PB Idol Is Back!

Remember PB Idol? Yes, that one. The only live band karaoke competition in San Diego? Well, it’s back! Again.

Beginning on January 15 and continuing for eight weeks, you’ll have the chance to compete for more than $500 in cash and prizes! Each Thursday, the contest will feature up to 8 singers aiming for a spot in the PB Idol Finals in early April (exact date TBD). Each weekly winner will win a 710 Beach Club gift certificate and the finalists will win cash prizes for first, second, and third place.

chrisSingers will be judged by an independent panel on three factors:

  1. Vocal performance
  2. Stage presence
  3. Crowd noise + applause

To enter, please email the event organizers at pbidol@710bc.com. Please include three (Thursday) dates you would be able to compete in the preliminary rounds. You will be contacted by email to let you know the date for your prelim round. Please address any questions about the competition to this email address (not to the band).

Remember, this singing competition is for fun and bragging rights (and some cold, hard cash of course!), and the band is not in charge of who sings which night or ANY aspect of the judging. We’re just there to support you in your quest to become the next PB Idol!

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!

love bus

Six Fun Event & Wedding Ideas

Over the years, we’ve played a lot of San Diego weddings, corporate events, and parties. If you’re struggling to find ideas to make your next bash unforgettable, look no further – here are some of the best we’ve seen:

Themes
This one might sound obvious to some, but you can’t beat a good ol’ theme party. Whether it’s a rock star theme, a 1920s flapper feel, or a Woodstock music festival – people love to dress up. Pro Tip: make sure you put the word out well in advance so people have time to shop for their outfits.

photo boothPhoto Booth
Most of the parties we play these days include a photo booth or a step-and-repeat, and those things stay busy from start to finish. A photo booth can produce party favors for your guests (that you don’t have to put together) and can also serve as a way to commemorate your event online. Today’s photo booths have taken on a completely different look – green screens, props, flipbooks, and more – making them a great option for your next event.

Performers
We’ve seen lots of performers over the years – groups that can warm up the crowd for a band are great. Performances have included traditional Chinese dragon dancers (think Chinese New Year parade), synchronized swimmers (for a poolside party), hypnotists, and acrobatic / juggler / variety performers — they can all spice up your event and make it more memorable.

Other Specialists
One wedding we attended had cigar rollers – how cool is that? Hand-rolled cigars while you wait! Another corporate event featured an artist who was etching commemorative wine glasses with names and short phrases. Caricature artists are always a hit, too. Although we haven’t experienced it, we’ve heard about henna tattoos at some weddings – another great idea!

food truck event photoFood Trucks
We played a backyard party last year for Food Network star Melissa d’Arabian that featured food trucks. We also played a recent party in Beverly Hills for a large retail company that included the In-N-Out Burger truck, a Sprinkles Cupcake truck, and more. Double-double animal style for everyone, please!

Music
Ok, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention live band karaoke as a way to spice up your next corporate event, wedding or birthday party. But really, where else are you going to find entertainment that is truly interactive? If you’re a bride, imagine the memories of having Dad on stage belting out Journey like he was back in high school. Or Grandma doing her best Katy Perry impression. Seriously, we’ve seen some awesome family moments on stage with us over the years, and those moments will live forever.

So there’s our rundown of just a few interesting and different event ideas. What did we miss?

Top 10 Karaoke Songs

Top 10 Live Band Karaoke Songs

We see a lot of top 10 lists out there these days.  Things like – top 10 worst karaoke songs, top 10 ways to get fired, and top 7 Tips for Rocking the Stage with a Live Band.  We’ve been playing San Diego’s best live band karaoke show since 2006, so we thought we’d create our own top 10 list of tunes that get chosen most frequently.  Our list is far from scientific; just a record of the most popular songs chosen at our weekly live shows and private event gigs.  Behold, the top 10 most popular live band karaoke songs:

10.  Plush – Stone Temple Pilots:  Early 90’s grunge wasn’t limited to Seattle.  In fact, many people don’t know that STP built a following right here in San Diego (at least according to the stoners who wrote the STP entry in Wikipedia).  We hear a lot of great Scott Weiland impressions at Rock Out Karaoke, so this one kicks off our list.

9.  Santeria – Sublime:  Another Southern California favorite, you simply can’t go wrong with a little Sublime karaoke.  Santeria gets the entire crowd singing along with you.

8.  You Oughta Know – Alanis Morissette:  Nothing says, “I love the 90’s” more than AM’s first single from the 1995 album “Jagged Little Pill.”  That’s right, sister.  Just let it out. Once upon a time even former American Idol judge Kara Dioguardi rocked this song with us at a private event.

7.  Wanted Dead or Alive – Bon Jovi:  Rock Out Karaoke fans love this 1987 Bon Jovi/Sambora-written tune that starts with the windy acoustic intro, crescendos into a face-melting guitar solo, and ends back on the signature riff.  Anyone with the moxie to tackle this one is frequently rewarded with lots of praise from the crowd.

6.  Use Somebody – Kings of Leon:  Not all of the most popular tunes are “oldies.”  This 2009 smash hit from Tennessee family band Kings of Leon has gotten lots of radio play and gets lots of love from those who take the stage with us.

5.  Before He Cheats – Carrie Underwood:  American Idol’s fourth season winner, Carrie Underwood, found a hit with this tune about smashing headlights and slashing tires. Guys, watch out for the girl who sings this one…

4.  Rebel Yell – Billy Idol:  This 80’s classic by sneering, spike-haired rocker Billy Idol is what Rock Out Karaoke is all about.  Raw, real, intense rock and roll, led by an energetic frontman from the audience.

3.  Hit Me With Your Best Shot – Pat Benatar: like Billy Idol, this one is a staple of our song list and gets lots of love by fans young and old.

2.  Sweet Child O Mine – Guns N Roses:  Another great rock anthem that lets our karaoke singers really unleash their inner rock star.  This tune has been on the ROK song list since day 1, and it’s no wonder why people choose to belt it out week after week.

1.  Don’t Stop Believin’ – Journey:  There are two types of people in this world.  Those who love Journey and those who are liars.  This crowd favorite is guaranteed to get the entire bar singing along with you.  We’ve seen many a bachelorette/birthday groups rock this one and capture the attention of everyone within earshot.

So there you have it, sports fans.  The top 10 most-chosen tunes at Rock Out Karaoke.  We certainly hope to see you on stage with us soon, rocking one of these songs or one of the other 190-some-odd (and counting) songs on the list.

Honorable mention goes to the following great songs as well: Folsom Prison Blues – Johnny Cash; Alive – Pearl Jam; Love Shack – the B52s; and Possum Kingdom – the Toadies.

Looking for Love

When I first stumbled upon the karaoke gold below, I was pretty amazed and amused at the video personal ad.  A little further investigation revealed an entire YouTube channel dedicated to this guy and his favorite hobby – singing karaoke.  There are so many things we could say about this, but the videos pretty much speak for themselves.  In case you’re wondering, this guy is a great demonstration of how to own the karaoke stage as explained in our blog post last week.

In his own words,
“i am a 45 y/o karaoke singer from the Sacramento area looking for a woman to go out and sing some songs with. i would like to try working on some duets because that would be fun.
if you are a woman between the ages of 37 and 47 and are interested in calling me after viewing the video you can call me at…”

Here’s another one with a demo of his superb karaoke skills:

Think we should add some Steve Winwood to the Rock Out Karaoke song list?

And finally, in case you’re interested in hearing a 12-minute monologue (and a little singing) on life, love, and this guy’s killer karaoke gear setup.

“Doing this beats sitting there with all the other losers at the old-time, world famous, neon dive bar while they warble their way through Sweet Caroline, Don’t Stop Believing, Before He Cheats… I could go on, but I don’t want to waste your time or mine. I’m trying to make my life into a work of art, so I can have the spiritual peace of mind to go about the “mundanity” that is my life.” (Notice that the three songs he mentions are some of our top picks!).

So maybe this fella needs to go back to rehab for a while.  Or quite possibly, he’s simply a hopeless romantic.  We’ve already seen an on-stage wedding proposal this year, so who’s to say he can’t find love at a karaoke bar?  Too bad this guy isn’t in San Diego or else we’d invite him to take the stage with Rock Out Karaoke anytime.  Maybe we can take up a collection at our next show to buy this guy a plane ticket from Sac-town..

7 Tips for Live Band Karaoke

Singing karaoke with a live band is a completely new ball game for most of us and can be pretty intimidating.  Not only are you on a bigger stage, but you’ve got to adjust to the (increased) stage volume and high energy.  Luckily, we’ve got some helpful hints for you.  After playing in San Diego’s original live band karaoke show for over 4 years, we’ve learned a thing or two about how to be successful.  Read on and be the rock star that you know you can be.

1.  Own the stage. So this one might sound a little obvious, but you’ve got to act like you’ve been there before… even if you haven’t.  Even a mediocre singer with great stage presence and dance moves will wow the audience much more than a great singer who just stands there.  Rock Out Karaoke regular, Kristen gives us a textbook example of a singer owning the stage.

2.  Song choice. If you’ve ever watched American Idol, you know that song choice is key.  Make it count.  While we like to think that all our tunes rock (since they pretty much do), there are simply some karaoke tunes that rock somewhat harder than others.  Go for a song you really know by heart, so you can concentrate on tip #1.

3.  Liquid courage. Sure it’s expected that you’ll indulge in a few drinks to lubricate the pipes, but there’s also a point at which you become “that guy (or girl.)”  Enjoy the drink specials and try to find your sweet spot just before you hit the stage.

4.  Bring your own cheering section. Even if you’re not a great singer, having some familiar faces there to cheer you on makes you seem that much more like a rock star.  Plus, they can sing along with you, help calm your nerves, record your performance to post on YouTube, and have that cold beer waiting for you when you return to the table.

5.  Look at the audience. This one goes back to points 1 and 2.  If you can connect with the audience, they’ll love you.  Relax, take your hands out of your pockets, and step up with some confidence.  It’s okay to smile, too.  Look them in the eye and tell them how you’re the Man in the Box.

6.  Stick to the lyrics. Unless you’re singing a Weird Al song, changing the lyrics is probably only enjoyed by you and a couple of your buddies who don’t get to hear the F* bomb enough.  Read what’s on the prompter and rock the original version.

7.  Come back for more. With live band karaoke shows all over the US, you’ve got no excuse for making it part of your social scene more often.  In San Diego, we play about 6-8 public shows each month.  That makes for plenty of opportunities to ‘rehearse.’  The best way to get better at something is practice, practice, practice!

Most of all, enjoy yourself and others will too.  Rock the stage with a live band and brag about it at work the next day!

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! Rock Out Karaoke is available for your San Diego wedding or special event. Contact us today to find out how we can make your party one to remember!