El lo mejor sábado de karaoke en SMA es en La Vecindad

Jason from Austin, TX, at La Vecindad.

Of all the karaoke venues in San Miguel de Allende, I'm partial to La Vecindad because it's most like family. It's comfortable. It's casual. And people really listen when you get up to sing.

La Vecindad features David Cruz at the turntable (okay, CD+G player) and wife Sarah and son Christian on stage beside him. The family feeling starts there.

Roy Soltero & friend.

It took some time and a change of ownership to work out the kinks in the remodeled venue with its new big-screen TV and super-charged sound system, but now the glitches don't happen very often and the price of a beer is still among the lowest in town.

La Vecindad has karaoke shows on Friday and Saturday nights, 9:30pm-1:00am, and if you're desperate to sing on other nights, you can request the microphone for the jukebox—they've got a few karaoke tunes in there. I like to bring my own karaoke CDs (CD+Gs) because a few of my favorite songs aren't on the list.

Call me if you want to go, and I can bring songs for you!

La Vecindad is on the Salida a Celaya, between Longhorn Smokehouse and Mega Comercial, but on the opposite side of the road. It is next to the big car wash that is for sale. See you there!

Revolutionaries love karaoke, too!

Good news! There's a bar on Insurgentes with a karaoke jukebox, and as long as the doors are open, you can sing!

It's called Los Alzados ("Revolutionaries"). Seems that Señores Allende, Hidalgo, Aldama and the rest will never see the end of fame, and now they've got a karaoke bar named after them. Hijole!

When I visited Los Alzados on Tuesday, Oct. 19, there were 121 karaoke CDs to choose from, and only a few songs in English. Most were Mexican pop and rancheras (which I like to sing, as they help me to practice my Spanish) but they update the jukebox every week or two, and they've promised to add more English language tunes.

My friend Omar and I had an hour to kill between appointments, so we dropped 10 pesos into the machine and belted out a bit of Elton John and Kiki Dee, plus a couple of cumbias.

Fortunately, the polite Mexican patrons applauded instead of putting hands over their ears.

Los Alzados is open 7 days a week at the corner of Insurgentes and Relox. Karaoke is 3 songs for 10 pesos (27¢ per song).

Have you been to Los Alzados? Did you sing? Comments, please!

Smaller crowd on Sunday night means more stage time for you!

Gaby R at Mama's Bar.

Karaoke is always a good time at Mama Mia, but on Thursday nights, and Wednesdays, too, you have to be prepared to wait a while between songs. That's why I prefer to go on Tuesday nights, and now on Sundays, when the smaller crowd means more stage time for each individual singer.

Last Sunday, we arrived just as animadora Gaby Ramirez took the stage for her opening number, and a handful of us got to sing three songs each before the request slips started coming in from other tables. The house was still rockin' when we left at 1:30, and we'll go back on Sunday again.

Aarón sings backup for Gaby.

Another benefit to smaller crowds: less of that horrible second-hand smoke in the air!

Mama's Bar has karaoke on Sundays!

Okay, all you die-hards, if you want a few more turns at the mic than you'll get on a packed-to-the-gills Thursday night, then Mama Mia is the place to be on Sundays at 11 p.m. Gaby Ramirez is your bilingual host for karaoke on Sunday nights, as well as on Wednesdays and Thursdays now that Luis Fernando has moved to Club Habana. If you don't have to set your alarm on Monday morning, seems like that's a good reason to sing!

What a great time!

Thanks to Sergio and all the staff at Blue Iguana for another great karaoke night on Friday. Finally, there is a truly family-friendly place to sing in San Miguel! I'll be hosting another Karaoke Night at Blue Iguana soon. Stay tuned for the date!

Karaoke Friday, Oct. 1, at Blue Iguana

Last Friday night we had so much fun that we're doing it again this Friday! 

Come start your weekend with great food, home made root beer or home brewed beer, and karaoke at the Blue Iguana, just 1km past Fábrica Aurora on the Carratera a Dolores.

We've got tunes from the '30s and '40s, all the way to this year's top hits! Choose Broadway tunes, jazz standards, or rock from the '50s, '60s, '70s and '80s. Songs for kids, too!

Come for the food...stay for the music! Karaoke starts at 8:30pm. For more information and reservations, call the Blue Iguana at 154-7888.