Music enthusiasts sing praises of Karaoke in the Country

BY PATRICIA A. WEST-VOLLAND • CORRESPONDENT • NOVEMBER 13, 2009

Singing, good friends and a potluck-style dinner have singers from all over the state attending Karaoke in the Country with Barb and Bill Marling.
Music can be heard from 6 to 10 p.m. Tuesdays and 6 to 11 p.m. Fridays coming from the Marling Barn at 7400 Sweetheart Drive.

"If you want good family entertainment, this is it," Cecil Smith, of Dresden, said. "This is a nice environment. This is a nice family place I can bring my kids down. It's hard to find a place where everyone's not raising heck."

Cecil sings as much as he can and is supported by his friend, Sherry Gee, of Dresden. Cecil has been singing karaoke for the past three years and won third place in the karaoke contest at the Coshocton County Fair this year. While Sherry does not sing, she supports Cecil's efforts.

"He'd sing every night of the week if he could," she said.

Usually Tuesday's crowd is smaller so guests have more opportunities to sing, Bill said. Some guests not only sing but adlib with a comedy act too.

Sue and Rick Hildebrand entertained the crowd with their humorous version of "Those Were the Days" the theme song from "All in the Family." The crowd laughed each time Sue, who sang in an Edith Bunker voice, hit the high notes, or as Edith, tried to.

They have been singing "twice a week for three years," Sue said. They won the Mike Ward Duet Karaoke contest at the Muskingum County Fair this year.

"We're addicted," Rick said. "Yep, we're addicted."

"It's a great stress reliever," Sue said.

If laughter is a great stress reliever, the crowd must have left that night stress free. Not only did the Hildebrands' song have the crowd laughing, Chad Sims' rendition of "Marie Laveau" had them clapping and laughing.

Chad's mother, Karan Adams, and two daughters, Elizabeth, 7, and Michelle Sims, 6, attend the karaoke nights, too.

"I love it," Chad said. "My grandmother was a country singer in Newark. She got me started singing. It's great family fun. You don't have to go to the bars with all the obnoxious people."

Anita and Bob Rector, of Nashport, have been singing duets for the past three years. Anita denies being a singer but the couple won the Mike Ward Karaoke contest for 50 and older at the Muskingum County Fair this year.

"I'm not a singer," Anita said. "I sing duets with my husband. I like getting up and having a good time with everybody."

Her favorite song to sing is "Just You and I."

While Kevin Rush has been singing karaoke at the Marling Barn for about a year, he has been singing since he was 7-years old. He sang along as his uncle played guitar and was later in a rock band.

Kevin has sung at many festivals and county fairs. He won the karaoke contest at the Monroe County Fair.

"Actually my whole family sings," Kevin said.

Singers like the fact there are four TV screens around the room so everyone can sing along. A large 50-inch TV placed on the back wall allows singers to "look out over everyone's head to sing," Bill said.

"No matter where you sit you can see a screen," Bill added.

Guests can bring their own music but the Marlings have about 7,000 songs from which to choose. Guests can record their song on a CD while they are singing to take home.

The Marlings built their barn specifically for karaoke because "we got tired of singing in the bars," Bill said.

They enjoy meeting people and like to sing. Barb and Bill won the Karaoke Contest at the Muskingum County Fair in 2008 and entertained there this year. They won the Morgan County Fair, too.

Meeting people and making friends was another reason many guests return.

"We've met so many friends from Buckeye Lake and Marietta, all over, that they become like extended family," Anita said.

While some guests come to sing, others come for the good food.

"I come here for Barb's cooking," Terry Montgomery said. "She puts out an e-mail newsletter each week and tells us what she's cooking."

Food is potluck style with guests bringing food, too. The Marlings ask for a $5 donation but do not want the donation to stop anyone from attending the karaoke singing evenings.

Patricia A. West-Volland is the community reporter for the Times Recorder and can be reached at paw105591@windstream.net.

Tracklist revealed for We Sing

News by Ellie Gibson,

The tracklists for two new karaoke games coming this Christmas have been revealed.

First up is We Sing, a Wii title from Nordic Games which allows up to four people to sing together. A new website has just launched revealing the 30 songs and artists featured in the game.

Highlights of the tracklist include Tears Dry On Their Own by Amy Winehouse, Would I Lie to You? by Charles and Eddie, The One and Only from Chesney Hawkes and John Denver's Take Me Home Country Roads. Lowlights include Trouble by Shampoo, Barbie Girl by Aqua and some Roxette song. Also: James Morrison.

Alternatively there's the new instalment in the Karaoke Revolution series which is coming to Wii, PS3 and Xbox 360. It will feature 50 songs but only a handful have been revealed so far, including ABC, Dancing Machine, I Want You Back and I'll Be There from the Jackson 5. Plus there's Michael Jackson's first solo No. 1, Ben. Us neither.

More contemporary tracks include So What by Pink, Viva La Vida by Coldplay and Rhianna's Disturbia. Or how about a bit of Rod Stewart (Do Ya Think I'm Sexy), Taylor Swift (Love Story) or Miranda (Enamorada)? Thought not.

We Sing and Karaoke Revolution will both be released on 20th November. It's just like John and Edward vs. Lucie all over again.