Q: If you're traveling to a new place and you want to find a GOOD karaoke bar, what are some tips and tricks for searching?
A: Well, the internet is usually your friend on this, but it can only take you so far. Unless you have a recommendation from an actual human friend, you can get a weird list of places like āThe Brazen Monkeyā, āA1 Reliable Discotheques and Karaokeā, at least two upscale bowling alleys (why is this a thing?), and theme nights like āGospelokeā. (These are all real things I encountered while googling in my new locale.) If youāre lucky, you might find an actual article that details karaoke nights at various bars, but again, this should all be taken with a grain of salt. Short of a recommendation from a local (or a friend of a friend type of thing), you may just have to see for yourself.
A little digging can unearth some gems, though. Years ago, my boyfriend and I traveled to San Francisco and did lots of deep dives all over the internet looking for the very best SF had to offer in terms of karaoke. Some absurd āfun-n-funky Frisco!!!!!!!!!ā article turned us on to the inimitable DJ Purple. It looks like olā Purp has moved on to a much flashier locale and does something called ādance karaokeā twice a week, which, ok, could be good, I donāt know. When Dave and I found out about him, he was KJāing in a regular old, slightly divey bar with an average sound system, but he had something special, which is alluded to on his current page, so I have to assume its still part of a Purple evening. If you choose a song with a saxophone solo, DJ Purple will pull out out a saxophone and PLAY THE SOLO LIVE! Yep. I know. āCareless Whisperā? Check. āThe Heat Is Onā? You bet. āWho Can It Be Now?ā? Itās DJ Purple, thatās who, accompanying your karaoke performance with a live saxophone solo and making this mean old world a brighter, happier, smoother place. So do some research, ask for recommendations, and enjoy some travel karaoke. Karaoke away from home is also a great opportunity to try out a song youāve never done before because youāll never see most of these people again so why not go big AND, eventually, go home? *I* usually get nervous and pick an old standard from my personal karaoke songbook, but thatās silly and you should be a braver and cooler person.
