Karaoke

by Marcella Ortega

Daily Lobo

Performing at Rockstar Karaoke Extravaganza is a relief for UNM student Justin Stewart.

"Everyone needs something to get through the work week," he said. "This is a great way to get through it."

Stewart and other karaoke singers performed at Atomic Cantina on Tuesday. The bar hosts Rockstar Karaoke every week.

Stewart said karaoke is fun, because it allows performers to embarrass themselves.

"You don't have to be perfect, and if you think you are, you find out you are not," he said.

Stewart performed "Special" by

Garbage.

"I butchered it wonderfully," he said. "I just get sick of all the romantic songs. It's annoying."

Stewart said he returned from a seven-month break to perform.

"It was a long hiatus from karaoke," he said. "Most people get a semester. I missed it a lot."

Stewart said the best part of the event is the location.

"I think this is the perfect place to have karaoke," he said. "You can do whatever you want."

Stewart has attended Rockstar Karaoke off and on for three years. He said the crowd has changed over the years.

"The misfits used to come here before the pretty people," he said. "The pretty people are the plastics. You can tell they don't have a soul. You can tell by their performance - nothing comes through."

Eric Wright is the disc jockey for Rockstar Karaoke. Wright said performers and crowd participation are what make it different from other places that host karaoke.

"People put off the attitude that they are the entertainment, and not that it's their turn," he said. "In the three years I've been here, there has never been

a fight."

Wright said the most unusual performer at the event sings "With A Little Help From My Friends" by Joe Cocker.

"He puts on a performance, and every time he gets better," he said. "He rolls around like Joe Cocker. It's hilarious. Every time he starts that song, everyone comes back here."

UNM student April Fox sang "Call Tyrone" by Erykah Badu.

"I love that song," she said. "Erykah Badu is an amazing woman."

Fox said she is a regular at Atomic Cantina and has performed at Rockstar Karaoke for a few months.

"It's just fun," she said. "I'm a music person, so I enjoy it."

Fox said she doesn't get nervous when she performs.

"I used to, but karaoke people are weird," she said. "They all are very supportive. They do it, so they know the feeling."

Tabitha Troup and Christian Penny sang "The Longest Time" by Billy Joel. Penny said she used to have stage fright.

"I used to shake constantly," she said. "She (Troup) got me to start singing, stop being nervous and actually do it."

Miles DeAngelo sang "Santeria" by Sublime.

"I like the song because half of it is sexual and half of it is not," he said.

DeAngelo said the song is about a love triangle.

"I've been in a similar situation,"

he said.

DeAngelo said he relates to karaoke singers, because he is a musician.

"I play the sax, so anyone who goes on stage I respect," he said. "It takes so much out of you to show your face on stage."

Seth Terry sang "Tear Away" by Drowning Pool.

"I like the environment here, because if you go anywhere else, it's just a bunch of old people singing country," he said.

Gena Lawson sang "Say It Ain't So" by Weezer. Lawson said she used to be a karaoke jockey for a living.

"There is a better variety of music here," she said. "It's not just Top 40."

Lawson said she likes the environment, because people are not critical.

"We are all here to have a good time," she said. "It doesn't matter if you suck."

Xavier Mascare§as / Daily Lobo

Eric Wright, Rockstar Karaoke's disc jockey, center, talks with Tabitha Troup about a song request on Tuesday.