“Certified” Oregon karaoke at Mr. B’s in Troutdale

By Kurt “Swingcat” Johnson

This is the first in an ongoing series of articles featuring fully-certified, legal, non-pirating karaoke venues, and the KJs who have passed the certification process to become legitimate karaoke providers.

With all the recent controversy surrounding the Sound Choice karaoke infringement lawsuits in Oregon, it’s difficult to find a legally compliant karaoke show these days. They are few and far between, that’s for sure.

We’ve scoured the landscape in search of just such a show. Here, we will spotlight their show, so you might be better informed and will support these particular shows over another that may be practicing illegal pirating of their music. These locations have been proactive in taking precautions to get certified, and currently enjoy a professional, guilt-free karaoke show worthy of your attendance.

In Troutdale, Oregon you will appreciate Mr. B’s Lounge at the Truckstop on I-84, a fully-compliant, and legally certified karaoke show. Just at the entrance to the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area in Troutdale, “Big Mike” Heppner is your Host, owner and operator of Big Mike Entertainment. Working closely alongside Big Mike is his co-KJ, Rocky Hettrick. They share the KJ duties at Mr. B’s to the tune of seven nights a week!

Big Mike has been a KJ for nearly seven years, six of which have been at Mr. B’s. He also hosts a show at the Mountain View Sports Bar at Spirit Mountain Casino in Grande Ronde, Oregon’s largest gambling and casino operation, about an hour west of Portland, toward the coast.

Karaoke seven nights a week at Mr. B’s, plus Wednesday and Sunday nights at Spirit Mountain keeps Big Mike busy. He’s been at Spirit Mountain for about two years now.

Big Mike was one of Oregon’s earliest adopters of the Sound Choice and Chartbuster Certification programs.

He was proactive in contacting Sound Choice and Chartbuster, with a creative suggestion for doing the audit via video teleconferencing over Skype, well before they targeted any Oregon-based businesses. They agreed, and through live video, he presented his large Sound Choice collection (including the mother of all CDGs; #8125). Kurt Slep, Sound Choice CEO, later remarked that Big Mike has one of the largest Sound Choice assortments he’s ever seen.

Big Mike talked about the customer reactions to his certifications. “Basically they come in asking about the other bars they go to. They want to know about what’s going on. So, I’m educating them. They can visit my Web site at www.bigmikesentertainment.com and see videos of newsclips, my certifications, and find out who’s legal in their area. It’s not only customers, but other KJs that have come in and asked to go through the process. Plus, a lot of disc-based hosts asking about how to get certified. Even a couple other bar owners. My goal is to educate. There’s going to be enough market for everyone to get along. Unlike before, when everyone was backstabbing each other.”

He continues, “ORKA is the Oregon Karaoke Association. They provide a forum for legal Karoake Hosts to discuss the future in the business.”

Mr. B’s Asst. Bar Manager, Samantha Bruck, provides a management perspective on Big Mike’s certification efforts, “We feel great knowing that we don’t have to worry about any of the infringement issues. From a business perspective, we respect that Sound Choice is trying to protect their interests. We’re just really happy that Mike had the foresight to prevent any possible damage. The customers think he’s great, especially since we still have our entire library!”

Big Mike’s system is computerized. He uses a laptop with Compuhost software. His sound system uses professional gear that includes Crown amps, a Mackie mixer, and 18” Subzero main speakers. The bar has a big roomy stage and a huge flatscreen TV at the back of the stage. And now they’ve got a brand new, roomy dance floor. The rotation order scrolls across the bottom of the screen, reminding the audience of their turn on the microphone.

He talks about what visitors think of his system, “I’ve had alot of visiting truckers that say it’s one of the best sound systems around the entire country, and they know, because they travel nationwide. That’s a huge compliment!”

First time visitor, Chris Avis is from Redmond, Washington, and hosts his own show at a bar in Issaquah, had this to say about Big Mike’s show at Mr. B’s, “It’s a great venue set-up. Everybody is looking at the stage. There are no distractions when viewing the singers on stage. They do have dartboards and pool tables in a separate section of the bar, but the people that come here, come to sing and enjoy the music. Unlike others where the karaoke is secondary, here it is the primary focus.”

Big Mike is a singers’ KJ. One after the other, he runs a quick rotation. His books proudly display his certificate of compliance right on the inside cover. Find more on Mr. B’s Lounge at their Website, www.mrbslonge.com and more photos on our Web site, www.nwkaraokeguide.net.