Mission Mission

Here’s one of the great things about DJ Purple’s patented “Dance Karaoke” party: even if you’re turned off by the fact that the girl or guy you desire only has one go-to karaoke song (and that song is “Gangsta’s Paradise”) you can always just get things going on the dance floor:

Amanda at slate karaoke – m4w (mission district)

We danced at karaoke. Your name is Amanda. I am shy but I wouldn’t mind getting to know you better. [link]

Here’s hoping they get to dance together once again!

(Thanks, Candy!)

[Photo by Jess Kelso]

Pretty sad compared to the 45 I sang in May and the 18 I sang in June, but this monthly listicle series has been exceedingly popular, so here they are:

1. Ever Fallen in Love — The Buzzcocks
2. Someday — The Strokes
3. Taken for a Fool — The Strokes

With DJ Purple doing his Dance Karaoke show at SoMa StrEat Food Park on Saturday nights throughout August, hopefully I’ll be able to get my numbers back up this month

This song should be all you need to know:

Nicholas Krgovich rules! (And seeing live music at Rite Spot rules.) (And being able to go see a show at 5:30pm on a Saturday and still being able to go out and do something else afterward rules.)

Here’s the tour info:

UPDATE: L.A. Takedown? Also rad…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38sUg5RT_Hw

(Thanks, A!)

Food trucks and karaoke!!! (And a beer/wine truck, duh.) What could be better??? Here’s the deal:

We’ll be covering 5 Saturdays for Karaoke KJPaul! Mark your calendars for July 26th, August 2nd, 16th, 23rd and 30th (we’ll miss August 9th)!

Karaoke will be 7pm-midnight! Get there early to enjoy the fabulous food! Food trucks start closing between 9 and 10! The bar truck stays open until midnight!

Food and Dance Karaoke! Who knew? Join us for fabulous singers, fancy pyrotechnics, great company, and FOOOD!

If you haven’t been, you should know SoMa StrEat Food Park is actually just right across the street from the Mission — very accessible. Their soundsystem is loud, and their beer/wine/sangria menu is pretty damn good.

And I promise, whether you really love karaoke or you only kind of love karaoke, this will be awesome!

RSVP and invite your friends!

My pal Chad is really into karaoke. (As am I.) Apparently he says so on his online-dating profiles, and here’s what happens when a nice young lady doesn’t heed his warning:

Done and done. Easy peasy.

Now, before you rip on Chad for being so quick to pass, and before you rip on this nice young lady for not branching out more at karaoke, think about it… Back in the old days, it might take you 10 years of marriage (followed by a bitter divorce) to figure out that it wasn’t going to work because the only song she’d karaoke was “Gangsta’s.” Modern romance cuts right to the chase!

(Also, be sure to check out DJ Purple’s debut at SoMa StrEat Food Park this Saturday night!)

In terms of quantity, this definitely doesn’t top the 45 songs I sang in May, but it was still a good month:

1. Hounds of Love – The Futureheads
2. Supersoaker – Kings of Leon
3. Take Me Out – Franz Ferdinand
4. Love Will Tear Us Apart – Joy Division
5. Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again – The Angels
6. Too Much Time on My Hands – Styx
7. Reflektor – Arcade Fire
8. Silly Love Songs – Wings
9. Real Wild Child – Iggy Pop
10. You Don’t Know How It Feels – Tom Petty
11. Let Me Go – Cake
12. Ruby Don’t Take Your Love to Town – Kenny Rogers
13. I’m Sticking with You – The Velvet Underground
14. Conquest – The White Stripes
15. Country Girl – Primal Scream
16. Dancing in the Moonlight – Thin Lizzy
17. Baby, I Love You – Ramones
18. Love Stinks – J. Geils Band

And the lesson remains the same: karaoke is super fun, the karaoke scene here in SF is pretty killer, and you can sing a wide variety of cool songs if you want.

(I like going to DJ Purple on Tuesdays at Tupelo in North Beach and Thursdays at Slate here in the Mission, KJ Paul on Saturdays at SoMa StrEat Food Park sometimes, and Roger Niner at Butter on Sundays. How bout you?) (Oh and I sang “Ruby Don’t Take Your Love to Town” at this awesome dive in Santa Monica called the Gaslite.)

It’s been too long! Here’s all the info:

It’s been more than *half a year* since SINGIN’ & PINGIN’ made an appearance in the Mission — where it all started! We’ve been doing the festival thing and venturing to other neighborhoods and cities, but now we’re back!!!

• Singin’ & Pingin’ = DJ PURPLE + AMERICAN TRIPPS
• DJ Purple = DANCE KARAOKE
• American Tripps = BERLIN-STYLE PING PONG
• Verdi Club = DREAMY SURROUNDINGS
• June 20th = SUMMER SOLSTICE EVE
• Summer Solstice = TIME TO GET CRRRAZY
• The Mission = THE PLACE TO BE

The Verdi Club, in the heart of the Mission District, is seriously the place you want to be as spring turns into summer: expert bartenders, chill lighting, all the dance floor we could possibly need… We cannot wait!

And there will be homemade tacos! RSVP and invite your friends! DJ Purple’s songbook can be found here. (Get to work!)

Palo Alto Weekly just published a big feature on DJ Purple, and they dug deep. Here’s some epic DJ Purple history:

Hays came to the Peninsula from New Jersey in the ’80s to pursue an undergraduate degree at Stanford University. Although he was a capable student — he says he earned high marks in high school and that he turned down an acceptance letter from Harvard University — ultimately Hays gave up on his studies so he could pursue a career in music.

At the time, Hays played in a number of dance-music cover bands — some of which were well-known in certain circles of Stanford students, he says. Back when he dropped out of Stanford, Hays says he was thinking he’d continue playing live music in bands. His instruments include saxophone, keyboard and guitar among others. However, as time passed, he started playing solo shows, using samplers and laptops as his backing band, and before long, he had mostly abandoned live instrumentation in favor of mixing dance music at parties, bars and clubs.

Though it’s been more than a decade since Hays played regularly with a band, the lessons he learned while performing with other musicians on stage have greatly informed the work he does as DJ Purple. Hays frequently plays saxophone or harmonica during songs to spice up a musical interlude or give a certain passage more punch. He will sometimes sing backup harmonies. And he has even been known to reach out to regulars via Facebook to suggest a song he thinks they’d be good at or to give pointers on microphone and singing technique. [link]

Yeah, he once messaged me to suggest I do “Little L” by Jamiroquai and it took me about 3 years to work up the courage. (By the time I did it, he’d forgotten it was his idea.)

Be sure to check out DJ Purple’s show every Thursday at Slate Bar on 16th Street, and this Friday there’s the very special Singin’ & Pingin’ returns to the Mission party at Verdi Club:

[Photo by Corntard]

That signature ‘stache, getting down during that signature sax solo! Two local karaoke legends, shredding as one!! What a sight!!! (Paul elected to perform “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” last night at Purple’s regular Thursday night gig at Slate, and together they nailed it.)

Btw check out the line to get into the party last night (at 12:45 no less!):

During “Careless Whisper” obviously.

[via Corntard]