20E. ursday, July 28, 2011_____________________________________________ CHARLESTONSCENE.

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e Post and Courier

So you want to be a rock superstar?

PHOTOGRAPHS BY JASON LAYNE

Amanda Semian and Kara Cordare sing their hearts out at Wet Willies.

Lowcountry bars serve up a diverse offering of karaoke nights

BY LISA RYAN
Special to The Post and Courier

hether theyll admit it or not, its widely known that everyone secretly dreams of being a rock star. They use a bar of soap as a microphone and rock out in the shower, or belt out a tune in the car oftentimes drawing embarrassed laughs from nearby drivers. But given that most of the

population sounds more like an American Idol reject than winner, those dreams of stardom oftentimes live in vain. Except, of course, when it comes to karaoke. Across the Lowcountry, people flock to local watering holes whenever theres a chance of living out their Axl Rose dreams of singing and headbanging through karaoke. They leave their inhibitions at their barstools as they step up to the

mike and sing their favorite songs, with little regard to how they really sound. Charleston hosts countless karaoke nights at an eclectic array of bars offering a diverse selection of karaoke options throughout the week.

a songbook that features obscure tunes that you cant find at other karaoke spots. Whenever a particular song becomes too popular, in Goulds opinion, he takes it out of the songbook, which is why you wont hear Dont Stop Believin or Bohemian Rhapsody at WHERE: Upper Deck Tavern, this bar. Unmarked and located Theres definitely an 353 King St. above Gilroys Pizza on alternative crowd here WHEN: 9 p.m. Sunday. King Street, the hole-in the punk and art crowd, PHONE: 958-0002. Gould said. They would SCENE: Young, hipster, alter- the-wall dive bar Upper Deck Tavern has long been be turned off and wouldnt native. a karaoke favorite for the come anymore if I was playPOPULAR SONGS: Beer downtown crowd. DJ Kara- ing country. by Reel Big Fish, Drunken oke Chris, aka Chris Gould, Patrons are typically elLullaby by Flogging Molly, has hosted the evening evbow-to-elbow on a packed Last Caress by the Misfits, ery Sunday since 2004, with night and range from colHey by The Pixies.
To see a video and photo galleries of people singing karaoke in Charleston, visit www.charlestonscene. com.

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lege students to regulars who have been coming for years. There are people who want to sing A Tribe Called Quest, and then I get 21year-olds who ask me why I dont have Justin Beiber, he said. Bartender Andy Pearce thinks that the bars chilledout vibe is the key to the nights success. Were pretty laid back and accepting in general, so people are a bit more willing to get up and make fools of themselves in front of strangers, he said. Please see KARAOKE, Page 21E

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ursday, July 28, 2011.21E

KARAOKE From Page 20E

WHERE: Wet Willies, 209 East Bay St. WHEN: 9 p.m. Tuesdays. PHONE: 853-5650. SCENE: Preppy, country, some tourists. POPULAR SONGS: Dont Stop Believin by Journey, Brass Monkey by the Beastie Boys, Baby Got Back by Sir Mix-A-Lot, Shoop by Salt-n-Pepa.

A few other karaoke spots around town:

WHERE: Chucktown Tavern, 159 Market St. WHEN: 8 p.m. every night. PHONE: 637-3681. WEB SITE: www.chucktowntavern.com. WHERE: Jacks Place, 1815 Old Trolley Road, Summerville. WHEN: 8 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. PHONE: 821-8030. WEB SITE: www.jacksplaceonline.com. WHERE: Wild Wing Cafe North Charleston, 7618 Rivers Avenue WHEN: 9:30 p.m. Tuesday. PHONE: 818-9464. WEB SITE: www.wildwingcafe.com. WHERE: Dudleys On Ann, 42 Ann St. WHEN: 10:30 p.m. Wednesday. PHONE: 577-6779. WEB SITE: www.dudleysonann.com. WHERE: Fiddlers Green, 30 G Coleman Blvd, Mount Pleasant. WHEN: 10 p.m. Wednesday. PHONE: 884-5203. WHERE: Wild Wing Cafe Downtown, 36 N. Market St., Charleston WHEN: 10:30 p.m. Thursday. PHONE: 722-9464. WEB SITE: www.wildwingcafe.com. WHERE: Dog and Duck, West Ashley, 1124 Sam Rittenberg Blvd, Charleston. WHEN: 9 p.m. Friday. PHONE: 793-3481. WEB SITE: www.dogandduckfamilypubs.com. WHERE: Dog and Duck, Belle Hall, 624 Longpoint Road, Mount Pleasant. WHEN: 9 p.m. Saturday. PHONE: 881-3056. WEB SITE: www.dogandduckfamilypubs.com.

Downtown bar and restaurant Wet Willies is a popular spot for those in search of karaoke. Known for its strong frozen daiquiri drinks, the bar draws a preppy crowd of all ages (over 21) youre sure to find young men decked in polos and Croakies singing country songs or belting a sappy Enrique Iglesias tune on a typical night here in addition to some older people and tourists. For the past year, the evening has been hosted by D.J. Wild Bill (otherwise known as Billy Covington), an enthusiastic guy who receives as many as 200 song requests on a given night. Its really fast paced and fun, he said. I try to get through as many requests as I possibly can. Covington chats with the crowd, and his open and warm demeanor helps firsttimers loosen up and take the mike after they enjoy a couple of the frozen libations. He also said that it isnt uncommon for a more seasoned singer to join in on the fun. Sometimes you get one who can actually sing, who comes out and does karaoke to practice, he said.

Mia Jenkins and Chris Gould perform at Jimbos Rock Lounge in West Ashley. The spot hosts live band karaoke on some Wednesdays. day night karaoke venue, the live band is restricted to once a month, with DJrun karaoke offered the rest of the time. Gould has hosted the live band karaoke since February (after hosting classic karaoke at the venue since last June), and said that it draws a different sort of crowd than his Upper Deck gig. The crowd here doesnt drink as much as other people. They will travel from Summerville to get to West Ashley, whereas at the Upper Deck, its people who live downtown and wont leave downtown, Gould said. Despite the mellow demeanor of the crowd, the bar is still technically a rock venue and brings in plenty of alternative people. There are a few metal and punk fans who come here, and thats what Im trying to cultivate, he said.

Zach Groom rocks out at The Upper Deck Tavern in downtown Charleston.

WHERE: Jimbos Rock Lounge, 1662 Savannah Highway. WHEN: 8 p.m. Wednesdays. Band usually goes on around 10:30 p.m. PHONE: 225-2200. SCENE: Rock, punk, laid back. POPULAR SONGS: Zombie by The Cranberries, Rehab by Amy Winehouse, Creep by Radiohead, Mother by Danzig.

Ron Rivers sings at Blues House of Wings in Mount Pleasant. singing with the live band at Jimbos Rock Lounge on the first Wednesday of every month. Backed mostly by members of local band As If, the live band karaoke fills the huge gap left when Metal Mondays at the former Cumberlands bar ceased to exist. As Jimbos is still building its reputation as a Wednes-

Youll never feel more like a rock star than when youre

served up a traditional karaoke night for the past 15 years with a sea of blue and red LED laser lights providing a fun ambience and a crowd ranging from 20-somethings to seniors, all eager to participate or hit WHERE: Blues House of the dance floor. Steve RusWings, 1039 Johnnie Dodds sell, a DJ at 96.9 The Wolf Blvd., No. 9. and the nights host since WHEN: 9 p.m. Saturday. 1999, said, Blues is a very PHONE: 881-1858. popular place for karaoke on SCENE: Country, energetic, Saturday nights. Its not unolder. usual to have 30 to 35 singPOPULAR SONGS: Dont ers here on one night. Stop Believin by Journey, The evening features Picture by Kid Rock and nonstop music with Russell Sheryl Crowe, You Never Even Called Me By My Name playing dance tunes in between songs. Its not uncomby David Allen Coe, Crazy mon to see large groups line by Patsy Cline. Blues House of Wings has dancing or couples twisting

and turning to the lively classic songs. Thats why Russell bills it as a music and karaoke night theres as much of an opportunity to dance as there is to sing. Its definitely a country music crowd at Blues, though Russell maintains that youre just as likely to hear people belting out pop songs as well. One of the things that I like about a karaoke bar is that you never know what youre going to hear, he said. You may hear a Garth Brooks song, and the next time you may hear Rihanna. It goes from one spectrum to the other. Its true variety and a melting pot of music.