Bamboo Bar & Grill; Seattle, WA – Alki Idol 4 revealed!

By Robin Dowhaniuk

In stark contrast to the dark and chilly January evening on Alki Beach, the Bamboo Bar & Grill was cheerful and refreshing as Alki Idol 4 was set to name it’s champion on that very night, January 21, 2010.

Upon entering the warm and cozy Bamboo, you could almost feel a tropical breeze in your face and taste the Caribbean flavor of the islands.

It was Thursday night, and the place was packed with an excited audience all abuzz for Johnny Mack Productions’ Fourth Alki Idol Karaoke Contest Finale. There wasn’t an empty seat in the house! Popular tunes mixed with the occasional island sounds played in the background. I found a cozy booth, ordered a glass of wine, and looked over the menu. The Bamboo’s got a great selection of Happy Hour appetizer specials for just five bucks, plus a variety of standard to exotic fare like calamari and Caribbean wings. Their entrees are just as diverse, including burgers and salads to Jamaican Jerk chicken, Salmon Citrus, and even a Crab Cake burger. Yummy! How about Mango Cheesecake for dessert?

Nearly 100 hopefuls have attempted to qualify to become the fourth Alki Idol over the past fourteen weeks. Now it’s come down to just seven talented singers hoping to win the coveted title. They were Jen, Sue, Chad, Lindsay, Anders, Ruthie and Shawn. Six judges sat front and center, prepared to do the dirty work, they were Erika, Dave, Shannon, Steve, Raven (Alki Idol winner #2) and Johnny Mack.

The show’s karaoke host was none other that Tiger B., a talented and fun-loving guy with seemingly no inhibitions. He loves to don various wigs and props and dance around the stage as acting backup singer/performer to the singers. The crowd loves it, egging him on the whole time!

Sarah, Bamboo’s owner, was excited to award a tableful of prize-packs donated by various businesses, including gift cards, a snowboard, a two-night stay at The Tree House in Fall City, wines and so much more. Each Finalist would sing three songs of their choice, ranging from old rock and roll classics to country to pop rock, including one they’d never sung before. Some of the contestants even had costume changes, adding a nice touch to the entertainment factor.

After the last song was sung, the judges huddled together to crunch their numbers. They were judged on vocal ability, stage presence, audience response, song choice, and overall entertainment value. The entire group of contestants joined in song together in a show of sportsmanship, and after a brief, nail-biting wait, the results were announced! In 1st place, taking the title of Alki Idol 4, was defending champ, Anders! In a close 2nd place, it was Ruthie, a real crowd favorite! Then in 3rd place, Lindsay; 4th place went to Jen; in 5th place it was Sue; Chad took 6th place, Chad and Shawn rounded out the competition in 7th place.

The crowd was very energetic and supportive throughout the evening, even breaking out with spontaneous dancing on the stage during some of the numbers. It was an extremely fun night out with top-notch entertainment by our local talent pool. We look forward to Alki Idol 5 next season.