As a form of entertainment, karaoke has a lot of baggage. Remember when that old man warbled "Fools Rush In" every Monday at your favorite nearby dive bar? Or when your buddy Chad insists on performing "Summer Nights" from Grease because he can "nail that John Travolta wail"? And it always takes a lot of liquor to muffle the sounds of besties singing Beyoncé.
Karaoke can be rough, but Miami's "Let's Sang!" events offer a less painful alternative each month. "Let's Sang!" provides karaoke "for nerds and music-lovers," with fresh and satisfying playlists posted online before each gathering. This Friday, September 27, the group teams up with not-for-profit exhibition space Locust Projects for another One Night Stand fundraiser.
See also: The Art Book Review: Cocktails, Music, and Free Art Books at Locust Projects
"'Lets Sang!'" is an artsy, boutique karaoke with hand-selected playlists. It is nomadic but has had some incredible events at Gramps in Wynwood and invites different hosts," said Amanda Sanfilippo, Development Associate with Locust Projects. "For this One Night Stand, Dylan Romer, the artist and software developer, will be projecting installations of his amazing project called Time Piles."
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Romer will do live video mixing using the unique app he created called Time Piles. This app manipulates the idea of time by reorganizing moments into psychedelic infinite exposures of the present time.
"One Night Stands is our stab at a young professionals group and producing really special creative social events," Sanfilippo said. "We collaborate with creative producers every two to three months, sometimes within the Locust Projects 5,000 square foot gallery in the Design District, and sometimes at other venues throughout the city."
Locust Projects provides a contemporary space where both well-known and new artists can experiment without worrying about selling their work, Sanfilippo says. The organization marks its 15th anniversary this year, and is celebrating with a number of new programs and ventures, such as Locust Roundtable open-format discussions and Locust Talks lectures, where visiting directors and curators do studio visits with Miami-based artists and deliver a public lecture.
"Locust Projects tries to support as many artists as we can in as many ways as we can, whether it's to produce groundbreaking exhibitions in our galleries or our public art programs," Sanfilippo said. "For 15 years we have been working with amazing artists at varying points in their careers as a way to support them and provide a platform for them to test ideas and experiment."
Locust's One Night Stand events have generated a lot of interest and support from the artist community, Sanfilippo says.
"For the One Night Stands, we get great sponsors with open bar and it's free for members. It's also free for artists, which is true to our mission." she said.
For other guests, it's a $10 donation in support of the event, or if you join as a member, admission is free and you can support the nonprofit.
"This event is the tip of the iceberg. We offer diverse and high quality programs in league with the international art community, many of them free," Sanfilippo said. "We are really sharing what Locust Projects does with different groups of supporters and making it fun."
Call 305-576-8570 or visit locustprojects.org/support to become a Locust Projects member. Visit facebook.com/SuperLipsKaraoke to see the Let's Sang karaoke playlist.
--Shelly Davidov
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