ANOTHER WAY TO ENJOY PALAU
These 8 Japanese ladies discovered another way to enjoy their stay at Palau Royal Resort... through music and live karaoke! Their names have not been mentioned here but their faces and enjoyment is all that matters. WE HOPE SEE YOU AGAIN SOMEDAY IN PALAU.
KARAOKE - PRR STYLE -- LIVE!!!
THEY call it “Sing-Along” in Philippines and other English-speaking countries but later adopted the original word “karaoke” from Japan.
When singing with karaoke, which is a machine, you have to follow the machine because the machine will not follow you because it’s not human.
Some karaoke bar owners in Manila took the lead in this aspect and hired good keyboard players/pianist/organists to do the accompaniment for singing customers.
With the “free-time” singing, customers who have problems with tempo agreed that singing live and not with a machine is something different. But that concept didn’t last long as businessmen can’t afford paying extra employee just to satisfy few customers. Karaoke machine can be operated by a bartender, waitress or cashier.
In 1994, Roberto Hernandez, resident musician of Palau Royal Resort, combined karaoke and live sing-along while working for 13 years at Image Restaurant.
When they request a song that’s not in the song list, he will suggest to customers that he can play it live on the piano. That makes Image Restaurant karaoke standout from other karaoke bars in Palau. Also the set-up of microphones don’t have echo unlike in other karaoke bars where you can’t recognize your own voice because of too much echo. It’s like you’re singing in a cave.
Last March 02, 2013 at about 8:45 pm at Waves Restaurant of PRR, a group of 8 old Japanese ladies arrived with one of them went straight to Roberto and watch him play. He didn’t finish the song that he’s playing and instead followed it up with an old Japanese song.
All of them applauded after that song. His last 3 songs are all Japanese old songs. One of the ladies gave him $10.00 tip. It’s 9:05 already when he finished his last song for the night. He went to their table and thanked them. He said these words: “Kyo no uta/piano wa saigo made. Domou arigatou gozaimasu.” Then he gave 2 of his cards to 2 of them.
Hernandez followed it up with: “Shigoto wa rokuji kara kyuji made desu. To kyuji kara juichiji made desu—Breeze Bar.It means “My job starts at 6-9pm and 9-11pm at Breeze Bar.”
They all laughed because he extends his time for them because they came late. Roberto invited them to Breeze Bar and played one requested last song for them—“Ai No Sanka” which has and American version “If You Loved Me”.
When they proceed to Breeze Bar, Roberto gave 2 song books – One Japanese and the other-American. When they requested some Japanese songs that he doesn’t know yet, he get a Japanese song book with more than 300 songs all written in Japanese.
When they sing, they usually go near the stage which has 2 spotlights. They can’t read romaji that’s why they have a hard time singing the songs that don’t have Japanese characters.
The other Breeze Bar guests (a couple and the Pineda brothers-Bobby, Ogie, Dodie and their sister and her husband and other friends, also enjoyed listening to them.
At about 10pm, PRR GM Masayuki ‘Mike’ Kawaguchi, came and saw the 8 Japanese guests have good time. They sang a song from the thick songbook which is the first time that Roberto had played it.
After that, he said to them, “Hajimete”, which means it’s his first time to play that song. They are more impressed.
Before paying their bill, one of them gave Roberto $8.00 in new one-dollar bills. He also showed them the latest Music And Me issue and ask them to have a photo with them so that they will be featured in Tia Belau on Thursday’s issue of Music and Me.
GM Kawaguchi volunteered to take the photo and he gave his card to each of them. The ladies feel more at home now and ask for 8 copies of Tia Belau to be sent to their address in Japan.
THIS IS THE PRR-STYLE KARAOKE---LIVE!!! And guests can be featured in Palau’s first newspaper Tia Belau.
WHO CAN BEAT THAT?
Source: Music and Me by Roberto Hernandez
Tia Belau Newspaper
Pages 9 & 11
Volume 22
Issue 19
March 07, 2013
No comments:
Post a Comment