This is really an interesting thread, and I agree with much of what Diki has said. Ironically, during the past few weeks I was put into a position that put a somewhat different slant on this. A good friend and fellow musician/entertainer just underwent some serious heart surgery. He damned near died. Because of this his physical condition is such that he cannot lift anything heavier than five pounds for the next few months. He asked a friend, who is a Karaoke Jock, to cover for him at an Italian Restaurant while he recooperates. Just a week later the KJ suffered a severe attack of shingles, which is a very painful malady. The restaurant manager called me and said "The karaoke guy was OK, but these people want live music. Can you fill in for a couple months?" I was able to do three of four weeks per month for them, and the first night on the job I kept the dancefloor packed. (They have a special area for both dining and dancing.)

At the end of the night the owner came to me and asked if I would be available on a regular basis. I said I would be as long as my friend was unable to perform. However, upon his recovery I would relinquish the job to him. He called the next evening, asked how things went, and when I told him that everything went well he said "Well, you just might have this gig as long as you want it--I'm slowin' down."

The patrons DEFINITELY wanted live music--not KJ or DJ. I'm fairly confident they would have not been happy with someone that lip-synced either. I must confess, though, I used three MIDI files during the two-hour performance. I played over them, which I guess is OK, but the rest of the performance was straight from the PSR-3000 and my live vocals.

I sure wish I was young and good-looking again. Then I could really haul down some heavy paychecks.

Cheers,

Gary

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Travlin' Easy