Tonight seemed like duet night at The Maltese. Four of the five songs I sang were with others. It was pretty cool although I probably need to work on singing in harmony with others. At the same time, it sounded all right and I had a good time. That’s what counts, right?

Oh, I want to thank my mom for listening to the love song radio station. I remember constantly being inundated by these duets like “I’ve had the time of my life” while we drove to clarinet lessons on a backroad in Georgia. While it’s not always my cuppa, those were some good times and it really prepared me for singing with others.

Here’s the rundown:

• Picture (with Alice). The fun part is screaming “I was off to drink you away” at the top of my lungs.
• End of the World. OK, that’s the one non-duet, but I’m practically required to sing the song. As always Ronnie sang backup. I thought it was rocking tonight.
• Summer Nights (with Colleen). I still enjoy the end where the duo sings “NIGHTS” in the most off-key way possible.
• Whip It (with Heather). Not really a duet in the strictest sense of the word, but we sang it together. I practiced my “dynamic” dance moves.
• Seven Spanish Angels (with Colleen). Colleen and I helped bring it home with this ballad popularized by Ray Charles and Willie Nelson. She wanted to sing a Disney duet, but I’ve been wanting to sing this song for a long time. It’s cool when people dance with the music.

So that was Wednesday. Maybe I’ll post the 26-song playlist when I dominated the mostly empty stage in Marysville two weeks ago.

Like The Grad on Tuesday, there was only a small crowd at The Maltese Wednesday. We think that the low turnout might be due to the Monday holiday. Thankfully, Ari was along to help trade off songs with Ronnie. Joel showed up and seemed to be having a good time (but he didn’t sing).

Eventually, Ronnie declared it was new song night and we all tried our hands at singing different tunes outside our comfort zone. Most of my songs were new to me (aside from two or three “classics”).

• Thanks for the Memory – rough, rough probably better left to the late Bob Hope.
• Summertime – Why, oh why did I try this one? It was way too slow and I don’t have the gravitas.
• She Blinded Me (With Science)
• Down Under
• Take the Last Train to Clarksville
• It’s the End of the World as We Know it (And I Feel Fine)
• Jump, Jive and Wail
• Mr. Roboto – Another rough song because I only really knew the first verse and the chorus.
• Beth – Ronnie tried to get Ari to sing this one, but I jumped in. I didn’t know it and I can only hope that KISS might have enjoyed it if they were present.
• I Want You to Want Me – Another random song Ronnie picked out.
• Give it Away Now – Again, it was rough for a bit until I remembered more of the song.
• Folsom Prison Blues – Ended the night with some Cash.

Had a good night inside the small bar with a lot of heart. Ari was back in the saddle after two weeks away and sang the classic “Wanted” with a little back-up from yours truly. He also sang Snoop Dogg and brought the house down, like always. Karaoke king Sam showed up and rocked some songs (including his standards like “Mack the Knife”). He ruled over Bearnaked Ladies’ “One Week.” Ronnie had me counter with “It’s the End of the World …” It was clear that Sam did a better job.

Still I had a lot of fun, although I missed singing Elton John songs for the two ladies that were there a couple of weeks back (although I could’ve done a better job of it). Tonight, I was trying to get one lady to sing behind the mike (she flatly refused). I hope I didn’t press the issue too much (it seemed like she was taking it in stride).

Here’s the run down of my songs:

• Down on the Corner — I thought it was an OK song to warm up to. I don’t think I’ve got the resonant voice to make it sound like the classic.
• Short Skirt, Long Jacket — I’m still working on singing to match McCrea’s rythym. It’s tough as heck.
• It’s the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) — I stumbled on a couple of lines. I downloaded the song from iTunes and I’ll hopefully get a better sense of the movement in the song.
• Hit the Road Jack — Ray Charles’ classic as interpreted by me (not Ray Charles)
• Don’t Bring Me Down — From Electric Light Orchestra. “Don’t bring me down … Bruce.” Why didn’t I know that song a couple of years ago? [ 😉 to the eight people in the world that might get that joke.]
• Seven Spanish Angels — It’s a duet and I realized tonight that I sound neither like Ray Charles nor Willie Nelson. Ah well, I like the song even if others don’t.
• I helped sing — Wanted, Love Shack, Hotel California and some LL Cool J song (to try and get the lady to sing). She playfully flipped me off. Drat. Maybe next time.