Autoport Karaoke Gig a Big Hit

If you love loose format, no holds barred karaoke, then Wednesday nights at the Autoport is for you. It's not a large place in size, but it is huge in spirit and warmth. Simply put, at this show you can expect the unexpected. Shows run from 8:00pm to 11:00pm, so it doesn't cramp your humpday style and you can still get some sleep before work the next day. Come on out, you won't regret it.

Sports Cafe Changes Name; Moves Karaoke Night

Although karaoke nights at the Sports Cafe & Lounge were going quite well, the owner has decided to make Saturdays a DJ/Dance night and move Karaoke with Ralf to Tuesday. Shows will still run 10:00pm—2:00am.

New Year Brings New Gigs

While one gig is still under negotiation, the other is ready to commence. Starting Saturday, January 17, 2009, Karaoke With Ralf will be offering its selections at the Sports Cafe & Grille, located at 244 W. College Avenue in State College, PA. The show will start at 10:00pm. More info will be posted here as the date draws near. Management and onetwomany entertainment has an agreement to a weekly karaoke show every Saturday night with exception of Saturday, January 31, 2009 because Ralf has a prior scheduled engagement that evening with ESP at the Autoport. All other ESP gigs at the Autoport fall on a Friday evening. Hope to see you all at teh Sports Cafe & Grille on January 17: the more familiar faces that night, the more relaxed and at ease Ralf will be, which as you know, makes for a great night of karaoke. See you there!

Quaker Steak & Lube Closes Its Doors

During the week of Thanksgiving, 2008, Quaker Steak & Lube in State College closed its doors for good. All neon lighting and brand signing was removed from the outside of the building as well as the electronics, televisions and State Amusement game machines. Yet to be removed is the seemingly endless collection of sporting memorabilia on the walls and hanging from the interior ceilings. Karaoke with Ralf had its last show there on Tuesday, November 4, 2008, an evening that may go down as unpaid. Nevertheless, Tuesday nights are now again open for suggestion. Ralf thanks all the frequent patrons who came to The Lube to make it a worthwhile event while it lasted. He hopes to see you again soon.

Ralf Returns to Live Music

On Saturday, June 28, 2008, Ralf returned to his roots established 10 years before he began hosting karaoke shows by joining two of his former bandmates Pat Elliott and Jerre Price in a partial regrouping and restructuring of the band Trinity 1296, a popular State College fixture of the 80s. Now named ESP, the band is a three member, two guitar acoustic band playing a slew of Crosby, Stills & Nash songs, along with tunes by the Beatles, Dr. Hook, Styx, Simon & Garfunkel, Toto, Cartoon, and many more. If you didn't catch this public dabut show, you might be able to catch the followup gig at the Autoport on Friday, July 18, 2008. Hope to see you there.

KWR Returns To Mifflin County

On February 7th, Karaoke with Ralf returned to the Lewistown area with a regular run of Thursday night shows at the Hammermill Bar & Grill in Yeagertown, PA. It's been a solid seven years since Karaoke with Ralf last took place in the Lewistown area. Already having reconnected with some old friends and finding a nice new generation of talented singers, all is looking very well. And then there are just a lot of people who simply like to have fun. I must say, the selection of songs performed is quite diverse. No single genre dominates at the Hammermill. Hope to see ya there!

Watch The Schedule!

A date or two here or there may be cancelled this spring due to the possibility of a 20-year reunion with my former bandmates. For a history on our band, Trinity 1296, you may click here. I'll keep you posted here in this blurb as well.

Data Format Change in Effect Since June 2006

Since June 27, 2006, ALL shows are now presented exclusively without discs. All music is played from Ralf's laptop and songs can be searched for via artist OR title. Special note to those of you who enjoy bringing your own CD+G discs to shows: this system will not play CD+G discs for on-screen lyrics presentation. However, with as large as the collection has grown, the songs you've been bringing on your own discs are probably available at the show. It is even likely your version of your song is in the collection. Special note: The new songlist, or "menu" will be ready to reprint at the start of the new year, and it will naturally have "2007 Edition" on the cover. Initial printing will be strictly text, no photos and will also be downloadable. Without photos, it will make for a smaller download and home printing task as well. In the meantime, feel free to ask if he has a certain song. If it has been recorded as a karaoke song, it is very likely he has it. In the event he doesn't, he will research its availability and either get it or let you know otherwise.

Brief History

With 24 years of experience in professional music performance and sixteen years of Karaoke hosting, I continue to forge ahead in this business that has been labeled everything from "corny" to "marvelous" to a form of therapy and stress relief, to a stepping stone for future artists. FOX-TV's American Idol program has done a great deal in promoting amateur singing in venues across the country. If you have such aspirations, why not hone your skills at a Karaoke with Ralf show.  

I started in this business working for Local Motion DJs entertainment company in central Pennsylvania. I still recommend for gigs I cannot cover myself. The early years had me working with the original Pioneer laserdisc collection. Upon deciding to go my own the following year, I became more accustomed to the CD+G format, which has its roots in the very beginnings of the karaoke craze of the early 80s. Through 2006, with the exception of an initial modest collection of DVD titles offered at choice venues, Karaoke with Ralf was exclusively CD+G. Now he's completely converted to MP3+G format, PC-based. 

I'd love to see each and every one of you at one of my shows, but distance and scheduling might make that difficult. I have plenty of patrons who will not hesitate at driving for an hour to join in on "Karaoke with Ralf", but I know that is not feasible for everyone. I'll be adding a referral page as soon as time permits me to work on it.  

Enjoy the site, and drop me a line. I'll see ya in the spotlight.