National Karaoke League - Austin Division

As my first season with NKL comes to a close this Thursday, I have absolutely no complaints. I've made some amazing new friends, and have some awesome pictures that are sure to be a conversation starter. Ego's is a WONDERFUL host, and everyone involved is just the friendliest down to earth group of people I know. I will definitely be coming back next season!

I've been involved in the NKL for several years now, and it's one of the most fun activities around with an amazing community of people involved in it.  Well worth your valuable time.

The basic idea is that you get on a team with people and, as a team, do three songs each week.  You can have a team already, or come in as an individual and let them set you up on a team.  It's very friendly to newcomers, and each team generally has a few new people on it.  The audience will vote for their favorite performances, and over the course of the season, eventually a champion is crowned.  But it's way more than just singing.  In fact, singing ability isn't even a major factor.  There's costumes, performances, and choreography in addition to the singing, and it's an environment where enthusiasm counts for more than ability.

They have two divisions in town: one up north at the Canary Roost and the other down south at Ego's, so you have options as to where you want to go.  There are three seasons a year, each lasting about two and a half months with weekly competition.

But as much fun as it is to perform and see what everyone else comes up with (and, believe me, it's really amazing to see what gets done), what I really love about NKL are the people involved.  It's a really diverse crowd where you really can't predict what kinds of folks you'll encounter.  The quality that unifies them, though, is that they all like to perform and they all like to have a good time.  The folks that I've met through NKL are insanely fun and interesting and awesome.

Bottom line is that there's really never anything boring in NKL, and you're sure to meet a ton of cool people.  Participating has been one of the best things I've done.

Since no one has provided commentary for the last year, I would like to contribute my personal experiences with NKL.

First of all, I am a newbie--and after a year and a half of wandering around Austin trying to find a local hang out where I could meet people, I happened to stumble into Egos on a Thursday night in desperate search for Karaoke and a good time.

With me was my friend Patrick.

We look around, there's two people at the bar with afro wigs. Another patron walks in with chaps on. I look at Patrick and say, "I guess we missed the notice that it's wig night..." and then I look over and notice Master Shake in the corner.

After being rebuffed by the Karaoke Jocky with a snort, "Karaoke's only for NKL until 10!" we decided to grab a booth and watch.

We snag someone in a white lab coat (now my teammate) and ask  what is going on: "It's National Karaoke League! It's the last night of the regular season. We're all on teams and we take turns singing--it's a lot of fun. Excuse me, I have to go." The young man runs up to the stage and proceeds to strip off his lab coat--and is wearing a full S&M harness underneath. As he hoods himself and unzipps his mask to let his voice be heard on the mike ("I wanna sex you up" I believe), Patrick reminds me to close my mouth (my unhinged jaw is on floor in shock).

We watch the rest of the performances in awe--"Maniac" from flash dance, where I wait to see a nip slip as she bounces up and down on the stage in a full run-in-place with only a bandeau bra and a homemade leotard, a full corseted drag performance of "No More I Love Yous" where the man singing has a full beard and the best Annie Lenox voice I've ever heard.

Then we are treated to "Thriller" replete with zombie costumes and of course, the signature dance.

After that number I  run to the ladies room, and when I open the door, I find the bartender (who I now know as Laura) mopping up the floor covered in water and muttering, "fucking zombies."

As Patrick mounts the stage at 10 to sing his signature number "I want it that way" the zombies break out into their dance at his feet, and I look at him from the crowd, and he looks at me, and we both know.

We have to join.

My first season at NKL has not disappointed in the least. From seeing "The Human Centipede" in front of my eyes, to witnessing two "births", and spending countless hours with Patrick and 7 other people I didn't know, I have made wonderful friends--and even better memories. There's a picture of me dressed as a little boy, munching on a cupcake while the creepy old Herbert from Family Guy croons "Somewhere that's Green." There's pictures of teammembers half naked--almost totally naked--cross dressed, in the throes of passionate performance that we will have to one day explain to our kids. There's been drama and paranoia and politics and a whole lot of laughter.

And I cannot wait for next season.