(For more news on the new year, in particular what partying was done on The Eve, see this web site’s Notes From The Beat department).
Over the years, you have gotten to hear a variety of music from Bungalow Idol, and now that it’s a new year, this January season is no different at the sponsoring Bungalow Inn in Lakeland.
You can sing virtually anything, and even if not in the running for the top prize, be appreciated here. And even non-performers can have a near-rock-concert experience.
Bungalow Idol has been held for a number of seasons to kick off the new year, and goes all January with preliminaries each Friday night, with the finals that same night of the week the end of the month merges with February, with the weekend closest being Idol Central.
Being singers ourselves and sometimes brought onto the stage with various lineups, my wife Jeannie and I decided to check it out in advance as — make a note of this — karaoke is held virtually every Friday night all year. So I ripped into Heaven and Hell by Black Sabbath, the late Ronnie James Dio version, and because of the audience response even though its metal found myself moving around the stage and even dancing a bit, which is unusual for me (an old karaoke companion Liz Jones — think Close My Eyes forever — always told me, at least play air guitar during the solo). That overt nature of jigging, as is typical at the Bungalow, only fed the crowd more, especially on the long held notes. I am used to people flicking the lighters during my singing, so this response speaks highly of Bungalow Idol.
Jeannie then sang a song she knew as Lulu to the deejay (he was aware it was actually To Sir With Love), and there also was polite but significant clapping from the people seated at tables ringing the large dance floor.
There were various singers during the mix who offered much the same stage presence, not just vocals, to numbers that ranged from outlaw-edged country, to classic blues to old school crooning, and even a bit of hard rock, (think the hard to handle AC/DC). And multiple singers hit those notes just right with swagger and even finished off them off fully, and understandably, at times wandering out away from the mic stand onto the dance floor to make their point. A key point for me was a rare solo performance of the duet Leather and Lace, as friend Jennifer sang both the lines that would normally go to both sexes.
A pure older gentleman also made us all cringe, in a good way, when singing Bed of Roses to his wife, and even putting it on a Smartphone held by a friend. Also, a woman stepped it up a bit and rang through a song reminiscent of Pat Benatar, complete with just a bit of a snarl.
To make your own Bungalow Idol story, check it out any Friday this month. (And come early, as this is after all a supper club, and have dinner, and there are plenty of beyond-the-basic drinks to fuel your courage — as if you need it to get on stage — as well).