It's often joked that people are more afraid of public speaking than their own death — but spend one night with the Northern Virginia Karaoke Meetup Group and its members will prove that wrong.
David Gaines, a Chantilly resident who organizes the group of around 100 people, stood at Broadlands Pub and Grill in Ashburn mingling with roughly 20 other members who showed up for Karaoke Night this past Saturday.
"Two things have never happened with Karaoke," said Gaines, who works as a computer specialist by day and composes music in his spare time. "I've never sang first and I've never been able to time it so I sing 'Closing Time' at 1:30 a.m."
Tonight, however, Gaines secured the first bill. And while the NFL playoffs broadcasted above on the bar's numerous plasma televisions, attention fixed on Gaines as the first bars of Jethro Tull's "Aqualung" played over the speakers. He brought the microphone to his lips and began the three-minute solo show.
"Sitting on a park bench,
eyeing little girls with bad intent.
Snot running down his nose
greasy fingers smearing shabby clothes," he sang.
The show continued and Gaines came alive, launching into animated air-guitar solos and adding vocal fills where it seemed appropriate. People in the audience watched, tapping their feet and singing along. Others sat, unfazed at the bar with one-eye on the television, as they ordered drinks over the music. After a climactic vocal ending, the song was met with applause and Gaines returned to his table, resting with a drink in hand before his next trip to the stage. Reflecting on his performance, he thought it went well.
"I'm not a musician, I'm a composer," he said. "I'm trained to do a good job so if the pitches aren't right, I'm not happy. There are people who do this and are nervous because it might be one of the only times they get to be on stage. It helps people develop self-confidence."
ASK ANYONE in the group and they all say confidence is found on the stage. Steve and Julia Divack, of Centreville, not only found that, but also their marriage. After returning from an inspired version of Motorhead's "Ace of Spades," Steve Divack explained that he wooed his future wife by asking her to sing duets. She had been introduced to karaoke through friends and is now hooked, claiming "once you sing, there is no turning back."
The Divack's neighbor, Ed Summers, quietly sat at the table deciding if he should sing. Admitting this was his first time, he entertained the idea of performing an AC/DC song, but was timid due to "stage fright type stuff."
"It seems like it would be fun to go out and do it on the weekends," he said, as another performer worked their way through the lyrics of a song.
A few tables down, Rafe Yedwah and Dave Charlap — two house mates from Vienna — sat together, looking over one of the karaoke song lists. Yedwah claimed that Charlap has the ability to perform any Billy Joel song.
"He'll walk up to someone and hold open the Billy Joel list and say, 'pick one'," said Yedwah, laughing.
Charlap confirmed.
"I've been a fan of his music since high school," he said. "I've got sheet music and play it on the piano at home. He's one of my favorite artists."
Like many, the house mates were introduced to karaoke through a friend who bought a portable karaoke machine.
"A friend of ours got into karaoke and eventually other friends got into it," said Yedwah. "I figured that if I submit to peer pressure, karaoke is not the worst thing to get into."
ON ANY GIVEN KARAOKE night, it would seem that each performer can sing, on average, three to five times a night. Despite musical ability, tone or rhythm, each performance is met with a warm reception.
"People who are into karaoke — it really has little to do with musical ability," said Gaines. "It's social and allows you to connect with the music."
But while most are open-minded, there is a recommended etiquette for performing.
According to Gaines, the most hated karaoke faux pas is performing a song with long instrumentals.
"If you're standing there doing nothing, it's kind of pointless," he said. "When you're waiting for a five-minute instrumental, everyone in the bar is ready to strangle you."
Gaines claimed that the best songs to sing are those with "a strong melody that's easy to follow."
"Country is big because it tells a story," he continued. "Frank Sinatra also goes over really well."
Mike Langland, a Vienna resident and owner of Above & Beyond Entertainment, organizes the Saturday karaoke night at Broadlands Pub and Grill, as well as a number of other's in the area. Married to Sarah Langland — former organizer of the Northern Virginia Karaoke Meetup Group — he is constantly updating his song list to cater towards performers. When asked what songs are the most popular, he shook his head and said, "Flip a coin." After some consideration, he decided on "Friends In Low Places," "Piano Man," and "American Pie."
While Langland has a strict policy to not accept bribes in exchange for advancement on the sign-up list, he still deals with the challenge that different performers bring.
"Setting up for a band is easier than karaoke," he said, while making sure the next song was cued up. "I've got 40-50 lead singers I have to adjust for — and then you add alcohol to it."
BY 11:30 P.M., the crowd was loose and people could be overheard meeting new friends or discussing the song list. For an organization that typically meets once a month for karaoke in the Fairfax area, Gaines was happy with the amount who made the trek out to Loudoun County. The group, which is a member of www.meetup.com, is the seventh-largest group on the web site. By signing up, each member is notified of the location, date and time of the next get-together.
According to Gaines, a few dozen people are always guaranteed to show up for events. The more people, the more variety in music.
"Within 15-minutes you'll hear country, rock, pop," said Gaines. "Karaoke really breaks down all of the genre barriers."
Not surprised by the turnout, Susan Pender, of Loudoun County, said she has seen karaoke grow in popularity throughout the region.
"They wouldn't even have to do this on a Saturday night," she said. "They could pick any night of the week and it would be this busy."