Since September of 2009 I have played over 180 shows with Rock Out Karaoke.  That’s probably around 7,200 songs and just as many high fives.  Counting all the duets, drunken groups of bridesmaids, and dancing bananas, I’ve been lucky enough to share the stage with possibly close to 10,000 karaoke singers (with just a few repeats and regulars) in the past two and a half years.

I want to thank all the musicians that I have played with in ROK over the years: Skip, Rob R., Mike, Rob W, Matt, Pants, Shawn, Paulo, and Colin.  You guys are awesome and make playing music what it’s supposed to be…Fun!

Equally important, I want to thank all the wonderful people that brave the Rock Out Karaoke stage every week.  Without you, we’re just another cover band.  My favorite day of the week without a doubt is Thursday because I get to share the stage with you all.  I will miss you all dearly.  Keep on ROK’ing!

My last official show is March 15^th, but watch out for some special guest appearances in April!

Thanks,
Bass Dave

Editor’s Note:  We’ll definitely miss Dancing Dave’s stage antics week after week. Dave’s arrival in the band came at a pivotal time, as Bass Rob was busy having kids.  Dave was undoubtedly a huge reason why we were able to continue performing week after week — and even growing the number of gigs we play each year.  Dave  was literally the backbone of the band, shouldering the majority of the load with a smile (and usually a PBR or two).  Most of all, Dave is an incredible friend to all of us.  We all wish you the best and hope to share the stage with you again soon.

Bass Dave Got His Own Night!

Take the stage with a live band (a la American Idol, only drunker) and compete for a shot at the finals night on Saturday, May 26. For the past three years, this has been one of our most popular contests and is the only live band karaoke contest in San Diego.

Here’s the deal-yo:

Preliminary rounds begin on March 1
All prelim round are on Thursday nights at 710 Beach Club
Only six singers will be competing in each prelim round
Sign up (using this link or the form below) for your first and second choice
We will take the first six sign ups for each week based on the time-date stamp of the electronic sign up.

Please note that the band is not judging the competition in any way, shape or form. We’re just rocking the stage and backing you up!  Remember, this is all for fun – so don’t take yourself too seriously.

Take a look at the PB Idol competition from 2011!

We get excited about being the entertainment for your holiday party, mostly because you get so excited about us!

Here’s what some of you have said:

These guys were AMAZING at my buddy Marc’s Birthday Party!  They are a ton of fun and I can’t wait to check them out again. Marc’s party was a huge success, the best bday party ever, and it was thanks to ROK.  – Kimmy D, via Yelp.com

I was lucky to experience the awesome that is Rock Our Karaoke at the Yelp Unleashed party.  If I were having a wedding or some other party, I would definitely hire these guys to entertain my guests.  – Joe M, via Yelp.com

Love love love.  Would totally love to have these guys play at our wedding if I had a time traveling device.  – Jena O, via Yelp.com

We’ve had the pleasure of playing our unique live band karaoke show at tons of San Diego corporate events, weddings, birthday parties, and we keep getting calls to play more.

Thanks to those of you who have supported us in the past and here’s to another great holiday party season!

See plenty of photos of our private karaoke events and contact us for your party via our Weddings and Events page.

Here’s a quick recap of our crazy karaoke summer:

We kicked off the official start of summer with one of the best party ideas we’ve seen in a long time:  The Local’s Pub Crawl to the Park.  Live band karaoke was the second stop along the way, and over 500 people packed the House of Blues San Diego to sing with the band.  See the full story for photos and more.

June was also the start of our San Diego County Fair run, where we met tons of great karaoke singers during our three performances there.  2011 marked our second year of playing live band karaoke on one of the big stages, and we hope to see you there again in 2012.  We played a total of 13 karaoke shows in the month of June – our busiest ever!

July marked another record-setting month.  The highlight of the month was the 2011 Comic-Con after party, otherwise known as TechKaraoke.  Our friends at Twonky sponsored a great karaoke party and posted a few pictures.

The hard-working law students over at Thomas Jefferson Law School asked us to play their back-to-school social event in August, which turned out to be an awesome time.  Imagine live band karaoke on a perfect San Diego evening, while watching the sunset and fireworks over Mission Bay.  Yeah, it was pretty spectacular.

Of course, we enjoyed our summer fun at House of Blues San Diego every Wednesday night.  And finally, we can’t forget the crazy nights we had at 710 Beach Club as we continue our 2+ year run there playing live band karaoke with you every Thursday night.

As we look back, it really was a great summer.  Thanks to everyone who made it possible.  Our holiday private party schedule is starting to take shape, so don’t hesitate to contact us for your own company events, birthday parties, and more.

What was your favorite Rock Out Karaoke summer moment?  Leave a comment and let us know!

Special bonus:  we got tapped by our friends at TechKaraoke to play our one-of-a-kind live band karaoke show Saturday night during Comic-Con.  Read on for more details.

In case you haven’t heard, Comic-Con is one of San Diego’s signature events – bringing crowds of over 100,000 from all over the world.  Movie buffs, video gamers, comic collectors, and entertainment junkies descend on the San Diego Convention Center every year to celebrate all things even remotely related to comics.  Comic-Con 2011 is July 21-24.

Here’s the scoop on when and where we’ll play:

When: Saturday July 23, 2011 8pm – 2am

Where: 97 Horton / Westfield Horton Plaza

Who: Open to ALL Comic-Con Attendees/San Diego locals. RSVP REQUIRED.

What: Caped and masked crusaders singing, dancing, and networking is only the beginning…

Last we heard, there were only a handful of tickets left for this event (literally) and you must register and print your ticket to get in.  This event is open to the public.

We’re hoping to see you on stage with us at Comic-Con this year, rocking your favorite live band karaoke tunes!

Special thanks to our sponsor, Twonky for hooking this one up!

Discover and Experience digital media on any web-connected gadget or device.

http://www.twonky.com/

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Photo:  Creative Commons courtesy of http://parkablogs.com/ 

Starting in May (and hopefully lasting throughout the summer and beyond), we’ll be at the House of Blues every Wednesday from 7pm til 10pm.

Cruise on over to our show calendar for a complete listing of when and where we play.

For Rock Out Karaoke that means we’re rocking the Showcase Stage every Friday night 9-11pm, starting on June 17!  Once again, you can take the stage with a live band at one of the largest and most-anticipated events in Southern California.  Imagine if all 60,000+ (average daily attendance) rushed the Showcase Stage as you’re hitting the high notes on Sweet Child of Mine!  Now that’s rock and roll.

Chicken Charlie's at it again

We had a blast with you at the Fair last year, so join us again this year.  We might even buy you some “Totally Fried Frog Legs.”

Cruise on over to our Show Calendar for updated listings on when and where we play or sign up for our email list!

Chocolate covered corn dog

Photos courtesy of San Diego’s best food blog, My Burning Kitchen.

This Could Be You!

Rock Out Karaoke is San Diego’s most dynamic live music performance group, combining the raw power of a live rock band with the fun of audience participation, where individual singers take center stage with the live band! Complete with lyrics displayed on a monitor in real-time with the music, nothing is missing from this unique karaoke show!

An epic, one-of-a-kind, unforgettable stop on the best pub crawl in town.

For the second consecutive, back-to-back year in a row <grin>, Rock Out Karaoke had the privilege of playing for 90 action-packed minutes as the second stop along the way for the annual Memorial Day “Sing, Dance, Crawl to the Park” put on by San Diego’s own Local Eatery & Drinking Hole.

Click on the image to see all the photos from this event!

Naturally, the party started at The Local.  But when the House of Blues doors opened at 2pm, the energy from 550 people had the room instantly buzzing. Starting with the National Anthem (a fitting tip of the cap to the reason why we have the freedom to enjoy a 3-day weekend), the next hour and a half included some of the best karaoke singers we’ve seen in quite some time.  Beach balls flew through the air as 500 beautiful voices sang in unison to songs like Santeria, Sweet Caroline, and Livin’ on a Prayer.

Then, just as quickly as they stormed in, the crawlers were on to the next stop.

With no shortage of beautiful women, an energetic crowd, and awesome support from The Local and the House of Blues, this is a party we could get used to playing for many years to come.

See you next year!  See all the photos at our Facebook page.

Finals night is Saturday, April 2nd at 9:30pm. Contestants will slug it out on the legendary stage of the 710 Beach Club in Pacific Beach, CA.

Of course, we’ll have time for the audience to take the stage with us for some good ol’ live band karaoke. Be sure to arrive early to get on the karaoke sign up list.

Since we’ve had such a great run of preliminary rounds, we’re expecting nothing but A game from our 8 finalists – one of whom will take home the title of PB Idol.

Best wishes to all of them: Jessica, Katrina, Amanda, Lou, Ugh, Ryan, Samboa, and Hans. (Note: reigning champion Chris won his round, but is unable to compete in the finals – that means we’ll have a new champ this year.)  Bring your best vocals and a San Diego cheering section, and we’ll see you on Saturday!

Update:  And your PB Idol 2011 winner is…. Ugh!