I was reminded last weekend how much I enjoy being a chillaxed background singer in a chic beautiful sounding venue, truly. The freedom I have to play whatever I want even when I am doing an all request night, is staggering. Requests are taken off of a QR code which leads to my songlist so I do get to control all the songs, in a way. It's also too long of a list for me to do it all even in six hours so if I only have a two or three hour gig I have to be selective.
I really love watching people scan my QR code to find my SONG REQUEST LIST and then start exclaiming to each other over the length of it. Some people seem truly overwhelmed and find it hard to pick.
I nod absolutely, I KNOW right? why do you think I let you folks choose for me?
Many people don't know the names of songs so they don't know how much of my list they even know. Real music buffs spot all the off center but really well known hits right away, (for instance most people know Fleetwoods Mac's DREAMS to hear it and also by name, and while they might not know "Over my Head" by name or even "Sentimental Lady", both by Fleetwood Mac as well, they for sure have heard them a few hundred or thousand times on the radio in the past.
It's those little nuggets, the sort of songs that make people say: "I remember when I was younger..." and I love stirring up those memories.
Last weekend a fabulous music loving couple saw my list and set themselves the challenge to give me songs that people wouldn't normally choose. They were determined to pick weird but well known songs that they figured I wouldn't be brushed up on. They succeeded in a few cases, and they definitely asked for things most people don't ask for. But what they may not have anticipated is that I myself often choose those very songs simply because I know that people don't recognize the name so won't ask for them, but once they hear them.....ah there goes the light bulb.
This was at the fabulous Hilton Downtown Vancouver in Hendricks Resto Lounge. I love it with the beautiful Vancouver Library in the background. Thank you VanHatten Entertainment for putting me in this room. So pretty. Have a little listen to see if there are a few you may have forgotten you know.
