NEWSFLASH: Critter actually has a night of fun!

[Fierce Critter]

We've been down here in NC for 2-3/4 years now, and have rarely been out at night. It's just too much of a hassle to drive 60-miles round-trip to get into Raleigh, only to have a pretty cruddy choice of clubs to go to. There are no goth clubs, just the occasional weekday goth night at a gay bar. And not even any coffee houses where you can sit on a couch in a dark corner and just veg out with a cappuccino (that would require an additional 30-miles added to the trip total to get into Chapel Hill, or 40 miles add'l to get into Durham).

I've gone slowly stir-crazy as a result. Cabin fever has been BAAAAD. Before we left Michigan, we were at CC every Saturday pretty much. And we spent every Friday SOMEPLACE with music, even if it was just the local Borders with an acoustic guitarist in the coffee shop.

We finally decided to go someplace small, quaint, that has food and karaoke. Figured a snack and a few drinks might loosen us up and maybe even get one of us on stage. I found a place with great reviews for food, friendliness & fun in an online city guide, so away we went.

After a couple Irish coffees and some REALLY good eats (Husband a reuben that was VERY good and me some chicken fingers), I actually got up and sang a couple songs. Warmed up with Dean Martin's "You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You" and then on my 2nd turn got more showy with Jewel's "Foolish Games". It was a very busy karaoke night, run on a rotational basis, and I didn't get a chance to get up again before 2:00 rolled around and we had to leave.

I was surprised at how good it felt. I come from a background of doing original music, standing on stage with my 12-string or a band behind me. I never even used to do many covers, so karaoke always seemed lame to me. But one thing that made me go ahead and try it was it was a pretty no-pressure situation. Singing live originals comes with some stress - are people going to like the songs, will I remember the lyrics & chords, do I have enough material to fill a set, etc. Karaoke is just people out singing for the hell of it - good voice or no.

People were having SUCH a good time. Some sang really bad, some sang really good, and everybody was friendly. I was pleasantly surprised. Though if I never hear "Just a Gigolo" again, I'll be a really happy person. :laughing:

The crowd was mostly older folk, so the Dean Martin was particularly well-received. After both songs, I got SO many compliments - even a hug and kiss from one older woman who'd probably had more than a couple drinks in her. :grin: One of the most pleasant reactions I got was a woman in her 60's who commented not only on my voice, but also on what a pretty girl I was...! THAT was funny, in that I was dressed somewhat punk, with black tights & red plaid Converse, a dog collar, etc. The "older" crowd always seems so much more acceptable of a different appearance than uptight middle-agers.

It was such a nice vibe. We're looking forward to going back again, maybe even this Saturday.

I always have so much to say about how there's nothing to do down here, and how I'm not having any new experiences to talk about, being stuck in a tiny house in the country most of the time. It's nice to have a new, positive experience to share. :smiling:

[JaneDead]

that's great to hear. :grin:

[Head Wreck]

bout time you had some fun

[gothicmom]

The "older" crowd always seems so much more acceptable of a different appearance than uptight middle-agers.

It's kind of like that Parents vs. Grandparents things. The older crowd more tolerable than the younger. The younger still so uptight about life where as the older are retired and relaxed and just takes each day as it comes.

I'm glad you had a great time. I know how it is to go so long (not as long as you!) with out having the kind of fun you enjoy. When you do make it out, it's all worth it.

[Ginevra]

That's awesome, FC! I'm sooooo glad to hear about your good experience :D

[Troy Spiral (13)]

Nice to hear. Life is a bitch, but occasionally she takes pity on us and lets us up off the ropes for awhile! :smiling:

Although it does make it all that much less of a posiblity that you might come back to us. :

[Fierce Critter]

Although it does make it all that much less of a posiblity that you might come back to us.

The economy is the ONLY thing that would cause a delay in our return. But there are things going on at Jon's job that have made us slow our efforts a touch. We will probably be here until possibly next winter now.

First off, they're giving him raises every 6 months, with another due in December. so financially, we're getting better and better.

More importantly are new opportunities for Jon to acquire even more skills that would make him valuable to an employer in Michigan. The investment group that bought out the company he's working for just bought two more companies in the U.S. that make the same sort of things. Actually, I'm not 100% sure, but they might have bought out ALL the companies doing this that exist in the U.S. right now.

In any case, both companies will be moved over to this shop, and Jon's been targeted to learn how to make the "important" parts of the product. They even asked him if he'd fly to California to train ahead of time. For reasons I won't go into, he declined but offered to train once everything's been moved over here.

Since Jon is basically an unskilled, blue collar worker, all he knows is what he's trained on at work. Right now, he's looking at moving from manufacturing this product to repair & install. The more he knows about MAKING the product, the more he'll know about repair & install of the same product. Thus, the more variety of the product he learns down here, the more he can put on a resume to get a job up north.

So, in the interest of improving Jon's chance of employment & better pay, we stay down here a little longer than we'd really like to. But finances are improving, we've found ways of maintaining at least a holding pattern on sanity, and I still have DGN to maintain ties with the north. :

For now, we just really couldn't face another year, possibly 2, of NEVER going out at night on the weekends. So we wracked our brains and came up with the karaoke thing. There's a monthly goth night next Friday we hope to be in the mood for, too. Though the atmosphere of the normally "sports bar" will, more than likely, make it hard to get in the mood. Hard to feel "goth" with wood paneling & lifesize cutouts of the Busch Twins all around.

[DisturbedMania]

I heard asheville has some entertaining places to hang, but I'd have to actually use aim and track down James to find out what/where they are.

[gothicmom]

there was in charlotte too, when we lived there.

[Fierce Critter]

Well, Asheville is about a 4 hour drive. Charlotte probably at least 2-3.

I'm on a local goth mailing list. A lot of people make the hike down to Charlotte for their goth nights, but I'm not inclined to spend that kind of $$ on either gas or lodging.

There's a monthly goth night tomorrow. We're planning to go. Hoping it won't suck major, being held at a sports bar.

By the way, went back to the bar with the karaoke last Saturday. Again, had a lot of fun. This time, catered to the crowd a bit - started with k.d. lang's "Constant Craving", then grew some balls and did Patsy Cline's "Crazy", always a risk with an audience, particularly one partial to country music. I'm very happy to say the hugs and applause were a good sign that I'd done Patsy proud. :

Finished with a bit of self-gratification in "Out Here On My Own", a song from the movie Fame that I first did in a Jr. High recital back in the early 80's. Felt nice doing it in front of an audience again, damn - over 20 years later...

Probably skipping the karaoke this weekend with the Friday night goth night.

[gothicmom]

I love Patsy Cline :grin: Crazy is a fav!

[Fierce Critter]

I'm SO not into country music. But Gods - what a voice she had.

And that's just plain a GOOD SONG. I even enjoy Willy Nelson's version.