Karaoke by Rhiana Yazzie

A Navajo in the North – Number 2

"Karaoke with the Elders" © Rhiana Yazzie 2007

I’m young, I’m mobile, and I’m Navajo…in Minneapolis, and it’s a Friday night. What’s a girl to do? Then I remember, I have a date. A hot date with a new love, Karaoke.

I’m sitting here on a Friday night at one of my regular spots to start the weekend off, the Wolves Den. No that’s not a metaphor, it really is the Wolves Den—well, it’s a café that is Native owned and run located on the famous Franklin Avenue here in the Twin Cities. Today is the longest day of the year, the Summer Solstice, but it’s not just because of this special occasion today that Native folks from all walks of life gather. Elders and youth, Ojibwes and Lakotas, and yes, even the occasional Inupiat and Navajo gather for K-Day, that is Karaoke Day! Or as the locals call it, Kroaky!

The host, Janelle, often opens K-Day with a heart wrenching rendition of "Blue Bayou." Everybody is decked out, hair coifed, vocal chords practiced on the radio on the ride in. I turn in my song request slip, "Close to You" by The Carpenters, and sit back and listen to the second selection of the evening, "The Titanic Song" sung by a duo. A young man in his twenties and a boy about 9 years old. They just happened to pick the same song. Coincidence? You and I both know, there’s no such thing in Indian Country. There’s an old Canadian myth that Celine Dion was raised till the age of 5 by a pack of moose and Ojibways—or was that Shania Twain? I guess we’ll never know.

At last my name is called. I make the long journey from the booth I’m sitting in to the makeshift stage where a 13 inch TV displays the lyrics to each song. Janelle is in great spirits tonight, her grandbaby is in her arms as she hands the microphone over to me. As the "birds suddenly appear" she mouths the lyrics from the sidelines along with the baby. I lean over to her putting the mic between us as we suddenly create an impromptu trio singing, "Just like me, they long to be close to you." The crowd loves the multigenerational crooning, and I hope for similar results again as I am already debating which song to sing next, "Do That to Me One More Time," or "Love Will Keep Us Together."

Janelle’s mother, Rose Scott is the real behind-the-scenes conductor of this gig, calling her karaoke business "On the Ro… Entertainment." That’s a cross between Rose’s name and Willie Nelson’s song, "On the Road again," Nelson being Rose’s favorite singer. Since acquiring the equipment and going into business, Rose has seen it all, back when Karaoke hit its heyday from the grand video productions that accompanied each song to the brief invent of Movie-oke, where folks played out scenes from their favorite films. But Rose’s steady commitment to what she says feels more like a hobby than a business, is what has kept her afloat for going on 5 years now.

What makes Rose Scott’s karaoke stand out is the community it has created. On any given Friday night here at the Wolves Den, you will find youth and elders alike coming together to sing their hearts out. You may not have guessed it, but next March Rose will be turning 70. In her everyday life, she goes to workshops here and there designed for elders’ health and wellness, and it is from these meetings that she has formed a steady following of friends that pack the house with songs from yesteryear, including hits from well known singers like Patsy Cline, Hank Williams, and yes, even Sonny and Cher. One devoted chanteuse even brings her own karaoke CD for Janelle to load in the disc player!

If you’ve ever tried karaoke, you may have a memory of your first time happening in some bowling alley bar, or in a dive where the microphone smells like a beer. But not here, this is all 100% sober. So that means, you are too. This karaoke is not for the weak. Scaredy cats need not apply. But if you can manage to pluck up the courage you will be glad to know that the prevailing attitude is that of acceptance. "We’re not here to judge on people, we’re here to have fun. We’re not American Idol." Says our karaoke jockey, Janelle. Rose adds that singing karaoke with your community "generates people’s self esteem."

Need more incentive? Every half hour there is a drawing where a lucky singer could win a genuine Wolves Den Indian taco or 6-in sub of their choice. And lo! I win the first half hour’s drawing! Since I am partial to that thinner, bubblier, Navajo style fry bread, I opt for the sub.

Janelle recalls the early days just after her mother, Rose invested in this business. Their first gigs were indeed in bars and bowling alleys. There was always the worry of unruly bar flies that would start fights, break the equipment, or sing "Afternoon Delight!" Janelle adds that, "you don’t have to drink to have fun. My kids are able to come with me. Children and elderly people, they’re coming out now and having a blast." On the Ro.. Entertainment made its permanent move to the Wolves Den last October when Wolves Den owner, Mike Forcia, wanted to bring in more business on Friday nights. And it has. An unnamed regular noted to Rose that when Janelle was sick and could not fulfill her obligation as K-day jockey, "we didn’t have anybody else in here last week since you weren’t here."

When not at the Wolves Den, Rose Scott and On the Ro Entertainment are available for private parties, weddings, and community events such as the Upper Midwest American Indian Center’s Adoptive and Foster Parents Dinner as well as the Minneapolis American Indian Center’s Open House Day (I made a special trip that afternoon just to see how Rose set up the equipment, and to sing "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" to a gymnasium full of Native folk dining on barbecue chicken and potato salad!). Her services average to about $50 an hour. Be sure to talk to her for an exact quote.

Thinking about starting your own Native karaoke circuit? Equipment can cost upwards to about $10,000 to get started. But don’t let that deter you. Start out small, and someday you too could be bringing out the best in your community. Perhaps even discover a budding Jana or an elder who never quite got her chance to become a Buffy Saint Marie. And P.S. I picked "Do That to Me One More Time."

Rose Scott with On the Ro… Entertainment can be contacted at gscott1785@aol.com

-Rhiana Yazzie is a Navajo playwright based in Minneapolis

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