A Song On Their Lips -- You Can Be The Star As Sing-Along Bars Grow In Popularity In The Seattle Area

For the few minutes that Masako Ohara is on stage, she sheds her shyness and inhibitions. Accompanied by lush background orchestration produced by a $20,000 laser-disc player and speakers, her hand clutched surely around the microphone, Ohara emotes.

In a sweet and throaty voice, she lets loose with a traditional weeper (her favorite kind of song): a wife helps her husband become chess champion by earning money sewing kimonos - then dies when he wins.

Her audience, mostly Japanese, follows the lyrics on the video flashing across the wide-screen TV screen by the stage.

Ohara, 61, a regular at Restaurant Ohgi-Ya, a popular International District karaoke - or sing-along - bar, explains her hobby's attraction simply: ``It's relaxation.''

Across town and across cultures at Shakey's Pizza in Renton, Joseph Calvari, 13, and brother John, 26, are charming the crowd with their karaoke rendition of the Oak Ridge Boys' ``Elvira.''

As Joseph dips down, John bobs up, synchronized with the beat: ``Giddiup, giddiup, giddiup, a-mau-mau . . . '' Their Southern accents are perfection: ``My hah-rt's on fahr for Elvi-ah-rah''

The brothers, who say they love to entertain, usually make a monthly pilgrimage to Shakey's, where balloons, hanging plants, platters of pizza and pitchers of soft drinks and beer all shout ``all-American atmosphere.''

Mother and daughter duos, prepubescent chums, the Lindbergh High School boys' swim team (``BORN to be wi-i-ild'') all take their turns at the mike and video screen. Says Alan Landis, a Renton Highlands brick mason and a smooth Frank Sinatra imitator who, with his wife and three kids, sings here weekly: ``It's good family entertainment.''

Karaoke (pronounced kara-oh-kay) long has been a form of popular entertainment in Japan. There, it's especially valued as an away-from-work setting for businessmen to get to know one another - in a society where there are few outlets to ``let it all hang out.''

Now it's taking off in Seattle.

Two years ago there were only two karaoke spots in Seattle. Now there are at least 11, from Everett to Tacoma.

And not only are bars and restaurants buying the newest expensive laser systems, but families are buying less-expensive versions for home entertainment, reports Emiko ``Amy'' Hikida, a Seattle distributor who also gives karaoke singing lessons at her Beacon Hill home.

Japanese for ``nothing-orchestra'' - meaning full orchestration but missing the voice - karaoke first consisted of cassettes of the background music and sheets with the words, says Hikida. That was less than 20 years ago; the laser-disc systems were introduced seven or eight years ago, she says, and seem to have taken karaoke's popularity to new heights.

From Japan, karaoke has spread throughout Asia, to Hawaii, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Canada and New York. Now an increasing number of restaurants here are deciding it's Seattle's turn.

Hunan Harbor Restaurant, for example - a Lake Union restaurant that's part of China House, an international trade center - opened its karaoke lounge just two months ago.

John Still, a co-owner, said his company decided karaoke suits the times: The days of big-time drinking are over, and live-entertainment clubs have become too expensive to run.

The demise of drinking - and a subsequent drop in revenues from alcohol - also was part of the motivation for Shakey's in Renton to begin karaoke nights about six months ago. A Shakey's franchise in California pioneered the concept for the chain. ``Our goal was to bring some fun back to Shakey's,'' says Bob Lampe, president of G&D Foods, the local operation that runs the Shakey's franchise in Washington.

Most karaoke singing takes place in must-be-21-lounges; Shakey's is one of the few places where children can sing, too. ``Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star'' is a favorite with the littlest, but on a recent night, kids from a local acting class were belting out polished versions of the Supremes' ``You Can't Hurry Love,'' the Beatles' ``I Saw Her Standing There,'' and the Beach Boys' ``Surfin' USA.''

The ambiance of the lounges varies drastically. While usually most of the karaoke spots offer a selection of both Japanese and English-language tunes - and some also have songs in other languages - most places draw either primarily Japanese students and businessmen, or primarily Americans. (One exception, Sourdough's Deep Dish Pizza, draws mostly Hong Kong Chinese.)

Richard Tajiri, owner of Haiku Gardens in Tacoma, says in his native Hawaii ``all nationalities sing together, but here, the Japanese people somehow are kind of embarrassed to sing with the American singers.''

When his restaurant began drawing mostly Caucasian singers, he says, the Japanese women singers began going to Tillicum to a small Japanese restaurant called Inaka. To compete, he says, soon he's going to open an all-Japanese-language section at the sushi bar on weekends, while maintaining the main lounge for singing in English.

Whether oriented to Japanese or English-language singers, many of the karaoke lounges employ a DJ to whip the crowd's enthusiasm and encourage the shy.

With the more elaborate systems, says Tajiri, they can control the microphone, fix a voice by working with control of the pitches of the voice, cut back if the singer is too loud, or give the singer more bass or treble if needed.

Newcomers tend to be timid at first, but ``once they get used to it, you can't take the microphone away.'' Some lounges have rules of singing only one song at a time, and you may have to wait an hour for a second turn on a crowded Saturday night at Haiku Garden.

It's also common for groups to get up together to sing, then as nervousness relaxes, the solos start. (Drinks help, too.)

Usually there is a mix of semi-professional or even professional singers, rank amateurs, and people so bad you inwardly wince. But everywhere, audiences' tolerance is high. Bad or good, singers draw applause. As 13-year-old Joseph Calvari explains: ``You could have no voice and nobody cares - as long as you get up there.''

Fridays and Saturdays are the most popular nights at all the karaoke locales, and at the bars the action doesn't really get going until after 11 p.m. On a good night, some lounges may have up to 100 people. But some, especially the newest, still are having some sparse nights; and winter's the slowest season, they report.

For both Japanese and Americans, one of karaoke's attractions is its relatively cheap price for an evening's entertainment. So far, Ohgi-Ya is the only place to charge singers $1 a song, though in Japan and Hawaii song charges are the usual practice. For most people, a few drinks (often nonalcoholic) and maybe a snack keep them happy the whole night.

Some of karaoke's special role in Japan may not directly translate to the U.S. Says Megumi Kobayashi, assistant manager at Koto Restaurant, which has a small lounge for karaoke singing: ``We don't dance much like American people, it seems like singing songs is a big deal for us.''

But others say karaoke's basic draw is universal. Ask just about anyone who sings karaoke why, and you'll hear the same answer again and again: ``I like to sing.''

Here are places to go for karaoke:

-- Sourdough's Deep Dish Pizza Co., Pier 57, 1301 Alaskan Way; 623-0390.

When: Friday and Saturday nights, 9 p.m. to 1 p.m. (will expand days in spring and summer).

Music: About 300 Cantonese and Mandarin songs, 100 Japanese, and 300-400 English-language songs (from '50s to current pop). Also has ``Body Sonic'' for singer on stage: ``You feel the beat of the low frequency bass, like a massage; your body vibrates,'' explains Buck Young, owner and DJ.

Clientele: Majority are Chinese from Hong Kong, along with some Japanese and English-speakers.

-- Hunan Harbor Restaurant, 2040 Westlake N., 286-1688.

When: Tuesday to Saturday, 8 or 8:30 p.m. to midnight.

Music: Several hundred songs in English (popular '60s-'80s hits to ballads), Chinese and Japanese. Led by host/singer. No charge per song.

Clientele: The restaurant is housed in the China House Trade Center, and draws primarily Chinese, Japanese and American business people and tourists, 30-35 years and over.

-- Westin Hotel (Fitzgerald's lounge in the lobby), 1900 Fifth, 728-1000.

When: DJ from Monday to Saturday, about 9 p.m. to closing, but at other times can request the manager to operate the system.

Music: More than 250 songs in English, '50s-'80s, Elvis to Whitney Houston to Beatles and old standards. Led by DJ/singer. No charge per song.

Clientele: Popular with convention groups, or locals having a special occasion like a farewell party.

-- Shakey's Pizza, Renton, 225 S.W. Seventh, Renton, 228-6777.

When: Winter hours, Friday and Saturday, 6 p.m.-11 p.m. - large parties can schedule at other times with advance notice.

Music: About 250 songs in English, lots of '50s and '60s, top 40 and country and western, plus a few children's songs. Led by DJ/host. No charge per song.

Clientele: American; regulars include a very professional 8-year-old and a group of 40 aerospace workers.

-- Toyama Japanese Restaurant, 10121 Evergreen Way, Everett, 353-4141.

When: Friday and Saturday, 10 p.m.-2 a.m.

Music: More than 3,000 songs, both in Japanese and English (Madonna to Tom Jones). No host, management plays guests' requests. No charge per song.

Clientele: Mostly Japanese, also some American families who are more likely to listen than sing themselves.

-- Tatsumi Restaurant, 4212 University Way N.E., 548-1507.

When: Friday and Saturday, 9 p.m.-2 a.m.

Music: More than 600 songs, half of them Japanese, half English. No host; nonprofessional DJ plays requests. No charge per song.

Clientele: Lots of Japanese students, but probably more Americans (some of whom sing Japanese songs, too).

-- Koto Restaurant, 520 S. Main, 622-1217.

When: Monday to Saturday, 7 p.m.-2 a.m.

Music: More than 3,000 songs, majority of them Japanese, also some English (classics to popular, '50s to 70s, some '80s), Chinese and Korean. No DJ. No charge per song. Small lounge seats only 30.

Clientele: Mostly Japanese students or businessmen.

-- Bush Garden Sukiyaki, 614 Maynard S., 682-6830.

When: DJ Fridays and Saturdays, 9:30 p.m.-1:30 p.m. Available without DJ other nights on request.

Music: More than 400 songs in English, oldies and current hits, more than 1,000 Japanese songs; once the majority of songs requested were in Japanese, but now there's a 50/50 mix.

Clientele: Japanese and older Nisei crowd once predominated, now shifting to more non-Japanese.

-- Haiku Gardens, 9530 Bridgeport Way S.W., Tacoma/Lakewood, 582-2779

When: Tuesday to Sunday, 8 p.m.-1 a.m. (next month will open a separate section exclusively for Japanese songs, weekends only.)

Music: More than 500 songs in English, lots of '40s, '50s and '60s songs; a few Japanese songs now, but when Japanese section opens, expect to have up to 800 of them. DJ host (Japanese section won't have host, waitress will run the system). No charge for songs.

Clientele: Has been almost exclusively non-Japanese - hopes to draw Japanese crowd into the new Japanese-language section.

-- Restaurant Ohgi-Ya, 527 S. Main 682-6000

When: Tuesday to Sunday, 10 p.m.-1:30 a.m.

Music: More than 80 percent of the 3,000 songs are in Japanese; rest in English. DJ. Charge: $1 song.

Clientele: Primarily Japanese business people.

-- Inaka Japanese Restaurant, 15204 Union Ave. S.W., Tacoma, 582-5515.

When: Big night is the third Saturday of the month, from about 8 p.m. or 9 p.m. until 2 a.m. If there's enough of a crowd, there's also karaoke Friday and other Saturday nights, starting about 9 p.m.

Music: Japanese.

Clientele: Japanese housewives, businessmen, students.

Sing along in your home

If you're shy about singing in front of others or looking for a fun focus for that family reunion or old friends' get-together, and have $500 to burn, a home karaoke system may be for you.

Both Japanese and American-song cassette tapes, along with hardware systems, are available for home entertainment, says Amy Hikida, who sells them from her Beacon Hill home.

Hardware for cassette-type systems ranges from $60 to $800, she says, with tapes from $6 to $13, depending on how many songs and format (some have just background music, some have a vocal guide - a prerecorded voice switches on when you stop singing). The most popular systems are in the $500 to $700 range. For commercial purposes laser systems generally are used. They run from $3,000 and up (locally, both Hikida and Richard Tajiri of Haiku Gardens in Tacoma sell commercial systems).

Ernest Miller of Mukilteo, owner of an Everett bowling alley, is one who sings the joys of karoke as home entertainment.

After seeing a model demonstrated at the Puyallup Fair two years ago, he says, he bought an extensive system and a large library of music - complete with laser-disc player, amplifier, speakers, three microphones and a ``music machine'' for recording. He spent at least $5,000.

Particularly fond of Christian and country-western music, Miller, 61, says he's ``not a real singer; I can carry a tune.'' But he bought the system for family gatherings. At Christmas, he says, all 11 grandkids - aged 3 to 19 - had a ball singing Christmas songs.

``We had solos, group songs, we recorded the kids. These are priceless to us. It's good, clean fun.''