Karaoke Around the USA
TEXAS STYLE!
By Suzanne Lanoue
http://suzann.com/music/karaoke.htm
suzanne@door.netDallas, Texas
Alley Kats There is a tourist area there called Dallas Alley, and they have a ton of bars/nightclubs. Alley Kats is super cool for karaoke. They have two or three hosts that dance around, do jokes, sing, etc. and really make every singer feel special. It was so much fun! Gets a little noisy, though. We've gone a few times and plan to go back. It's always a good time and I enjoy it immensely.San Antonio, Texas Starz is owned by the same group that does Alley Kats in Dallas. But it's not nearly as good. For one thing, rather than being in the big tourist area (like Riverwalk), it's a few miles away. Like Alley Kats you have to pay a cover. But when we went, anyway, it just wasn't as fun. The place is too small and they crank the music up WAY too loud. They had a good crowd but it was just too many people jammed into a tiny place and nowhere for us to sit. The bartender was very nice (although I could hardly hear him). The hosts try to have fun like the ones in Dallas, but they're just not very good at it. I just sang one song and left. It was a long way to go for one song.
Lubbock, Texas
50th Street Caboose - One of the best places I know of to do public karaoke here in Lubbock. It is a huge restaurant and bar so that if you don't want to hear karaoke, you can sit on the other side and be fine. The place has lots of games and stuff for kids so it's not much like a real bar. The karaoke area is small, so the only drawback is that it might get too crowded and the speakers are WAY too loud. But the sound system is good and the crowd is sometimes friendly. We recently went back there and had a good time, but the song selection wasn't as good. The guy who hosts it is really nice, though. I've just about given up doing karaoke in Lubbock since most of it is country music.The Bleachers has Kyle and His 88 Keys with a piano singalong every Saturday night. It's pretty fun,and recently I got to lead the singalong there! They also have karaoke on Wednesday nights.
Chelsea Street Pub & Grill in the South Plains Mall has it every night at 9 pm. Unfortunately, it's not just karaoke. They have this guy who hosts it and makes lame jokes, sings, plays games, has contests, etc. It doesn't leave much time for karaoke! We were there for a while and then left without singing.
Rosa's Cafe and Tortilla Factory There are two, but I've only been to the one at 3115 50th. (The other one is at 5103 82nd) This Mexican fast-food restaurant has an outdoor patio area where they have karaoke, happy hour, etc. A lot of the crowd is college-age and when I was there, it took a long time to get people to sing. The KJ does an excellent job and has fun contests and things to keep people interested while he tries to get people to sing. There is no stage, so you just stand in front of the crowd, very closely, which can be intimidating. Still, it's nice to sing outdoors, during the afternoon (karaoke is from 6-10).
Tell me about the karaoke places in YOUR neighborhood! Email me: suzanne@door.net