Whether it’s alone in the shower or driving down the highway, everyone loves to sing, and Gainesville’s karaoke nights are the perfect place to belt it out.
While the events serve the economic purpose of speeding up otherwise slow business days for the bars that run them, these weekly traditions have also become a place where friends gather to share drinks and laugh at themselves.
A key component of a good karaoke night is the crowd, which serves as a confidence booster, said 21-year-old UF linguistics and French junior Elijah Zarsadias. A regular at Boxcar Beer & Wine Garden’s Wednesday karaoke night, he said the friendly crowd gives him confidence to try new things on stage without the fear of being judged.
His rendition of Whitney Houston’s “I Have Nothing” had the audience waving their phone flashlights along to the beat of the famous pop ballad. To Zarsadias, karaoke lets him build confidence, even when he’s alone.
“It’s a good way to have fun with yourself, just kind of learn to have fun alone,” he said. “I don’t take myself as serious, especially here.”
Another aspect Zarsadias values about karaoke is the community it builds. As a regular, he’s not only familiar with the others who frequent the bar, but he’s even friendly with DJ Chip Clip, who DJs the weekly event.
This sentiment is echoed by another karaoke regular, Jon Overman, who performed Black Flag’s “TV Party” at The Backyard Bar’s weekly Monday karaoke night. The hardcore punk song demanded lots of energy from the 38-year-old chef, and Overman met the moment, kicking and dancing all over the stage with screaming vocals.
While karaoke serves as a way for Overman to de-stress, it also keeps him connected to music as a whole. He got his start singing karaoke before becoming lead vocalist for the Gainesville band Rex Dameron. He intends to join another band soon, and karaoke serves as the perfect training ground to build his skills on stage.
“It’s a good way to shed cortisol and just be a star for a second,” Overman said.
Like an orchestra needs a conductor, a karaoke night needs a DJ. The Backyard’s karaoke DJ, Cody Brown, meets the moment. The 34-year-old disk jockey plays a crucial role in shaping the energy of the night, choosing who sings and when. He likes to prioritize newcomers — if a regular cues up five songs, they’re getting skipped.
But hearing karaoke every week comes with its ups and downs. Some nights, singers completely bomb, and Brown faces the challenge of keeping a straight face. But other nights, he’s completely blown away.
“Honestly, sometimes it pisses me off,” Brown joked. “Go join a band.”
But no matter what, Brown values the energy of the performer above all else. It doesn’t matter if you’re tone deaf, so long as you sing your heart out.
Norma Berger, a 48-year-old aging life care manager, uses The Backyard’s karaoke event to gather with friends for a night of support and serenades.
“I really enjoy singing, and it’s a chance to get together with some friends and be social,” Berger said. “It doesn’t matter if you're a good or bad singer. Everybody is just here to have fun, and you don't have to be nervous, because nobody is really listening anyway.”
Madeline Johnson, a 33-year-old therapist, agreed stage fright isn’t something to fear during karaoke.
“I love to humiliate myself; I think it’s fun,” she said.
Johnson sang Joni Mitchell’s “A Case of You” at Boxcar alongside her best friend.
Amid the brisk weather and lights strung up against the bar’s wooden pavilion, the duo laughed as they tried their best to capture the Canadian American songwriter’s spirit. For Johnson, karaoke is a way to take herself less seriously and release her inhibitions.
“I think karaoke is a very special opportunity to publicly be a fool, and you’re actually just supported by everybody,” she said. “It’s not really about skill.”
Contact Christopher Rodriguez at crodriguez@alligator.org. Follow him on X @ChrisRodri29386.
