Mission Mission

I know, DJ Purple is pretty damn rad, and we still think he’s the best DJ (not just KJ) in the city, but apparently this dude from Portland records his own songs and is the guy from whom DJ Purple gets his music!  The New York Times even went as far as to declare Baby Ketten “America’s greatest karaoke,” but why don’t you just come and judge for yourself tonight at the Knockout!

Details here!

DJ Purple and American Tripps are at it again!

Singin’ & Pingin’ at the venerable Verdi Club on a Friday night! Dance karaoke on the big main stage, two ping pong tables out on the dance floor under the disco ball, cold drinks everywhere you turn!

$6 before 9pm, $8 after! FREE BEER before 9pm too!

Peruse DJ Purple’s songbook here. See photos from Singin’ & Pingin’ at Outside Lands here. RSVP and invite your friends here.

And don’t forget about the…

Here’s what’s up:

Well, Singin’ & Pingin’ used to be a once-in-a-while thing, but the last one at Verdi Club was so epicly fun, we decided to do it all over again, just two months later (and a month after the extravaganza at Z Space).

DJ Purple (http://djpurple.com/) will be rocking the dance floor, and we’ll have two ping pong tables going all night!

ALSO, Verdi Club’s bar got so slammed last time, they’ve decided to have THREE bars open this time, instead of just the one. No waiting!!!

RSVP and invite your friends!

Also, view this album of party pics from last time if you like viewing albums of party pics.

Oh and there was a “We Are the World”-style group performance of “Get Lucky,” so no wonder:

DJ Purple is a genius.

For more photos, see the whole album on Facebook. For more Dance Karaoke, hit up Slate Bar on Thursday! And for more Berlin-style ping pong, join the SF Berlin-Style Ping Pong League!

I’d probably go to a watching-paint-dry party as long as it was held at Z Space, but dude, this party sounds even better:

You’ve demanded it for nearly a year now! This month, SINGIN’ & PINGIN’ makes a triumphant return to its original venue, Z Space, the grand performing arts theater in the heart of the northeastern Mission!

DJ PURPLE (http://djpurple.com/) has gained notoriety and momentum since last we appeared here, so the DANCE KARAOKE show will be even tighter and more awesome than ever. And there will be FOUR TABLES for maximum BERLIN-STYLE PING PONG ACTION!

Full bar and lots of dance floor! And FREE BEER and FREE HARD CIDER for the first hour! Plus, for some reason, “The Endless Slope” indoor snowboarding machine, courtesy of Adventurous Sports (http://adventurous.com/).

Can’t wait! RSVP and invite your friends!

Photos from last year’s event here.

There’s never a dull moment at DJ Purple’s Dance Karaoke parties, but some scenes really get imprinted on your brain. Like when Rapper John takes the stage and totally nails fast-paced club hits like “Party Rock Anthem” and “Gangnam Style.” He’s a somewhat older gentleman, so there’s always a sea of Mission youngsters double-taking in unison as he launches into one of his signature jams.

I asked DJ Purple to tell me what he knows about the guy:

I saw Rapper John singing Rapper’s Delight at Roger Niner’s show a few years ago, and realized what a perfect match he would be for my show. I was really happy when he finally showed up a few weeks later to check out my show. It was fabulous, and he’s been a regular ever since.

I only know a little of Rapper John’s history, mostly stories from other KJ’s. They say he’s been a legend in the Bay Area and Las Vegas karaoke scenes for years, always picking the perfect crowd-pleasing songs and wowing everyone with his lyrical prowess.

Last year, I laid down a special challenge for him to learn a new song. When Gangnam Style came out, I knew immediately that he was the perfect man for that song, but was afraid rapping in Korean might be too much for even Rapper John. He took it on, and that song was indeed almost too much for him, but Rapper John triumphed in the end – he found a hilarious English phonetic translation parody of Gangnam Style by Chad Wild Clay and used that to conquer the Korean pronunciation. Since then, “Condom Style” with Rapper John has been a regular feature at my shows, to the delight of the dancing audiences…

Delight is right. People go NUTS. Lucky for us, DJ Purple put us in touch with the man himself. After the jump, the official Mission Mission Rapper John interview, followed by a video of Rapper John doing “Party Rock” at Singin’ & Pingin’ 2 last December.

And do try to catch Rapper John and DJ Purple in action this Friday night at Singin’ & Pingin’ 3 at the Verdi Club!

[Photo by Jess Kelso / American Tripps]

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The original Singin’ & Pingin’ at Z Space last summer drew a crowd of almost 700, and it was probably the mot epic party I’ve ever seen. The holiday edition at Rickshaw Stop (Singin’ & Pingin’ 2) wasn’t quite as packed, but it was nearly as epic. Turns out singing and pinging go together like drinking and dancing. Who knew?

Here’s the official invite to Singin’ & Pingin’ 3:

Everywhere we go, people ask, “WHEN IS THE NEXT SINGIN’ & PINGIN’???” Well, the next SINGIN’ & PINGIN’ is here, folks! And it’s gonna be at the world-famous VERDI CLUB in San Francisco’s Mission District!

DJ Purple’s DANCE KARAOKE mission is going strong at venues around the city and the region, but it’s gonna be an outright SPECTACLE thanks to the big stage — and huge dance floor — at Verdi. Start perusing the songbook (http://djpurple.com/) now, so you’re good and ready when the time comes!

Add to that a couple of ping pong tables and a couple crates of paddles — plus a full bar and the best group of partygoers in town — and we’re in business!

RSVP and invite your friends!

Everybody always talks about how DJ Purple‘s saxophone solos really make the show, about how that added punch of serious musicianship make his dance karaoke parties so much more fun and entertaining than just about every other karaoke experience in the world. Well, he’s upped the ante once again, by bringing along a FULL DRUM SET.

He debuted it over the weekend at his new Saturday night show at Polo Grounds down by the ballpark, and it was quite a spectacle! He managed to run the show just like normal, while still inserting sax and harmonica solos like usual, AND adding in various drum solos (and expertly placed cymbal flourishes) throughout the evening. He even drummed along to “Live While We’re Young” by One Direction in its entirety, and it was siiiiiiiick! Dance karaoke will never be the same.

Look forward to many more drum (and sax) solos in the Mission every Thursday night at Slate Bar (and Friday, April 12, at Singin’ & Pingin’ 3).

If anybody knows romance, it’s DJ Purple. Just look at that golden jumpsuit! Here’s the deal:

It’s Valentine’s Day! Bring your Valentine to the best Dance Karaoke in town, or come find love on the dance floor and sing a duet or a love song with your new Valentine! No cover!

I’ve definitely fallen in love on DJ Purple’s dance floor a number of times. (Mostly it was with Candy, but there’ve been a few other babes too.) RSVP and invite your friends and lovers! And then peruse the songbook so you’ll be ready.