ROK Supports AJ’s Kids Crane

When we were asked to support AJ’s Kids Crane this year, there was literally no discussion. Of course we would love to participate in this annual event where a local radio DJ (AJ Machado of Energy 103.7FM) literally lives atop a crane in the Ikea parking lot in San Diego for an entire week. The event is held each year to support Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego.

AJ's Crane

Naturally, we were even more excited when they announced we’d be the backing band for a karaoke competition.

As if that wasn’t enough, they also let us know that there would be several of San Diego’s finest food trucks in attendance that evening as well. Heaven.

If you weren’t able to join us, you totally missed out. The winner of the karaoke competition took home a sweeeeeet Sony 4K TV for being the best singer. See? It pays to be a ROK fan, so thanks to those of you who came out to participate!

Be sure to tag us in your online photos + videos if you were there!

Four Years!

Hard to believe it’s been almost four years we’ve been melting faces with you at the 710 Beach Club every Thursday.  It’s pretty amazing when we take a look back to early 2009, when the band was just five members: Colin and Rob (splitting lead guitar), John (rhythm guitar), Rob (bass), and Eric (drums).

Soon after we’d add the wild antics of Bass Dave (um…bass), Stoltz (stunt guitar is his official title), and Matt (drums, charming wit).  Then along comes Paulo (geetar), Bass Andy and Drums Shawn.  We can’t forget our incredible hosts: Carlos, Chris, Joe, Antonio!

Are we missing anyone?  Ah, yes–YOU, the singers!  You guys made all this possible, so a big thanks to anyone who has ever taken the stage (or come to see someone) with us.

Back in 2009, no one in the band had kids (that we knew of).  Now, we (the royal “we”) have four children (that we know of).  Since 2009, the song list has grown from about 60 tunes to our current list of about 200.  And we won’t even start to list the growing choreography we keep adding to many of our tunes (lots of kicking, jumping, laying on the ground, wiggling, pelvis-thrusting).

Well, this Thursday, March 7, 2013, we’ll be celebrating our four-year stay at the 710 Beach Club with a big ol’ freakin’ party.

It’s also with mixed emotions that we announce we’re taking a break from Thursday nights at the 710 for a bit, as the club works on going a new direction with their Thursday format.

Luann'sDad

“I don’t recall saying, ‘Good luck.'”
(Click to play Simpsons clip)

Don’t think for a second that this is goodbye.  We’re actually excited at the chance to see what else is happening out there on Thursdays.  We’re working on securing a new Thursday night home soon, and you can continue to hang with us at JT’s Pub, the SD County Fair, weddings, company parties, and events around town.  Stay tuned for more news on our Facebook page and our email list.

We really cannot thank the 710 management for putting up…er…having us around for all these years, and for all the support — radio ads, drink specials, flyers, chalk boards.  Four years is a long time for any gig in this town.  And a big thanks to the true Oz behind us all:  Sound Guy John, who is the only person to be at every single 710 ROK show.  It’s a true honor to have someone as talented and experienced as Sound Guy John, who has run sound and toured with the likes of Metallica, and about every other band you can think of.

Help us end our four year run at the 710 Beach Club with a bang this Thursday night:  the party to take us home, send us on our way, and help us reach new heights.  Come early for free food, stay all night for drink specials and the ROK fun you’ve come to know and love.

High fives,
ROK

P.S.  Show us the love on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Yelp!

Comic-Con 2011 Heats Up

San Diego is always buzzing this time of year, and not just because of Rock Out Karaoke.  Summer marks the arrival of epic events like the San Diego County Fair, the Del Mar horse races, and of course, the annual Comic-Con International.  This year our fans will have two chances to sing karaoke with the band during Comic-Con.  First, of course, is our regular weekly show at the House of Blues on Wednesday night from 7-10pm.

Special bonus:  we got tapped by our friends at TechKaraoke to play our one-of-a-kind live band karaoke show Saturday night during Comic-Con.  Read on for more details.

In case you haven’t heard, Comic-Con is one of San Diego’s signature events – bringing crowds of over 100,000 from all over the world.  Movie buffs, video gamers, comic collectors, and entertainment junkies descend on the San Diego Convention Center every year to celebrate all things even remotely related to comics.  Comic-Con 2011 is July 21-24.

Here’s the scoop on when and where we’ll play:

When: Saturday July 23, 2011 8pm – 2am

Where: 97 Horton / Westfield Horton Plaza

Who: Open to ALL Comic-Con Attendees/San Diego locals. RSVP REQUIRED.

What: Caped and masked crusaders singing, dancing, and networking is only the beginning…

Last we heard, there were only a handful of tickets left for this event (literally) and you must register and print your ticket to get in.  This event is open to the public.

We’re hoping to see you on stage with us at Comic-Con this year, rocking your favorite live band karaoke tunes!

Special thanks to our sponsor, Twonky for hooking this one up!

Discover and Experience digital media on any web-connected gadget or device.

http://www.twonky.com/

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Photo:  Creative Commons courtesy of http://parkablogs.com/ 

The Local Pub Crawl

What do you get when you mix 550+ rowdy pub crawlers with San Diego’s best live band karaoke on the main stage at the House of Blues San Diego?

An epic, one-of-a-kind, unforgettable stop on the best pub crawl in town.

For the second consecutive, back-to-back year in a row <grin>, Rock Out Karaoke had the privilege of playing for 90 action-packed minutes as the second stop along the way for the annual Memorial Day “Sing, Dance, Crawl to the Park” put on by San Diego’s own Local Eatery & Drinking Hole.

Click on the image to see all the photos from this event!

Naturally, the party started at The Local.  But when the House of Blues doors opened at 2pm, the energy from 550 people had the room instantly buzzing. Starting with the National Anthem (a fitting tip of the cap to the reason why we have the freedom to enjoy a 3-day weekend), the next hour and a half included some of the best karaoke singers we’ve seen in quite some time.  Beach balls flew through the air as 500 beautiful voices sang in unison to songs like Santeria, Sweet Caroline, and Livin’ on a Prayer.

Then, just as quickly as they stormed in, the crawlers were on to the next stop.

With no shortage of beautiful women, an energetic crowd, and awesome support from The Local and the House of Blues, this is a party we could get used to playing for many years to come.

See you next year!  See all the photos at our Facebook page.

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.