DUSTY’S; PORTLAND, OR
Try Dusty’s for Karaoke

By Kurt “Swingcat” Johnson

Dusty’s is a new karaoke venue located on the corner of SE 59th and Foster Road in SE Portland, Oregon. In the midst of an ongoing urban renewal along SE Foster Road, Dusty’s is one of a number of businesses spurring the rebirth and evolution of the Foster Road strip into an entertainment and shopping attraction.

Formerly known for its rundown frontages and worn out look and feel, the Foster Road Strip now features businesses with fresh facades, clean, new paint jobs and interesting, hotspot destinations.

One of the most visible is Dusty’s. With a complete remake and remodel of a former business, the result is a very clean and attractive neighborhood sportsbar that has just recently added Saturday night karaoke to it’s lineup. Dusty’s has a separate pool room area, Oregon Lottery and video poker. The interior is ultra clean with no trace of cigarette smoke (even though Oregon is a smoking state). Service is fast and friendly and the staff goes out of their way to create a comfortable and welcoming atmosphere.

The positive results are indicative of Dusty’s popularity in its regular neighborhood crowd. Dusty Bollenbaugh, owner, has taken specific steps to enhance the menu and bring more options to their customers. Dusty explains, “I want to have a nice, clean establishment. We’re new here starting up and we give the people what they want. My goal is to be a destination point. My flow chart is on the rise. We have signature items on the menu. Our chicken wings are very popular. Our breakfast menu and chicken fried steaks are very popular. We have several items that are unique to our kitchen. We have several pasta dishes that are signature. Our spicy shrimp pasta is to die for. We just added Karaoke four weeks ago and it’s seen a solid, steady response.”

Kitchen and Assistant Bar Manager, Kim Hart, adds this about her customer service focus, “I keep a good memory of people’s names and their drinks. I’m a hell of a cook and bartender and greet everyone with a smile. I just be myself. We’ve added a lot of things to the menu and I’ve expanded breakfast to weekdays. We run lots of specials. The customers love it. They comment on how open and clean and comfortable it is here. If people think it’s happening up in Seattle, they should come see how it is in Portland at Dusty’s!”

Hosts of karaoke at Dusty’s are Wayne and Trish Weatherbee, owners of WW Karaoke Express, a long-time karaoke provider in the Portland area. Filling in at Dusty’s on this evening was Franklin, who hosts at another WWKE gig in Northeast Portland. Franklin is a long-time karaoke host in the Portland area and has also taken first place in numerous karaoke contests around the Northwest. He has one of the most gifted and smooth singing voices you’ll find in the clubs. And his KJ style is equally smooth!

Wayne and Trish have only been at Dusty’s for four weeks, yet have already made karaoke a solid success.

Wayne talks about hosting at Dusty’s and their show, “We go out of our way to be different than most KJs. For example, all the trinkets that Trish gives out. I think we’ve got one of the best shows. We update our song selections monthly. We have state of the art equipment; a customized CAVS machine. We try to cater to the customer in all ways. If we don’t have a song that they want, we go out and get it!”

Wayne’s wife, Trish, works the crowd and gets them welcomed and warmed-up while Wayne KJs. She talked about her role, “Sometimes I’m the background person doing the behind the scenes stuff with marketing. On site I’m the socializer. I seem to lately be involved in giving out party favors, light show party items like flashing sunglasses. Pretty much anything that flashes - except people who flash! I warm everyone up. I’ll sing with them. I’ll do whatever it takes to get them to have a good time!”

Trish also finds herself in a very unique personal situation. Recently she’s been diagnosed with cancer and has been undergoing chemo and radiation treatments. She talks about the balance of working the clubs and dealing with side effects of the regimen, “It’s been challenging dealing with cancer issues. I tell people about my new ‘do, that I used to have hair but I gave it up for Lent!

The humor of that helps me and it helps the people deal with me ‘cause I definitely don’t want them to feel uncomfortable.”

One of the customers that Trish has made very comfortable is newcomer Gary Schoonover and his Mom Jenette. This evening was Gary’s first ever visit and first time ever singing karaoke! He had this to say about Dusty’s, “I think the location’s good. The bar’s got a good vibe to it. It’s friendly and to me it feels like when you walk in you’re welcome. My Mom comes here and our family friend Amy comes. They fell in love with it their first night here so I had to come and check it out. I can’t stress enough it’s not like your typical bar. It’s not smoky, not filled with your typical backdoor bar associates. It’s a place I can see myself coming over and over again. The drinks are low-priced and the food is delicious. Everyone accepts you. I’m not easily convinced, but this place completely convinces me.” He had this to add for people up Puget Sound way, “If you’re passing through the Portland area, this is a must see!” Gary just about said it all. If you are passing through make it a point to drop into Dusty’s on SE Foster Road and check out this new Portland based hotspot.