What fun we had at the Bamboo Lounge at the Clarion hotel! It was great and the KJ's have a fantastic selection. I believe it is the largest amount of available songs we've seen to date. Plus the sound system was awesome - almost as good as the one that they used to have at Blinky's. Our members gave this venue 5 stars. http://karaoke.meetup.com/264/calendar/12449845/
After that we headed to Acapulco Lounge on Saturday 2/20/10 where our member Ben was the KJ. http://karaoke.meetup.com/264/calendar/12539240/ He tried to start 30 minutes early just for our group. Unfortunately, due to technical difficulties we actually didn't start until about 7:45. Our members can be a bit impatient when we have to wait for karaoke. But eventually everything fell into place and people were happy. The Acapulco was packed as it usually is, but I still managed to sing about 3 songs. Not bad for a busy Saturday night.
On Tuesday 2/23/10, we headed to the San Jose Bar & Grill in downtown San Jose. I think this is one of those sleeper places that has the potential to be awesome. Parking was a bit tricky, even with the late start time (10:00 p.m.) Which brings me to another point: What's up with the late start time on weeknights. Seriously, are the bars thinking that it will drive more people in the door at 10:00 p.m. on a work night? I just don't get it. And yet, I find myself constantly amazed at how popular karaoke is every night of the week. They had a rotation of about 15-20 singers on a Tuesday night, no less! I think it was due to the fact that the bar is one of the nicer ones in downtown San Jose. They have a huge seating area, and karaoke is displayed on every screen at the joint. Sound system and selections were fantastic. I definitely plan to return.
Finally, on Friday we headed to El Torito for our Member's Choice karaoke event. We took a poll and our members voted El Torito as the #1 Friday spot. It was packed AS ALWAYS, but at least they did not waste precious karaoke time with extended dance numbers. I was very happy to get in about 3 songs. KJ Karen does a fantastic job under difficult circumstances. El Toritos starts karaoke at 7:30 and ends at 10:30 p.m. That's way too early for me to call it a night. So, a few of us headed over to Da Silva's Broncos Lounge which was practically empty. I've decided to have a meetup there sometime in the next few months because I think this is another one of the sleeper joints that has huge potential. Stay tuned for more on that.
Guess you could say I've gotten my song these past two weeks. It's been great - the PERFECT way to relieve stress and celebrate life. Hope you'll join us one of these days.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
It's More Fun With You Here
Our group has had several meetups since I last posted. Most recently we visited the Acapulco, 4th Street Bowl, and a return to Blue Max Bar and the Blue Note Lounge. Check out our calendar for more details on these events and others: http://karaoke.meetup.com/264/calendar/
The Meetup at the Blue Max Bar was made special by the return of one of our members (Mike B) who had been sick for a while. We had about 18 people show up and it was great to see Mike again. However, not everyone was happy with the KJ. Personally, I like KJ Desmond who does a decent job most of the time. Nevertheless, several members in our group were not happy with preference given to Blue Max regulars. The rotation seemed a bit off based on this. One thing you gotta know about our group is that we take our karaoke VERY SERIOUSLY!
The Blue Note was also much fun because our member Patty C was the host/MC. She did a great job and everyone had a good time despite the long rotation. The place was splendidly decorated in red and black for Valentines Day, and the patrons were very supportive of karaoke. I really love the open welcome we receive at the Blue Note. Everyone is sooo nice. I had to leave early because I didn't feel well, but I did manage to sing one song (Dancing Queen).
Tonight, we are off to sing at the Bamboo Lounge at the Clarion Hotel. It is rather posh and I am excited about this Meetup for our group. Dave & Marilyn of Songbird Productions do a great show, so I believe we are going to have a great time. Check out our website for more details if you want to join us: http://karaoke.meetup.com/264/calendar/12449845/
It's more fun if you join in.
The Meetup at the Blue Max Bar was made special by the return of one of our members (Mike B) who had been sick for a while. We had about 18 people show up and it was great to see Mike again. However, not everyone was happy with the KJ. Personally, I like KJ Desmond who does a decent job most of the time. Nevertheless, several members in our group were not happy with preference given to Blue Max regulars. The rotation seemed a bit off based on this. One thing you gotta know about our group is that we take our karaoke VERY SERIOUSLY!
The Blue Note was also much fun because our member Patty C was the host/MC. She did a great job and everyone had a good time despite the long rotation. The place was splendidly decorated in red and black for Valentines Day, and the patrons were very supportive of karaoke. I really love the open welcome we receive at the Blue Note. Everyone is sooo nice. I had to leave early because I didn't feel well, but I did manage to sing one song (Dancing Queen).
Tonight, we are off to sing at the Bamboo Lounge at the Clarion Hotel. It is rather posh and I am excited about this Meetup for our group. Dave & Marilyn of Songbird Productions do a great show, so I believe we are going to have a great time. Check out our website for more details if you want to join us: http://karaoke.meetup.com/264/calendar/12449845/
It's more fun if you join in.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Got Karaoke?
Our group went to 2 different places this week: A dive bar (Red Stag Lounge karaoke.meetup.com/264/calendar/12198300/) and a nice restaurant/bar with karaoke (Creekside Inn karaoke.meetup.com/264/calendar/12194677/). We had been at Creekside before, but the Red Stag was a new experience for our group. Both are popular venues with loyal patrons. That's one thing you notice right away --- karaoke people are loving and LOYAL to their favorite watering holes. I have seen several people on the karaoke circuit and different ones tend to frequent the same kinds of places. Once you get hooked, you go where you can find it. We have several more karaoke events planned for later this month and into 2010 as well.
Speaking of locations, I'm in the process of updating my master lists of karaoke places. You can check out the old list(s) here karaoke.meetup.com/264/files/, but you'll need to become a member of the group. (I say "lists") because there are 3 of them: alphabetical, by location and by day of the week. These are great tools to help you find your next karaoke fix. When I first prepared these lists, there were about 50+ places for karaoke. I've found about 17 more, though 4-5 on the old list no longer offer karaoke. We are going to rock the Southbay with karaoke this year!
Speaking of locations, I'm in the process of updating my master lists of karaoke places. You can check out the old list(s) here karaoke.meetup.com/264/files/, but you'll need to become a member of the group. (I say "lists") because there are 3 of them: alphabetical, by location and by day of the week. These are great tools to help you find your next karaoke fix. When I first prepared these lists, there were about 50+ places for karaoke. I've found about 17 more, though 4-5 on the old list no longer offer karaoke. We are going to rock the Southbay with karaoke this year!
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Karaoke Addicts Unite!
So, after I unleashed the karaoke beast within me, I began to look for outlets for my new passion. I joined a group in Silicon Valley of Karaoke fans on Meetup.com and am now it's organizer. Here is the link: http://karaoke.meetup.com/264/ We go karaoke once or twice a week on average. And let me tell you, karaoke is VERY POPULAR in the Southbay! There are more than 50 places that offer karaoke. You can karaoke every night of the week if your heart so desires. I know because my record is 9 consecutive nights of karaoke with no repeats. Anyway, if you are a karaoke lover in the Southbay, consider joining our group. We are a great bunch of people, very supportive and we always have fun no matter where we go.
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