band

Summer Just Got Hotter

Can you feel the sizzle? As if our fourth year at the San Diego County Fair wasn’t enough, we’ve added to the summer lovin’ by bringing live band karaoke back to the House of Blues for a post Comic Con bash that you don’t want to miss!

That’s right, Saturday, July 20 from 8-11pm, you get to take center stage with a live band and the legendary House of Blues. Karaoke sign ups start at 7:30. The list will surely fill up fast – so grab your costumes and get there early. Show your Comic Con badge to get 15% off your food and non-alcoholic beverage tab, too!

For venue details, directions and more visit the House of Blues website.

We Love Us Some Bass Dave

It is with great sadness that I’m announcing my departure from Rock Out Karaoke and San Diego.

Since September of 2009 I have played over 180 shows with Rock Out Karaoke. That’s probably around 7,200 songs and just as many high fives. Counting all the duets, drunken groups of bridesmaids, and dancing bananas, I’ve been lucky enough to share the stage with possibly close to 10,000 karaoke singers (with just a few repeats and regulars) in the past two and a half years.

I want to thank all the musicians that I have played with in ROK over the years: Skip, Rob R., Mike, Rob W, Matt, Pants, Shawn, Paulo, and Colin. You guys are awesome and make playing music what it’s supposed to be…Fun!

Equally important, I want to thank all the wonderful people that brave the Rock Out Karaoke stage every week. Without you, we’re just another cover band. My favorite day of the week without a doubt is Thursday because I get to share the stage with you all. I will miss you all dearly. Keep on ROK’ing!

My last official show is March 15^th, but watch out for some special guest appearances in April!

Thanks,
Bass Dave

Editor’s Note: We’ll definitely miss Dancing Dave’s stage antics week after week. Dave’s arrival in the band came at a pivotal time, as Bass Rob was busy having kids. Dave was undoubtedly a huge reason why we were able to continue performing week after week — and even growing the number of gigs we play each year. Dave was literally the backbone of the band, shouldering the majority of the load with a smile (and usually a PBR or two). Most of all, Dave is an incredible friend to all of us. We all wish you the best and hope to share the stage with you again soon.

Bass Dave Got His Own Night!

Holiday Karaoke Time!

Ahhh, October. That time of the year when the phone starts ringing off the hook for holiday karaoke parties in San Diego.

We get excited about being the entertainment for your holiday party, mostly because you get so excited about us!

Here’s what some of you have said:

These guys were AMAZING at my buddy Marc’s Birthday Party! They are a ton of fun and I can’t wait to check them out again. Marc’s party was a huge success, the best bday party ever, and it was thanks to ROK. — Kimmy D, via Yelp.com

I was lucky to experience the awesome that is Rock Our Karaoke at the Yelp Unleashed party. If I were having a wedding or some other party, I would definitely hire these guys to entertain my guests. — Joe M, via Yelp.com

Love love love. Would totally love to have these guys play at our wedding if I had a time traveling device. — Jena O, via Yelp.com

We’ve had the pleasure of playing our unique live band karaoke show at tons of San Diego corporate events, weddings, birthday parties, and we keep getting calls to play more.

Thanks to those of you who have supported us in the past and here’s to another great holiday party season!

See plenty of photos of our private karaoke events and contact us for your party via our Weddings and Events page.

PB Idol Karaoke Finals!

After eight weeks of preliminary rounds of the only live band karaoke competition in San Diego, we’ve narrowed it down to eight finalists who will now compete for the crown of PB Idol!

Finals night is Saturday, April 2nd at 9:30pm. Contestants will slug it out on the legendary stage of the 710 Beach Club in Pacific Beach, CA.

Of course, we’ll have time for the audience to take the stage with us for some good ol’ live band karaoke. Be sure to arrive early to get on the karaoke sign up list.

Since we’ve had such a great run of preliminary rounds, we’re expecting nothing but A game from our 8 finalists – one of whom will take home the title of PB Idol.

Best wishes to all of them: Jessica, Katrina, Amanda, Lou, Ugh, Ryan, Samboa, and Hans. (Note: reigning champion Chris won his round, but is unable to compete in the finals – that means we’ll have a new champ this year.) Bring your best vocals and a San Diego cheering section, and we’ll see you on Saturday!

Update: And your PB Idol 2011 winner is…. Ugh!

Top 10 Karaoke Songs

Top 10 Live Band Karaoke Songs

We see a lot of top 10 lists out there these days. Things like – top 10 worst karaoke songs, top 10 ways to get fired, and top 7 Tips for Rocking the Stage with a Live Band. We’ve been playing San Diego’s best live band karaoke show since 2006, so we thought we’d create our own top 10 list of tunes that get chosen most frequently. Our list is far from scientific; just a record of the most popular songs chosen at our weekly live shows and private event gigs. Behold, the top 10 most popular live band karaoke songs:

10. Plush – Stone Temple Pilots: Early 90’s grunge wasn’t limited to Seattle. In fact, many people don’t know that STP built a following right here in San Diego (at least according to the stoners who wrote the STP entry in Wikipedia). We hear a lot of great Scott Weiland impressions at Rock Out Karaoke, so this one kicks off our list.

9. Santeria – Sublime: Another Southern California favorite, you simply can’t go wrong with a little Sublime karaoke. Santeria gets the entire crowd singing along with you.

8. You Oughta Know – Alanis Morissette: Nothing says, “I love the 90’s” more than AM’s first single from the 1995 album “Jagged Little Pill.” That’s right, sister. Just let it out. Once upon a time even former American Idol judge Kara Dioguardi rocked this song with us at a private event.

7. Wanted Dead or Alive – Bon Jovi: Rock Out Karaoke fans love this 1987 Bon Jovi/Sambora-written tune that starts with the windy acoustic intro, crescendos into a face-melting guitar solo, and ends back on the signature riff. Anyone with the moxie to tackle this one is frequently rewarded with lots of praise from the crowd.

6. Use Somebody – Kings of Leon: Not all of the most popular tunes are “oldies.” This 2009 smash hit from Tennessee family band Kings of Leon has gotten lots of radio play and gets lots of love from those who take the stage with us.

5. Before He Cheats – Carrie Underwood: American Idol’s fourth season winner, Carrie Underwood, found a hit with this tune about smashing headlights and slashing tires. Guys, watch out for the girl who sings this one…

4. Rebel Yell – Billy Idol: This 80’s classic by sneering, spike-haired rocker Billy Idol is what Rock Out Karaoke is all about. Raw, real, intense rock and roll, led by an energetic frontman from the audience.

3. Hit Me With Your Best Shot – Pat Benatar: like Billy Idol, this one is a staple of our song list and gets lots of love by fans young and old.

2. Sweet Child O Mine – Guns N Roses: Another great rock anthem that lets our karaoke singers really unleash their inner rock star. This tune has been on the ROK song list since day 1, and it’s no wonder why people choose to belt it out week after week.

1. Don’t Stop Believin’ – Journey: There are two types of people in this world. Those who love Journey and those who are liars. This crowd favorite is guaranteed to get the entire bar singing along with you. We’ve seen many a bachelorette/birthday groups rock this one and capture the attention of everyone within earshot.

So there you have it, sports fans. The top 10 most-chosen tunes at Rock Out Karaoke. We certainly hope to see you on stage with us soon, rocking one of these songs or one of the other 190-some-odd (and counting) songs on the list.

Honorable mention goes to the following great songs as well: Folsom Prison Blues – Johnny Cash; Alive – Pearl Jam; Love Shack – the B52s; and Possum Kingdom – the Toadies.