'24 Hours: Karaoke at Blind Pig from 10 to 11 p.m.
At 10 p.m., karaoke night is already in full voice at Blind Pig, a restaurant and bar in Carlton.
Customers line the narrow space, eating burgers, fries and other dishes turned out by Renegade chefs Cody Drew and Nicolas Bell and their crew. Glasses of brew and other drinks crowd the tables, reflecting the colorful disco lights that flash in time with the music.
And right up front, Lauren Fanger is performing the Loretta Lynn classic, “Coal Miner’s Daughter.” “We were poor but we had love, that’s the one thing that Daddy made sure of …,” she sings.
“Fantastic! Well done!” calls Kai Pickett, the DJ — well, KJ, or karaoke jockey.
Fellow karaoke singers and other audience members agree — everyone is supportive. Being brave enough to get up in front of strangers is rewarded with applause; it’s enjoyment they’re after, not perfection.
Fanger says she enjoys taking the mic, especially at Blind Pig. She and her boyfriend, Tony Paolo, met at the Carlton spot when it was called Carlton To Coast Tavern; they had their first date there and now make Blind Pig a regular stop.
Earlier on this Friday, they took part in the With Courage cornhole fundraiser — helping cancer patients is a good cause supported by both Fanger’s employer, the Jack Maxwell American Family Insurance agency, and Paolo’s Premiere Property Group.
After Paolo won the tournament, they headed to Carlton to finish the day with music.
Fanger chose “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” as she often does. Her dad worked at the paper mill in Newberg, she said, so she gets the references. And it suits her voice. “I nail when my voice is not raspy,” she said.
But whether or not she nails it isn’t the point, Fanger said. “The secret to karaoke is just having fun,” she said. “Whether you’re scared or confident, just go into it knowing you’ll have fun.”
One of the bits of advice karaoke pros give to newcomers is to do it with a partner. That doesn’t happen often tonight.
But one duo — obviously experienced — wows the crowd by harmonizing sweetly on the Extreme song “More Than Words.”
“Hold me close, don’t ever let me go …. More than words is all I ever needed you to show,” the lyrics go as Nathan Long and Coleman Long, who Nathan says is his nephew, blend their voices. Pickett, the karaoke jockey, adds to the harmonies.
Another crowd pleaser, Stuart Murphy, struts like Jagger or Mercury as he proclaims he would walk a thousand miles just to be near his girl.
“Da-da-da-da,” the crowd joins him on the chorus of The Proclaimers’ “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles).” “Da-da-da-da!”
He continues on his own, “And I would walk 500 miles,
And I would walk 500 more
Just to be the man who walked a thousand
Miles to fall down at your door.”
Murphy, who is visiting from Washington, D.C., exchanges high-fives with his friends as he returns to the table.
“Karaoke is a place you can be your authentic self, without judgment,” Murphy says.
He says he picked “500 Miles” because he likes the song and so do others. “It’s a song that allows people to engage,” he said. “They know it and can participate.”
The audience joins in whenever possible.
Near the end of the hour, when Alexa Aki takes the microphone for the Neil Diamond favorite, “Sweet Caroline,” people chant along, loudly, to the familiar refrain, “So good! So good! So good!”
Singers sign up for a place on the karaoke schedule as they enter the restaurant — or, in some cases, after listening to others for awhile.
Michael Hadsell and Pam Hadsell, both a little older than the average audience member tonight, say they enjoy the music. But Mike, a retired anesthesiologist who plays in a church band, also is looking for adventure.
“I’m going to do ‘Born to Be Wild,’” Michael says, not at all nervous. “I used to do karaoke a lot. It’s a lot of fun,” he says.
Pam, a newcomer to this form of entertainment, is content to stay seated and cheer for those who are braver.
But about 10:30, after hearing Mike blaze through the Steppenwolf song, she’s feeling a little wild herself. “I’m going to be bold,” she tells the KJ. “I’m going to do ‘These Boots Are Made for Walkin’.”
When her turn comes, Pam channels Nancy Sinatra, dancing in imaginary go-go boots as she vocalizes. “One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you…” she promises the song’s cheater.
“Are you ready boots? Start walking,” she finishes, then dances back to her seat.
As she passes Murphy, the “500 Miles” performer, they exchange a high-five.
The music continues, one person after another coming forward to add their voices to the recorded instrumentals. Lyrics roll down the screen: “Free Fallin’,” “Danger Zone,” “The House of the Rising Sun,” “Girl Crush,” “Before He Cheats,” “Fooled Around and Fell in Love.”
Kai Pickett, the karaoke jockey, finds whatever customers request on his computer, which shows a long, long list of tunes, alphabetized by artist or source — 10,000 Maniacs, 101 Dalmatians, 10cc ... . Just about any song someone wants is available, in almost any genre — showtunes, country, pop, gospel, good ol’ rock ’n’ roll.
“I have a good list,” said Pickett, who often gets the party started by singing himself.
Pickett, of Raising Kain Party Company, rkpartyco@gmail.com, says he’s available to host karaoke shows in a variety of places in the McMinnville area.
He has a regular gig on Friday nights at Blind Pig.
The restaurant offers karaoke from about 8:30 to midnight every Friday. From about 6 to 8 Fridays, it hosts live music by local artists such as Freddie Lamb. In July, it will host comedy shows, as well.
The staff enjoys all the entertainment, especially when they can take part.
Tonight, Giavanna Ison, a waitress, performs “You and I.” “I love Lady Gaga, and the song is upbeat and fun,” she said.
She has been doing karaoke at the restaurant since before she joined the staff. “Singing is my outlet,” she said. “And I love that everybody here is so encouraging. People cheer.”
Her coworker, Jenny Shaffer, also takes time for a song. “It gets you out of your comfort zone,” she says after completing a tune by Amy Winehouse, “my go-to.”
As the clock edges toward 11 p.m., a man is crooning “You Should Probably Leave,” Chris Stapleton’s song about ending the night as friends, before something happens to complicate the relationship.
“You should probably leave…” the man repeats. “You should probably leave.”
And the News-Register reporter and photographer pack up their gear and follow the song’s advice. Who knows? One of us might be grabbing that mic if we stay any longer.
But as we walk away, the lush chords of Bonnie Tyler’s hit, “Total Eclipse of the Heart” begin. A woman sings, her voice spilling out into the night.
“Turn around,” the lyrics implore, calling us back to the karaoke.
“Turn around … turn around … I really need you tonight.”
Comments
everiggs
Fun article Starla. Loved it!