KARAOKE SHOWTIME A chance to shine

By VERONICA GORLEY
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
Standing onstage during a concert, overwhelmed by the roar of the sold-out audience, arms outstretched, eyes closed, sweat streaming down your temples, lost in the moment. ...
That day will never come.
That's why there's karaoke.
Only a fraction of those with a desire to perform will make it big, so wanna-be singers spend their days working in food service, offices, anywhere -- and await the moment they can let their talents, or lack thereof, be known at the local bar's karaoke night.
Some people need a few drinks to loosen them up before they sing. Others need to get trashed. Some sing on a dare. And others need no incentive whatsoever.
It's a draw: Though some bar hoppers head straight for the door once they realize it's karaoke night, the pastime often draws a crowd that comes just to sit in the audience.
Heads swaying, mouths forming the words -- bar-goers can be entertained by their friends and peers.
"The nice thing about karaoke is that people applaud whether you're good or bad," said Ed Marsco, karaoke jockey. "They applaud because they respect the people with the guts to go out and sing."
Interrupted from his game of pool at Down on Main Street in East Palestine, Daniel Gamble, 36, reluctantly took the stage. Slightly off key and stumbling over some of the words, the East Palestine resident blared, "American Woman," as the crowd chuckled in support.
"There's always one at every bar," quipped KJ Cindi Farina.
Gamble said Down on Main Street is one of his favorite hangouts, and he loves to karaoke.
"It makes me feel good," Gamble said. "It's something we can let loose on. We're all here to have fun."
First time: Singing karaoke for the first time isn't always easy, though. Usually, "karaoke virgins" are extremely nervous at first, but their anxiety stops there.
"Once they get going doing their first song, I can't get them off the stage," Farina said, only half-joking. "That happens to 90 percent of the people who come up for the first time -- they come up again by themselves."
For years, Ed Farkas of Youngstown would go to Nyki's just to play pool and enjoy watching others sing karaoke. One day, all that changed.
"I wouldn't be caught dead doing it a year ago," the 49-year-old said. "Then, I just did it for a fluke. That first time broke the ice, and after that, I wasn't nervous anymore. I'm hooked now."
Farkas, dressed in a sweater and slacks, said he likes karaoke because it's one of the few occasions in which someone can sing poorly and still receive applause. Plus, he gets to sing the tunes he enjoyed as a kid.
"And it's kind of nice when you nail a song," Farkas added with a smile.
Singing to baby: That first karaoke experience is unforgettable for many singers, and Andrea Yeaton's no exception. Though it has been over 10 years since the 36-year-old's first time, she remembers it clearly.
She and her friend were at a bar, but they couldn't drink or smoke because they were both pregnant. Since they couldn't do anything else, they took to the stage.
The song was "I Got You, Babe" -- and they sang it to their big, rounded bellies.
"I think it's a dying art, but I like to keep it alive," said the Youngstown resident. "It's a release -- all the pent-up energy people get."
Bar owners are also karaoke fans, but for another reason: money.
Karaoke offers a different spin to the monotonous bar scene. Also, instead of bringing in costly bands and charging for admission, bars can hold karaoke without a cover charge.
Advocates of the pastime say it's better entertainment than a band because of the diversity of music. Bands usually play one genre -- while karaoke nights offer rap, country, classic rock, Motown, pop, metal, punk, ballads, R & amp;B and alternative -- virtually anything in the musical gamut.
"Everybody is so different, and that's what's so appealing about karaoke," Marsco said. "It's different every time."
Kim Jannetti, owner of Nyki's Bar and Grille, said her Saturday night karaoke attracts a diverse audience. Various types of people with various musical tastes sit at different parts of bar. They may be dissimilar, but they all get along and enjoy the various styles, she said.
Karaoke unites.
Jamie Gingher is an ironworker; Summer Maffee, an accounts receivable associate. But at karaoke nights at Down on Main Street, the East Palestine residents form a duet. They often sing Tim McGraw and Faith Hill's song, "Let's Make Love," before the night is over.
Wearing faded blue jeans and flannel shirt, Gingher, a six-year karaoke veteran, said singers help each other by offering compliments and suggesting different songs.
"Sometimes they laugh at you when you screw up, but I guess it's all part of the entertainment," the 32-year-old said.
Another celeb: Dressed in a sharp black suit, Maffee, 25, is a local celebrity at Down on Main Street on karaoke night.
"I really enjoy it," Maffee said. "It's my hobby. I just love to sing."
Maffee said she used to sing opera in high school and at weddings. Since she didn't pursue music, karaoke gives her a reason to continue singing.
"It can be cheesy," Maffee said. "But it's entertaining as all hell. Everyone's having a good time, it brightens people's spirits, it lightens the tension -- it makes a really good night out."
Marsco, better known in the karaoke circuit as "Simply Ed," has been entertaining local crowds as a KJ for the past 11 years.
The 40-year-old Warren resident said karaoke appeals to anyone from 21 to 60, and it's a trend that refuses to be silenced in the area. Loyal karaoke fans can showcase their talents almost every night of the week somewhere in the area.
Marsco said karaoke crowds in the past typically were older, but that trend is fading fast as younger singers refuse to allow karoake to sing its last.
Take Nicole Tarr, for example. A waitress by day and karaoke diva by night, the 22-year-old Youngstown resident said she frequents Nyki's Bar and Grille in Youngstown on karaoke night.
"I guess I like to be the center of attention, and I know I got the skills," Tarr said. "Add a few beverages, and it's all good."
Five nights a week, Farina of Youngstown provides "Cindi Lu Who and B.B.'s Sing-Along Karaoke" at Down on Main Street in East Palestine and other local bars. Farina used to be a performer herself, but two years ago she left the band scene -- where she sang and played rhythm guitar -- and turned to karaoke.
"Everyone wants to be a star," said Farina, 45. "It's the normal person with the normal job who's never got a chance to perform, and they want to see what it's like. This gives them the chance to go up there and sing and see what they can do. Everybody wants that 15 minutes of fame."
Interest peak: According to Marsco, karaoke peaked in the area during the early- or mid-1990s, and the last few years has brought a drop-off in interest.
Though karaoke has burned out in smaller bars, it continues to thrive in some of the area's popular hot spots, Marsco said. It's how he earns his living.
Karaoke is still in business.
"I know it's kind of corny, and people throw it off like it's nothing, but I really think it's not going anywhere," Marsco said.
Twenty-two-year-old Erin McSweeney confidently mounts the stage at Nyki's Bar and Grille in Youngstown. Adjusting the microphone stand, she flashes a wide grin at the karaoke jockey.
Strains of Beth Hart's "L.A. Song" fills the air as McSweeney closes her eyes and enfolds the microphone with both hands and begins to sing:
Man, I've gotta get outta this town. Man, I've gotta get outta this pain. Man, I've gotta get outta this town. Outta this town, and out of L.A. ...
She's a star: The music stops, McSweeney's face brightens with another grin, and she returns to her seat. It's been her fourth song that night at the karaoke bar -- and the night was still young.
Tomorrow, she'll go back to her food service job. Tonight, she's a star.