Welcome to the Snoring Twenties (Practicing Safe Karaoke in a time of Covid)

REDACTED:

Since this article was never published. Here are the bars that STILL have karoake. Those that didn't make this short list are gone, sadly.

Durty Nelly's

Tupelo

Maggie McGarry's

El Rio

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NEWEST LATEST BREAKING KARAOKE NEWS

Bissap Baobab between 17th and 18th on Mission Street will be going away after the 19th DJ Purple's Birthday if we don't show out with our songs up. I haven't been to that place since it opened!

Odds & Ends: Related to Clubs en La Mission

My gosh, I heard rumor that Bruno's may be opening back up. Then, I read a recent article about new ownership and bringing it back up to code with a predictable lengthy close due to the typical City licensing delays etc. Next day, I saw construction workers outside. We shall see... Stay Tuned!

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It's been a LONG time, too long in fact. It's time to revisit my bliss and embrace it as a hobby once more. I stopped talking about it and doing about it! On March 14th, 2012, I started hosting karaoke rather than just singing and attending events. It became increasingly difficult to do both especially since my schedule disallowed me from attending other people's karaoke shows. That means in all honesty that the only show I could review would my own.

Since my birthday on December 8th, 2021, I have started attending karaoke events again. I never thought I'd ever live to see the day where we had to practice safe microphone condom handling at events. I went to Bar Fluxus for the 1st time with friends that night. I am out of practice let me tell you! I'm out of breath, and I don't have the stamina that I used to have. If I have to wear a mask and put a condom on the microphone, I can't sing.

The mask becomes a wet plastic bag with my saliva suffocating me to death with my own spit. It became increasing difficult to get a full lungful for the belters I needed to sing out, so I was very wary of going ever again. I was afraid that my days of karaoke singing were numbered until the lockdown order was lifted.

Here is a short list of all the bars that are still open for business and hosting karaoke. There are still some of us left who want to bring the olden days of yore back when this town used to be fun! 

Bar Fluxus

Reeves Bar

Durty Nellys

Tupelo

Riptide

Benders

Slate (PERMANENTLY CLOSED)

Maggie McGarry's

El Rio

Stellaaahhh @ ElTorito Singing Emile Sande's "Next To Me"

Testing Premiere Feature on YT 12/11/2024 @ 11:59pm

Former Karaoke Spot El Torito (Millbrae, CA) PERMANENTLY CLOSED

 

Does Size Really Matter?

Yes, that's what she said!  There is one bane to this industry, one weakness that always makes us falter at one time or another.  The dreaded "do you have this song in your song collection?  I didn't see it in your song book..."  The answer depends.  "Yes, I do have it I just haven't updated my books recently."  They're happy.  I'm happy.  You put up their song, and they're content.

If you answer no, usually the normally intoxicated patron will ask, "why not?"  Every KJ loathes and dreads this question.  "Were you born with that hair color?  What's wrong with your natural hair color?  Why don't you go somewhere else where they DO have the song you desire to sing; otherwise YOU can buy the song yourself on cd, and bring it next time you stop in so you CAN sing it whenever wherever you go to ensure you'll always be able to sing it?"  I can't say that, but sometimes I really wish I could when they're obviously spoilt, used to getting their way, and flaunting like they have wealth, but are NOT tipping me at all after making ridiculous demands for the past hour or so making it that hour seem more like an eternity.

Tip me the cost of the track, and I'll GLADLY download it for you.  What I WILL say to that annoying patron is, "no, I don't have it, but let me see if it's even available in karaoke format for download.  Sometimes it may take months for a top 40 hit to make it to cdg3 format if ever."  Bam!  Answers both questions before they even ask, "why?"  It's not cute when your toddler asks, and it's especially not cute when drunk people do it too.

I have talked to some guys in the industry about who is rumored to have the largest (ahem) list...  Well, I'm on a mission to set that record straight.  I've pestered everyone to submit their track count without duplicates and typos to me, so I can put up the top 5 largest songlists in the Bay Area.  It's in the forefront of my mind right now because I just recently completed cleaning up my database, and it was TEDIOUS.  Sharing stories with other fellow karaoke jockeys in the industry about cleaning up your books has made me see why it is so time consuming and tedious.  Currently I'm also asking around who has the best and most economical program out there for organizing your list for you, so you don't have to go through manually and update your list every time you add new songs.

So welcome to another year of karaoke!  In my next blog, I will address the age old question.  Does the size of your list really matter or is it the quality of the songs in your list and knowing your demographic all that counts?  I want to be the girl with the most cake!  Don't you?  How can having too many songs be a bad thing after all?  It makes sense bigger would be better, right?  We shall see.  I'm still compiling data, but coming soon, we will all know once and for all who has the largest... um... list. :D

Karaoke and Prostitution

It is not unusual for karaoke and escorts to go together in other countries.  In fact, after talking to one of the club managers I work for after this story aired on KTVU, he said it was quite customary in other Asian countries for girls to be sold for the night to a patron and much like a geisha pour his drinks, play bar games with him, and let him do pretty much whatever he wants to her all night.  It is common practice and it is CHEAP in Asia.  That is why Vandal Tran broke away and opened Pandora Karaoke Lounge HIS way and didn't want his establishment to be associated with such business practices, and more power to him.

Read on...

Posted: 10:31 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 28, 2012

OPD officers frequent karaoke bar suspected of condoning prostitution

KTVU

opd club 1029

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OAKLAND: Police make frequent stops at business suspected of connection to prostitution

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OAKLAND, Calif. — 

Some members of the Oakland Police Department have taken an unusual interest in a private room karaoke bar. A place neighbors worry could be involved in prostitution.

KTVU first investigated the business after discovering a Port of Oakland official spent public money there.

Over four nights, we watched the same scene play out at Cafe Juliet on 14th street, in Mid-Town, Oakland. Each night, our camera recorded women in skimpy clothing filing into the downstairs business that bills itself as a private room karaoke bar. A mini-van dropped off as many as seven women at a time.

"We're like, what's going on down there? is this some kind of weird prostitution thing going on?" said neighbor Anca Mosoiu.

She and others say the scene we observed has been going on for years. But she told us it's not just the women and mostly male clientele that have her concerned.

"We've seen a police officer kind of go in and out, sometimes at night. Sometimes there's a police car parked out here for a couple of hours," said Mosoiu.

On KTUV’s first night outside the bar, a marked Oakland police cruiser parked right in front of us. Moments later, we watched Sgt. Warren Young go inside. Shortly after he left, the women began arriving.

On the next night, Young's cruiser was back again but it was another uniformed officer who parked and went inside. Officer Barry Ko made two visits to Cafe Juliet that night. The second visit lasted 27 minutes. As soon as Ko left, just before midnight, Sergeant Young returned.

On his third stop of the night, Young drove though the parking lot, next to Cafe Juliet using his spotlight on the cars.

KTVU reporter Eric Rasmussen asked Sgt. Young about his stops at Cafe Juliet.

• Eric Rasmussen: "Sergeant, Eric with Channel Two. Just a quick question for you. Cafe Juliet on 14th street."
• Sgt. Young: "Yes. What about it?"
• Eric Rasmussen: "Why are you there night after night?"
• Sgt. Young: "Because my friend works there."
• Eric Rasmussen: "Are you doing this as a favor to your friend?"
• Sgt. Young: "No, no. My friend works there. Works there. Not owner, not anything else."
• Eric Rasmussen: "But is that the reason you're giving this, what seems to be, a lot of your time?"
• Sgt. Young: "No, because I only go down there when I'm off and I stay there for a length of time."
• Sgt. Young: "When I'm working. I do a security check there. Because what happens is that. Can we talk off camera for a second and I'll tell you what's going on."

Sgt. Young said he couldn't elaborate because of an investigation. But he insists there's nothing illegal happening inside Cafe Juliet.

• Eric Rasmussen: "I had a regular tell me, flat out, you can get girls here. Does that concern you to hear that?"
• Sgt. Young: "No, no. That is completely untrue. Well, I can't say that for a fact because I don't follow those people home, right?"

We showed our video to former Alameda County Sheriff Charles Plummer.

"Police officer should know, as you and I should know, what's going on in there and it's not singing karaoke."

Plummer says the Oakland Poluce Department shpuld be questioning what its officers are doing here.

"I would start an immediate investigation. Absolutely, right now," said Plummer.

Plummer, with more than 50 years in law enforcement, doesn't believe we stumbled into an on-going investigation. "If they were checking on this place, it wouldn't be in uniform. If they were doing it, it would be plain clthes people," said Plummer.

Oakland Mayor Jean Quan says she expects Police Chief Howard Jordon will investigate. "If he has this information, has these tapes, he will investigate it and I have confidence that if there is any misconduct he will do the right thing," said Quan.

So far, Chief Jordan has not responded to our requests to interview him, Officer Ko, or anyone with the department's command staff.

One Week Left to Compete and Qualify for Finals next month @ Carlos Club!

May 3 at 9:00pm until June 8 at 12:00am

Come down and enter our Thursday Night Karaoke Contest!

*Five week preliminaries:
THURSDAY, MAY 3rd through MAY 31st - 9 PM.
Two contestants (per week) will advance to the finals by 'audience response'.

FINALS: THURSDAY, JUNE 7th - 9 PM.

Ten finalists will be judged by (judges to be announced):
Singing Ability = 1 - 10 points
Stage Presence (dress to impress) = 1 - 10 points
Showmanship (dance moves - "Wow the crowd") = 1 - 10 points
Audience Response = 1 - 10 points
Highest number of points = 40.

The top three winners to be awarded cash and/or prizes.
*To be determine by club management.

Bring your friends to The Carlos Club for fun and competition!

Drink Specials! Drink Specials! Drink Specials! Drink Specials!

The Carlos Club - 612 El Camino Real, San Carlos

Carlos Club in San Carlos

I haven’t been to Carlos Club in many years since I 1^st lived in Redwood City back in 2003.  It has always been reknowned as a hot spot for karaoke for as long as I can remember.  I didn’t have many good experiences here in the past because it was just too busy and full of youngsters for me to really get a song in if at all!  It was poppin’ for sure, but still I’m not here for the scene.  I’m here to sing, mama!  Now that Patti & Gus of Center Stage Live have taken over the karaoke show here, it attracts an older more mature crowd which is great because the cops don’t trawl here so much anymore on Thursday nights.  I remember when it was a hot bed of police activity here on El Camino and San Carlos Avenues.  Add alcohol and young twenty somethings, and it just gets stupid.

Now it’s not nearly as packed and feels less claustrophobic than I remember.  Also the drinks are WAY better!  1^st time I ordered a kamikaze here it took FOREVER to get to me, and it was all sour mix and ice.  BLECH!  Although I had a bad experience with my first drink ordered in nine years, I believe in giving the benefit of the doubt.  It was still a good drink because it was EXACTLY what I ordered.  It was just the price that I objected to.  I would definitely go for the drink specials if they were my type of drinks.  I’m a beer and whiskey kinda gal not a fruity drink gal.  The fruitiest drink I’ll order is a vodka cran, or screwdriver, maybe a greyhound.  I drink like an old man with a hard liver when inclined to do so, but those moments are rare and far between.  It depends on if I just broke up with someone.  Anyway, that’s why I sing karaoke for stress relief!  I digress as usual…

Patrick the singing bartender here on karaoke Thursday nights is really sweet.  He likes to sing oldies and the boy is younger than ME.  Oldies, I never tire of them, and they really never get “old.”  Everyone knows them, and every patron no matter what age can appreciate it.  That’s how I knew I was going to forgive him for the drink sitch, but honestly if someone asks you the price of a drink up front, it means they’re on a budget, and you should seriously give them a quote before pouring the drink, or I would have ordered something else cheaper.  He totally made it up to me tonight too by comping me a drink. J  I love that boy more and more.  Think I’ll sing him an oldies song tonight!

The great thing about this club is that it’s right across the street from San Carlos Caltrain station and there’s a bus stop right in front of the bar.  They also have a taxi service with Carlos Club’s name on the side and everything just like the Swinging Door which is smart because my last boyfriend got a DUI leaving here one night.  The cops in San Carlos and Belmont do NOT mess around.  If you are drunk and driving, they WILL catch you.  Samtrans doesn’t run very frequently because as far as I have been riding back and forth from here on many a night, I have yet to see a bus even pass ME on my side of the street EVER.  I’ll see a bunch people waiting for a bus, but nary a one will be in sight.  From San Bruno to San Carlos in either direction it takes an hour for me by bicycle.  It’s good exercise, and I enjoy night riding because it’s less stressful since the streets aren’t congested with crazy drivers.

You should seriously come check this venue out.  Their sound system is great.  Couches line the walls.  I dig the porthole fishbowl feeling of sitting in front of the round window facing El Camino too.  They have a nice modern vibe and décor.  It’s a lot more chill than it it used to be, and I’d like to see it back to its full glory again with people dancing and singing having a great time on the dance floor.  It’s a dance club any other night of the week if that’s your thing.  I’m a singer not a dancer, but I’ve been there for both.