13 Songs to Sing Along With at The Cantina (explanation below):
Here in our neighborhood, we hang out in people's garages and some of the garages even have names.
The original is "The Cantina" which is decked out as a bar complete with dartboard, two TV's (one tuned to the Red Sox and one to the Yankees....proprietors Kim and Jim are a mixed marriage), a bar with tons of barstools, etc. Another is "The Vortex" from the way driving by and seeing the garage door open just sucks people in. One is "Midway", but they aren't really happy with the name and since they are one of the few who have a basement garage, they are considering "The Underground" or "The Down Under". I told my husband that I was going to name ours "The Periphery" since we don't "officially" live in the neighborhood, but are the first house outside the neighborhood. He thought that was good but thought that only about 30% of the people we know would know the definition of "periphery", so he suggested "Skid Row", which would be apt.
When the Cantina is open, there is an eclectic mix of people of all ages, sexes, relationships...OK, just for example, the first time I went there and was introduced to everyone, I was introduced to Bob with the explanation that he was Kim's ex-husband and that he was living with her and her husband Jim while he gets on his feet.
Anyway....besides trying to figure out who belongs to whom, one of the favorite Cantina activities is singing along with great songs. So I have tried to capture in pictures as well as song titles:
13 Songs to Sing Along with at The Cantina
1. Tiny Dancer by Elton John (or the Tim McGraw version...we're not choosy). Who can resist singing along with that after seeing the bus scene in Almost Famous?
2. Stay by Jackson Browne. Besides having that awesome falsetto part, if you had any intentions of leaving The Cantina and going home at a decent hour, this song will make you rethink and "Stay...just a little bit longer!"
3. Loretta Lynn's Lincoln by Josh Turner. Now, I am have never personally experienced Kim singing along with this song, but from what I've heard, she probably looks about like she does in this picture.
4. Rockstar by Nickelback. Who doesn't want to be a Rockstar,
"I want a brand new house
On an episode of Cribs
And a bathroom I can play baseball in
And a king size tub big enough
For ten plus me"
5. Centerfold by The J. Geils Band. I can't remember this girl's name, but I do remember that whenever it got to the "na na na na na na na's", we handed the microphone to her. Songs with repetitive "na na's" are perfect for the lyrically challenged or those too young to remember the songs!
6. Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison. Ditto on the "sha la la's".
7. Night Moves by Bob Seger. This immediately transports the MAJORITY of Cantina-ites back to high school (or maybe middle school). It was the soundtrack of those days.
8. Rich Girl by Darryl Hall & John Oates. This started out as a golf course song that my friend Barb and I would sing at any slight provocation. But it's pretty catchy and a fun sing-along, so it has caught on at the Cantina.
9. Baby Girl by Sugarland. You can always get Sharis singing and her shoulders rocking with a good country song...preferably one that is a little sentimental.
10. Live Like You Were Dying by Tim McGraw. Ditto the above. Options are available...you can sing into the actual microphone if you feel pretty confident of the words and your voice will join Tim's on the speaker, or you can sing into the Gumby lighter as demonstrated by Sharis.
11. B-B-B-Bennie and the Jetsssssss by Elton John. Now, not everyone sings at the Cantina. Some, especially the younger ones who have no idea what we are singing, just watch us in a combination of fascination and horror. But they usually enjoy the show.
12. Before He Cheats by Carrie Underwood. The Cantina does create some unexpected duets. Lots of time one parent stays home with the child(ren) while the other goes to the Cantina, so you end up singing with whoever is there...sometimes even someone you didn't know at the beginning of the evening.
13. The Good Stuff by Kenny Chesney. Well, this is the good stuff. Special thanks to our Cantina hosts, the random people who just stop by, the regulars, the irregulars, the people who bring their own beer and the people who donate visors and blenders hoping that when they forget to bring beer, someone kindly shares (um, that's me and I've never been beer-less yet!). And thanks to all the people who "stay...just a little bit longer" and the people who suggest that maybe it's time to leave!!! And most of all to Kim and Jim who have opened their house to the huddled masses yearning to sing, watch baseball, throw darts and hang out with the best friends in the world!
Di
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