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GOOD TIME CHARLEY'S KARAOKE TUESDAY
It's a cold Tuesday night in Ann Arbor. You should be at the library or getting a head start on that term paper. The least you could do is go to the gym. (You said you were going to trek to the IM Building three times every week, remember?)
But you don't want to do any of those things. Monday was exhausting. You haven't seen your friends since Saturday's game. Would a little Tuesday night fun kill anyone? People are always telling you to "enjoy every moment of college because it'll be gone before you know it."
This is your "YOLO" moment.
If you're not feeling in the mood for Scorekeepers, you're not out of options. Charley's has karaoke on Tuesday nights! Hopefully, you've ventured to Charley's by now. But if you haven't, here's a quick summary of what you're missing.
Good Time Charley's (as it's officially known) opened in 1979, and it hasn't changed much since. With a comfortable atmosphere, tons of tables, a patio that opens up onto South University, and plenty of large TV screens, Charley's quickly became one of the hottest bars on campus to watch the big game or just go out with friends.
Every Tuesday night from 10PM to 2AM is karaoke. I chose to go on a chilly October night with one of my best friends Thomas. I have never been shy to sing in the car...or the shower...or at parties. But there's something a little more intimidating about singing to a bar full of strangers.
I was fortunate to have Thomas by my side. One of our favorite songs to sing in the car together is "Picture" by Kid Rock and Cheryl Crow. It's a classic country duet, and we've always said we would karaoke it one day. I guess that day had arrived. We knew it would be easier to face the crowd together.
Karaoke at Charley's draws a more diverse crowd than a typical evening. It's not uncommon to find older adults and younger non-college groups, who come for the sole purpose of singing. The night Thomas and I were there, we met a dad who comes every Tuesday to sing with his 20-something daughter. He had a spot-on Willie Nelson voice and a charming personality. He encouraged us to put our names on the list. We insisted on a few drinks first...
With drinks specials like these, we didn't feel bad indulging. Plus, a little liquid courage would help us walk to the DJ in the front booth and put in our request.
Twenty minutes later, our names were called. A table of friends celebrating a 21st birthday cheered at us wildly. Beers in hand, Thomas and I grabbed the microphones and gave each other a look that can only be described as, "well here's goes nothing."
Fortunately, I don't have a recording of us singing, but here's a link to the original song by the experts.
I do have to say that we weren't half bad! Our hours of car singing had definitely paid off. In our (over)confidence, we decided to sing another duet. The holidays were fast approaching, so I suggested "Baby It's Cold Outside" by Aretha Franklin. Thomas said he didn't know it well, but we were so high off our last performance, what could go wrong?
Turns out a lot. Never sing a song you don't know by heart. In fact, only karaoke your "shower songs," the songs you play 5000x on repeat, the ones you can sing backwards. The arrangement to "Baby It's Cold Outside" was different than I had known. Neither of us knew the second verse, and half way through we started laughing to cover up the horrific noises coming out of our mouths.
Overall, this was still a fun experience. Either of us would say it was one of our favorite nights of the semester thus far. Even if you don't want to sing, there is some fabulous local talent. It'd be worth the trip to hear those people and enjoy $3 domestics. Cheers!
Note: If you really get into karaoke, Brown Jug has it on Sunday nights beginning at 11PM.
