I ran into Salt Lake Tribune critic Sean Means tonight at Sundance in a packed RV decked out with a mini tiki bar, neon lights, and a booming sound system -- also known as the RVIP Lounge and Karaoke Cabaret, a tricked-out mobile karaoke mecca and the jammingest place you’ll find in Park City all week. Since the word’s out (read his account of the karaoke madness), here are my two cents: You can have your Drizzy Drake concerts and Bing Bar bashes, but for my money there’s no better way to thaw out from the snow and mingle with Sundance strangers than while belting a karaoke jam or two.
The thing about socializing at Sundance is that it can be incredibly frustrating and annoying if you do it the old-fashioned way. Park City imports non-film folks every year who show up to ski by day and get past velvet ropes at night, turning Main Street into douche-infested waters at sundown. Bars are overcrowded and parties all look the same after a while, so thank goodness for alternatives… like recreational vehicles outfitted with karaoke rigs and loud microphones.
The RVIP Lounge hails from Los Angeles, courtesy of master KJ/party hosts Kestrin Pantera (pictured above), Jonathan Grubb, and Eva Kim where it zooms from place to place picking up eager singers. When the RVIP folks announced they were Park City bound this year, my heart leapt; no film festival, at least stateside in my experience, is complete without some sort of karaoke. (And while I haven’t quite figured out why movie people love karaoke so much, it’s an inarguable constant in this world, the social lubricant that unites many folks in the film community at large.)
Friday night the Tim & Eric crowd sang as the intrepid RVIP navigated the icy mountain roads of Park City, but Saturday the mobile karaoke lounge held court near Sundance HQ. Look for them there Sunday as well – they’ll be the ones in the RV illuminating the night sky with bright colored lights. (Make sure to check their whereabouts on Twitter, this week in Park City and back in L.A.)
Inside the RVIP you’ll find a cross-section of Sundance-goers – industry folk, journalists, filmmakers. The songbook is decent, the company even better, and when the place gets packed it takes on a life of its own. “How did I get to this magical place? What the hell is happening right now?” you may wonder as the entire RV erupts in song and someone plays air guitar on a light saber as you sing ditties like 2Pac’s “California Love” or Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart.” It’s all part of the wonder that is the RVIP, which may have single-handedly saved the 2012 Sundance party scene.
[Bonus: This week in addition to the RVIP, at least one other karaoke event is on the docket for the remainder of Sundance 2012 as CAVU Pictures hosts a karaoke throwdown Monday, January 23 for film and industry folks.]
Got a hot tip on Sundance 2012 karaoke? Drop Jen Yamato a line on Twitter.
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