Karaoke that rocks at the Oceanfront

If you answered “yes” to just one of the questions in our poll, but especially if you answered “yes” to them all, then the Virginia Beach club Peabody’s has the perfect thing for you to try.

It’s called Rockyaoke – karaoke with a live band. Rockyaoke has become popular in cities across the globe over the past few years, and, having migrated to the U.S., it has now hit the Beach.

Rockyaoke elevates to new heights the long-cherished and somewhat cheesy practice of getting up in front of a crowd of strangers and singing well-known songs over pre-recorded, tinny tracks from a machine. It is karaoke 2.0 – a chance to redeem or humiliate yourself with your very own live band.

And just as with the original, people take it either lightly or very seriously.

Count Steven Brunbery among the latter. On his second week at Peabody’s Rockyaoke, a crowd of about 100 gathered, some paying attention to the would-be stars and others just hanging out, playing beer pong.

The 21-year-old Chesapeake resident typically sings country tunes when he does karaoke, but last Saturday, clad in a cowboy hat and a bowling shirt, he was seriously contemplating what song he’d choose.

“This is more challenging,” he said, partly because, unlike traditional karaoke, there is no monitor projecting the words to the songs on a screen. Knowing the words would be beneficial for an organic, knockout rendition, but should you need a crutch to recall every line of “ Billie Jean” or “We Got the Beat,” you may take the lyrics with you onstage.

Brunbery did just that, using a cheat sheet to screech out an impressive version of “You Shook Me All Night Long” by AC/DC. His stiff, somewhat uncertain demeanor might have caused Simon Cowell to hurl a tomato at him, but a gaggle of ladies loved him enough to take to the floor and dance.

He was backed by a local band named Spin City, a trio that plays spots including Hot Tuna and Catch 31 but squeezes this in. Being the Rockyaoke band is more grueling than it looks, partly because of its popularity.

“Usually when you do a gig you can take a break here or there,” said Spin City bassist Dan Clemens, but because so many people sign up, “we’re up there rolling from 8:30 to after 11.” Still, the gig is fun for Clemens and his bandmates – drummer Powell Randolph and guitarist Walter Wright – because they’re making dreams come true.

“We try to make them look as good as possible,” he said.

The participation in and the enjoyment of karaoke are understood to be enhanced by the consumption of adult beverages, and Peabody’s helps by making doses of liquid courage recession-friendly – just $1.50 before 9 p.m. (Peabody’s opens at 7 p.m.) Admission is free, too.

“We try to get through them as fast as we can,” said Brandon Ramsey, club manager. As word has spread, slots are filling fast. “We’ve had whole company groups come in.”

People have been coming from quite a ways, too, in hopes of a few moments of glory. Angelina Vega, 27, drove from Yorktown; the first time she came, she was hooked. “It’s my three minutes to be a rock star.”

Fittingly, she sang “Rock and Roll,” by Led Zeppelin. Vega, like many of the other performers, stood nearly mannequin-motionless as she read from the cheat sheet – no one on this night went up there and suddenly channeled Tina Turner – and her somewhat demure presence caused even Clemens from the band to rib her a bit. “I look so reserved?” she countered. “Gee, thanks.”

Her voice, though, was strong and throaty, and her performance was cause enough for a handful of Peabody’s midriff-exposing, on-the-payroll dancing vixens to jump up on their appointed platforms and writhe seductively.

Vega had come alone after seeing a flier for the event. Typically, she performs soul songs in super-exclusive venues – namely, her bedroom, car and shower. ( Rockyaoke, as the name implies, leans toward classic rock, so there’s not much soul, R&B or modern pop on the menu. But if you ask a week in advance, the guys will try to get a song right for you.)

She was happy to give some Zeppelin a whirl. She didn’t think about it too much.

“I just get up there and sing. It’s fun. And if I screw up, so what? It’s karaoke.”

Malcolm Venable, (757) 446-2662, malcolm.venable@pilotonline.com