Review of Wednesday night karaoke at Terri Lynn's

Review of karaoke at Terri Lynn's, Wednesday, July 9, 2010 by John the Revelator

I had the honor of attending the first Wednesday night of karaoke at Terri Lynn's (4740 West Bradley Road, Brown Deer). I had a great time.

Slick Mick (of WKDJ) was the KJ that night. I know him well, since he is a regular at Bootleggers on Monday nights. Nick is very competent, soft spoken and good-natured. Since there weren't a lot of singers, Nick filled in with music between. His music was well chosen for the crowd, and you could see many people singing along with his fill-in music. I appreciate his skill at picking the fill-in music.

Personally, I would have set the music a little differently. I would probably have cut back just a bit on the highs, and also cut back on the backup karaoke music. Feel free to interpret this as either my own preference, or my 

The venue is a bit sparse, but well-kept. The bar itself is about twenty stools long, and there were quite a number of four person banquet tables and chairs in the room. Plenty enough for a hundred people to be comfortable. The karaoke was set up on a stage that is easily seen throughout the room. If the crowd were larger, I think a slightly higher stage might be helpful.

The crowd was unfortunately a bit small, with about a dozen people. This is not a surprise, since this was the first Wednesday night that they had karaoke. In my own selfish way, I would like to see more people show up. This place is only a few miles from where I live!

The people there were wonderfully friendly, which is one reason I had so much fun. Chuck presented us with some blues songs that I didn't know. Sid did a good job on some motown. I didn't catch the name of another fellow who sang BB King's "The Thrill is Gone".  My favorite performance was by Timone. She came out on the floor with the wireless mic and did a sultry version of Erykah Badu's "Call Up Tyrone" for Sid. The singing was good, the stage presence was priceless.

As for equipment, Nick brought along new and professional quality stuff. He was running only one main speaker that night, but there was plenty enough power for the venue.

I appreciated the fact that Nick also had a monitor speaker on the floor in front of the singer. It is so important for a singer to be able to hear his or herself. I have been to a lot of karaoke shows where there was not a monitor speaker. Sigh. This is one small thing that can have a big impact on the quality of the show.

The display of the words was somewhat less than ideal. Nick used the display from a portable DVD player to display the words. A little hard to read. He was also hooked into two of the TV screens on the walls of the bar, which is nice, but they were a bit far away to read.

Some details for the audiophile: he had a 15" powered Behringer speaker with a subwoofer -- I didn't catch the brand of the sub. The monitor speaker was a small but powerful JBL. His mixer was a 12 channel Mackie. There were two wireless mics. Note to self - ask Ran the Man what the mics were. I thought the quality was pretty good, but I am not sure they were tested on the most difficult voices.

Previous review                                                                 Next review

Review of karaoke at Final Approach

Final Approach, Milwaukee, WI
(Saturday Night)

This restaurant has a small nook just inside the entrance to the bar that houses the karaoke equipment. There is no stage, and singers are tucked away and are very difficult to see from any angle of the room. A Two-Song Set format alternates with recorded music, both of which are very loud, leaving a singer voice lost in the mix. Bar patrons sat with their backs to the show and seem uninterested in the karaoke at all. At the time of this review, smoking was permitted in this establishment. The KJs were very friendly and encouraging to newcomers. They kept the show moving along and they themselves sang a couple of songs... and they were very good, too.
This karaoke venue is more for the party crowd.

Reviewed by Hobbs (March 2010)

Previous review                                                                 Next review

Review of karaoke at Roma

Roma’s, East Troy, WI
(Saturday Night)

Roma’s quaint bar area has a central bar with seating all around. Two corner staging areas are set up, one for Friday nights, the other for Saturday nights. The stage is small and makes it easier to see the singers from across the room. Two monitors are available for the singers and patrons to follow along.

From the perspectives of both the audience and the singer, the sound system and feedback monitors are good. There is no need to bring your own cds, for this karaoke show is digital. If you don’t see a title you want to sing in the song book, don’t worry: it probably is in the extensive computer library. This program is a format for the serious karaoke patron, non-stop amateur singing with the Two-Song Set. Beverages are not allowed on stage. At the time of this review, smoking was permitted.

KJ Kalani is an interactive emcee, with a set of large hand drums and harmonica which he occasionally plays in accompaniment with some singers. If requested, he will perform The Phantom of the Opera in full cape, hat and mask. Audience response to all singers was extremely appreciative. Kalani holds singing contests throughout the year. There is plenty of talent on tap.

This karaoke venue is definitely for the serious singer and mature karaoke crowd.
Reviewed by Hobbs (June 2010)

Previous review                                                                 Next review