KARmAOKE Sing Along – Fall FUNdraising Event

Hey Dharma Siblings,

Some of you are expressing performance anxiety when you even think about a karaoke-type experience. Please don’t let that keep you away from Karmaoke on November 3rd. We’re going to have a blast, and no one will be put on the spot (unless you want to be)! (If you’re still anxious, just think of it as a hootenanny.)

If you or a group of friends want to have a certain song be part of Karmaoke, please submit your song choice to Linda B by October 28th. () When you email, let her know how you want your song to go:

• You want the song to be a sangha sing-along without leading it.
• You or you and your group will lead the song and you want the sangha to join in.
• You or you and your group will sing it solo in true karaoke style—bold and unafraid!

We’ll be doing a few of KCC’s favorite chants, plus a couple of original songs among a fun mix of pop and folk songs that have surprisingly dharma-centric lyrics.

If you can find a YouTube sing-along link with lyrics, please share it with us. Here are a few examples of lyric videos:

• Bob Dylan – *Blowing in the Wind*
• Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young – *Teach Your Children*
• Talking Heads – *Once in a Lifetime*
• Queen & David Bowie – *Under Pressure*

Can’t find a lyric video? No worries! Just send us the song title and lyrics. We’ll do our best to accommodate all requests!

At the Karmaoke event, we’ll have a playlist ready, microphones set, and lyrics displayed on-screen and via Zoom. Expect singing, dancing, no pressure, and plenty of fun!

Dear KCCers, you may recall

The funky fundraiser that we’ve held every fall
For the last six years in early November—
Blooming Lotus, right here in our own urban center.

Impermanence has claimed our little talent show,
We decided that the time had come to let the thing go;
But, ripening the merit of its past iterations,
This year we will experience its reincarnation

As a rousing Karmaoke Sing Along
Of chants and ‘dharma-adjacent’ songs!
Save the date—November 2nd in the afternoon—
To raise some funds for KCC and belt out some tunes.

For example, David Thornburgh made a perfect adaptation
After learning of Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche’s cremation:
“Somewhere over the rainbow, Bodhisattvas fly.
Bodhisattvas fly over the rainbow; why, then, oh why can’t I.”

Meanwhile, we need a couple bussin’ DJs,
Call us if you’re out there, don’t stay hidden away.
Likewise don’t be shy about suggesting some hits
If they feel like good Karmaoke fits.

To volunteer to DJ, suggest a song, lead a song, or otherwise help out email .