and his voice sounds akin to Louie Armstrong. This guy, John I believe his name is, put on quite a drunken show, complete with potty mouth, sometimes offensive comedy. The place was actually pretty full so I believe like me the folks there were entertained, or just didn't want to sit in their dark homes due of the massive power outages across town. You can get a better feel for this one-of-a-kind band by visiting their homepage.

Well, that's it for this particular adventure. It was quite unfortunate that I wasn't able to speak more about the musical experience at the fair. Have you been to the fair yourself? If so, what are your favorite things to do there?


Here is a slideshow of pictures showing some of the experiences Thursday. If for some reason the music doesn't play, then here is the link to the song: Bad Mountain "Even On A Rainy Day"