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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 4, 1998)
tagusti Antonio Gai cuts uponf: oak treesoc: Street that 15 border 01. Simpson Dr; Field. The:- being cut dd because tel dying duels jf wjierm limited grow area, borders 1 he sidewalkj he street. Te rees haveW daced byd ones on the pposite sidtj he sidewalk lesday • August 4,1998 The Battalion GGIELIFE w BYMANI5 St aft Parekh :Ij vthe Lines . ■* V Students step up to the mic and live out their rock 'n' roll dreams as karaoke takes College Station's nightlife center stage apoatefflib ,’d hiraovel h rests M Ithecontaid ire thanattij et deep and' ton to Gab ftT any people dream of be- i/| ing a musical superstar V -Land performing in front a live audience. The reality is most people nev- exhibit their vocal talents be nd the shower and radio sing- longs, but there are some places rerc musical dreams can come te, if only for one night. On Wednesday and Saturday ghts, Bryan-College Station res ents have the opportunity to ke center stage at local night- ubs by performing karaoke. Karaoke, #hich was developed Japan, involves taking popular songs and recording them without lelead vocals. The tracks are then istributed to nightclubs and bars acrqs^ TJw country, patrons have the chance to belt out their favorite songs in front of the ehtire club. Needless to say, karaoke is not for the faint of heart. Andrea Spence, a junior mar keting major, said the karaoke nights at Bullwinkles and Shadow Canyon are a great way to have a few laughs. “I think it’s hilarious,” Spence said. “I think that everyone has a~“ lot of confidence to get up there [on stage]. Especially the ones who think that they can sing well, but their friends haven’t told them the truth.” Spence, a self-proclaimed “regular” at Bullwinkles’ karaoke nights, said she has sung there several times. "Once 1 sang ‘I Will Survive’ and anotMWllne Fsorig T-lard to Handle’ by the Black Crowes," Spence said. “That was interest ing because I had to change all the ‘hers’ [in the song) to ‘hims.’ It was great.” Scott Cavendish, a senior me chanical engineering major, said the crowd at Shadow Canyon was enthusiastic about karaoke, “It was very happy and fun,” he said. “ There were a lot of intoxicat ed people who wanted to get out of the crowd and into the spotlight.” Cavendish also commented about some of the singers at karaoke night. “There were a few talented peo ple,” he said. “But there were quite a few shower singers who weren’t in the shower anymore.” Jessica Brenner, an incoming biomedical science major, said Tfmcrowds at karaoke perfor mances encourage the singers. “Everyone is singing along trying to encourage them,” she said. “My favorite is when people would get up there and sing crazy songs and not try to sound good. People are not embarrassed to get up there.” Allhough Brenner has sang at karaoke nights in Beaumont, she was unable to sing at Bullwinkles’ karaoke night. “We thought about singing, but the line was too long,” she said. “I would have loved to sing because it is so much fun to get up Ihere and get crazy. I Ve sang ‘Elvira’ and ‘Strawberry Wine.’ It was just a whole lot of goofy stuff.” The popularity of karaoke nights can mean big crowds for lo cal establishments. Cavendish also was unable to sing at Shadow Canyon’s karaoke night because there were a lot of people ahead of him. "I wanted (o sing ‘Black Water’ by the Doobie Brothers because it’s a song that I would not mind subjecting people to,” he said. Though both businesses offer karaoke nights, each one gives the evenings a unique spin. Spence said there is a differ ence between the atmospheres at Bullwinkles and Shadow Canyon “Shadow Canyon has a coun try/western atmosphere, even with karaoke. But it’s a lot less crowded because it’s so much bigger,” she said. “I like Bullwin kles because there is a lot more group participation and sing-a- longs. There are a lot more peo ple paying attention to you, and they are very supportive.” * Charlie Cain, general manager and part owner of Bullwinkles, said the patrons have been very enthusiastic about karaoke. “We started karaoke in 1991 just to offer the town something more to do%than just go out at night,” Cain said. "A lot of people just come for karaoke night, and we have a lot of regulars.” Cain said Bullwinkles has a list of over 800 songs for patrons to choose from on the Wednesday and Saturday karaoke nights. Shadow Canyon features karaoke on Wednesday night. But Spence said two nights of karaoke a week are not enough to showcase her talent. “I’m amazing,” she said. ‘Tm going to get discovered at Bullwinkles. That’s why I go every week.” pmiM' - mr €; $25 Total Move-h Cost $ for a limited time only! Security Deposit! I fit ' ■ - ■ 1 < 1?V MING UMVffi m SUH™ COLLEGIATE RESIDENCES 117 Holleman Drive West College Station, TX 77840 Tel.: (409) 696-5711 Fax: (409) 696-5661 www.dmcmgmt.com Office Hours Mon-Fri-Sat 10-6 Tues-Wed-Thurs 10-7 Sunday 12-6 An SUH ,M Community SUH' M is a trademark o! SUH, Inc. Developed by I )i nerstein Com pa ni es