Everything you need to know about the pre-finals

And whatever we know about the finals

If you have any questions, please leave a comment or mail us or sms us or just start shouting out our names in random public.

Ladies and gentleitems, here are your pre-final dates:

Pre-final 1: 2nd may
1. Abhijit
2. Mark
3. Malliga
4. Remya
5. Shwetha
6. Tania
7. Thomas
8. Venkat

Pre-final 2: 9th may
1. Andy
2. Divya
3. Goo
4. Keerthana
5. Lindsay
6. Prateek
7. Russ
8. Sulekha

Pre-final 3: 16th may
1. Aishwarya
2. Bharath
3. Jacob
4. Jerusha
5. Jude
6. Pragnya
7. Roopika
8. Gulshan


Dos:
Category 1- any song originally recorded in or before 1975
Category 2- any song you want
Don’ts:
You can’t sing a song you’ve sung before at Opus. Pretty please. No one deserves to be disqualified.

the pre finals will be judged by the audience. entry cards for the semis will also double up as voting cards .. for you to have your say and circle your 4 favorites of the night. The voting will be done at the end of the evening. The results will be up on this blog the day after the contest. (Promise.)

Recording for the CD
Between the 3rd and 19th of May, the Kroaking CD will be recorded with sharmon ibrahim. The song that you will record will be one that best showcases your voice.
The roster for the recording sessions will be sent out to the top 12, post the semis. All communication for rules, regulations, roster etc will be communicated by email and sms. And blog.


The Finals
1. There will be 12 participants at the finals.
2. Finals will be held on 25th May 2007 (Friday) at Chowdaiah Memorial Hall. The hall is booked for the whole day. Participants are advised to come in during the day for practice.
3. Participants cannot sing songs that they have performed before at Kroaknights (both Wednesday and Sunday) or at the semis.
4. There will be 2 rounds of competition. The criteria for each round will be announced shortly after the semis
5. Only top 6 from the 12 will move to Round 2. All 12 participants are strongly advised to have two songs ready. Why underestimate yourself when… you don’t have to?
6. Judging for the finals is by a panel of judges. List of judges will be communicated shortly. The decision of the judges will be final.

That should about cover it
If you disagree, let us know.

Week 8: In which Carlton found what he was looking for

Give the dog a bone; this chap man came rolling home!

We all have our agenda with what we do. Some of us sing to be heard, some to be seen and some to help Carlton along the road to his Sanjaya. After many months of anticipation and preparation, eight weeks of qualifying rounds and innumerable trials and errors, we’ve come down to 24 people who are singing to win.

Last Wednesday brought us some more new talent- something that we’ve begun to cheerfully look forward to. Suman deserves a special mention for her rendition of Misty by Sarah Vaughn. Suman, it’s a real pity you didn’t make it. You were a little shaky on that song, and I don’t blame you- Ms. Vaughn is fairly inimitable. But I hope you’ll come back every Wednesday anyway. And ideally with more jazz for us. Some of us are turning many shades of blue, for lack of good jazz.

There were other colourful moments- Sanjay, with his lyric-less belting out of Can You Feel The Love Tonight, and Sushma who gave us her startling and mildly disturbing version of Shaggy’s Angel. And of course, Mr. Mark Lazaro, about whom I’ve written more than an advisable amount on this blog. Well, try and stop me. Mark, how about a new song for us? Before too much love kills us, you know? Fi fie fo fum!

Getting back to business, four people qualified, bringing us to our desired tally of 24:

Roopika- You sang one of my least favourite songs of all-time (Hero- Mariah Carey). Which means, I’ve heard that song two weeks in a row in Opus. Which means, I should be really really unhappy at this point. But if you’ve heard yourself sing, you’ll know that’s not true. Hats off!

Swetha- Congratulations on making it. And thank you ever so much for not attempting Alanis’s yodel on One Hand In My Pocket. Hopefully, people will now realize that it’s possible to sing Alanis without subjecting an unassuming drunk audience to a split-voiced shriek at irregular intervals.

Sulekha- Turns out Orange Coloured Sky is the unofficial heart-winner of this season. Nina put magic into that song before bursting our collective pink bubbles by opting out of the contest. And now, you. Congratulations, girl.

Thomas- Well, well, well! Who would’ve thought it possible?! To be honest, not I. But no matter; the judges voted and you made it and all the best to you. Carlton is showing all of his shiny white(ish) teeth on having found his Sanjaya. But a word of caution: if you pick Something to Talk About, I might attempt murder. Please, please don’t ever do something like that to me, bonnie lad.

I want to also quickly mention Anand who sang Love Story. On my little piece of paper, I had a big exclamation mark next to your name. That usually means, had I been a judge, you’d have been given a place. You didn’t attempt to imitate anyone or sing is someone else’s voice, and I thank you for that rare experience.

No marriage proposals this week. But I’ll carry a ring with me to Opus next Wednesday, to make up for it. And hopefully Carlton will be giving us something to talk about as well. So. Here are our final 24!

1) Jacob
2) Tania
3) Keerthana
4) Mark Lazaro
5) Jude Lazaro
6) Pratik
7) Jerusha
8) Andy
9) Venkatesh
10) Divya Joseph
11) Remya
12) Abhijit
13) Pragnya
14) Lindsay
15) Bharath
16) Russ
17) Malliga
18) Gulshan
19) Goo
20) Aishwarya
21) Roopika
22) Swetha
23) Sulekha
24) Thomas


Hang in there for my next post, which will be wearing a tie and being very business-like. It’s all about the rules, regulations, dos, don’ts and or-elses.

Week 7: Lookin’ for fun and feeling Gooey

No. I don’t know what to say. And that’s exactly what I say moments before I launch into a tirade. In this case, a happy tirade because I tell you, this contest is gamboling and frolicking about the place like Kate Moss on acid!

Last evening was another revelation to close-minded idiots like me, about the amount of talent there is in this city. There was some outstanding singing going on, and it’s refreshing to have so many new voices. (Nakul, you were really really good. Very trained, mature voice. I hope we get to see you back next week. Suman, that was a very decent rendition of Moondance. Come back, come back!)

The weather god, having absolutely no sense of timing, chucked a couple of buckets of water at us, somewhere in the middle of all this. But seeing how it didn't stop people from going right ahead with the business of having fun, he packed his pails and went home. People actually continued to sit out in the open, holding up umbrellas. Now, that’s spirit.

I have to make a couple of special mentions.
Kim- I’m always taken by women who pick male vocal pieces. You did the opposite and, for once, I was impressed. Or at least entertained. Your priceless falsetto had you squeezing many oranges, and many people screaming for you. Bravo!
Bharath- I have a soft corner for that song. And the fact that you know how to rock it, made it so worthwhile. (Bharath sang Hard To Handle.)
Goo- I must say ‘Hero’ is one of my least favourite songs of all-time. These wimpy songs that put up various objects-of-affection on a pedestal don’t impress me much. But you saved the experience for me, and listening to your voice made up for the nauseating lyrics.

So, moving along rapidly to my favourite part…

Marry Me!

Andy
I must admit I was skeptical when I first heard you sing. Sweet Child Of Mine is one of those songs that so many people have mastered, it’s stopped becoming a song by which you can judge someone’s prowess. But your version of Oh Darling (The Beatles) removed any doubt that I might have had about you. Outstanding!

Gulshan
My man, this is love that I’m feeling! You started off a little self-consciously, but somewhere in the middle of your performance, you threw caution to the winds, which is exactly where it belongs. You were my pick for the night. Gush!

Aishwarya
You have an effortless voice and style. A few seconds into your song, and I knew you’d make it. Don’t Know Why I Didn’t Come is, again, not a hot favourite. (I guess I can understand Norah Jones’s angst; a lot of us don’t know why we didn’t. But must she sing about it?) I can’t wait to hear you do another song. Something sassy and with a little more attitude, perhaps? To compliment your voice.

The evening ended with our little boy wonder, Jacob Ninan. You are a beauty, Jakes. And for the record, I’ve asked Jacob to marry me as well. But he’s loving angels instead.

So.
Three more have made it. Gulshan (gush!), Goo and Aishwarya. Here’s the list so far:
1) Jacob
2) Tania
3) Keerthana
4) Mark Lazaro
5) Jude
6) Pratik
7) Jerusha
8) Andy
9) Venkatesh
10) Divya Joseph
11) Nina Mathew
12) Remya
13) Abhijit
14) Pragnya
15) Lindsay
16) Bharath
17) Russ
18) Malliga
19) Gulshan
20) Goo
21) Aishwarya

Turns out Nina Mathew (Kroak Idol No. 11) will not be competing, since she won’t be in the country. That sure is a pity, Nina, you have the voice of an angel. This means next week, the last week for qualifying, will see not 3 but 4 people through to the finals. So if you thought you didn’t stand a chance or you didn’t have the time, think again.

Whee. Things are hotting up! See you next week?
Good!

... of creeps and men who feel like women !!

we're almost at the business end of our search ... 2 more wednesdays and we will have our final list of 24 singers .. and errr .. performers.
ok a couple of things
THE FINALS ARE AT THE CHOWDIAH AT 7PM ON THE 25TH OF MAY 2007 .. tickets go on sale shortly
unlike last year, we are gonna have 3 semi finals (cant really call it that.. it should be the one third finals, i guess) .. they are 3rd, 10th and 17th may. 8 singers will perform and we will have 2 designated rounds (which will be announced once all 24 have been decided) and it will be an audience vote to pick the 4 singers that go through. entry coupons for the semis will also double up as voting cards ... the top 4 will be announced on the site the next day and at the following sundays' KroaKnight. if any of the performers have any problems with a particular date pls let us know asap.
one more time just to reiterate here are the PRIZES
a cash prize of Rs 10,000 for kroaKING

Nokia phones for the finalists

weekly prizes from levitate and native resorts...

and free entry to wed and sun kroaknights for the year for all the top 24 (thats 104 nights in the year @ Rs 110/- a night ... u do the math)

the top 12 get into a studio to record the season 2 special CD with sharmon ibrahim

... still some prizes are coming in :) who are we to complain

and now about the 3 that made it last week.
malliga breezed through and gave herself a b'day present with man i feel like a woman, bharath nailed born to be wild and mr. peterson being true to himself and the song was the 3rd to scrape through with radioheads 'i'm a creep, i'm a weirdo' ....

1. jacob 2. tania 3. keerthana 4. Mark Lazaro 5. Jude 6. Pratik 7. Jerusha 8. andy 9. venkatesh 10) divya joseph 11) nina mathew 12) remya 13) abhijit 14) pragnya 15) lindsay 16) bharath 17) russ 18) malliga

idle worship

(click on image to enlarge)

somebodys gotta do this and since 'baby got back' problem and 'the cat' is going through menopaws its landed on my laptop.
ok i have to say this .. since i dont know if and when i'll get to say anything here ... i wanna go on record and say that apart from melinda (who needs to doolittle to prove that shes octaves above the rest) we have, in our little backyard on palace cross road, at least 6 in the KroaKING final 15 already who could demolish the other 'idols'.
really, i'm gonna compare man for man, if u dont mind ...
1. phil stacey ... jacob ninan could and would have him for breakfast
2. chris richardson ... i think mark lazaro can more than take the pants off him
3. haley scarnato ... sorry tania, but you're my pick for this one .. we both know singing is not your forte
4. lakisha jones ... jerusha, i think u have what it takes
5. blake lewis ... barry would tear him to shreds and leave his carcass to de'compose' ... (barry still doesnt know his travel plans so he hasnt yet qualified)
6. sanjaya malakar ... now thats someone i cant match .. problem is that all in our version of the competetion can sing ... which is sad cos i'd love to have a 'sanjaya' in the final 12 . last year the kroaking finals had characters ... V had vinoj and vivek (and of course barry) .. but there are still 3 weeks and im still hopeful (russ peterson or young thos is who i have my crosshairs on)

anyways im supposed to report on last wednesdays action and keeping with the theme here goes
the marry me section ... (im proposing on behalf of ms. anand, just in case theres any confusion)
1. a very very inebriated lindsay erdman, a candian jazz blues rocker proved that one whisky one scotch and one beer are her secret ingredients, and wang dang doodled her way into the semis
2. abhijit with a rather ambitious song choice (doing sting always is) ... but he handled it decently enough to make it through
3. pragnya ... finally!! phew!! hats of to this girl though for perseverance ... she braved through that busted flat in baton rouge and is now one of the 24

ok and check it out yo! (happy anoopa?)
there were 2 other girls that stood out ... shweta with a nice vocal of sheryl crows sweet child of mine ... girl, all u need to do is loosen up and enjoy yourself ... really!! i think lindsays secrets should be shared
but the one i really felt really sorry for though, was yamini, a girl from hyderabad, who did a near flawless rendition of didos white flag. pragnyas total was 61 and yamini got 60, and when asked, she said if she were in the semis, she would be here whenever she needed to come down from hyderabad ... siggghh .. come back soon girl

thats about it for this week .... i really hope i find my sanjaya!

carlton

TB or not TB

I’ve studied a bit of literature in my life, and I found it strangely romantic and picturesque that an alarmingly large number of writers and artists in the Victorian era died of consumption. But I’m weird like that. When I first fell in love with literature and thought I might want to start writing, I always imagined that after many years of being an unsuccessful impoverished writer, I would eventually contract consumption and be asked to spend a lot of time by the sea, being weak and disillusioned.

Sadly, science came in the way of my ambition. We have so many ‘cooler’ ailments now. Stress-related vertigo and posture-related backaches are my personal picks for Generation Vexed. And neither has resulted in the doctor advising me a decade’s rest by a calm grey sea.

What I am trying to say in this rambling comatose-inducing manner, is one of the two have kept me from being of any use to this blog, over the past week. And if you’ve followed this blog, you’ll know which it is. For now, I promise to try and get someone else to fill you in on last night’s happenings. And for the large large number of you who are no doubt feeling faint with worry regarding my health, here are some smelling salts. I have bought a hot water bag and some new reading material to see me through countless hours of lying around in bed.

I will be back soon.

Baby got bad back: Weak 4, KroaKing

Due to a sudden and inexplicable pain in my back, I am incapable of writing a long review of last night. (Stop counting your blessings, please, that is just so insulting.)

Here’s the short version.

Twenty-odd people sang. There were some highlights. Barry, you never cease to amaze me. Come into these arms of mine. Ramya, you were brilliant with that Alicia Keys song. Divya, I loved your rendition of Long Train Running. Laryngitis or no laryngitis, your voice stands out. In sickness and in health. Kurien, Mustang Sally was…interesting. I just didn’t get the feeling that you were singing it in your own voice. This happens to a lot of us a lot of the time. The trick is getting over it. Sing a song and make it your own. Will look forward to seeing you back. Saurabh, it was great to have you back and singing after so long. We hope we’ll be seeing more of you in these parts. Nina, Orange Coloured Sky was, as usual, outstanding. The matrimonial offer is still open. Thomas, that version of Gimme One Reason had a lot of…gusto. Can we have you back and competing next week, please? We had fun.

Here are the three who qualified yesterday:
Ramya
Divya Joseph (DJ)
Nina

Twelve spots, filled:
1. Jacob Ninan
2. Tania Jones
3. Keerthana Mohan
4. Mark Lazaro
5. Pratik
6. Jude Lazaro
7. Andy
8. Jerusha
9. Venkat
10. Ramya
11. DJ
12. Nina

And twelve more to go. If you think you can’t sing, think again. Or find out for sure.
KroaKing, Season 2, every Wednesday night, Opus.

I’ll be, err, back.

Rock n' roll dreams come through

There is, in my opinion, only one thing that remains constant about karaoke. Variety. On an average, there will be about 20 singers each evening, and at the end of it all, you'll always find that every genre you can think of has been covered. Almost always. Which brings me directly (aren’t you grateful?) to last evening at the KroaKing qualifiers.

If I didn’t know better, I would’ve assumed that yesterday’s Kroak had a rock theme that I wasn’t informed about. It started with Andy handing out a perfectly rendered version of Sweet Child of Mine. Axl (bless his torn throat) himself would have assumed that it was his own voice emanating for another body. Somewhere in the tail-end of the applause, Pragnya burst into her very brave attempt at Led Zep’s ‘Rock n’ Roll’, and from then on, it was one yowling distortion after the other.

Pragnya, I have to say this. It’s just unfortunate- again- that you didn’t make it. You have a good voice, and gauging from yesterday, I’d say you have more than your fair share of spunk. A piece of advice? Bathroom singing, for one entire week. I’ll wait for you next Wednesday. As the Beatles once said, “don’t let me down”. *Smiles, but refuses to use annoying emoticon*

The rock fest continued with Neville (Wherever You May Go), Venkat (Light My Fire), Siddharth (Roll Over Beethoven), Manu (Jeremy), Kannan (Plush) and a whole bunch of others. Mark Lazaro, one of my favourite gents, ended the magnificent over-indulgence with a song that I do believe only he can pull off- Too Much Love Will Kill You.

Evenings like this never end with a whimper. Stanley Pinto brought the tempo down to a wistful sway, with The Shadow Of Your Smile. His vibrato had all the women screaming for him. It always helps to have a judge who has a twinkle in his eye, and wine in his voice.

They say it ain’t over till the fat lady sings, and apparently there’s some truth to that. A fat lady sang, and she is I, so enough about her. Shall we move on to my favourite section, then?!

Marry Me!

This week’s Marry Me! features two people.

Jerusha
You know what is most endearing about you? Your ability to get people to love you almost immediately. It may be the big dimples at the end of each line, but I’m not so sure it’s just that. You have this effortless voice, and very good control. Learn up a whole bunch of songs, girl. You’re going to be in this competition for a really long time.

Barry
I love your voice, your presence on stage, your carefully constructed genre and your ability to move to the music, rather than against it. Some of us have no idea what that feels like. But more than loving your talent, there’s another reaction that stems from your perseverance and hard work. I think the scientific term for that is ‘respect’. I’ll check with Aretha Franklin and get back to you on that, but till then, just know that you are the undisputed King of Original.

Three more people qualified, which means there are now nine names on that list, which means there are fifteen spots left. This also means that I am finally equipped to take my ICSE Maths exam. Here are the guys who’ve made it:

1. Jacob Ninan
2. Tania Jones
3. Keerthana Mohan
4. Mark Lazaro
5. Pratik
6. Jude Lazaro
7. Andy
8. Jerusha
9. Venkat

And here are the guys who haven’t:

10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.

And they haven’t made it because YOU haven’t sung yet. So be there next Wednesday. Till then, it’s over and out from me. Terminology that Team India is getting alarmingly fond of, I’m afraid.

Our very own ‘Tap-Some-Bong by Night’

There are all kinds of singers and performers. And then there are those who do something to warrant an entire write-up about themselves. This man has been doing that something for a while now at Opus- and with such elan! Vivek Madan applauds Opus's very own superstar-mixer-dancer-rapper boy. Read on.

No doubt most of us have heard/seen/heard of the famous Russel Peters line on Chinese Superheroes.

Well, we have our own Superhero, right here at Opus.

First time you see him, you see what everybody else does; a quiet, bespectacled boy with floppy hair and knapsack and you think, “Ok. Geek.” Well he is. Bharat Krishna is a software engineer by profession and an IIT Chennai graduate to boot. He works at the Bank of America and finishes work by about 7 PM or so and if it happens to be a Wednesday, he finds his way to Opus for the Kroaknight.

And that’s when you see the transformation occur.

‘Bharat Krishna by day and BARRY by night’.

“Typical Chennai attitude”, you think. “Bharat calling himself Barry to make people think he’s cool.”

But when he gets on stage and picks up that mike, “Barry” is not cool enough. The man is a musical genius; not only can he sing, he also mixes his own tracks. Most of which are remixes of Tamil, Arabic and English songs. The permutations and combinations he achieves with his mixes are just something else. I mean, who would even think that ‘Aicha’, ‘Pettai Rap’ and ‘Summertime’ would make a mixable mix? Pick up the KroaKING Season I CD to find out. (I’m on it too… Track 5)

And it’s not just like, you know, he sings in one corner with a music stand in front of him. He knows the mix so well, he sings it off the hard disks in his brain and when you have 4 different mixing back and forth like the Indian population, it’s got to be hard. And of course, Barry is a consummate dancer. Whether he’s jumping around like a maniac with his version of ‘Jam’ (which is, by the way approximately an 8 minute mix of some 5 songs) or standing still in a pose of hard concentration while singing his ‘Desert Rose’ mix, Barry proves to the world in general that he is a born performer.

Blows my mind every time I watch him. You should come and see him in action sometime. He may not have Kryptonite or a strange rubber suit or the ability to throw fridges around but man, he is truly something else.

Barry my friend, what can I say except that I’m proud to be sharing a CD with you.

- VIVEK MADAN

Week 2- Lazaro Khwaishein Aisi

I missed the opening week of KroaKing 2, but I heard there were some teething problems. Not too many forthcoming singers, low audience participation, et cetera. Ad infinitum, even. So I went to Opus yesterday prepared for a few cavities at least; best to lower your expectations. Boy, was I in for a surprise.

There were sixteen singers last night, and I'd love to write about all of them. But this is blog not a novel. So I’m going to use every writer’s favourite tool: prerogative. My prerogative section is called…

Marry Me!

Marry Me! each Wednesday, will feature people who stood out. Today’s Marry Me! features four people and one highlight- a phenomenon that is not likely to repeat itself. I’m henceforth going to try and restrict myself to three. But for now, forgive me, I’m weak.

Pragnya
Pragnya picked two songs that most karaoke singers love to sing- Black Velvet, which helped her to Round 2, and I Will Survive. But the thing about songs like this is, a truly exceptional singer will be applauded for picking them. And she was. Come back next Wednesday, Pragnya. Something tells me this contest hasn’t seen the end of you.

The Freddies Mercury
My favourite section of last evening was the impromptu back-to-back Freddie Mercury special. Mark Lazaro- bless his wonderful voice- with Too Much Love Will Kill You and Vivek Menzel- my hero- with Crazy Little Thing Called Love. Queen is never easy to sing, but then with these two voices, there’s never any doubt that they can pull it off. Warm-fuzzies are few and far between, boys, but that was definitely one!

Jude Lazaro
What a pretty voice you have, Jude! ‘Home’ was okay for me, but ‘Fly Me to the Moon’ awakened my dormant goose bumps. I think it was your round 2 song that gave you that nudge. Great choice of song- a thing that, I assure you, will help in future rounds. Ask Ms. Kate Moss from last season, she'll tell you.

Mark Lazaro
Yes. I’m writing about him twice. Got a problem? If you do, then come and listen to this man sing next Wednesday. No, not just listen. You have to watch this one. Jumps around like a livewire, yells and screams and throws his arms around. And has a voice that makes the tears jump out of my face. (Ask anyone who knows me. The best performers always make me cry. The glistening eyes aren’t just a finton of your imagination.) Too Much Love Will Kill You and Bed Of Roses allowed this man to trample his way to the top three. Fee-fie-fo-fum.

Nina
Nina, Nina, Nina. Sigh. I didn’t think too much of Can’t Fight The Moonlight, but that’s probably because I don’t think too highly of that song. But Orange Coloured Sky. What did you do with that song?! You were simply magnificent with that one. It was just pure bad luck that you didn’t make the top three. Come back next Wednesday. You can make it to the finals. And then what say you and I run away together? And how many people are going to believe that I’m straight after this? Who cares?

So anyway. Those of you who were there, Wasn’t it great?! And those of you who weren’t, What’s up with that? Six spots are filled up already, but you have a bunch of Wednesdays left. So come and sing.

Here are the six, so far:
1. Jacob Ninan
2. Tania Jones
3. Keerthana Mohan
4. Mark Lazaro
5. Pratik
6. Jude Lazaro

More later. Bye bye for now. Turns out I have to get back to a job. And all the endless ways in which we rob ourselves of ourselves and each other. Sigh.

Something to talk about

We’re excited because the World Cup is upon us like a ton of Cola wars.
Bangalore roads are ghastly- just like the traffic, the weather, the infrastructure and the BPO belts.
It’s the middle of the week and we are all at work.
Cottons are in.
Brangelina is (are?) out.

The point I’m trying to make, rather inarticulately, is that we need to have something new to talk about. Desperately. Before we all die of...Nothing To Talk About.

Under the dire circumstances, I am pleased, proud and almost childishly excited to announce- rather belatedly- that Opus is back with KroaKing 2. The contest that made waves and news, sealed friendships, allowed for our fair share of gossip, but most of all showcased some of the best voices this city has.

And this time the New could be You. All you have to do is show up on any Wednesday evening, grab a drink or ten, grab the mike from Mr. Mark Swaroop and sing your heart out. From then on, you could either make it to that list of 24 finalists or not. Either way, you’re in for a big fat happy time. I should know. I’ve been there. And I often put the ‘big fat’ in it!

In the presence of the million dangling conversations we have everyday, let at least one be truly exciting. So what if you have to sing it.
Come on, kroakers, let’s give them something to talk about!

P.S.- I will be taking over writing on this blog- at least for a while- from Vivek Madan. But I've always preferred a conversation to a monologue. So please leave me comments, requests, bouquets or their opposites. Or you can write to me at thewriterbites@gmail.com

Frogs are passe. Its the reign of the frogesse!

Right! Let me try and explain that.

I'm not in a mental state fit enough to continue with this blog. As all the 3 and half readers will testify, the quality has gone down a bit. And all 3 and a half of you deserve better reports of what actually goes on at KroaKnights, especially now that KroaKING II is upon us with it's rather deafening, and sometimes off-key, crescendo.

So, without further ado, allow me to present to you, my dear readers, the Frogesse (Portmanteau of frog and largesse/duchess, if you get my drift)!!!

Anoopa Anand, published writer, self deprecating (but a very good) singer and now the proud owner of 2 cats (which you will no doubt be hearing about) will take you through the murky depths of Karaoke at Opus, the backstabbing, the bitching, the tears, the fears and oh yes, the singing too.

And one she has improved the ratings on my blog, I will gently nudge her aside and take all the credit. :-)

Take a bow, Frogesse Noops!

Kroaking Season 2 - Rules and Prizes!!!!!

KROAKING SEASON 2

RULES
for 8 wednesdays, starting today, we pick 3 people out of the entire lot that sings, to get into the final stages ... (which means if u are not picked on a particular wednesday u have the opportunity of 7 more weeks to get in, tho im guessing it will get tougher as the weeks roll by) ... every week an updated list will be sent to all and hosted on the site... when we reach 24 people we'll have a semifinal to pick 12 .. and then a final at the cowdiah auditorium on the 25th of may ... wherein one would be crowned Opus KroaKING... aaah, and one more thing ... the judges decisions are final and binding

ELIGIBILITY
anybody and everybody can take part (even those who competed last year) ... the only one who gets a wild card into the semifinal (thats entirely up to him if he wants to take it) is mark swaroop who will be hosting the first leg of the competetion ... and yes, if u are picked you have to be around in May for the final stages

PRIZES
a cash prize of Rs 10,000
Nokia phones for the finalists (model nos. will be announced shortly)
weekly prizes from levitate and native resorts
... and free entry to wed and sun kroaknights for the year for all the top 24 (thats 104 nights in the year @ Rs 110/- a night ... u do the math)

the top 12 get into a studio to record the season 2 special CD with sharmon ibrahim
we are still working on more prizes and record deals and judges ... by next week we'll have a final list of goodies, as more and more people are coming in as partners) ..

for more competition hype go to www.kroaknights.blogspot.com

Knock Knock...?

Ok so i'm not The Bangalore Torpedo. I didn't expect a few hundred comments exclaiming how good it was to have me writing again but at least a few?????

Bleddy cows. Just reading and running off. Say something. Even if its about the melting of the polar ice caps or about good looking balding men who sing their way.

(If this fails, I'll go off and become a housekeeper in Trivandrum)

Guess who’s back????

Last Sunday was a very strange night at Opus for me. It was like a semi reunion of the Kroakers of last year’s competition. All the more weird because it brought home the fact that while some of us are still around, so many of the others have moved on, made babies, found different jobs, different lives. Hell, some of them have even found different wives in the short time since the finals last year.

But for those of us that were still there, the losers, there were many pleasantly nostalgic moments. Vinoj with his Eminem act, the Kuttukarn sisters Serah and Eleyah with their trademark songs ‘We are’ and ‘Black Velvet’ respectively, Mark, Jacob and Barry who are now like pieces of furniture at Opus and of course Namrata’s fussing.

All these casual incidents were legacies of a time not so far gone but man, they seem like eons ago. All those decisions on which song to sing, all the bitching about who should have actually gotten third place and the excitement of the Kroaking CD and the recording sessions; all of it came back slowly.

I’m quite glad that Carlton has decided that the participants of last year can take part again this year. Would have been a shame to deny those great voices a second chance - now that Megha has left the country.

I'm not taking part this year, for reasons that I will explain in future editions. But I must admit to feeling a small pang of envy for those contestants who make it to the top 24. They are in for a roller coaster ride over the next 10 weeks and I hope their journey is as magical (a word I have used in only one other context in my life) and meaningful as mine was 8 months ago.

If you want to know what to do to win that prize, which I’m told will be something I would kill for, keep reading this blog.

PS – The title of this piece refers to the contest and to me. NOT to Vinoj. No offense Vinoj, you sure can sing that one - only. ;-)

kroaKing Live Concert

Well well well. Who would’ve thought it!

Last Wednesday was a complete treat for those who witnessed the sort of birthing of a generation of performers at Opus.

The line up of singers boasted some who had been on stage before but there were quite a few who had never entertained the possibility (the wish or the hope, maybe) of performing as part of a concert in front of a live, paying audience.

When they started out on the project about a month ago, they were given the responsibility of organizing themselves into a respectable evening of entertainment. They stressed themselves and each other about rehearsal schedules, people not coming on time, song choices, the weather, sore throats, dogs on airplanes and everything else under the sun.

With the persistent training of Chris Williams who rehearsed the group songs and tons of initiative from each of them, they metamorphosed into a cohesive, dedicated group who between themselves, sorted out their costumes, their props, their song lists and even their entries and exits on and off stage.

Boys went shopping for white clothes and brown slippers, girls for feather boas, paper money was printed, and someone got his ear pierced. The level of enthusiasm and commitment made them extremely hard to recognize as the same group of people who started off at Opus as Karaoke Singers.

Cut to show day: What a night!!! Everyone performed with such élan; you would think they’d been born on that stage.

I’m not going to put down a complete song list because they’re going to perform again in a couple of weeks so for those who missed it this time, make sure you mark off that date well in advance.

It’s not only in fairy tales that frogs can become Kings and Queens.
And our boys and girls proved it. Implicitly. And we’re damn proud of them! (Sniff!)

Kudos! Great show!

Vivek Madan

The weekend that was...

Since its inception, Opus has been regarded as a versatile space. It’s a space for music; it’s a space for theatre, for dance, for art. We’ve had karaoke, Taboo and Pictionary, exhibitions and stand up comedies. We’ve seen engagements, proposals, wedding receptions, kiddie parties, kitty parties, corporate presentations, wine tasting and right now, I think the only thing we haven’t seen so far is a wedding. (And please don’t look my way...)

With all the various activities we’ve been associated with, its hardly surprising that we would also pay homage to what is widely accepted as the worlds most popular sporting event - the FIFA World Cup 2006 at Germany.

Never having been a sports fan, I was rather skeptical about this foray into the field. Of course, we were a handful of people earlier in the evening. We witnessed the opening ceremony and once that was over, I looked around and the bloody restaurant was packed! And everyone was there to watch the match. DJ Arjun did his thing and got a nice build up to the start. And the match started.

It was a very different evening then on. The walls that usually heard the thumping of a bass drum and the whistles and cheers of music loving fans were now treated to a different tune. About a 150 people staring intently at the screen, like they could will their favourite team into scoring. It was a revelation. What energy! Noiseless and non-intrusive but almost palpable in its intensity.

Saturday of course was outstanding. Winner of KroaKing Season 1, Megha Girish and Goan rockstar Oliver Sean were in full form. Their performances were quite different and I’m not very sure if the mix and match worked but it was a thing that had to be done. While Megha’s range is far more impressive, Oliver’s guitar was quite simply mesmerizing. His choice of songs was also more manicured but that’s nothing that experience can’t teach Megha. I had my ‘Vivek look’, as Carlton now refers to it, through most of the night. (For those who are now confused, try and imagine me with my jaw open and nestled somewhere next to my shoes.)

Sunday night was a bit of a soft spot for many of us. It was the first karaoke night since the end of the contest, which remained embroiled in much controversy and cross-fire. (I love it!!!) But more importantly, it was a sort of a send off for Megha (And Amrutha who is also leaving short'l'y), who is now back home in Dubai, having completed her studies here. All of us dedicated our songs to her. It’s a measure of the influence Carlton and Opus has had on the singers that nobody sang ‘Leaving on a Jet Plane’. Needless to say, the night was one of the best KroaKnights I’ve ever seen (Roopika where’ve you been all my life?) and it ended with fond farewells and much camaraderie and some tears as well.

It was great weekend; the closing of one era and the ushering in of another. And the spillover is the most exciting part. I hope we see many singers watching matches and as many football fans take up the mike. If the space can be this versatile, why not us?

Vivek Madan

The champions, my friends

Anoopa Anand lives in India and loves to write. One day, she will be thin, write for a living, sing for love and truly live up to her name. Till then, she will write blank verse and plump poetry.

Well, the hurly-burly’s done. And as much as some of us didn’t want the fun to end, we’ve come to the somewhat gloomy realisation that it has. So we’ll listen to our CDs, think back on the past gazillion Wednesday nights and feel magnificently sorry about the fact that we have to go back to our ordinary-joe-lives.
Okay, I will. Those who agree can…please stand up.

Everyone who is capable of remembering anything about 7th June besides the alcohol-inspired haze, has an opinion. Everyone has something to say about specific things, people and incidents. Carlton’s cornrows, Vivek’s whisky, Mark’s minions, Megha’s magic, the judges’, err, judgements, and my thirty nine left feet, are just the beginnings of endless discussions and debates. And, emotional fool that I am, I’m going to make an attempt at mentioning not one or two, but pretty much all the things I can think of. Certainly, all the performers, since no one’s done that yet. Without further rattlings-on, here’s my two cents’ worth.

The evening began with everyone doing double takes at Carlton’s lovely lady locks. You looked really pretty, Carlton. But I think I’m going to leave me hat and everything else on.

Hotty and Shorty- It took me a while to figure out who was who. And when I heard their real names, I’d wish they’d stuck to them. Mayank and Martin- thank you for opening the night and shaking your behinds to what could only have been the utter delight of the audience.

Mark- You were a star in the first round. You could have picked a more suitable song for the second round, but this pot is going to stop calling other kettles black on that point. You have a fantastic voice, and a personality that has already taken you places. I love your sandpapery voice. You most certainly deserved a place in the top three, and I am willing to share my booze, in a bit to tell you that I’d gladly give you my third place.

Amrutha- Girl, you sounded great on the CD. Your performance of the ABBA medley was endearing, but didn’t do as much for your voice. You have nothing to worry about, though. You have a way of getting people to smile.

Arfaaz- You were my pick from the start of the show, you know. But you were a shadow of your old self, at the finals. Maybe it was the song? If I had to pick a song for you, it would have been something with more character than I Want to Break Free. You rock, though.

Namrata- Love that song. And you have a deep voice that you could do a lot with. Here’s a tip- learn to enunciate when you sing. You and your audience will enjoy a performance far far more, if the words are clear, and you sing it with meaning.

Vivek- You’ve been your own biggest critic, so here’s all I’m going to say. I know you lost your pitch, and sometimes with so many people cheering and screaming, it’s hard to find it again. But every time you think your performance was lacking, go listen to your recording. You two-dimensional cat, you!

Serena- Loved your choice of song, in the first round. My Way is a sure-fire attention grabber. One thing, though- don’t start off a high note with being afraid that you may not hit it. You were softest when I most wanted to hear your voice soar.

Vinoj- I’m going to shamelessly paraphrase Vivek on this one. Don’t listen to what everyone has to say about you. You were there just like everyone else, to perform. I think people are complaining about the decision, more than you. However, I do have something to say. For both Jailhouse Rock and Slim Shady, I couldn’t stop thinking that you were over-performing. Concentrate on your voice more. Really. I do believe that ultimately, that’s what we were all there for.

Santosh- The one thing that’s helped me is all the singing I do in the shower. Best acoustics, and you don’t have to merely imagine a naked audience! Concentrate on your voice more, you’ve already got one. And you could have chosen a better song, too. Cheers!

Barry- Over all, you’re a star! And you should know that. Your pitching on Desert Rose was a little off, but boy, do you know how to get your audience to scream for you. And you have an endearing stage personality too. In my opinion you deserved the prize you won.

Jacob- My friend, if I and many other people I know had a hand in the decision-making, you would have been in Round 2, as sure as my profile is NOT on shaadi.com! But that’s the way this cookie crumbled. Your voice is one of my favourites.

Megha- I’ve saved you for the last, because you ARE the last word on great performances. Where did you buy that voice, and can I have the address? I think, without a doubt, you were everybody’s star of the show. I simply loved Lady Marmalade. One thing- when you get carried away, the mike seems to get farther and farther away from you. Rein that mike in girl!

I will abstain from mentioning my own performances, except to say that performing Respect, was the most fun thing I ever did. To keep things objective, I will quote someone I don’t know, who had this to say about me: “Anoopa: I was watching you on the big screen and it was your feet that let you down. Shuffle, shuffle, shuffle, like Kate Moss on acid (am I allowed to say that?). But bravo for going for a big Broadway number, “Mama” from “Chicago”, which was brave, but the song was bigger than you, I’m afraid.”


Lastly, I’d like to take my hat off to Carlton, Shonali, Gina and everyone at Opus. I don’t know any other place that can pull off a show like that. I know there have been many things said about many things done. But like I told Carlton, it’s not like any of those people ever tried pulling off week after week of a kroakin’ good time, topped off by what is now popularly know as the Megha Finals, after the deserving winner of this contest. You know what you’ve done, and you should be proud.

And this is where I will stop. I have given myself permission not to talk about the judging. Writer’s prerogative. And, let’s be honest, anything I say can and will be used against me. However, we should all join in thanking the judges for being there and sharing in the fun.

Hope you had as exceptional a time as I did. I’m a writer, and I haven’t written a word for the past month. I’d like to thank Opus and all the performers that night, for having inspired me enough.

Anoopa Anand

Weirdness

Well its finally over. 10 weeks of mad excitement, frantic song searching, even more soul searching and poof! Its gone in one night.

Speaking for myself, im feeling very, very nostalgic about the whole journey. I mean, to me, it was like doing a play, being a part of this massive production that had a 1000 extras. All of us as contestants, especially in the last 2 weeks have hung out together so much; at Opus, at the studio, over coffee, over beer, over msn. And now im left wondering as to how life will move on from here. I know, I know it's temporary, its the whisky talking etc etc. And I know it will pass but for me, the most inexplicable thing is how this stupid singing contest has come to mean so much to most of us. I mean it's making Sharmon Ibrahim feel sentimental. And now its starting to have that same effect on me!

I find that truly astonishing. I've been called many things in my life (Mark wipe that evil grin off your face!) but sentimental is not a word i've heard often.

Anyway, the good thing is, we've all gone through something together, all of us, and we're all taking something back with us. At least I hope everyone is. And I'm not talking about the CD or the booze or the cargoes or anything like that. I'm talking about friends, feelings, learnings, experiences and most importantly with me, a sense of accomplishment. The feeling that I've been a part of something truly wonderful and the feeling that i've done something!

Its crazy and sentimental and its completely mushy drivel but there it is. Weirdness.

Vivek Madan