MY FIRST TIME DOING KARAOKE

The song "California Girls" by The Beach Boys is pretty sexist, but I had fun singing it with my husband Mike Sorgatz last Friday in front of a group of people.

We had zipped through a little Red Hook Gallery exhibit and wanted a bite to eat.  "How about Hope and Anchor?" I suggested.  It was a small, fun, neighborhood-y diner-like joint in Red Hook with super decent prices and stuff we normally do not have at home.  (Mac 'n' cheese fritters, anyone? Definitely a sometimes treat!)

We sat down to order, and eventually a family with two young daughters came in.  They both looked super excited to be there, and they were definitely there on a mission.  That mission was to sing as many songs as they could on Karaoke Night.

 Every Friday and Saturday evening, the owner Pete gets into drag, hands out huge books with thousands of song choices, and tells folks who want to sing to write down the name and number of the song on a post-it before handing it to him.

Pete - a/k/a Stella Dora - is a great host.  S/he has a great sense of humor and a pleasant singing voice, but lets the guest singers shine, too.  The two aforementioned sisters, around 12 and 7, sang about 8 songs together.  Some of the wait staff sang, and one young man boisterously belted out the theme song to Sesame Street. I couldn't help but high-five him when he was done; his enthusiasm was contagious!   The songs ranged from Daft Punk's "Lucky" to Bobby Darin's "Mack the Knife" to Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'".   Ah, memories!

I was one of those children who was always making up songs, dances, plays, musicals, and radio shows, so karaoke was right up my alley.  It was so great  to sit there and sing along to songs from a variety of decades.  And even more fun to do it in a small and cozy neighborhood setting with an expert host.

Was I nervous getting up in front of the group?  Yes!  But no one cared what your voice sounded like.  It was all about fun and participation.

We will definitely be back!