Karaoke popularity rising

by Adam D’Andrea

It’s Wednesday night and the unmistakeable opening chords of the Billy Joel classic “Piano Man” are spilling out of Villains’ Beastro and into Pelissier Street. Then the off-key notes, slurred words and raucous cheering and laughter begin. It’s karaoke night.

Villains’ is one of several downtown bars that have added a karaoke night to their weekly roster of events. Karaoke has become increasingly mainstream in Windsor, with other popular bars such as The Bull n’ Barrel and The Manchester encouraging amateurs to come out and belt out a few songs once a week.

But the question remains: why are people are so willing to go out of their way to listen to amateur and make fools of themselves in public? Villains’ owner and self-proclaimed karaoke enthusiast Geoff Zanetti said he believes it’s because of the fun and inclusiveness of the activity.

“Everyone’s involved with it. Some come to watch the show, others come to get up there and sing,” said Zanetti.

In fact, Zanetti loves karaoke so much he hosts it two nights a week with Wednesday’s People Using Karaoke Equipment (P.U.K.E.) and Sunday Ultimate Championship Karaoke (S.U.C.K.). On most nights, the Villains’ staff anticipates at least 50 attendees for karaoke. Zanetti said karaoke nights have been consistently more popular and therefore more profitable than other theme nights, such as open mic nights.

“Karaoke is for a wider group. More people can do it,” said Zanetti. “They can go up there and sing the songs they love and hear every day.”

A typical Wednesday or Sunday at Villains starts fairly slow with only a sparse offering of people willing to go up and sing. But according to Zanetti, once a little “liquid courage” starts flowing that’s when the fun really begins.

Joseph Zanotti, a local musician and music teacher, agreed a few drinks are almost always necessary for a good karaoke night. Zanotti frequently attended karaoke nights at The Whiskey (now known as The Dugout) and still attends local karaoke nights when he can.

“For me, karaoke is like a community concert. Everyone gets to sing and no one judges because everyone is terrible,” said Zanotti. “Plus drunk people love microphones.”

Zanotti said his attendance at karaoke nights has dwindled since being hired by the public school board, but it still holds a special place in his heart.

Although Zanetti considers karaoke one of his passions, he recognizes that the clientele of some bars wouldn’t appreciate it.

“It’s not for every bar. I don’t see why not because it’s fun as hell,” said Zanetti. “But it’s the same reason why we’re not a sports bar. That’s just not what we’re after.”

Villains’ was recently voted “Best Karaoke” in The Lance’s Best of Windsor 2012 reader poll. Zanetti, who routinely takes part in the karaoke nights himself, said he believes this is because of the bar’s fun and inviting atmosphere.

“I think people enjoy doing it here at Villains’ because we don’t take things seriously. It’s a laid back atmosphere where I think people just feel comfortable doing it,” said Zanetti. “And that’s why Villains’ is the number one place to S.U.C.K. some P.U.K.E.”