It's no secret that I am a huge fan of karaoke. At one point in my life, I was singing karaoke anywhere from four to six times a week. I enjoy it so much, not only because I'm a major music lover, but it's a great way to blow off some steam after a long day at work.
When I first moved to San Antonio in 2007, I had just gotten my job at KENS-5. Every night, on the way home, I would pass a place called Hemingway's Tavern. The lettering on the marquis read:
KARAOKE EVERY
TUES. - THURS
LIVE MUSIC EVERY
FRIDAY
I had already been shopping around for a place to sing and this place seemed okay. At the time, it seemed to always draw a decent crowd, so I figured that it would be a great place to hit up.
The first time I had gone to sing karaoke at Hemingway's, I didn't know a whole lot of people. I remember having a bad day at work and all I wanted to do was have a few drinks and belt out some songs to let my frustrations out.
I walked up to the DJ--this little bald guy with a funny voice--and tell him, "Hey, how do I sign up?"
He looked up at me and said, "Just tell me your name and I'll keep it in rotation. What do you wanna sing?" I asked for a book and he said, "I don't have a book."
At the time, I thought that was kinda weird, but whatever...
So, he asked me again, "What do you wanna sing?"
I answered, "TOM SAWYER by Rush."
The look on his face what that of total surprise. "Oh, my god. Nobody's done that song in a long time! I love Rush! They are like my number one favorite band in the whole world! Have you seen them live?"
He continued on and on about his love for the band, their music and their live shows. That was fine with me because, as most of you know, I, too am a huge fan of Rush.
Finally, after a little bank-and-forth about our one of our favorite bands, he asked, "What's your name?"
"Ooh..." he said. "I've already got another guy signed up named 'Joe'. What's your last name?"
"Okay, I'll call you up as 'Joe H.' Is that cool with you?"
I shrugged, "Sure. Sounds good."
"Awesome! I wanna hear you rock that shit!"
"I'll give it a shot," I said as I walked back to my table.
Like I said earlier, I didn't know a whole lot of people at the time. So, for a good while, I sat alone, at my table, just watching all the other singers before me. Some of them were really good and some of them were really bad. It didn't matter, though. Everyone was having a great time. The vibe was positive. The attitudes were mellow. I could definitely see myself returning to this place on a regular basis.
Finally, after about half an hour, my name gets called. "COMING UP NEXT, JOE H!"
I walked over to the short bald DJ. He handed me the microphone and said, "Rock that shit," again. He seemed a little too excited about this.
Now, one thing everyone has to remember, is that the song TOM SAWYER has a very recognizable opening. The crowd reacted instantly when the first note hit. I sang the song and people seemed to enjoy it.
When I returned to the microphone to the short bald DJ, he gave me a fist bump. "That was fucking awesome!" he said taking the mic from my hand.
"Thanks, man. That was fun."
"You gonna do some more?"
"Yeah, keep me in rotation."
I ended up making a lot of friends on that first night at Hemingway's, including the short bald DJ, whose name I later found out was Dave. The name of his show was ToneDeaf Karaoke.
Months passed, and, by this time, I had already established myself as a regular to both Hemingway's and ToneDeaf Karaoke. I got to know a lot of the other regulars and, to this day, a lot of those people are still very close friends of mine.
One problem still existed, though.
"COMING UP NEXT, JOE H.!"
The other guy named Joe was still a regular as well. It didn't really bother me all that much at first, but it made me realize that I have a very common name. It kind of made me feel like I had to do something to take back ownership of my identity.
Another known fact about me is that I am a huge fan of the band Tool. On their album, Ænima, there is a song called "H." Being the big fan that I am, I thought, Wouldn't it be cool if he just called me up as "H"?
"COMING UP NEXT, JOE H.!"
I walked up to Dave, took the mic from his hand, and said, "Hey, I have an idea. Next time, call me up as 'H'."
A grin slowly crept across his face, and he said, "Like the Tool song?"
This was the beginning of a beautiful friendship...
