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A competitor sings Van Halen's "Panama"
Costumes. Dance Routines. Audience bribes. The teams in the Austin divisions of the National Karaoke League take singing to the next level in their conquest for karaoke glory.
Combining aspects of a softball or kickball league with a night out at the karaoke bar, the National Karaoke League was founded in Austin and now boasts 3 divisions throughout the capital city. Competitors sign up as part of karaoke "teams" who face off for 8 weeks per season before a champion is crowned.
However, the competition is often as silly as it is serious. North Austin and Austin Capital Division competitor John Roche explains, "we all want to win, sure, but the best part of the night is meeting new people on other teams and enjoying the crazy antics people come up with to try to earn votes."
When asked what the wildest stunt he had ever performed for an NKL round was, Roche barely hesitated before answering "dressing up in a black unitard, blonde wig, and sunglasses, and singing a Lady Gaga song. I won that round, by the way."
The format for the league is pretty simple. Each team submits three performances a night, two of which are solo rounds, the other a group round. For each round, everyone in the audience, whether they are in the league or not, is given a ballot where they rank the performances from best to worst. At the end of the night, the ballots are tallied, and the winners get points towards their overall standings. After six weeks of competition, the teams with the highest scores enter the playoffs until one team is crowned as champion.
Each division also hosts a charity night and open house night each season to get non-league members involved and give back to the local community. This season, all three Austin divisions will be raising money for the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians.
Anyone wanting to let their own rockstar loose can sign up for a division of the NKL online, either as an individual or with a team, prior to the start of each season. The Austin-Capital Division, which meets on Wednesday nights at Molotov Lounce at 719 W. 6th, and the Downtown Austin Division, which meets on Thursday nights at Ego's Bar at 510 S. Congress, are both registering now for the fall 2009 season. Registration costs $30 and includes a t-shirt, league drink specials, and 2 division parties each season.
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