I have long been a fan of karaoke nights at certain bars. It’s something about the courage it takes to get up and sing in front of a crowd of people that I find striking. Or maybe it is the real talent you end up hearing sometimes and everyone wonders to themselves why they haven’t really gone after that dream. Or maybe still it is the gritty atmosphere you find in a lot of those karaoke bars that reminds you to just keep it real. Whatever the reason, I have always enjoyed karaoke, particularly at Sticky Rice, a quirky little sushi joint in the Fan District of Richmond, ever since I first went nearly five years ago.
Since I started doing photography, I’ve been patroning Sticky (as it is affectionately known) regularly on Tuesday nights for their karaoke, the cheap PBRs and, of course, the tater tots with secret sauce. I have come to known nearly all the workers, the vendors (including the karaoke DJ), the fellow karaoke patrons and the owners. The place is basically my living room. I walk in and before I hit the bar, I have my drink of choice being handed to me by the bartender. No questions asked.
Recently, as they have learned more about my photography business, they asked me to be their regular Tuesday night photographer for karaoke night. I gladly obliged and here are some of my favorites over the last month or so:
