Karaoke: Lights, Camera, Twitter!

Pub 13 karaoke and piano bar


YPSILANTI Mich., -- The smell of cigarettes, hops, and whiskey consume the air of the dimly lit main floor of the establishment. Chatter and laughter loudly linger as the wait staff diligently rush table to table gathering orders, which tend to be alcoholic beverages rather than food.

Karaoke is more than good or bad singers, a stage, a microphone, and a monitor feeding participants lyrics. It's entertainment that invites you to be the show for a brief moment or a part of it whether you sit, listen, and watch. Karaoke is not a one man show.

Pub 13 Food and Spirits in Ypsilanti, demonstrates the need for individuals to not only participate, but to be a supportive audience. Sunday nights at the pub is Karaoke with Gypsy. She has themes every Sunday. Roulette which she throws songs in a bucket and participants are normally singing a song they do not know is not a crowd favorite. At the end of the night the audience votes on ballad slips and the winners receive prizes. Other nights it's classic karaoke where you put your name in and sing a song. The most popular is contest nights. Ten contestants sign up at the beginning of the night, they choose songs to sing, and compete for a Pub 13 gift certificate and a spot in the finals.

Karaoke with Gypsy wouldn’t work without supportive audience members such as Keevan Cole. He began karaoke at Pub 13 six years ago when he was a manager there, and he never misses a night. Although he will admit he is not the best singer he does it because it is fun.

“ I am the prime example of tone deaf, but I will continue to get on that stage every Sunday at least twice,” said Cole. His social network is there every weekend and he is definitely a milestone for the establishment.

Can’t make it to the Pub on Sundays, or maybe you aren’t 21 yet? No problem. Granted the 13 doesn’t have a live video feed of the night, what would our social lives be without Twitter.

Brian Carbine said he believes that Twitter is wherever he is. Karaoke is a social gathering for him as well considering he is close with the host. In addition his network extends on the cyber network as well.

“Pub 13: A parade of train wrecks. No really this is Jawsome,” he twittered to his 75 followers.

That says it all.

Introducing Me

I am excited for the journey to the place many are terrified of. The place that people in my hometown call the ghetto, oblivious of the beautifully kept communities of Detroit.


I am confident in saying I've gotten the best of both worlds. I was born in Detroit, raised here in Michigan, and I am proud to be a part of the metro Detroit area. Born in Detroit and raised in the Farmington Hills which is 20 minutes outside of the city,and allowed me to view life through many kaleidoscopes.

Having family in the city kept me intertwined in the city wheel. Although I laid my head in Farmington Hills most nights, my family ties were there, so so was I. The culture of this place is amazing. The stories behind how she has flourished, struggled, changed, risen up, and crumbled, speak for themselves. Detroit is here to stay.

I think metro Detroit is a huge player in the growth of our country and the automotive industry. As we have watched the United States struggle through a decline in automotive demand so has our city, so has our state. This is my first opportunity to construct a blog. Although it is a requirement I think it's an excellent one. My METROBLOG is going to focus on things metro Detroit.

It will be an honest look at everything that either made up Detroit at one point in history, to what is keeping the pulse of the city so hard to feel. I hope to embody the essence of Detroit with a bit of punch. Detroit shan't take a TKO without a deafening fight.