Killer karaoke with live band

It pretty much has everything a bar could have: NTN Buzztime trivia. Video poker. Full menu. Pool tables. Free Wi-Fi. Regulation-size shuffleboard table. Live music. Twenty-four TVs tuned to sports. DVR nights that show the Canadian TV show "Trailer Park Boys." Nintendo Wii. Jukebox. Karaoke.

And now every Saturday, Rowdyoke - karaoke on steroids. And the closest that most people will get to singing in a real band.

"It gives people a chance to actually be on stage and perform," said Brandy Link, the Depot's general manager.

"My boss (Butch Clark) had heard about a band in Chicago doing it," said Link, who has worked at the Depot for 18 years. "We did it as a trial run, and it worked."

Rowdyoke is named after the Rowdies, the band that performs the music and provides backing vocals for the guest singers.

The Rowdies have played rock 'n' roll in Tucson bars for 23 years. The band also plays the Depot - sans karaoke - on the first Friday of every month.

"I had never had been in a karaoke bar until I went to the Depot," said Steve Conklin, one of the band's two original members.

Conklin, who co-owns Kanella's on North Fourth Avenue, plays bass and sings. Chris Davis, the other original member, is the guitarist and lead vocalist.

Drummer Robin Horn and Sydney George, who plays saxophone and harmonica, round out the band (although George rarely takes part in Rowdyoke because the stage is so small).

Singers fill out a request slip and choose from more than 200 songs that include titles by AC/DC, Willie Nelson, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bruce Springsteen, Eric Clapton and Pat Benatar.

Rowdyoke regular Kim Hayes, a 36-year-old Pima Community College student and nurse, said the band seems to love playing along with the amateurs.

"If you screw up, they'll cover (for) you," said the Oklahoma native, who's known for doing "La Bamba" by Ritchie Valens and songs by Patsy Cline. "They know what to play. They make it so easy."

Another regular, Emilie Douglas, is a 31-year-old assistant preschool teacher.

"It takes a lot of guts and gumption to get on stage," said Douglas, who enjoys singing Alannah Myles' "Black Velvet," 4 Non Blondes' "What's Up" and Bananarama's "Venus." "I look forward to my Saturdays, because this is my stress reliever.

"Some people exercise. Some read. I do karaoke."

On July 28, Chicago Bar jumped on the bandwagon and now offers Rowdyoke every Wednesday.

"The Rowdies have played for us for years," said Don Lassell, Chicago Bar's general manager. "It looked pretty successful. It's building each week.

"Sometimes we get the employees at the Gaslight Theatre - they can all really sing, and when they come over, it's a blast."

Rowdyoke fits the band's style.

"We have always let people come up and sing with us and jam - we've always been like that," Conklin said. "It's a lot of fun; we've been having good crowds."

And he added: "Most of the singers are very good."

The Rowdies have what it takes to help people sound good and have fun, Chicago Bar's Lassell said.

"It takes a band with a lot of patience," Lassell said. "They know a ton of songs, and they can work through almost anything."

If you don't see the song you like, feel free to write it in, and the band probably will be able to get through it.

"Chris Davis has been called the human jukebox," Conklin said. "His recall on songs is unbelievable."

But even if they don't make it through a song flawlessly, it's still a good time.

"We stumble around; we make mistakes," Conklin said. "I just keep a big smile on my face."

If you go

• What: Rowdyoke, karaoke with a live band, the Rowdies.

• Where: Chicago Bar, 5954 E. Speedway; The Fort Lowell Depot, 3501 E. Fort Lowell Road.

• When: 9 p.m.-1 a.m. Wednesdays at Chicago Bar; 9 p.m.-1 a.m. Saturdays at the Depot.

• Cost: $3 at Chicago Bar; free at the Depot. Go to myspace.com and search for "therowdiesintucson" to print out a free pass to Chicago Bar.

• Information: 748-8169, Chicago Bar; 795-8110, the Depot.