HOT SHOTZ MARTINI BAR; BELLINGHAM, WA
Hot Shotz Hotties bring back “Karaoke Sexy”

By Kasey Erickson

Recently, I was driving along downtown Bellingham’s North State Street when blinking LEDs chasing around a technicolor minivan caught my eye, drawing to me to the karaoke goodness within Hot Shotz Martini Bar.

The impossible-to-miss Stallion Entertainment Karaoke Kruiser was parked alongside, beckoning, almost taunting, and I couldn’t help smirking at the gaudiness of this glow-in-the-dark Scooby Doo Mystery Machine. Okay, you’ve got my attention, I chuckled as I pulled in. But honestly, at 9pm on a Tuesday, I wasn’t expecting much.



Upon entering, the first thing I noticed was the building acoustics were full and robust, polar opposite of the “tinny” garage sound some other karaoke venues can have. The TV screens had tips for a more enjoyable karaoke experience along with a countdown to showtime. As I take in the scene, the place is fast becoming very easy on the eyes as I was instantly greeted by one of the incredibly hot bartenders seemingly indigenous to Hot Shotz. Bonus points.

Quickly becoming aware of my surroundings, I realized this crushed velvet karaoke palace was brimming with equally attractive singles of both sexes. Some sort of magnet in the basement specifically designed to attract hotties, perhaps? A table of friendly strangers immediately make me feel welcome and ask me to sit with them, quashing any sort of preconceived notion that this was some sort of snooty members-only club.

I order myself a martini, and not only do I get what I expected quickly, perfectly mixed and garnished, I’m handed a little plastic shaker with about another two martinis in it. Bonus points for bonus booze, so I tip well and grab a songbook.

The sheer weight of the song selection here was even heavier than my tip. Over 75,000 titles, covering so many genres it made my martini spin. Soul, funk, R&B, metal, rock, jazz, blues, country, alternative, standards, TV themes, oldies, and more. If you’ve been looking all over for a specific song no one seems to carry, if it was released as a single on the music market over the last 60 years, you’ll likely spot it in this collection. Digitized, high quality tracks. Bonus points galore! After catching my breath and finally choosing, I write down my selection and wander up to the host, Stallion Entertainment founder E.J. “Rocky” Balboa. I fluster a bit, because drool worthy is a gross understatement of Mr. Stallion himself. He looks like he lives on a Bowflex machine, but more importantly he’s very friendly, and his disarming demeanor made me feel special as he ran his fair rotation.



The sound was beefy and well rounded, and each singer sounded as great as they looked. The levels were consistent, processed perfectly and expertly adjusted, and the banter between singers was as smooth as Rocky’s sexy shaved head - even when the music had to load, there was no dead air.

As the night cruised by, this human embodiment of Red Bull stays 50 different kinds of energetic. It didn’t take Rocky and Hot Shotz’s bouncy barstaff any time at all to get the house hootin’ and hollerin’ for the supermodel singers, and the constant drink specials were keeping the well-endowed audience well lubricated. During a game of “You Call The Shots”, the capacity crowd calls out what we’re all drinking and Rocky orders the house shots over the mike for a paltry three bucks each. I tip my shot back, tip heavy again, and tiptoe seamlessly from singing to dancing to mingling to toasting fun new friends that kept coming out of the Hot Shotz custom woodwork.

Last call comes far too soon, and after a collective “awww” from the karaoke faithful, Balboa repeats his website, SingWithRocky.com, that showed me dates and locations of the 13 shows a week Stallion Entertainment manages in Whatcom and Skagit Counties. This guy is everywhere, and judging by my experience at this karaoke hotspot, I know the reasons why.

And after all the fun I had Tuesday night with these talented Hot Shotz Hotties, it doubt I’ll be the only one going on a little tour de Rocky.