With an amazing 25-years of experience in the industry, the most-awesome Dena Nichols, long-since synonymous with O’Houlie’s Pub, recently made the transition up the street to the Getaway.

Dena now puts her hosting skills on display at the Getaway Spirits on 24309 56th Ave. W in Mountlake Terrace every Thursday through Sunday night starting around 9pm. Hail to those diehard Dena fans out there (you know who you are)! Bring your rear-end and a friend’s rear-end on over to the greatest show on earth! Okay well, at least Mountlake Terrace anyway. Those of you who have experienced Dena’s show are surely fans, and are well aware of her charming ways. However, besides all that, her expertise on that there karaoke system, not to mention her unflappable and much-talked-about fairness of rotation, has her new home filling up quickly with new and veteran singers.

Week by week, unsuspecting patrons of the Getaway are falling deeper into Dena’s master plan. But it’s okay, it’s a good thing, this one. Dena merely wants to offer regular people a chance to experience something that has been described as addictive; that’s right, karaoke baby! Jump into the rotation with Dena and you’ll notice the bathing of colorful, swirling lights washing over your body. Maybe your song will resonate with the interested and growing audience enough to mobilize them onto the Getaway’s huge, brand new dance floor. From Dena’s new stage, she and the spotlighted singer can take a stool or stand, overlooking a busy bevy of dancers.

WARNING: The energy that Dena brings to her show is highly contagious! Dena really gets the bar involved and excited about karaoke. Even the staff is completely enthralled in the show while they work, sometimes even taking time out for a song of their own. Jessica, Nate and Krista manage the bar and nobody wants for a thing here, they’re all smiling and upbeat, friendly. The Getaway is a blast for karaoke, and you’ll probably run into some of your karaoke-crazy friends too!

Talk about crazy, have you met Leah, Dena’s daughter and her friends? So much fun! This whole gaggle of girls seriously git jiggy on the dance floor and really help to pump up the crowd. They can sing too, man! Leah does a Cranberries song that will floor you, no kidding. Amazing!

Chris sings Wicked Game, Danielle sings Jeremy, Jess gets all over I Will Be There, Krista sang Area Codes and ignited the crowd.

Tom came out with a sheath of karaoke discs of his own, performing Send Her My Love. Tom will travel for good karaoke if that says anything.

Randy, aka; “Relvis” got up for It’s Only Make Believe before Jamie takes on I Want Candy and had everyone singing along.

Dena’s new karaoke home has definitely kicked off with a bang. She’s got some excellent singers, plus a bunch of newbies to karaoke, saying they “just feel comfortable here”. Her show has turned the Getaway, which has never had any acts before, into a bustling entertainment mecca for all to enjoy, and they do!

Come on out every Thursday-Sunday night and check out her new digs at the Getaway! Enjoy some dinner and cocktails with friends or family (21+), or bring the entire team after the game! Everybody partakes of the 2-for-$1 tacos every Thursday night until 10pm. You can too!

It was Saturday, August 8 when I walked into the Lakewood Pub & Grill for karaoke with Rose, and it just so happened that she was running her finale for the Evergreen Idol contest qualifier that very night!

Fifteen finalists were laying it all on the line in front of a few carefully chosen judges, hoping to be selected in the top two. The winners from here would go on to compete at the fair in September for the semi-finals.

Every one of the contestants were excited and raring to go. Keri did her best Led Zeppelin, Elisa sang Don’t Stop Believin’, Dodie followed up with a beautiful hit from Evanescence. Casey sang one of everyone’s faves, The Auctioneer, from underneath his big black cowboy hat. But when Galen got up and performed Prince’s Call My Name, the crowd and the contestants knew the bar had just been raised. Galen, along with Sunny were both chosen in the end to represent the Lakewood Pub in Monroe. Best of luck to each of them!

Now a brunette, Rose is over there looking sexier than ever in her dress and stilettos, running the sound system. She’s extra excited these days, since the ownership gave her a brand new dance floor, stage lighting and even wireless mics for her singers to enjoy. Rose is single-handedly turning the Lakewood Bar & Grill into quite the club-like atmosphere. Folks love to karaoke with Rose every Wednesday through Saturday 9pm-1am, and they just keep coming back for more! With a well-lit, super-friendly atmosphere filled with happy people, a very cute waitstaff and excellent service, why wouldn’t they? Plus, the kitchen is wide open and ready to serve you until closing time!

Singers will find just a couple of the many TV monitors will display their song lyrics, in addition to the floor-standing monitor in front of them. Most of the TVs are set to sports and entertainment, which everybody enjoys.

Met up with Eugene, Oaktree Lakewood’s recent contest winner. Nice guy and fabulous singer. Prefers Otis Redding over the rest. Also ran into Dan and Dodie of D&D Productions, a karaoke hosting duo with a few open spots in their schedule. See their ad in the Host Seeking Locations on page 14.

We wish the best for Galen and Sunny at the fair finals. Hopefully one of these two will win the big thousand-dollar prize.

Come on out to the Lakewood Pub & Grill at 7505 Steilacoom Blvd SW, Lakewood; (253) 582-9195, and spend some time getting to know Rose and the gang. She manages to maintain a positive and cheerful disposition even after a long day behind the bar, and she ain’t too hard on the eyes either! It’s always a good time at the Lakewood for karaoke Wednesday-Saturday night.

Talarico’s Pizzeria in the West Seattle Junction is very “junction-esque”. A real touch of class indeed. The dark wood interior is rich. Exposed vaulted ceilings and giant chandeliers cast a soft light over your private booth. One minute you’re just sitting there in your booth, candlelight flickering, enjoying the music and conversation, when POW! The server drops off a 28” wagon-wheel sized pizza delivered fresh to your table. You peer over the steaming vastness at your date, wide-eyed, suddenly wishing you had brought a few more friends along. No kidding, this pizza is handmade and absolutely ginormous! Talarico’s is famous for their pizza, and they sell it by the slice too! The Oglio D’Avio goat cheese pizza is my favorite! 

Talarico-style karaoke dominates four nights weekly, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Smokey’s Karaoke is going on right now, every Thursday night at Talarico’s, and KJ Aaron, aka “Smokey” is the man in charge when it comes to the Thursday night entertainment. Trained under PJ the DJ and Tiger B., both legends in the biz and still working, Aaron is adept at running a quality show, referring to PJ as “Yoda”. He wears a lot of hats at Talarico’s. Not only does he run the karaoke show on Thursdays, but also waits tables, and helps out wherever he can. He’s got a good attitude and a lot of friends who like to karaoke, so it’s party-on!

We saw Nitro take the stage and light it up with In The White Room. The wireless mics are a huge hit here. Often times you can’t figure out who’s singing in the room, because they’re sitting at their table with friends, behind a mammoth pizza, or up at the bar, eyes turned toward the huge flatscreen above the bar with scrawling lyrics.

D. Rich busts out the harmonica and jams behind Smokey’s vocals, a great performance. Even better was when Smokey backed up D. Rock (a different guy altogether) for a Tricky rap song. The crowd was pumped up!

Katie, D. Rich’s fiancée, did Crazy while serenading him, and Eric ignited the audience again with his custom version of Simple Man.

Jacob sang Cracklin’ Rosie, Sylvia and Megan sang The Joker, and Talarico’s signature singer, Big Al, warbled his way into everyone’s heart with songs from another era.

The bar is in-the-round at Talarico’s allowing for optimum flow. Folks will sidle up to the bar on a stool, enjoy a slice and cool one, and watch the game above the bar. In the back, next to their big stage and dance floor, is a humongous wooden gazebo reportedly the original from Stephen King’s Red Rose blockbuster movie. Many prefer the quiet booths under the gazebo for catching up with good friends and family.

The whole family is welcome to enjoy Talarico’s up until 9pm, so bring the kids and show ‘em what real pizza is all about.

The karaoke system is set up a bit closer to the middle of the room, next to an awesome fire pit – popular on those frigid West Seattle nights.

Maria sings Fancy, Claire works at Talarico’s and sang ABBA’s Mama Mia very well. And Carly was down for a suicide song, but was spared when Like A Prayer flashed up on the screen.

Karaoke is a special experience at Talarico’s. Come one, come all. They feature karaoke four nights per week, including Sundays and Tuesdays with Matt Darling, Mondays with Ray Ray, and of course Thursdays with Smokey. Singing starts at 9:30pm and really picks up around 11. Rotation is typically around 12-15, so still plenty of opportunity to sing your songs. And just when you think it couldn’t get any better, the bar announces it’s Late Night Happy Hour starting at 11pm until 1am!

4718 California Ave. SW, Seattle 206-937-3463 www.talaricoswest.com.

Many of you knew my husband as Papa Joe. I met him as Elvis. He had so many names, he almost forgot his real name. He always signed his name as Elvis Aaron Presley, even for autographs.

When we met, he said, “You have to come back”, and gave me his phone number. When I saw him again, he invited me to Billy McHale’s and listen to him sing. Then he invited me for coffee at his house and played the guitar for me, the song, Angel. He took his ring off his finger, got down on his knees, asked me to marry him. I said, “Yes” and he got so excited. We were together from then on. One morning he said, “We are going to get married today.” So we did. The man who married us was an old troubadour and he played the Hawaiian wedding song on a grand piano. It was beautiful. Everyone always commented about how happy we were.

I’d waited my whole life for the right person, my perfect compliment, had finally found him, and then on September 28, 2009 it all ended. On his last night alive, he sang to me all night long, telling me, “I love you baby”. I woke to find that God had carried him off to heaven.

Elvis was the most giving man I’d ever met. Many people have gifts from him. He always thought of others.

He loved to make others happy by singing a song. He would tell me, “Look at that sad lady, I am going to make her smile.” Then he would go up to her and start to sing, “Can’t Help Falling in Love” and then say, “See? She smiled.” He was the original singer of the song, “Sixteen Candles.”

Kelly, the bartender at Diamond Jim’s, was a dear friend. He told me she approved of me when I met him at Diamond Jim’s. The girls all loved him. I think everyone was surprised that we hit it off so well. He heard me sing and he told me he loved my singing. I sang “Love Can Build a Bridge”. He told me later, “If a girl could sing a song like that, it is possible she would stand by her man forever.”

Papa Joe could make you laugh. His humor was so grand. If something bothered him, he would make it humorous.

Last year, he won a trip to Las Vegas in March, and asked me to change it to May, so

we could celebrate my birthday and Mother’s Day in Vegas. We went to see an Elvis impersonator who told him that he should be signing the autographs. He had known Elvis. At least a thousand people took his picture. They would walk up to him and drop on their knees and cry, asking to take his picture. They would say to him, “I knew you weren’t dead.” He loved it. That trip was the highlight of our time together.

This was a man who knew how to love. His love for God came first in his life. I came second. He loved church and he loved to go to church.

He also loved my sons, James and Solomon, accepting them as his own. Solomon’s friend also loved him and called him Elvis. He set up a studio, played the guitar and sang for them.

The world lost a great musician, friend, husband. There will never be another Elvis Aaron Presley, Papa Joe, Country Joe, Blue Mountain Boy, etc. He will be missed by so many of those friends and fans who loved him. No more Elvis sightings. He has truly left the building. God is smiling, and Elvis, I believe, is directing the choir in heaven.

 As I reflect on the karaoke industry from my desk at Sound Choice, I am dismayed at where I believe the Commercial Karaoke Industry is today, yet optimistic about where it is headed.  Sound Choice was one of the first companies in the U.S. “karaoke” market (we used to call it “sing-along” back in the late-80’s) and we have seen a number of companies and formats and mediums come and go.  In my 25 years at the helm of Sound Choice we have gone from earning $10 per track on cassette to making nothing while pirated hard drives containing over 100,000 songs sell for $300. 

I believe the interest in singing is even greater than when we started, but technology and an ethics shift among consumers has led to a huge decline in the music industry overall.  It’s a paradigm shift – 25 years ago, water was “free” and people paid for music.  Now people who think nothing about spending $2 for a bottle of water balk at paying $.99 for a song download.  Efficient distribution technology (cheap laptops, inexpensive memory and the ease with which files can be shared over the internet) and a “because I can” mentality along with cheap, illegal hard drives loaded with tens of thousands of stolen music have led to unfair competition, a drop in the amount of revenue a host can earn and an over-saturation of karaoke venues.  

There is still interest in live performing, but the weak economy, dilution of the commercial marketplace and a myriad of home-consumer options leads to fewer singers per show.  The overall quality of karaoke shows has gone downhill because “amateurs” with a laptop, a $300 hard drive full of illegal songs and a $200 sound System are displacing hosts with many years of experience and a legal set of discs as back-up to their systems.  In a recent LA Times article, Tiffany Hsu, discusses a lot of these conflicting forces but I agree with her bottom line “Most experts blame piracy, not pop culture, for crippling traditional karaoke. “. (http://www.pressherald.com/business/karaoke-industry-gasps-for-breath_2010-04-04.html )

That’s the dismaying part of my article.  How do I find optimism looking up from the bottom of the trough?  As many KJs are aware, Sound Choice has begun to fight back with lawsuits targeting venues and hosts who are operating with stolen copies of our music.  Although we were the first karaoke producer to take action, expect to see Chartbuster and Stellar Records filing similar lawsuits. 

Sound Choice has received a great deal of support from KJs who have fallen victim to pirates undercutting their business because of unfair competition.  Even among the defendants in our suits, many have said that they realize that our suits are necessary to stop the downward spiral in pricing and professionalism and the oversaturation in venues offering karaoke.  We are now giving a legal host tools to help combat both the pirates and the venues which are willing to turn a blind eye to them.  Yes, it’s “tough medicine”, but often the medicine that tastes the worst is the most effective. Feedback from the field is that legal hosts are beginning to command more for their shows again, venues are checking “credentials” before hiring someone and we are seeing our own sales rise again, so we will soon be releasing new music.  Those are reasons to be optimistic!

We also recognize that MP3G is the format of choice and a hard drive based system the medium of choice. That’s why we are introducing the GEM Series by Sound Choice.  These are 320kbps high quality files created from the original masters, so there should be almost no glitches as are often encountered with the illegal tracks floating around.  However, one of the best reasons to purchase GEM series discs from Sound Choice is that you will be able to participate in promotions and contests that will be planned with various organizations that we sponsor, which will hopefully make your shows more popular.  And, if your own shows and venues are challenged by pirates trying to undersell you, you will have our support in educating/warning the venue of the legal and financial consequences of hiring pirates. 

So, besides the convenience and quality difference of buying MP3+G tracks direct from Sound Choice, why should you buy now?  Well, aside from the fact that it’s the right legal and moral thing to do if you have been operating karaoke with stolen music, there is also the financial incentive.  If you purchase a library BEFORE you are named in a lawsuit, you will save about 50% over the minimum settlement cost.  Further, based on demand, there will be a limited quantity in the first release and those with legal discs are going to be able to take shows away from the pirates.  So, you might end up in a lawsuit with no gig to support your payments.

Sound Choice has chosen to partner with ADJA, the worlds leading association for Mobile DJs and Karaoke Hosts, because we believe in their Code of Professional Conduct.  Further, once the majority of hosts are legal again, you will have to differentiate yourself in a new way.  And joining a professional organization like ADJA is a cost-effective way to continue your education, learn from fellow professionals and even save money!  Buy the Diamond Set from Sound Choice and we will even pay your ADJA dues.  Now that’s something for KJs and DJs to be optimistic about!

Kurt Slep is CEO and owner of Sound Choice, one of the world’s leading and most recognized brands of Karaoke music due to its quality and size of its catalog.  Although he is professionally trained as a Chemical Engineer (Master of Science, 1979, Washington University, St. Louis, MO) Kurt has spent most of his career at the helm of Sound Choice, which celebrated 25 years in business in March 2010.  Kurt’s personal responsibilities have included overall corporate business management, music and hardware product development, marketing and technology R&D and music licensing development in Mobile, Television and Internet Industries.  Before the collapse of the World’s economies and the rise of digital piracy, Kurt spent 4 years developing overseas karaoke music licensing and business development in countries such as Russia, Ukraine, all of Scandinavia and Western Europe, China and parts of Latin America.

Those that made it out to either of the two Oaktree Food & Beverage Company locations on Wednesday, July 28, witnessed some of the Tacoma area’s most incredible singing talent face off in their big Summer Karaoke Contest Finale.

Five hundred bucks were on the line at both locations simultaneously, and available to the sole performer with the hutzpah to rise above the rest and be named Champion.

Chris hosted an exciting finals event at the Lakewood bar, while Richard hosted the Spanaway location finals across town. Both enjoyed an impressive turnout of anxious onlookers to root on their favorites still in the hunt. Just a week earlier, both Oaktree’s paired down their qualifying singers in the Semi-Finals, taking twelve to just six real standouts.

Richard brought back Alina, Dan, Larry, Jessica, Heather, and Willie for the finals. Family and friends filled the room. Before giving their last performance, leaving it to the judging team to determine the long-awaited results, each was asked to sing the very song that had advanced them into the finals that night.

Jessica landed a third place finish with her song, All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You. Apparently eating spoonfuls of honey before a performance will do wonders for your chords. She sounded excellent on Richard’s system, filling the room with a great vibe.

Richard takes pride in his sound system at the Oaktree. His experience has allowed him the ability to create awesome music for everyone using YOUR voice. Thousands of CDs cover the walls around the booth and singers, even the dance floor. This surely helps to bounce every note around the room a little clearer, plus it just looks cool.

So Heather jumps up, admitting that she wanted to use the $500 grand prize to open her ice cream business. Everyone was rooting for her. She finally secured a respectable 2nd place finish and was awarded for her talent and grit throughout the contest.

But it was Dan-The-Man that would take home the big money at the Oaktree 2 in Spanaway! That’s right, Dan snags $500 bucks in cash money for his Dead Or Alive contest winner. Outstanding!

Meanwhile, over at the Oaktree in Lakewood, Tom Haley was furiously scribbling in his reporter’s tablet:

Pulling up to the Oaktree in Lakewood, It seemed the only thing tougher than winning first place tonight would be finding a parking spot anywhere near the building. Although there is ample parking, the place was packed! Their contest finals drew a really good crowd.

The Oaktree has been hosting karaoke for many years and has built up quite a following of karaoke connoisseurs. You know who you are.

Perched against the wall near the stage, I wondered how they would ever choose a winner. Each of the contestants were incredible!

Alabama was nearby, preparing to take the stage. He is such a seasoned professional, even taking time to smile for a photo before blowing the place away with his powerful voice. 

Eugene is a great performer and so much fun to watch. He literally danced his way across the floor and right into first place! Alabama took second, and Johnny took third.

Johnny loves to sing Country. He has a sound reminiscent of Brian McKnight, literally stopping you in your tracks to hear every perfectly phrased verse. Such a pure voice, I haven’t heard in a long time and easily would have voted him the winner. He could sing the phonebook and it would sound just as fantastic.

Although the talent was rich, it is never a coincidence when the finalists sound like pros. No matter how good a vocalist might be, they are nothing without a great KJ host who knows how to work the system. I was pleased to see that Chris diligently gave every person the same attention to detail as the one before. Too many times have I seen a great singer lose his audience due to a lazy host.

Chris’ down-to-earth demeanor and drive for perfection caused me to realize that after all these years, the Oaktree remains a perfect example of excellence and consistency. Way to go guys!

Congratulations to not only each individual singer that participated, but also to the hosts, the audience members, judges, waitstaff, and management for an iconic event to make history and hopefully the future as well. Way to go everybody!

Come out and spend an evening of karaoke with Chris at the Oaktree Lakewood any night of the week (8011 Steilacoom Blvd, Lakewood (253) 582-2220).

Richard holds court at the Oaktree 2, where they also feature karaoke 7 nights a week, (18299 Pacific Ave, Spanaway (253) 847-3818). Check out their Web page at www.theoaktrees.com for more information.

 Every Thursday up to and including September 2, you can still sing to qualify to win a cruise package for two to Cozumel, Mexico at The Skagit Valley Casino Resort in Bow, WA.

One male and one female will qualify each week for the finals, to be held September 9, in the beautiful Pacific Showroom. The evening will be filled with great music, awesome people, and fantastic prizes!

The top four male and top four female singers at the finals will win cruise packages provided by The Skagit, to Cozumel, Mexico, including airfair, hotel accommodations and cruise, plus $500 cash! 

As a bonus, you can earn entries just by singing during our regular rotation on Thursday evenings (before or after the contest) and have the chance to win one of two more cruise packages for two, including the $500, airfare, etc.

That’s TEN cruise packages in all the Skagit will be giving away!

Show starts at 8pm, and runs until Midnight. Earn extra prize drawing entries by being one of the first five to turn in a song slip, and by having your name drawn at the end of the evening (must be present to accept additional prize entries).

For more information, see us!

Also, every Wednesday you can find us at 13th Ave Pub in Lynnwood, where we party all night long beginning at 9:30pm!

Billy McHale’s in Federal Way wants to give you two-hundred smackaroos, and all you’ve got to do to earn it is sing a little tune! What a country!

Come in on any Wednesday night in September, tell Jodi you heard about it in the Karaoke Guide! Sign up and sing your heart out in the name of friendly competition. Billy McHale’s may just reward you with a cool couple hundred just for singing and having a blast with your friends – how cool is that?!

The food, as you well know, is outstanding at Billy McHale’s, so you might as well bring a date or the entire ball team for some tasty grub and a fruity cocktail. Plan on sticking around for the karaoke contest, led by the most awesome of karaoke hosts, Jodi, formerly of Gloria’s in Tacoma.

Jodi flat knows how to work the karaoke system. She’s used to managing large shows with some of the area’s best singers and you’ll find that Billy’s is no different. So beware, if you choose to enter Billy’s big Summer Karaoke Contest, better bring a good attitude and your best vocals, not to mention a healthy appetite.

Sign-ups and warm-ups start at 9pm every Wednesday, and the competition starts around 10pm. Those singers that qualify for the finals event will be asked to come back on October 6th for the sing-off.

Those competing on the night we stopped by included, David, who sang In The End, after stirring the crowd with an animated warm-up performance to I’m Too Sexy. Tammy, an aspiring chef-to-be was all kinds of excited to be singing karaoke that night. For the contest, she sang All I Wanna Do and performed quite well. Erin followed her up with Something To Talk About, before Matty and Marie actually did a duet to God Bless The Broken Road for their contest entry. Jack wrapped things up with a moving Let Her Cry, earning him a first place finish for the night. Tammy snagged a close second, and they were both asked to return on October 6th for the finale.

Just a week earlier, Jodi signed up eleven singers to compete, so you just never know how many you’ll be stacked against. The good news is that you can continue to try to qualify every Wednesday until the end of September. Billy McHale’s will also award gift certificates to 2nd and 3rd place as well, so get in here and give it your all!

Jodi is fairly new to Billy’s in Federal Way as their karaoke host, and they offer karaoke three nights per week; Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. If you’re very lucky, you’ll get a chance to hear Jodi sing her own song… awesome, no kidding! This girl can sing. She did Rain On Me and floored the entire bar with her emotional piece. Jodi runs a fair rotation, and keeps the tempo moving right along. Every half hour, she’ll spin the Drink Wheel for a variety of incredible money-saving drink specials at the bar, where Pete will gladly make your wishes come true. How do these deals sound; $2.95 Margaritas, or $2.25 well drinks, $2.75 beers, $4.25 Kamikazis, or Lemon Drops for just $4.50?

Billy McHale’s runs a double Happy Hour Monday-Saturday, 3-6pm, and 9pm-closing, plus all day Sunday, where you’ll enjoy a specially priced menu too.

Come out and compete for cash at Billy McHale’s; 1800 South 320th in Federal Way, (253) 927-4450.

What is it with the Rickshaw anyway? Seems like everybody who works there has been forever! Must be that amazing food and cocktails they serve.

Patti has logged in for the better part of two decades as Rickshaw’s karaoke host. Her influence on the Seattle karaoke scene is undeniable.

But, we wanted to stop in on a Sunday night to meet the man behind the karaoke controls every Sunday and Monday night. That would be Joel, of course, who has been working his post at the Rickshaw for nine years! Now that’s a long time, I don’t care who ya are.

Joel’s got a bunch of experience outside of the Rickshaw too, still hosting at Marco’s, Thrasher’s Corner, and None Of Your Business as well.

The Rickshaw on 105th and Greenwood Avenue in Seattle is one of the most popular and storied karaoke bars in existence today. Many of you have spent an evening at the Rickshaw somewhere along the way. The place is always busy, and most of the patrons here will get up to sing at one point or another. And Sundays are no different. Joel hosts to a fantastic group of karaoke diehards, including Brady, who sings All My Ex’s, or Mel who sings Girlfriends, and Courtney with Watch Me.

Rich likes the old Neil Simon classics, Jen and Steve teamed up for the other Neil’s Carolina, and Eric and Megan got into I Got You Babe. They were out with the whole baseball team after a big win that day earning the title of league Champs! Way to go team Kinetix!

Johnny gets up to the microphone wearing his O’Boy Oberto shirt, on the very same day the hydro boat with the same name had just taken top honors in the Albert Lee Cup for Seafair.

The Rickshaw staff is very friendly and helpful. The bartenders always have a great attitude and a smile for ya. The food, as stated earlier, is nothing short of incredible.

“Pot stickers are the absolute best here”, said one faithful diner. Not only do they feature all the Chinese favorites, but also an American menu and even some Thai food specialties.

Drinks are tasty and stout in keeping with the old reputation of your neighborhood Chinese bar, and the people you’ll meet will definitely hold your interest.

The bar is small and packed with party people, but the karaoke is off the hook and well-known. However, the best way to understand the Rickshaw phenomenon is to experience it for yourself. Just pick a night – they do it seven nights a week here!

And while you will enjoy karaoke and specials every single night of the week at the Rickshaw, Sundays with Joel is Industry Night with half-off appetizers, $4 U-Call-It’s and a rip-roaring night out with friends, singing to your heart’s content! Join them at the Rickshaw tonight!

322 North 105th Street, Seattle, WA (206) 789-0120.

It was an overflow crowd keeping the bar staff hopping while management was adding extra tables and chairs around the stage for The Golden Steer’s finals to send their two representatives to the Evergreen Fair.  Sixteen brave souls competed and sang their hearts out for Candy and the audience.  When it was all over, Kristie took the prize with her super rendition of “I Hope You Dance.”  And, James’ “Can’t Get Enough Of Your Love”

gave him entry as well.  In case either Kristie or James can’t make it to vie for the sing-off grand prize, Tom’s runner up song “Somebody Like You” will take him to the Fair.

On a happy note:  Bobby Dean, a regular singing favorite from Bellingham to Kent announced to all that he had just signed a Nashville entertainment (performance) contract so he had to drop out of Steer’s finals competition.  He was leaving for Tennessee before The Evergreen Fair dates. (See what happens when you love what you do and do what you love with passion.)  Keep on singing folks!

Cedarwood Dome; Milton, WA ~

It was an exciting night at Cedarwood Dome Tavern August 5th which presented the Evergreen State Fair Idols sing-off sending two folks to represent the bar at the Fair in September.  One was Edward Brazier, the last contestant of the night took a big chance with two “Crazy’s.” The first, Gnarls Barkley’s version and the second, Patsy Cline— one after another. He pulled it off as a champ would.  “Elli” (Dawn) Joyner charged the crowd with “Independence Day” and then changed the tempo with the sappy “Like We Never Loved Before,”  “one of her favorites” she exclaimed.  Those two songs earned her a trip to the big stage as well.

Some of the other 15 contestants, Blake’s “Bodies” was masterful and the mic/sound system  handled his hard rock without challenging the audience’s hearing.  However he was not on top of “Friends In Low Places” which cost him points and out of the top spot. Karen’s Lighthouse version of “You and Me” was well crafted and got the judges’ attention.  Nancy’s “Candle In The Wind” was beautiful and Jay’s “Rebel Yell” worked for him.

Tim’s “Sold” got the audience clapping and McKenzie’s “Santaria” (also spelled SanteRia) incorporated her special style.  Both Brit’s “Lips Of An Angel” stood out along with “Don’t Speak.”