Toronto Karaoke Info

The Gladstone Hotel Renovations: What new changes mean for Gladstone Karaoke

2011-09-20T09:06:00.003-05:00

Folks, I’ve gotten to see the renovations at the Gladstone Hotel and learn about the changes going on there. The renovations themselves actually give the Melody Bar a nice face lift. Like many restaurants today they are going for the night lounge motif. This makes party events easier to host and facilitates more mingling. The booths on the east side are gone in favor of a longer bench with separation tables making it easier to seat more people. The couch in the back is replaced with a small lounge seat and longer tables. The front has low table made of 3 large stumps slices giving a more formal look. The center now has a stand up table to expand the bar and some fashionable muffling material has been mounted on the ceiling to improve sound/noise levels.

The Melody Bar alterations I found positive but what will be disturbing for karaoke fans are the karaoke schedule changes:

Old Schedule: 10 AM to 2 AM
New Schedule: 12 AM to 2:30 AM

This cuts the karaoke show in half! Live Acts are being moved from 8 PM to 10 PM. This is a grievous turn for karaoke loves. Almost feels like they intend to eventually cut the karaoke all together. And with it could happen. This is the second change to the karaoke schedule in as many years. Earlier they cut the Thursday night karaoke although Thursdays don't draw really a large crowds on average. I spoke to one of the Gladstone managers about the changes and what motivated them. The response was the Gladstone is looking to generate more revenue from the dining crowd and requests had been made for more dining. The schedule change were the response.

We karaoke fans know most shows start at between 10 to 11 PM for the reason that they draw better crowds. Midnight shows tend to get people drifting in from nightclubs and few of those dine and often had had plenty to drink elsewhere. In my experience late start times like this draw a lessor crowd. A lower attendance may give the Gladstone a reason to cut the karaoke completely and thus reduce thus budget. Many places are under pressure to cut costs due to people dining out less on average owing to concerns about the economy. My fear is this could backfire on the Gladstone in terms of attendance and revenue. It will certainly hurt karaoke lovers. The best case scenario is the same audience attendence, inability to sing due to reduced show times and same long queue. The most likely case is karaoke lovers are turned off because of the later start time and reduced duration and go elsewhere. (Most Karaoke Restaurants start at 10 PM and there are numerous examples on this blog)

The food is still amazing (sampled quite of bit of the new food, I especially recommend the nachos) and I’m told an expanded menu has been done to draw more diners to the Gladstone.

If, like me, you feel that this schedule shift at the Melody Bar is not ideal for karaoke lovers or their business in general, please write to the Gladstone Management and owner and let them know what you think. Best people to e-mail to are Alec Badley, the Hotel Manager at alec at gladstonehotel.com, and Christina Ziedler, Hotel President at Christina at gladstonehotel.com. Hopefully we can convince the Gladstone management to find another way to allow people to enjoy the dining without endangering one of the great karaoke traditions in Toronto.

Karaoke Review Update: Gladstone Hotel w/ Peter Styles

2011-02-03T11:45:00.003-05:00

** BEST KARAOKE BAR MC 2010 **
** BEST QUALITY FOOD AT A KARAOKE VENUE 2010 **

January 29th, 2011

The Gladstone Hotel has a Karaoke Champion in Peter Styles who is probably as much of an enthusiast as I am. Don't get the idea that this automatically makes for a good review. While it may be voted best karaoke place by Now Magazine, well as much as I like Now Magazine, I don't always agree with their reviewers, so I'm writing my own. That said, I'm updating the review as there are a number of details that have changed, some good some not so good.

The Good: The Gladstone Hotel has Peter hosting on Friday-Saturday nights. This as cut back from the original Wednesday-Saturday which pains me and many I suspect. Mr. Styles is STILL as good as rumoured: He's EXCELLENT at working the crowd, and being a professional singer himself when he does his vocal intro, people perk their ears. And the energy feels genuine. He's probably the greatest asset of this venue. Song selection is now second ONLY to Jason Rolland!! There are over 30k Songs in his collection. A few duplicates being sorted out, but make no mistake. Peter has upped the ante! Drink prices are quite reasonable and there is no cover charge. The location is fairly convenient: You can get there by Streetcar quite easily and there is street side parking available.

They've added food and the food is first rate! All produce home grown in Ontario. The selection is not as large as many other restaurants but there is enough for most people and specials that change enough keep you coming back. Food quality is second to none, save perhaps on the Sweet Potato fries which are a touch dry for me taste.

The monitors (there are now 3) are in a good a position as I could think of given the layout. The LCD monitor for the singer is mounted above your head (it had been knocked down a number of times), and the LCD Project er makes it easy to see your lyrics while appearing to look into the crowd. Which is actually quite cool.

The Bad: Service unfortunately needs a little work. Its been from fair to poor. Larger tables will get preferences and sometime smaller tables go entirely unnoticed.

The mixed: The facilities are fairly large but the configuration makes it difficult to balance sound. If you sit in the front, be prepared for LOUD volume. At times it was actually hurting my ears (the volume gets louder the later the evening goes) so I suggest the mid section. At the back its much harder to hear because speakers can't be positioned there. On the plus side, if you tell Peter its too loud he'll take the volume down a notch.

Peter has a sound engineer at the back who for some reasons isn't paying attention to balance levels much of the time. Peter has commented several times on this. Too frequently the sound engineer let balances go entirely to the point you couldn't hear the singer. Sometimes he's got the balance, but sometimes its as if he lets sounds levels go on automatic pilot.

In all fairness Peter tries his best to give everyone in a very large crowd a chance, but sometimes a new person coming at the last hour would come in front someone who waited for 1.5 hours.

While the selection is the best or 2nd best in Toronto, its not reflected in his books! The only books available have 7k songs out of the 30k and the old song codes which he doesn't really use much anymore (not he queries the songs based on author and title). I'm assured a book is being compiled with the new selections, but its a weak spot. There is a website you can view on your computer or mobile phone (done by yours truly) at http://www.evolveit.ca/gladstone_karaoke/karaoke_song_query.php, but its not well advertised. (I'm getting a new URL to make it easier).

The verdict: The Gladstone Hotel with Peter Styles is overall still a excellent venue (mostly) with significant improvements. While I'd say its in the top 3, a few things still need to be done to make the undisputed champ of the karaoke pub world.

1. A sound engineer that pays more attention to volume levels (I've had complaints about it at the Toronto Karaoke Meetup Group, that is how bad he is sometimes)

2. Printed books or at least a kiosk where people can have FULL viewing access to the songs he has instead of asking if he has a song (80% change he has it)

3. Wait staff need a bit of polishing up and not neglecting patrons at small tables.

What is good is VERY VERY good. Peter is still the only guy with an applause sign I've seen so far. (and its a powerful tool). You WILL have fun at the Gladstone in spite of a few rough edges.

Final Grade: B+
Excellent Host, fantastic song selection, amazing quality food. Sound balance between the front and back could be improved. Sound engineer that pays more attention to balance is badly needed. Wait times are tricky, popularity has its price.

Score Summary:
Facilities: 7.5 (Lots of Space, sound however is unbalanced in different sections)
Equipment: 8.0 (New speakers installed, but sound engineer needs to be more alert)
Location: 7.5 (Easy to spot, moderately easy to get to using the Queen St. Streetcar)
Song Selection: 9.0 (The spot for best selection is within the Gladstone's reach)
Wait Times: 7 (scaled:public venue,Peter will try to shuffle within reasons if asked)
Host: 9.5 (VERY entertaining, Pays attention to the crowd, you'll love this guy)
Food Prices: 7.5 (Prices are slightly higher than average but the food quality is well above)
Food Quality: 9
Food Selection: 7 (slightly limited in selection)

Venue Information:
Friday-Saturday
10 PM - 1 AM
The Gladstone Hotel
1214 Queen Street West
Toronto, ON
Phone: 416 531 4635
http://www.peterstyles.info
Info on the Host: http://www.peterstyles.info

Karaoke Review Update: Bar + Karaoke

2011-02-03T11:08:00.003-05:00

January 22nd, 2011

Seeing the need to update reviews and venues change I'll start with the one Closest to where I live (because its easy :D) When I checked Bar + Karaoke There were positives and negatives. I had chatted with the owner about them both so let's see how its come along since then.

This is the first karaoke box I'd seen with either LCD or plasma screens. I'm happy to say this so far is the cleanest Karaoke box I've seen to day as well as the most convenient for me. I had made some comments on the equipment last time I was here. There have been a few improvement in the years since I write my first review of this venue.

The Good: Well the plasma screens were all in excellent order and the computer selection by song number makes it easy to add, remove or switch order of songs. The look of the place felt like karaoke box meets night club feel to it. The looks of the interior was actually very nicely thought out. The selection was identical to XO which is to say it was decent and there have been a number of songs added. A few hundred in the English category which isn't bad. The microphones/receiver are working significantly better and more consist ant then when I first arrived so someone had been looking over the equipment.

The service level is now fairly good level. For rooms, equipment, and food a red button will bring an attendant for any help required including food service (I should perhaps say "snack")

The Mixed: While the microphone and receivers have improved significantly there are still a few things missing which the original had in its favor before it fell into disrepair (and now has a new owner). There are key changes in SOME of the rooms but not all of them. Primarily the more expensive medium room have a key changes. I actually spoke with the owner on this. He says he's working on it. Not sure what the difficulty could be but I'll just say if the owner can get key changers into the small rooms as well, this will be the best Karaoke Box in Toronto. The other mixed issue is the remotes. The remote control key functions are not always consistant. Some rooms seem to have slightly different key mappings to the remove then others which can cahas risen to use confusion for regulars.

The food quality is actually fairly good but the limited food selection means you can't actually get a meal here. This place (as most of the Toronto Karaoke Scene these days), is primarily geared for alcohol. It would be really cool if one could order a real meal. For now, I suggest either eat before you come, or bring food for a party if your group is really hungry. Outside drinks are not allowed, so bear that in mind.

One qualm I have with the computer karaoke system is if you want to use the computer catalog, the song order seems to be questionable. In fact, I'd almost suggest only use the books for song selection. It may be a glitch in the software that makes the order of songs in English rather irregular, but still, it can be confusing. Again, I suggest sticking to the song books to find your selection.

The Bad: There is nothing that stands out as bad. (Hooray!)

Summary: The owner of this place perhaps should consider a career in interior decorating (or refer the person he hired) because he seems to think “westerns” have no knowledge of what karaoke is all about or what quality equipment is. Let's start with basics: People have different song ranges, so key changers are ESSENTIAL. Yes, ESSENTIAL so that everyone can participate comfortably. Not having simple key changers that will work on any analog audio system is, frankly, very discouraging considering the great work on initially done with XO. Not only that but cheap Korean equipment and radio signal feedback on the audio (when there was no radio component on these receivers or perhaps I should say preamp) also suggests that the owner was doing everything to get this operation up on the cheap using excellent decorating to hide the fact. After six weeks of telling them they should have key changers and even telling them where to get them with no results show lack of attention the customers. Every time I went to the place (generally Fridays) I didn't see much of a crowd. Perhaps its just as well given the lack of respect for Karaoke lovers. Perhaps this is why he has let XO become so run down it is now dangerous to go to in the summer due to lack of proper ventilation and working air conditioners which had not been repaired properly for at least 2 years. I had to stop bringing the Toronto Karaoke Meetup Group as a result. There may be a general trend of business and Karaoke Box owners trying to avoid initial business costs with the invent of computer based Karaoke song changers, but just because a computer can do the rotations doesn't mean you don't provide the basics if you are going to be in the karaoke business at all. Anyone looking to start a karaoke box be aware there are those of us who have been to Asia, know what standard karaoke is supposed to provide and we will let people know who respects their customers, and just as importantly, who does not.

Summary Scores:

Facilities: 9.0 (Nice rooms, really clean, furniture in amazing shape)

Equipment: 7.5 (Improved mikes, key changes in some medium rooms). Significant improvements here but can't give full marks without key changers in the majority of the rooms. The remote control system should be uniform throughout all the rooms as well.

Location: 8.0 (Block north of Dundas Subway. Parking will cost you a pretty penny at Yonge/Dundas however)

Food Prices: NA (Prices on drinks are average, but only snack food)

Service: 8.0 (Staff improved quite a bit since the last time I review this venue)

Selection: 7.0 (~7500 English songs, lots of Korean, Chinese, some Japanese, same as XO).

Wait Times: 9.0 (Its a computer AVI/MPG server. So this is expected)

Room Prices: 7.0

1-5 people: $25/Hour

6-10 people: $40/Hour

50 Large Room: $50/Hour

Final Grade: C+/B- (Its getting better, owner seems to be making an effort)

Venue Information:
Bar + Karaoke Lounge
360 Yonge Street
Toronto, ON M5B 1S5
(416) 340-7154

Valentine's Day Karaoke Event

2011-01-29T22:39:00.006-05:00

Folks for those of you who believe karaoke can be romantic (and of your that includes yours truly), this may be the event for you:

Event Name: Heartbreak Karaoke

Date: Valentine’s Day: Monday, February 14, 2011

Where: Supermarket, 268 Augusta Avenue
Toronto

Time: 9:00 pm to 2:00 am

Charge:$5 if you wear red, $7 if you don’t

Map here: http://maps.google.ca/m?q=268+Augusta+Ave

For those of you who don't know,this is near Kensington Market.

Enjoy. I may be there to check it out. Hope to see a few of you there.

New Karaoke Act October 21st, Western Toronto

2010-10-20T18:34:00.003-05:00

Folks, there have been changes and new acts coming out to replace old, or just new acts. One Karaoke premere is happening on October 21st! I'll be there to see the kick-off. Should be good. here are the details:

Jack Astor's Bar and Grill
Sherway Gardens
1900 The Queensway
Toronto, ON
M9C 5H5
416.626.2700

Thursday, October 21st, 2010
8 PM to 1 AM (5 hour!!)

I'll let you know later about the equipment, food song selection, all the good stuff.

I do apologize. Been busy making a living. (The reviews I write need to be funded somehow :D)

Anyway, review on this new venue will be here.

Karaoke Review: Fox & Fiddle 27 Wellesley Street East W/ Peter Rockwell

2010-05-11T08:22:00.004-05:00

2010-05-01 (Note: attended twice to check for consistency)

I've kept up with Peter over the years he's been doing karaoke in his original comic radio style. Some have imitated but none have duplicated...yet. More recently the mainstay karaoke hosts have actually improved, the venue setups were lacking of late. I'm hoping the venues take a few hints.

The Good: This venue actually has a room that is dedicated to Karaoke on Friday and Saturday nights. This is a VERY good thing (especially for Fight Nights, the show can still go on unlike the Fox & Fiddle at Eglington and Laird). The song selection is still good although a few have better. The comedy, so long as you are not offended by rated "X" humor (NOT for children), is classic and to coin a phrase, "We're not just laughing at you we're laughing behind you". Sometimes Peter makes fun of the songs (and the song selection doesn't matter, its all entertainment), makes jokes about you, or your audience. That's the point. The equipment performs well and while you won't sound bad, you may not be heard at all if you cover the mike with your hand. (A number of people didn't seem to get the message no matter times Peter joked about it or the audience yelled "Don't cover the mike")

The food is fairly good and the decor is much improved over the "Fiddler's Green" that used to be at the same location. It feels like a comfortable pub, or perhaps the scene from "Cheers".

The setup is nearly perfect. You are right in front of the audience, top larger screens help the audience sing right along and you have a monitor right in front to help you out. Only improvement I can recommend is an LCD screen at eye level for the singer instead of the CRT TV Peter still uses. Peter Styles now apparently has a LCD monitor at eye level at the Gladstone Hotel and Jason Rolland has apparently done the same things at Toby's and other venue with his custom built adjustable LCD stand. It's really worth looking into.

The Mixed: Pricing of food has generally been going up, but I felt the prices on food and drink had some room for improvement. Slightly above average. The room is of good size but it could get crowded. The advantage of a dedicated karaoke pub room can be overcome by larger audiences.

The Bad: I had hoped this section would have nothing in it but on Saturdays there is a serious issue. While all marketing material and signs say karaoke starts at 10 PM, Peter will wait until as late as 11 PM. I've mentioned in previous reviews this is not cool and Peter Rockwell knows how to work an audience of any size. It was implied that one reason was gets people to drink more. I consider that to be disrespectful to the audience. This also puts the rotation in the lower category in part because the host is waiting for the queue to be longer. Karaoke hosts in general, if you post a time and start later on a regular basis because you don't feel the queue is large enough, I'll take off marks and emphasis it. It's bad business. To pub owners who may be pushing their hosts to this sort of behavior be warned, your patrons will not appreciate it. Making people who come on time wait, and my group tends to have a full dinner before karaoke begins, wastes our dollars as well as our time. You want people to drink more, keep them HAPPY. Not irritated.

Conclusion: The Fox & Fiddle at Wellsley has GREAT potential. An excellent host for the younger and open-minded crowded, fairly good food, great location, good song selection and equipment. Unfortunately the karaoke business practices in regards to starting times, whether it's because of the venue owner, the karaoke host, or both, leaves a bad taste in one's mouth. Depriving audiences of up one hour of joyful, humors singing to push people to buy more drinks is bad practice either way. There were actually open complaints by my group published on the Meetup site comments because it happened twice in 2 months. I may need to move the venue as I don't wish to lose my most dedicated members. Karaoke MC's and venue owners reading I hope understand we karaoke lovers don't appreciate inaccurate starting times or being made to wait in an effort to push more drinks. I would have loved to give this place an unreserved endorsement. But if audiences coming at the appointed time are forced to wait for longer rotations to build its time BADLY wasted. You can sing just as many songs at the Gladstone Hotel with its huge crowds. The difference its, the crowds are why you wait, not the host.

Final Grade: B-

Summary Scores:

Facilities: 9.0 (Excellent setup, very imtimate, yet exposed to your "loving" public)
Food Selection: 8.5 (Basic pub fare with a few Indian dishes, nice selection on cakes)
Food Quality: 8.2 (food was overall quite good you won't be disappointed)
Prices: 7.0 (Prices are basically average)
Location: 9.5 (Right on top of Wellsley subway station, paid parking right next door, doesn't get better than that)
Song Selection: 8.2 (Strong selection, but others like Jason Rolland and Jeremy Sikloski are pushing the envelope)
Equipment: 8.5 (Excellent equipment, would love to see an LCD monitor mounted higher though)
Host: 8.0 (I would have given a 9.0 but as I said earlier, making the audiences wait an hour because the queues aren't large enough is bad practice. Especially by an MC of this high caliber. The bad taste it leaves makes one more likely to complain rather than buy more food or drink)
Service: 7.5 (The service was actually quite good some times, but other times it felt like we were forgotten. May have to do with staff getting busy with the opposite room where the bar is)
Rotation Times: 6.0 (Making people wait past the published starting time to push alcohol is NOT cool)

Venue Information:

Peter Rockwell, Pete Rock Radio Karaoke
27 Wellsley Street East,
Toronto, ON M4Y 1G7
Phone: (416) 944-9369

Pete Rock Radio Karaoke
Site: http://www.peterockradio.com and
http://www.karaokeisstupid.com

Bar 244 with Jason Rolland

2010-03-16T02:59:00.005-05:00

Reviewed: 2010-03-10

Event Time: Wednesdays, 10 PM to 2 AM

Been a bit of a lag time for me. And while I've been getting out venues to write about them, been a dog of a time getting them written. Finally getting this one out. Jason Rolland, guy who for quite some time has maintained title for "Best Karaoke Equipment" for sometime now, has a new venue at University and Adelaide. Bar 244. Simple, name, close to Tequila Sunrise, one of Jason's oldest Toronto venues. Its actually impressive to keep 2 karaoke venues within the same block with the same MC. Identical equipment makes the scoring so much simpler, especially when its as good as Jason's.

The Good: Great to know the good things about Jason Rolland's shows haven't changed. Sound levels still dead on, wireless mikes, LCD screen, excellent balance and still the best official song selection in Toronto. (He's up to 37k+ now..). Being a Wednesday night, I found rotation times were fantastic, got in 3 songs in one hour. (I'm told the week before it was packed so I cannot guarantee the short wait times every week). Jason's actually improve as an MC: His jokes were surprisingly funny. We've been short of truly comic Karaoke hosts since Jeff Zedic left the country. One day I'll have to do a side-by-side comparison between Jason Rolland and Peter Rockwell. The stage feels like a stage, and all the people at the bar can look at you, their drinks, or each other. Nice to have a captive audience. :D Given that the prices of beers are better than average, you can be pretty sure people will cheer out of appreciation, or drunkenness. It works well either way. Location is also fairly convenient as well. Just go to Osgoode Subway Station and 5 minute walk. Drink service is excellent.

The Mixed: Nothing mixed.

The Bad: The decor reminded me of a typical American Bar: No real decor or theme. Its okay, but it LOOKS like a bar. So long as you keep the booze rolling you probably won't notice. Maybe that's the point. Another consequence of being a bar is no food. Eat before you arrive. (although I'm told alcohol goes to your head faster on an empty stomach).

Summary:

Bar 244 with Jason Roland is (and I told him as much) a quality Karaoke venue. Best for a karaoke version of the "after-dinner mint" because of lack of food. On the other hand, the price for the booze is right, the selection is the biggest in the city, the equipment still the best, and Jason Rolland actually gets plenty of laughs, no alcohol required. You may still want that liquid courage to sing songs you wouldn't dare try otherwise. Whatever those songs may be, Jason is likely to have them, this is the best you are likely to sound, and one of the better karaoke stages as well (bonus). So go for it! If you love Karaoke and drinks, you'll enjoy this Bar 244.

Final Grade: B/B+

Facilities: 7.5 (Great Stage, Good layout. A bar is a Bar I guess, but as Karaoke Bars go, this one's well above par, nothing run down looking, just no real decor)
Equipment: 9.5 (Jason Rolland's Equipment...nuff said)
Song Selection: 9.5 (Again, Jason Rolland...nuff said)
Food Selection: NA (What food?)
Food Quality: NA
Food Service: 8.0 (drinks only)
Prices: 8.4 (Quite good actually)
Location: 8.2 (Just a trip to Osgoode, walk south, then west)
Wait Times: 9.0 (Not many people in queue when I was there, be warned though some nights are busier than others)
Host: 8.2 (Jason actually seems to get better with time. He keeps the long songs shorter, and the rotation going as always AND his crowd interaction has come some ways. This may be the best I've seen him)

Venue Information:
Karaoke Wednesdays, 2 PM to 2 AM
Bar 244
244 Adelaide Street West
Toronto, ON
Phone: (416) 599-2442
www.bar244.ca

Karaoke Host Info:
Host Information:
Jason Rolland
http://www.jasonrolland.com/
jason@jasonrolland.com
(416) 809-4311

New Toronto Karaoke T-Shirt

2010-03-15T13:21:00.005-05:00

After an amazing session at my Meetup's Karaoke Box meeting, I was inspired to design a t-shirt after my self proclaimed title, "Toronto's BIGGEST Karaoke Fan" so...here it is: I'm getting a few done for some Meeutp members who I feel have shown as much passion for karaoke as I do (maybe...:-)). Then I figured, why not share with others I haven't met who may THINK they can compete for the title. :D I have a GIMP draft but this site seemed convenient. Not quite perfect but it will do until I have time to tweak my design/images. If you'd like one of these shirts e-mail me at karaokeoffer at evolveit dot ca. This is of course only in Toronto only. (Who want's to wear a shirt like this outside of Toronto anyway...?) Need a general t-shirt size of course. If I get at least 10 requests I can get them in at ~$20 each and you can pick one up at a Toronto Karaoke Meetup or I can ship it to you for ~$5. Cheers All!

Groudhog Pub Closing March 31st, 2010

2010-03-09T22:51:00.003-05:00

Folks, I've just found out the Groundhog Pub at Bloor/Sherbourne, a really nice place for karaoke, is closing is doors March 31st, 2010. So for those of you who would like to wish the venue, and its host, Jeremy Siklosi a "Bon Chance", now would be a good time. With a small whimper we say goodbye to a venue with good food (actually food was quite good), good karaoke, and awesome location (right next to Sherbourne Subway. We will miss it...

PS: If you know of any good places looking for a quality karaoke host, feel free to contact Jeremy Siklosi at the Groundhog on Friday/Saturdays until March31st. You can e-mail me the info and I'll pass it on to him. (Can't post his e-mail address here or he's likely to to come after me for painting a spam bullseye on him :-)

CAVS Optical Drive Test - Update

2010-01-09T15:41:00.006-05:00

Folks, its been awhile I know. Between surviving an depressed (yes I said the "D" word) I am not totally unaffected and its hit my time for doing karaoke related reporting. But...an old client made it easier to get on board again. So news: The drives I found from my last posting on CAVS compatible drives are of course out of date. The drive I had found is no longer being manufactured by Asus. The newer model I've successfully tested, the ASUS DVD-E818A3 as well as the Pioneer DVR-117D are also discontinued. I have 3 of the Asus drives but 2 have just been requested by this client so I have only the one which I'm keeping. I could have used this opportunity to charge as much as the used Plextor drive guys at $100/drive but that seemed wrong somehow, especially in this economy. In fact this client had already bought 2 used Plextor drives at $100/drive and one of them lasted only 3 MONTHS before it died so I felt I needed to get this out in the open. That said, if you can find Asus DVD-E818A3 its a better alternative and is likely to be new. There is another drive I'll be testing: The Sony DDU1678A. I'm hoping it does the job although the number of people using CDG disks as opposed to the newer downloadable MP3+G files is probably decreasing rapidly. It makes sense after all. If anyone wants to help out with testing drives for native CD+G compatibility here are some links to help get you started:

Karaoke Builder
Nero Tools (Note: you want to download the Nero InfoTool, direct link here: Nero Info Tool)

The Nero Info tool is a MS Windows application. For Linux users it's reported not to work, even under Wine. So Linux uses try these tools: DVD+RW Tools.

I'd love to have a central list of CURRENT drives so people know where to find info for issues like this. Its all free info after all. there is another growing problem: PATA (IDE) Drives in general are going the way of the Dodo bird. There are few PATA(ide) optical drives (or even hard drives) of any kind in Canada as SATA is now all the rage. Aside from onboard RAID issues if an optical is on the same controller I have no problem SATA; The cables are WAY smaller, and the interface is faster. So I guess it up to us karaoke lovers to update hardware and more importantly, software, to the times. Easier said then done I know. For anyone with large collections of CDG disks, get converting to MP3+G, bin or some other computer savable format while your devices are still working. They all die sooner or later and are difficult and/or expensive to repair once the motor dies (unless you are an electrical engineer). Anyway, I'll keep you informed how this Sony works and send out more inquires to the optical drive manufactures. But if you, the karaoke loving public care to download the Nero Info tool (or Linux equivalent), test your IDE drives (or even SATA) and let me know your findings, I'd love to publish them here as well as my own. Frankly I don't have the budget to buy 12-20 drives and test them all. Thanks folks.

Children's Karaoke Event (Note: see link for admission prices)

2009-11-27T02:51:00.005-05:00

Folks, there is a children's karaoke event happen November 29, 2009 from 12 PM to 3 PM. This event was is to my knowledge new to Toronto so I'm posting it here. Note there is a fee for admission.
Here is the details:

Date: Sunday, November 29th
Time: 12pm – 3pm
Location: Revival (783 College Street)
Cost: $10/Adult, $8/Child in advance. $12 at the door. Free for non-walkers.

Further details can be found here. Those of you with kids will find this a lot of fun. I may be there myself. Cheers all.

Karaoke Review: Toby's with Jason Rolland

2009-11-06T10:43:00.006-05:00

Monday October 5th 2009

Toby's Bar/Restaurant hosted by Jason Rolland

Upon receiving a Facebook notice from Jason, I thought a place on Monday's would be cool, seeing its not everyday a place is willing to host Karaoke the first working day of the week. Certainly people like me would be interested as would those going to school (in Japan University is a 4 year vacation anyway, according to the natives). Jason of course has the largest selection of any karaoke host I've seen in Toronto and at 35k+ that's hard to beat.

The Good: As I mentioned, Jason has the largest selection of any Karaoke DJ out there. Of course I wish the "banned" labels (which count for little indeed) on some of his songs would disappear but its mostly for the college crowd sense of humor. Equipment is top of the line and Jason even has an LCD screen with a custom stand now. A HUGE plus: I wish more people would pay attention to recommendations I've been giving on this subject. LCD Panels are WAY safer and easier to read. Well worth the investment. (They are pretty cheap as well if you know where to look). The location is quite easy to get to on College street. Parking is around if you look to the side streets (free) or College parking meters. Jason maintains his usual good college student tuned humor although I have always felt Jason could have more of it. There are intervals when he does little but announce the next singer. The food prices are quite reasonable. You can dine for between $8-$20 and not go hungry which given the recent rise of restaurant prices this year (15%-20% on average) that is saying something. There is a fair amount of space, I'd esimate 200-250 person capacity.

The Mixed: The food quality was okay but not the best I've had. Food Selection is fair: Indian, Pub food along with steak dinners. Rotation time is around 1 hour but Jason is a fair as anyone can get: following the tried/tested rule of rotating newcomers with repeat people in the rotation.

The Bad: Service here was for me the low point of Toby's: After sitting at the bar for over 15 minutes just get a menu while the bartender is having a conversation with her friend almost right next to you is a bit of a turnoff. I suggest the manager of this restaurant tell his staff that they are there to look after customers, not have long conversations with friends while a customer sitting at the bar waiting for service. Even after I got the menu (finally), taking my order took some time as well. Had the feeling the staff were university students who don't take service duties seriously. The Stage setup was not good at all but in fairness, I spoke to Jason who indicated that the owner had his hands tied: Didn't want to use the front section (which would have been the ideal location for a stage) and the back section would make the karaoke invisible to people passing by. So he's literally in the middle, in direct line with the path the wait staff have to take to carry food back and forth. Not only is this distracting, but the monitor is on one side of the lane, and you are on the other, so that when staff pass by you need to memorize your lyrics for 2-3 seconds as the wait staff have to walk between you and the monitor. A newcomer to Karaoke would be quickly put off by this.

Final Grade: C+
With Jason in the house you won't get a better selection and his equipment actually got better with his LCD panel display at the perfect height. I didn't think he could improve his equipment by much. Unfortunately the venue was not nearly as pleasing: Poor service, a stage right in the middle of wait staff traffic, and the monitor that is blocked as people walk between the front and the kitchen. Restaurant owners: If you want to make a good impression you have to choose your battles. In trying to please people who want to sit near the outside and attract karaoke lovers at the same time, the owners created one of the work karaoke stage setups I've seen yet. I stress this is no fault of Jason Rolland.(without him this place would be a solid "D") Between the staff and the setup Jason is the only good choice the owner has made. If a restaurant owner wants to truly make karaoke a success in their place, the stage setup must be at least usable. I strong recommend the front of the restaurant, or the back being the 2nd choice. The middle pleases no one in the end and only a karaoke die hard would endure the constant distraction of traffic.

Oh, one note: Sometimes Jason takes pictures for his website. If you don't want your picture on the web, tell Jason in advance. Otherwise, you may find yourself on Facebook or Jason Rolland's main website.

Score Summary:
Facilities: 5.7 (Horrible stage setup)
Equipment: 9.5 (new high standard..Adjustable LCD Monitor)
Location: 8.0 (Easy to reach by Streetcar, some free/paid parking available)
Song Selection: 9.5 (have to leave room for some to top Jason...someday)
Wait Times: 7.0 (about average)
Host: 8.0 (Good, could use more audience interaction on the stage)
Food Prices: 8.5 (Very good, especially with recent restaurant price hikes)
Food Quality: 7.3 (good, but not great)
Food Selection: 7.0 (on par, but not amazing, good prices have their "price")
Food Service: 5.5 (Social conversation with one customer while the other is waiting for a menu? This is why tips are optional)

Venue Information:
Monday's 10 P.M. to 2 A.M.
Toby's Eatery
411 College St.
Toronto, ON
M5T 1T1
(416) 925-9908

Host Information:
Jason Rolland
http://www.jasonrolland.com/
jason@jasonrolland.com
(416) 809-4311

Note: I was just informed that the bartender who gave the poor service was fired. I'll return later to see if the service has improved.

A note on professional posion pills on my blog

2008-12-04T10:50:00.011-05:00

There is a Karaoke DJ pair whose name I will not mention but they have been leaving posts on their competition...all negative at this point. In the author's view this is an attempt to improve their business by poisoning other people's reputations. While I am liberal on comments I do NOT approve comments from competition designed to hurt other people's business nor will negative comments from such Karaoke DJs be taken seriously. (Obviously there is a conflict of interest). I have removed one such comment (and everyone can have a bad night) and will show another to illustrate the point:

-- comment begins --
For hosts, until legislation is finalized on the rights and wrongs of laptops, the "legal" way is to have original discs. Everything else is a grey area until a licensing mechanism is approved for copying discs (see both the Copyright Act and the Trademark Act).

Even the use of laptops is gray, although hosts believe that if they have all the music as originals on disc, it is OK to copy this on to a laptop and use it at shows. The Copyright legislation states a personalized copy can be made -- it disallows a copy for the purpose of business, e.g., hosts who get paid).

We have reached a time when technology is ahead of legislation, and the use of laptops and copied discs is not policed in Toronto because there is just too many of them; however, there have been occasions where police have visited the bar and the equipment has been taken away, and fines delivered to both the host and the bar.

Food for thought.

-- comment ends--

Now this person wants to hurt the business of CAVS and anyone using electronic media or at least scare them. (Basically anyone who has potentially a technical advantage over them). I've been called at my very home by people playing these games and I'm sick of this nonsense so I'm putting this to bed right now. Here is a quote from an article on this subject:

"[I]t is not an infringement for the owner of a copy of a computer program to make or authorize the making of another copy or adaptation of that computer program provided ... that such new copy or adaptation is for archival purposes only and that all archival copies are destroyed in the event that continued possession of the computer program should cease to be rightful."

"That is, the owner of the Karaoke CDG, whether a professional who performs or hosts public shows or a private individual, is not trying to profit from copying and reselling the CDG. They are either backing up the content of the CDG, or simply moving the content from the CDG format to a Hard Drive format (for example) for ease and efficiency of use."

you can download the FULL article here in PDF format:
Karaoke Legal Info

The professionals are well aware of what is needed to be compliant so to people trying to cripple their competition with legal scare tactics: bugger off! Something else to people who are trying to poison use of laptops by the karaoke community: CDG's are NOT the primary method of selling Karaoke media: The primary method is now MP3+G and you can buy professional karaoke licenses for those for the purposes of use in karaoke pubs which are more expensive than the standard price. So the above comment by this karaoke KJ company is not only as out of date as it claims the laws are in relation to technology, it is not even accurate. What I am told over and over when I ask what is actually required is proof of licensing. "License" is the key word (as well as purpose of conversion according to letter and spirit of the law). I must stress this comment is not a legal opinion, and these Karaoke DJs are NOT lawyers. I am familiar with the few police raids and these were cases of blatant piracy: Someone had been buying CDGs and make multiple copies and selling (distributing) them to multiple business. I trust we are all clear on the subject now.

To any professional Karaoke DJ's (and we are only talking about one or two bad apples so far) trying to use my blog to scare or hurt their colleagues a strong warning (note I am not a lawyer): If you give ANY legal opinion and you are not a lawyer you can be charged and convicted for giving legal advice. (Paralegals have had a FUN time with this recently) So let me make this CLEAR: Anyone submitting legal information to me who is not a lawyer can have that comment removed. If they are Karaoke DJ's this goes double. I may feel like consulting my own lawyers on whether legal action is warranted. If any of you think you have a legal case against a colleague, call the RCMP. I'll be furthering my own research through lawyers on any potential issues. However, this is NOT a blog to be used for legal references. I always recommend consulting a lawyer, and preferably a specialist in the subject.

On a separate note lawyers should be consulted even with "simple" full time jobs contracts. Believe me...I'm glad I've consulted lawyers on employment agreements as recent contracts have slimy and sneaky clauses which I've had removed (and job offers not withdrawn). Legally (I am not a lawyer but I've been told be several lawyers directly), you have the right to take reasonable time for a lawyer to review any contract.

Gladstone Hotel Update: Peter Styles on new Laptop based system

2008-05-22T22:25:00.002-05:00

Folks you should know that in an effort to be more up to date Peter Styles is now setup on a PC Based Karaoke system. After using the VocoPro system with its awkward song changing system he decided it was time for a change. Sow now his system is PC based and its huge different from his VocoPro system attempting to navigate 6k songs with only a directional based remote control. So those of you who haven't see Peter recently, check it out. A new 17" LCD Lyric monitor is also in use and it does make reading easier (although I would like the monitor a bit higher myself). I've been a bit behind but I have karaoke KJ software reviews written in draft form starting with PowerKaraoke's Siglos Profession suite. Its been mentioned my blog was getting a little stale so I apologize but my research (and application of results) had been taking time. The good news is I can publish notes on going Laptop based on karaoke system and what pitfalls to watch out for should you make the leap yourself. Cheer

Karaoke Review:Chick N'Deli w/Nicholas with Hitsville Karaoke

2008-05-22T20:36:00.006-05:00

Reviewed: 2008-04-15

For some time I've been hearing about this venue so it was high time I checked it out to see if I got a few good cluckles or laid an egg. Wednesday nights is not the most active evening but this could be a great place to go for people who don't like to wait for songs. Off to the BBQ.

The Good: The service was fairly quick and food quality was also quite good. The food selection has a wide variety of bar food: Various Burger choices, Chicken (of course!) Whole, 1/2 and 1/4 sizes both BBQ and Jerk) , wraps Chili Salads Sivloki, Pasta, Wide dessert selection along with good appetizers selections with calamari, brushetta, calamari, wings nachos and onion rings.

Song Selection is above par with 8978 songs (approx) with a good spread of generes from oldies to modern contemporary hits by Radiohead.

There is a real stage which gives a nice feel as the stage faces the entrance.

The Mixed: food prices are around average: $7-$17 although combo salads with burgers are a tad high. While the equipment was good the monitor was too low and difficult to read. Audio monitors aren't really there and one cannot hear their own voice. Mike sometines not quite connected so guessing the cable was loose. The MC's commentary had some good moments but sometimes it just fell a little short. Brilliant moments but some luls in between. Wait times are within 1 hour which is average citywide.

The Bad: As much as I was trying to put this in the mixed but this is all about the user experience. Nicholas is not terribly in attention to sound levels. Sound Balances were mostly okay but WEAK SINGERS GET OVERPOWERED by the high music levels and the MC doesn't seem to notice. Bass was often much too heavy as well. As much as I dislike saying this is an MC's job is to make sure that ALL participants can sound as good as they can and I felt like this venue was geared for season karaoke participants and beginners are not really monitored. Also, Nicholas seems to do little more than change the songs. More personality please. If Nicholas is reading this please pay attention to this. The decor of this venue is not great either. It has a run down feel which could be improved with a little TLC (Tender loving care). There is potential for a better overall feel but at the moment it feels like a run down bar/restaurant.

Summary:

The Chick'n'Deli has a great food selection and excelent service. The stage for participants is excellent and song selection is on par with some of the better venues in Toronto. Unfortunately the MC attention is not only the main weak spot its a weak spot that is felt be anyone karaoke participant who is not seasoned and that makes it difficult for new participants. This really needs to get fix and the MC needs to be listening to levels of the weak singers as well as strong. Having seen others do an excellent job at adjusting sound levels for all classes of singers there is simply no reason for Nicholas the same. If he can fix this combined with some touch up on the venue decor this could be a really fantastic venue in an awesome location.

Final Grade: C+

Facilities: 7.5 (great stage and layout but overall bar decor needs some work. Feels run down)
Equipment: 8.0 (Speakers are good but loose cables get noticed)
Song Selection: 8.9 (Excellent spread of genres kept up to date)
Food Selection: 8.7 (Very nice sellection)
Food Quality: 8.1 (Portions good, salads very fresh, burgers pretty good but salads were better)
Food Service: 9.0 (Food service was great...worth a good tip along with it)
Prices: 7.1 (average)
Location: 8.0 (Just a trip to Eglington Subway Station and an eastbound bus or 20 minute walk gets you to Mt. Pleasent)
Wait Times: 7.0 (MC keeps the que moving, so it makes city avarage)
Host: 7.2 (Sometimes great commentary between songs, other times flat, doesn't appear to notice his volume levels overpower weak singers)

Venue Information:
Chick N'Deli
744 Mount Pleasant Road
Toronto, ON, M4S 2N6
Phone: (416) 489-3363

Karaoke Host Info:
Nicholas
Hitsville Karaoke (A Division of Bent Roots Music)
Phone: (416) 84307400
e-mail: hitsvillekaraoke@yahoo.ca

CAVS (and other karaoke systems) Compatible CDG DVD Drive FOUND!! Available from me cheap!

2008-04-20T00:27:00.033-05:00

To paraphrase the great comedian George Carlin when he spoke of bumper stickers, "I have found him..I have CDG compatibility in the trunk!!" Yes FINALLY I have found a DVD optical device that will works with ALL Karaoke software requiring CDG compatible optical hardware. Now to the people on the Internet who have been selling discontinued plextor optical drives at exorbant prices (> $100!?!): Shame on you! To the Cavs people in Korea who are not answering the question of compatible optical devices publically: Shame on you too for not answering properly the questions of your customers, and for making me do your research for you. Greed seems to be a little out of control when it comes to manufacturers discontinuing CDG compatible drives according to an unfortunate KJ who got conned when his Plextor CD Burner died.

So without further ado, a compatible drive that is still being made and I have confirmed ample supply in with Canadian Distributors:

The Asus DVD-E616A3 DVD Rom/CDRW drive

(no it won't burn DVDs but karaoke people want CDG readability, right?) reads the CDG disks (really old ones over 10 years of age) perfectly, I can use it with a simple USB enclosure with karaoke software on a laptop, and it works. If you install it in a server it will work with any software including CAVS, if you use it through a USB on a laptop, the CAVS Karaoke Computer Software refuses to recognize any USB attached drives (CAVS software, well, no surprises there) but Audiograbber software and the Siglos Professional Software packages and Power CD+G Burner software read it perfectly and with Power CD+G burner you can make backups of those files for the day when CDG optical devices are impossible to get. Audiograbber is good but on a few odd tracks I noticed small spots around the lyrics that weren't present on the Power CD+G Burner conversion but bear in mind Audiograbber is free) So Internet sharks, I intend to stop your gouging with the following information: The Asus DVD-E616A3 is available CHEAP. VERY cheap. Try less than $30 CAD (so sharks, start lowering your prices or get stuck with your discontinued hardware), and a usb enclosure is between $30-$40 CAD. So that is between $60-$70 NOT $120 which I've had reported to me for long discontinued Plextor CD Drive models.

Just to make things interesting, I would like to make life easier for all Karoake KJs and karaoke lovers out there by personally offering to put together for anyone in Canada (but not outside due to taxes and high shipping charges) a USB enclosure using this drive for $55 plus shipping + packing materials (which should be no more than $15 dollars by Canada Post or Purolator (if I can get a discount from them). I won't ship by UPS...too many problems with receiving from them..poor service). The total cost is somewhere between $60-$70 plus Canadian Taxes, which I must charge by law, for identical functionality of what some people have charged >$100 dollars for on the Internet PLUS shipping. (so around $120-$150 PER DRIVE). If it doesn't work with your karaoke software I will refund the money IN FULL upon receiving the device back provided there are no external markings or damage. You can send order requests to me by sending me an e-mail with full shipping information to

karaokeoffer@evolveit.ca

and I'll send you a reply with full instructions on payment (paypal is probably the most convenient) which upon receiving, a full insured, tracked package will be in your hands within 1-2 weeks.

Obviously I'm not out to make money here. But its all good if it benefits the Karaoke community. Feel free to donate to my blog if you'd like to compensate me for time and money spent doing this research.

If there are any readers in the USA, sorry its a bit awkward doing research into legal issues in cross border sales, but you now know the name of the device and manufacturer, and I'll give you a list of USB Enclosures that will physically fit basic Optical Devices if you ask. Vantec and Mace make a few suitable enclosures.

so hope this helps you all out there struggling either to read CDG disks on your laptops or replacing your dying Plextor drives in your CAVS JB-99, JB-199 or other devices using IDE Optical devices. Oh, and if you want to properly backup your JB-199 files into something more universally usable (outside of the CAVS environment which I strongly advise) you can get your raw JB-199 files converted for reloading if your JB-199 dies here: KjAmp Converting services.

To the technicans and manufacturers as Asus: Thank you! Among the people and companies I've contacted (Plextor, LG, Lite-On, Teac, Asus and Sony) only you delivered a robust and accurate answer as well as a product that resolves a widening technology age gap in the karaoke world. Plextor technicians, I thank you for giving me an accurate (if not positive) answer to my inquiries. I received an incorrect answer from Lite-On (which they corrected after I called them to complain about how the model they referred me to failed the CDG and Nero Info test) and the others I've had no reply from in 3 months just so you know. I hope this is of help to all frustrated Karaoke Profesisonals and lovers everywhere.

Karaoke KJ Software SHOWDOWN!!

2008-04-12T11:58:00.008-05:00

Okay, its been awhile I know. Hey, popularity has its price and my IT Business has been getting popular (nice to know people recognize my work with a pay cheque) Yes, I've been promising this for awhile. Bear in mind this is not software for Karaoke Boxes but for KJs. Still trying to get more data for karaoke boxes. Its all Korean and Chinese so far. The software contenders best computer (laptop) based Karaoke KJ Software are:

1. Siglos Karaoke Professional
2. CAVS PlayCDG KJ DELUXE
3. KaraWin Pro (French.. Merci)
4. RoxBox Karaoke Suite
5. autOKdj with Winamp (autokdj is free so please consider donating)
6. PyKaraoke (free but its a bit technical and full professional features need separate components are beyond non-technical people but I include it for Linux users so they can have fun too but don't expect a stellar review)

So here are the contenders. Watch the blog over the next week as I download demos and test on my laptop. Haven't had the resources to review the ultimate karaoke laptop yet. Someone offered to buy a custom built laptop with HUGE space from me which truly would have been the ultimate karaoke KJ laptop but 2 months later and nothing so...nothing. If anyone wants to buy such a laptop from within Canada let me know. we're talking 500 GB on the hard drive (which you won't find in any store for a few months yet at least). Anyway, Stay tuned for the showndown. I'll be reviewing in the order listed above.Feel free to check them out yourselves as well and give comments.

CAVS compatible Players: Progress report

2008-02-02T14:20:00.000-05:00

Folks I'm setting up my own system to test compability with the CAVS CDG disk processing software. I have tested it with the latest Lite-On drives after being told by a technician that they should all support CD+G at a native level. It did NOT support it on the native. The DH-20A4H08C (I purchased) didn't even pass the Nero Info test. So, to the guy at Lite-On Tech support who incorrectly informed me, I must now assume that NONE of the Lite-On drives will support CD+G natively. So because this fellow informed me incorrectly (and its clear Lite-On isn't taking the requirement seriously where as Asus was very specific) I am advising people not to buy Lite-On or LG Optical Devices if you need to use CAVS software. All of them will most likely fail. I will soon test the Asus CD/DVD Combo drive (have one on delivery). The Other model recommended by Asus (DRW-2014L1T) is a SATA. I don't know if the CAVS software will support SATA devices. Will try it but a warning to people with SATA raids, do NOT put an optical device on the same controller as your SATA RAID: It may break it on a RAID 5 and will could corrupt a RAID 1. Most motherboard built-in SATA RAID controllers are cheap, and assume anything on the controller is meant to be used for a RAID. If you have only one controller for SATA RAID and you have RAID configured, buy a separate PCI SATA Controller and put the SATA optical device on that. CAVS, really, UPDATE YOUR SOFTWARE. CD+G native drives are becoming an endangered species. Again, Plextor has officially ceased all production of ALL CD+G native drives. There are some people taking serious advantage of this and charging over $90 for an out of production Plextor CDRW only drive that was used by CAVS. Its disappointing to see people taking advantage of this situation and I intended to find drives to put a stop it.

Karaoke Announce: The Safari Village Temporarily suspends Karaoke

2008-02-02T14:19:00.000-05:00

Folks, due to low turnout The Safari Village is temporarily suspending their Karaoke shows until sometime in March 2008. Will let you know when karaoke is back in full swing there.

Karaoke Review: Sports Centre Café w/ Rick Marcoux, Showtime Karaoke

2008-02-02T13:14:00.000-05:00

Reviewed: 2008-01-11

Okay, back the the world of karaoke reviews. This is another venue recommended by the Toronto Karaoke Meetup Group membership. The neighborhood is trendy enough but would it hold up to what some karaoke hosts have called an unreasonable standard. (remember I've had calls asking for "adjustments" in criteria). I have no intention of changing my criteria so let's see if we have a "home run" or "foul ball". (okay its not Hockey but its too violent/expensive for me :D)

The Good: The space of this place is HUGE although you wouldn't guess it from the entrance. When you initially enter it looks like an average sized bar. Go into the back section and it opens up, dramatically. It's almost like going through the entrance of a cottage and discovering it opens up into a palace. The Sports Bar lives up to its name so if sports (or even TV) is your thing you'll be in love. Nearly every table has an LCD television either right next to you or 3-5 feet away. One large Projector TV is in the back area great for parties and there is a game room that is truly a game room. Pool, mini-hockey, pinball. seriously, this is indeed a sports bar! The Decor lives up to its namesake, sports star photos all over the walls. Kind of mixed with an old Saloon feeling in some parts which is to say its enjoyable. Almost like an old movie in some ways.

The selection of food is very decent with cool sports names for the dishes (nice touch).

The sound of the karaoke system was second to NONE. Even Jason Rolland's equipment which I consider to be of VERY high standard, would have a run for his money here. Its almost impossible to sound bad unless you are tone deaf. Rick, the MC, is constantly monitoring for sound balance and it shows. Without a doubt the best sound balance and quality I've experienced at a karaoke venue so far. His song books are the MOST organized I've ever seen: Different versions with performers MARKED. Bravo! Karaoke hosts, this is the book standard to shoot for. Seriously. Oh, and finally we have an MC that uses an LCD TV as the song monitor. About time we got away from the fragile and energy consuming CRT screens. Kudos for that as well. With a song selection of around 13653, there are plenty of songs to choose from of nearly every variety. (Jason Rolland still holds the record for song selection with over double this number).

The Mixed: While I love this MC's equipment, song books and attention to sound I didn't really see much of HIM. Which is to say, the technical part was outstanding, but I would have liked to see more of his personality. It should be noted that it was an exceptionally busy night and he did take the time to talk with various patrons between song including myself. Still, I felt I'd really like to see more of his personality between songs. Everything else he hit's bull's-eye and perhaps for this reason it sticks out in my mind. It really is the only weakness I can find. which is high praise from me. Funny enough, there is more than enough energy from the participants at this venue that you wouldn't notice. The audience provides the non-musical (and sometime musical) entertainment, much like in the Gladstone, though Peter Styles does get personality as well, but then his sound system isn't as good as this one nor his selection as rich. Perhaps this is intentional and with different audiences he asserts himself more. Still, it would be icing on the cake to see the MC entertaining at this venue.

The stange setup is awkward but I can see the reason: The back area has a stage that would IDEAL for a karaoke setup (almost as good as the stage at Hollywood on the Queensway) but its in the back area so you could eaisly miss it coming in. Often venues like to have their karaoke events at the "front of the line" so no one misses it. But the singing/dancing area is a bit small, and getting to the "stage" in the lefthand corner can be awkward on a crowded evening (like this one). I don't know whose call it was but I'm not sure there is anyone to blame. Although I would put it to the venue owner as to would the karaoke event suffer in attendence if they used the exceptionally stage they have in the back area? With that kind of setup, there are few venues that would be able to match it in terms of ideal configuration. Plus the Projector TV would be a really cool touch. could also be because its used for private parties. But I hope the venue will at least consider it.

The rotation is difficult to fault and Rick really does make an effort to keep it fair. But the crowd this evening was nearly as numerous as the Gladstone. So its impossible to keep the rotation faster than 1 song every two hours. Now that being said, I was told its not always this crowded. Its testomony for a good venue, MC and equipment but popularity has its price as I always say.

The service was quite fast initially but much slower after order my drink. Although forgetting one of the condiments could be a one time fluke, it should be noted.

The Food quality was similar to its service.: Lackluster. It was average as were the food prices ($7.50 - $13). On the plus side, the desserts are exceptionally good. The best burgers I've had at a karaoke venue so far are at The Groundhog Pub and the best food for the price overall is funny enough at the Gladstone since they added a kitchen (although the service was poor last I was there). the burgers here were acceptable but not amazing. The Salad, actually had one or two decaying leaves in it so note to the chief, lack of attention to freshness of food shows in the Salad more than anything else at first glance. So please respect your patrons a little more in the future. Overall, the food here is a little above average (with the exception of desserts).

The Bad: There is nothing that is strictly bad.

Summary: The Sports Centre Café has a lot going for it both as a sports bar (again, truly lives up to its name) and as a karaoke venue. They have exceptional food selection (except pub food), amazing facilities (LCD TVs all round and real game room), great service and an amazing karaoke system with the best sound quality and song book organization I've ever experienced. I'd like to say one of the best karaoke MC's as Rick's attention to detail in equipment, sound and rotation are second to none. I didn't see as much of him as an entertainer as I'd like. But its hard to judge as the energy of the participants was equal to the levels I've seen at the Gladstond as was the crowd. Which lead to equally long rotation times. Its a testimony of an exceptional venue and the vast majority of the patron seemd to know the system so I strongly suspect most of them were repeat customers and I was one of the few first timers there. Its a strong quality venue and you'll love the way you sound and the wide song selection and you'll find everything easily with the quality of the song books. I will have to revisit it see if I can see more of Rick as a entertain as I already know he is a first class Karaoke technician of which I've yet to see an equal. The location is easy to reach at Yonge/St. Clair (go west about 2-3 blocks on the south side of St. Clair). Its a worthwile experience.

Final Grade: B/B+

Facilities: 8.8 (excellent layout overall, would be a 9.5 if karaoke was on stage in the back area)
Equipment: 9.5 (Best sound I've heard, LCD monitor wonderful)
Song Selection: 9.1 (Very little missing, selection 2nd only to Jason Rolland, best song book preparation ever!)
Food Selection: 8.1 (fairly wide selection, cool names)
Food Quality: 7.3 (Portions good, great desserts, Salads:fresher leafs please, fairly good entrees)
Food Service: 7.8 (Its okay but annoyingly slow after initial drink order. Watch the condiments)
Prices: 7.5 (average)
Location: 8.3 (VERY Close to subway, parking paid unless you don't mind walking a bit)
Wait Times: 7.0 (with crowds and wait times similar to the Gladstone, can't fault it but its still a wait)
Host: 8.3 (I didn't really see Rick assert himself on stage but quality of sound, sound balance, exceptional song selection, and getting one-on-one feedback from audiences give him a solid score. Will return to see if I can increase this because my gut tells me with such attention to sound quality and books, there's a first rate showman that hasn't come out to play yet.)

Venue Information
Sports Centre Café
49 St. Clair Avenue West
Toronto, ON M4V 1K9
416-928-9525

Karaoke Host:
Showtime Karaoke
Rick Marcoux, Chief Entertainment Officer
Email: showtimekaraoke at rogers.com
Phone: (416) 518-9255, (705) 436-5853
Fridays, 10 PM - 2 AM

A reminder of my criteria for reviews

2008-01-22T18:47:00.000-05:00

Wow, just when I was about to get back on the road to more reviews after a busy (day job wise) few months and a slow 3 months of reviews (have 2 to be published shortly). I am contacted by someone asking me add the "legality" of a host I'm reviewing. Just so everyone understands. I write what I think as a member of the audience. I am not a lawyer. I am not legally qualified to give ANY legal opinion whatsoever. Certainly I am not qualified to judge whether or not any karaoke MC in particular is following all the rules. Not being in the business myself I don't know all of the factors involved. If anyone wants to give objective FACTS (anything about laws in I have to verify legally to post here and quote its reference). Its an interesting topic although given increasing rumors of the RIAA's coming demise and the dwindling US economy (old news at this point I'm sure). I'm not sure its a topic of great interest to the AUDIENCE.

Happy to post something as a matter of information for people looking at going into the business themselves but...I need to be clear on something: I am NOT the RCMP. Does a typical karaoke participant approach a karaoke MC and ask "are all your songs legal"? Never seen anyone do so. Do you as a AUDIENCE members ask to see proof of legal use of every song a karaoke host has? Didn't think so. I review equipment as a member of the AUDIENCE experiences and hears. I review selection according to what an audience would like and overall selection availability. I review hosts according to what I believe people appreciate. Its my opinion and people can agree or disagree. (And people have done both). Its a blog. Some people like it, some think its nonsense. And its all cool. But please, do NOT ask me to alter, modify or even comment on whether everything an MC has is legal. Its not my job as a member of the audience, nor am I a lawyer, nor am I a member of any agency that has any commercial interest. I am not legally or professionally qualified to ask or give opinion on these matter and I will not do so. I have no knowledge and my reviews are STRICTLY from the AUDIENCE point of view. Is it expensive to be legal in the karaoke business? absolutely. I assume that everyone is paying that expense until someone is convicted in a court of law. As the citizens of the USA used to say (until recently), "Innocent until PROVEN guilty". Hope we are all clear on that. Oh, its also been commented that this blog gets a lot of hits. If it does, it is through no special doing of mine. I didn't think there was enough material or frequent enough to get the ranking this blog appears to be getting. That being, said, time to get off the developer's couch I guess and "get back to work" :D

CAVS Software Optical Drive Test - Update

2008-01-18T11:34:00.000-05:00

Folks, my drives have arrived. I ordered a Asus DRW-2014LT1 Drive and a Liteon DH-20A4H08C Optical device. The Asus model has a SATA interface. Probably should have ready FULL description before ordering it becausing the CAVS software due to the fact it hasn't been updated properly in nearly 10 years (They made their own version of NTFS in the software so that gives you an idea of just how outdated) probably cannot recognized SATA optical drives AT ALL. But..it will make an interesting test. If it works I'll be surprised. The LiteOn disk should work according to LiteOn but...it's not like anyone has ever tested this with the dated (yet"current?!?) CAVS software. So stay tuned, after this weekend (provided I can arrange with the karaoke MC who asked this question in the first place) I'll have answer for these two drives and will probably test a 3rd CD/DVD combo drive (outdated in terms of technology but very inexpensive and outdated technology is what CAVS is sticking to). Again, CAVS, you guys are putting yourselves in a corner. Fear not: My article on CAVS alternatives is on its way so if CAVS doesn't get their software updated fast, they may find their systems going the way of Vista: Being offered, but nobody wants it because the product wasn't made for the client's best interest. (they'd do the CD+G reading on a software level if it was).

Alert! Cavs Machine/Software users. Important!

2008-01-14T18:11:00.000-05:00

Folks, you may recall a long article about restoring an old CAVS JB-99 system. I've also had the opportunity to see the insides of a JB_199. Wasn't terribly impressed to be honest: Its a generic PC in a fancy case. (And an extremely high price given the software is nearly identical to the JB-99 with the same serious limitations. Worse yet, this software requires the Optical devices used to read CD+G disks to NATIVELY support the CD+G format. For awhile CAVS has been telling people the Plextor series is ideal for their software. I received a call from a karaoke MC asking what they should use to replace their dying Plextor CD-RW device (over 10 years old I think). Well, after referring to Plextor Technical and calling Plextor to confirm, Plextor no longer manufacturers ANY optical devices that support CD+G on a native level! The last Plextor device, the 760A, ceased being manufactured some months ago and Plextor has no plans on creating another device that will support CD+G. LG Optical devices are ALL useless for this as well. The good news is there appears to still be some possiblities.

Asus gave me a list of models that support CD+G (and kudos to Asus for being the FIRST to reply to my inquiry in very detailed form):

DVD-E616A3 and 2014L1T

Asus recommends these units for supporting CD+G format and I actually received Nero Info Tool Images to prove it! Bravo Asus. I'll be testing one of these for SURE with the CAVS software.

Lite-On indicated to me that all their Optical drives supported CD+G natively so I'll test their latest drive as well.

The final report on these two drives and any other the big Optical Manufacturers may give me (Sony and Samsung have yet to send me ANY reply and I'll check with Teac and Mitsumi for any recommendations from them as well) will be given in around 2 weeks when I'm able to hook up with the Karaoke MC who present me this little challenge in the first place. To anyone whose original CD+G drive is dying (and on the CAVS forum people are asking this question to which CAVS has yet to give an answer). To those still waiting for an answer to this important question for CAVS users, link your RSS readers to this site for immediate answer when its published. As to CAVS: wake up! Update your software or risk losing your clients. there are other solutions out there that have no dependencies on optical drives as AudioGrabber (a wonderful tool) has proven. Cheers

PS: Through my consulting business (which give me allows me full access to all the hardware I posting on this blog direct from distributors in case anyone is shopping) I'll soon be posting recommendations on the best laptop for karaoke use (assuming proper disks and/or licenses are obtained). I'm also creating my own media center (linux based) that will fully support Karaoke, as well as every other entertainment function I can pack into it. You can check my new blog, The Linux Experience, for details on that when I'm finished (Have had little time for that until recently).

Wait for news publishing, new news

2008-01-14T18:07:00.000-05:00

Folks, first my apologizes for the long absence. I've been busy paying my bills with my professional life. With a major milestone completed, I've finally been able to go out a write a few new reviews which will be published shortly. And if course the answer we've all been waiting for: Who is the top Karaoke MC for 2007. Watch for reviews to show up. Credit must be given to the few but generous donations that have come in to help offset my costs for visiting venues (remember I do review the meals as well and each review costs me $10-20 CAD each so thank you donors, you actually make it easier for me to continue). Also to come, big news about CAVS software. Professionals, take note! This may seriously affect you. And of course, the best karaoke software. Been making inquiries and gotten some answer and some no replies. Anyway, Thanks all and "stay tuned" - Jonah

Karaoke Box Software: Does a good package exist?

2007-07-08T23:49:00.000-05:00

Folks, as you may recall I asked anyone who knew anything to let me know if they had any information for karaoke box software. So far, few answer (had 2 replies so far) but I'm hopefully you karaoke lovers and professionals will lend a hand. I'm deliberating whether an ideal solution should be written on a Linux platform. Before I do that I'm creating a list of possible packages that already exist. If nothing appears to suit I guess I can take a stab. Someone has already told me if I were to create such a product there would be demand for it. Time will tell all but here is what I have found so far:

http://www.kibosh.org/pykaraoke/ (Linux, would need some customization but you CAN customize it)
http://www.jukeboxpro.com/
http://www.unifykaraoke.com/
http://www.tricerasoft.com/karaoke_software/Karaoke_Jukebox.html
http://www.vod.com.my/english/index.htm

The one from Malysia (VOD) looks particulary good but need to test it.

More to follow hopefully.

People are telling me Unify Karaoke's software doesn't work well. I have yet to try out the rest. I've seen Unify's software (or variation) used in 1 or two places here. Also saw different looking software used in two other venues in Toronto and I'll try to find out that they are. So watch this part of the blog for possible packages for karaoke boxes. Later I'll try out the downloads and see if anything is truly usable for those who are not IT geeks. As they say in TV-Land stay tuned. This could get interesting...

New Karaoke Box: King N I

2007-06-30T14:17:00.000-05:00

This is not a review but rather an impression. Reason is time and resouces. I just did 5 reviews. King N I (curious name) is across from the Reference Library at 836 Younge Street, 2nd Floor. I guess I'm just telling you its there but don't expect too much. Manager told me he has 300 English Songs. (At a Karaoke Box!?!) This place is basically geared to the young Korean community. I know I've said this before but venues with no consideration for the English (or even French) speaking community is a way of saying, don't come if you aren't Korean. What a thing to say in Canada. So much for cultures and races interacting. We speak English and French here regardless of country of origin and all businesses in Canada need to respect that. At least more than this one does. And the initial facilities show it. the place is in somewhat poor repair, it looks more like a series of low end apartments converted (which is probably exactly what it is save for this being an upscale neighborhood so its kindof an eyesore). I asked about this and I got the excuse of "rent here is so high". Regardless if you don't have the resources to properly start a business, don't start it. Staff is new and not terrible well trained. The rates are worse than average to boot. $30 for a small room where the industry standard here is $25 and for selection considerably worse than ANY karaoke box I've heard about in Toronto so far. Given I had just come from a karaoke review I wasn't going to officially review it yet. I would never take any group here due to the ill repaired walls along (but at least it has better ventilation than XO Karaoke right now so). I'm putting this info here so its here but I don't recommend this venue (and that is a lot to say before I've officially reviewed):

Venue Information:
King N I
836 Yonge Street. 2nd Floor
(416) 966 5464
kingandi836 at naver.com

Karaoke Review: Joe Mercury's w/ Ty

2007-06-30T13:34:00.000-05:00

Reviewed 2007-06-29

I've been hearing about this place for sometime but as my schedule has been crazy it often becomes difficult to get out the east and west ends of Toronto. This year I've made it a point venture out into new territory. Its been a positive experience so far with discoveries of exceptional karaoke talent (see review on Peel Pub on O'Conner). My hope was to find another. Its with mixed feelings I write this because while to paraphrase a song, "I've found what I'm looking for" but it may not be long for this world.

The Good: Twice in 2 weeks the big thing here is the MC. Big time! We have another amazing host who balances showmanship, audience interaction, style and humor with masterful success. He seems to interact particularly well with the younger crowd but older people still get their "kicks" on his stage. I'm presently kicking myself for not checking out this venue earlier. Even more so as this is the only gig he does at least for Karaoke. You WILL be engaged by this fellow and you'll enjoy it. Ty really pays attention to his sound and it shows. Balance is really good. The food selection here is also fairly exceptional partially because the primary food here is Greek but they have all the proper bar/pub favorites as well so even if you aren't a Greek food fan, you'll still find plenty you'll enjoy. ("Beware of Greeks wearing Sneakers" is a catchy phrase they use on their menu). The layout of seat swas also exceptional and it gave a family restaurant meets pub kind of feel which strongly reminded me of Hollywood on the Queensways, which by far has the best layout for Karaoke shows anywhere. The food is overall very good. Food prices are also better than average especially considering the portions are quite large. Location is hard to beat if you live in the Dundas West/Bloor area as this venue is nearly on top of Dundas West station and there is some free parking available. You have a decent stage, a good sized dancing area as well. If you want to play pool, 3 tables are available, all in excellent condition (some places the pool tables are quote worn). Ty's song selection is well spread, books amazingly organized (and example for other MC's as he is actually able to have both by author and song title in the same book. Few MC's are this organized or courteous so kudos for that. The song selection is overall good at 6600 songs (better than Katie Appleton or Erika) but a tad short of the ideal. Still there is enough for all tastes and styles across all the major karaoke genres. (Note there is a sweet spot for 70-90's which for me is a real pleasure)

The Mixed: There are a few spots here and there I should mention. First, while the balance in excellent, the sound on the mikes felt a little dry for some reason. You need to have the mix fairly close to you to make sure its getting your voice. This could be a minor adjust as Ty is clearly changing levels to suit individual singers which any karaoke fan will appreciate. The monitor is a bit low and you have bend your neck to see the lyrics properly. Ideally monitors should be placed so that its more like a teleprompter so you can see your audience. Since this stage actually faces the audience (a good thing) you feel the monitor's placement even more. Service is not as prompt as many places I've reviewed. Its still okay, but staff could be a little more attentive.

The Bad: Yea! There is nothing really bad here.

Summary: This is a quality venue which has a history. The big reasons I'm kicking myself on the rear end for not seeing this place sooner as its scheduled to close around July 28th, 2007 and the building demolished near the end of the summer! I spoke to Ty on this and he is looking for a gig to do after July 28th. I strongly suggest you experience this place for yourself before the venue closes down. Fortunately with karaoke running Thursdays to Saturdays, if you move quickly there is time. Ty is an MC to watch and is in strong contention for Karaoke MC of the year. It would love to think that Joe Mercury's, a place of considerable taste, food and humorous theme, would simply relocate and be able to preserve its layout and theme, but I've heard nothing of the sort so I suspect that is unlikely. I'll try to find out later. If anyone out there wants a quality MC later this summer, this is a golden opportunity to recruit one. It would be a shame for one of Toronto's best MC's to not have a gig later this summer as Karaoke Hosts like Ty are a rare find.

Final Grade: B+

Facilities: 8.3 (excellent layout overall, lots of space, a stage facing the audience with room to dance.
Equipment: 8.0 (Monitor is too low, something dry with Mike vocals for some reason but great balance and music sound)
Song Selection: 7.7 (Overall good, better than many, but not quite at the ideal of 8-9k, Still everyone should be very pleased, bonus for GREAT organization of books although in by Author section the Authors are in alphabetical order while the songs are not)
Food Selection: 8.5 (Its nice to have a change on primary food but not lose out on old Bar/Pub favorites. Great selection here)
Food Quality: 7.9 (Meet Food from the Greeks, good quality and great portions)
Food Service: 7.2 (Its okay but could be better)
Prices: 8.3 (The Greeks give good value here)
Location: 8.8 (VERY Close to subway, parking free and paid)
Wait Times: 7.0 (Ty is quite reasonable with old a new singers, but he gets a crowd so its kind of a Gladstone Hotel thing, popularity has its price)
Host: 8.8 (Wow! Two amazing hosts in two weeks. Style, Humor and interaction)

Venue Information
2345 B Dundas Street West
Toronto, ON M6P 1W7
416-535-1324
Ty Karaoke
Email: tytanic at hotmail.com (if you care to hire after July)
Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays 10 PM - 2 AM

Karaoke Review: Hurricane's w/ Katie Appleton, Karaoke Queen

2007-06-30T12:20:00.000-05:00

Reviewed 2007-06-27

I had heard about karaoke at Hurricane's for sometime now so I finally managed to get out this this summer. Its been a whirlwind of reviews although it may not feel like it to some. Whether this venue will blow me away or not is another story, although this is the season.

The Good: Katie's sound equipment as I've said before is first rate. If you sound bad here, that will be one for the record books. Decor is quite inviting, considerable more than many other places I've visited. Food prices are actually fairly good and the selection is nicely broad: Mexican, Greek plus traditional pub fare and all day breakfast (nice!). The setup is excellent as you are facing the whole audience unfortunately to due to space there is no dance area but at least you feel like a performer. Service is fairly fast and wait times are withing average range (40-45 minutes). The location is quite convenient just 2 blocks west of Ossington Subway station and both free and paid parking can be found.

The Mixed: The food quality unfortunately didn't match the wide selection. Its okay but I've had better, especially in the fries department. Perhaps it was a fluke but the wait staff forgot to give me anything to go with the dry (McCain?) string fries I got with my steak. There is little more bland than fries like that with nothing on them. The song selection is a bit weak although the spread of song material helps a little. Still, Katie needs more songs. Why is it that all the female Karaoke MC's I've have weak selections? I'd love to have a female Karaoke MC with strong hosting and song inventory.

The Bad: There is nothing actually bad here. The worst part of this place is weak song selection. (The absence of condiments with bland fries could have been a freak occurrence)

Summary: Hurricane's has a good deal going for it and being a decent venue in the mid-western part of Toronto isn't the least. An excellent configuration and good use of limited space and good decor help a quality MC put on an enjoyable show. The food quality could be better but its not a deal breaker. What nags me with this MC is the weak song selection. MC's, if you haven't added to or updated your collection in the last 12 months, get started. Other Karaoke Hosts are well ahead of people who are working with the premise that 5k songs is enough.

Final Grade: B-

Facilities: 8.0 (Good use of somewhat small space)
Equipment: 8.6 (Monitor is in good position here)
Song Selection: 6.9 (sorry, but we need to get more songs in here)
Food Selection: 8.4 (Quite good)
Food Service: 7.8 (Fairly good attention to detail needs to be a little better)
Food Quality: 7.0 (which the food quality could match the variety)
Prices: 8.6 (at least you aren't overpaying)
Location: 8.2 (Close to subway, parking free and paid)
Wait Times: 7.9 (Within reason, you'll probably get 2 songs in)
Host: 8.2 (Katie is very consistent, which is a good thing in her case)

Venue Information
Hurricane's Bar & Grill
963 Bloor Street West
Toronto ON
M6H 1L7
416-531-7818
Wednesdays, 10 PM - 2 AM

Karaoke Review: Peel Pub w/ Walter Henkel

2007-06-30T06:50:00.000-05:00

Reviewed 2007-06-21

Here is an example of getting attention by asking someone who writes reviews to check out your stuff. The MC of this venue e-mailed me and let me know about his shows. While it sometimes takes me a little time to get out there (I do have a day job and it costs time and money to write these reviews) I do get out there. We have here an MC who has been in this business for about as long as the legendary Jeff Zedic. Will his experience pay off?

The Good: To my last question, yes. Wait let me say that again: YES! I had been missing Jeff Zedic with his snappy yet tasteful jokes, his musical trivia and sense of timing. With Walter I honestly felt the shades of Zedic again. A karaoke host who has mastered the mixture of musical knowledge, interacts with a crowd, has great stage presence and can tell a good joke is so rare. Walter is a prince (King yet to be determined) among karaoke hosts. His collection doesn't hurt either: 8500 songs puts is well within new standards set by karaoke hosts recently. (okay, Jason Rolland has 30k, but whose counting, oh, that would be me wouldn't it?) While Walter has a sweet spot for 70-80s (great minds think alike ;-) ) he has a wide variety for everyone and he tells me there is more coming. A lot more. The sound quality is excellent as is balance, although I felt the monitor could stand a bit higher. Apparently Walter makes his own monitor stands so if you are reading this, Walter, it would be so cool if raise the monitor (and the "bar" as it were) a bit. Service of this venue is very good so you won't want long for drink or food. Obviously I'm bit more entranced by the MC. Wait times are also quite good, especially if you arrive on time but after 11 PM you'll wait longer as the crowd is much larger by then.

The Mixed: I could go on and on about the MC but let's talk about the venue. Like the previous Peel Pub, this is really a bar. Pure and simple. People go to bars to drink more than eat, and it shows. Food selection is extremely basic (burgers, fajitas, sandwiches, basic salads. Prices are likewise quite average. no real bargains here. Decor is a bit dark. This is a LARGE venue and there is a REAL stage which on Thursdays is entirely unused. 60% of the space is closed off Thursday nights as I suspect its for live bands. (So what are karaoke participants, chop suey?) Still if there aren't as many people I could see why, but they get good crowds around 11 PM. There is a LOT of potential to make this as good a setup as Hollywood on the Queensways and with such a good MC it would make such an amazing venue. The way things are now the stage faces an exit which isn't Walter's fault. You do have dance room which helps. Since management closes off the main area of the bar on Thursdays this is all he had left which in my opinion a real shame. Food quality is passable but nothing more. People go to places like the Peel Pub (regardless of location) to drink, and food is clearly a "side dish". The location is not the worst I've seen (Fanny's is harder to get to) but the neighborhood is clear where car is king. There is most likely a bus from Victoria Park or Eglington subway (I saw a bus running infrequently but couldn't note its number) but buses here are not as frequent as other places. At least there is free parking. For those who live downtown, fastest way to get there is probably a bicycle if you are reasonable fit.

The Bad: Nothing really bad.

Summary: If it isn't obvious yet, this MC is one to watch. Walter has got the goods as a Karaoke Host and then some. I can almost guarantee anywhere he goes you'll have great karaoke experience. Which in the case of the Peel Pub is a good thing because to be honest, Walter is the best part about this venue. Besides that is a basic bar with stage for live bands. You don't really go for the food as its very basic in price in quality and karaoke fans don't want to just drink. So what you have left is a Karaoke MC. But WHAT an MC. If Walter can make a place like this a pleasure to be in, imagine what he could do in a better location. I'll be checking out his gig at the Fox & Fiddle at Eglington VERY soon. (Probably before July)

Final Grade: B

Facilities: 7.8 (This could have been a 9.3 if they could make use of that stage)
Equipment: 8.7 (Excellent sound. Raise the monitor and this becomes a 9.0)
Song Selection: 8.7 (8500 and increasing, you won't go wrong here. More to come)
Food Selection: 7.2 (Basic)
Food Quality: 7.2 (Its digestable)
Food Service: 8.3 (Exceptionally fast and cheerful)
Prices: 7.2 (ditto, nuff said)
Location: 6.7 (Not terrible convenient for those with cars, but free parking for those that do)
Wait Times: 8.0 (Wait times quite good and well managed, you should get at least 2 songs, maybe 3 if you come early)
Host: 9.0 (The Soul of Zedic is not dead in Toronto. A SERIOUS contender for top Karaoke MC of the year. Those looking to learn, here is one to watch!)

Venue Information
Peel Pub (http://www.peelpub.net)
1660 O'Connor Drive (Eglinton and Victoria Park)
Toronto, Ontario
M4A 1W4
Thursdays, 10 PM - 2 AM

Karaoke Review: Wolf & Ferkin w/ Doctor Spin

2007-06-30T05:44:00.000-05:00

Reviewed 2007-06-15

I had mentioned this venue once before and had promised to wait until thing were ready before writing a formal review. Unfortunately karaoke ceased at the venue before things really got started. Well, its back in full force on Wednesdays in the heart of Toronto. Question is, will it capture the hearts of karaoke fans?

The Good: Location is hard to beat. Its in the heart of downtown on Elm Street. Contrary to the movie, there is lots of class in this neighborhood and I've always liked the Ferkin chain for the most part. Food selection is standard Ferkin fare which to say well above average: Pub food, seafood and sandwiches. the prices are also reasonable ($8-17 for dinner). Wait times here are exceptionally fast as karaoke is in the lower level with limited space so you won't have as many people to wait for in a rotation. Sound is quite good and well adjusted to fix the venue size. The best thing in my view is FINALLY someone gets the idea that people who go out to Karaoke on a weekday (other than Friday) are true karaoke lovers who have a day job to go to. Karaoke here starts at 9 PM. On a weekday this is PERFECT! Why don't more karaoke hosts do this on weeknights?

The Mixed: Doctor Spin is a good host when he in the groove but it takes a bit for him to get there. When I saw him at Cheers (see review) I had hoped the atmosphere was throwing him off his game. He still missed a few beats here and consequently had gaps between singers once or twice. The monitor looked like it had seen better days. The thing that gives this venue such low waits times works against in a way because space is very limited and is sometimes difficult to walk past people to get to the karaoke "stage". Forget dancing unless you do it in your head. No room here.

The bad: The sore spot that you feel more than anything else is the selection. Somewhat weak with 4800 songs after filtering out duplicates. Karaoke MCs, you really need at LEAST 5-6k songs minimum and 8-9k to get serious attention of karaoke fans. Most karaoke MCs have "upped to ante". 5-6k used to be the average, now its really minimal.

Summary: I would consider this the best weeknight karaoke venue I've been to so far. Whereas other karaoke hosts start between 10-11 PM leaving no time to sing before one has to go home and sleep for the next work day, this venue respects the time and schedule of people with money to go out and jobs to keep that money coming in. Timing means a lot in the karaoke business and this venue respects that. Quick rotating times help out a lot as well and you'll be happy with the food and prices. Unfortunately its easier to get through Doctor Spin's entire song collection because it's a little on the light side. Still, the equipment is good and the host once he warms up, works well with the participants.

Facilities: 8.0 (quite good, but more space would have been nice)
Equipment: 7.8 (Sound is okay but mikes appeared a little old and monitor had seen better days)
Song Selection: 6.8 (4800 songs is really a bit for professional karaoke, sorry)
Food Selection: 8.1 (Something for everyone, a typical Ferkin)
Food Quality: 8.1 (food quite pallet able)
Food Service: 7.8 (Fairly good but its clear food in the lower level is an afterthought. Pay atten on the cutlery if you order a sandwich)
Prices: 8.1 (you wallet should be as full as your stomach)
Location: 8.3 (Dundas Subway, walk blocks north, parking is around but downtown, you'll have to pay for it.)
Wait Times: 8.3 (Wait times are amazing here. you'll get in at least 2-3 songs before you leave)
Host: 7.8 (When he's in the groove he's really good, but he misses the "beat" occassionally)

Final Grade: B-

Venue Information
Wolf & Firkin
43 Elm Street
Toronto, Ontario
M5G 1H1
(416) 971-6264
Wednesdays, 9 PM - 12 AM

Karaoke Review: Upfront Bar & Grill w/ Katie Appleton, Karaoke Queen

2007-06-30T05:15:00.000-05:00

Review: 2007-05-25

After reviewing "On the Rocks" I noticed only one block away another venue that had Karaoke with a new host so I decided to take a look at what this venue and host had to offer. Front Street has a number of trendy restaurants and service stores and with luck, Karaoke as well.

The Good: Katie is quite a good hosts. She interacts well with the crowd. Her equipment gets great sound and she keeps the levels well balanced. If you sound bad with equipment like this, don't audition on Canadian Idol. Everything is in great order in terms of equipment. Monitor is well placed for easy read of lyrics which is more than many places doing karaoke these days and a large back screen allows everyone to join in. There is a small area where people could dance if so desired. The food prices are quite good as well. Food service is fairly prompt.

The Mixed: The Food selection is enough for a basic bar/pub but nothing exceptional. Fairly standard which is not say its bad. Decor isn't bad but the rear of the bar is exposed with discarded or disused equipment which is rather an eyesore I was surprised to find there. Should be cleaned as its a real distraction and look less than professional. I noted with my meal that there was no ketchup bottle, only packets, which is usually a sign of less than "fine dining". It could have been there were out of ketchup but when this is part of the services you are selling, ketchup packets are for take-out, not dining in. Music selection is only in low 5ks, which is basically passable but no more. Karaoke Hosts need to be increasing their collections as the basic benchmark is now between 8-9k. The spread between periods is even enough to keep you fairly satisfied although you may not find everything you want, especially when compared to other Karaoke hosts with more songs. You might be waiting a bit on rotation times here as it can get fairly busy on Friday nights.

The Bad: Short and sweet: Nothing really bad here.

Summary: If you want Karaoke on Front Street with a professional quality host, this is an excellent venue to choose. While "On the Rocks" is a family run business which a karaoke machine, Upfront Bar & Grill offers an MC who knows how to work a crowd and has superior sound equipment. Its strange that "On the Rocks" has a better selection than Katie since she does 2 other venues. Perhaps that will change with time. In any case, Katie is a quality MC and while Upfront could use a little cleaning up near the bar with the disused equipment, its a quality venue to check out on Friday and Saturday nights.

Facilities: 7.6 (Overall they are not bad but the area by the bar needs to be cleaned up, look very untidy)
Equipment: 8.6 (Great sound, well placed monitor. wireless mics wouldn't hurt but its hard to have everything)
Song Selection: 6.9 (A bit on the weak side compared to other MCs)
Food Selection: 7.8 (A bit more than the basics, enough to keep most picky eaters happy)
Food Quality: 8.3 (food is quite good)
Prices: 8.0 (definitely above average, especially if you like Fish & Chips in Fridays)
Location: 7.8 (Front Street has no subways but a bus runs along and parking is available.)
Wait Times: 7.5 (you probably get 2 songs tops as it gets quite busy)
Host: 8.3 (A quality MC whose a pro with the prose and can work a crowd well)

Final Grade: C+

Venue Information
Upfront Bar & Grill
106 Front Street East
Toronto, ON M5A 1E1
416-364-6054
Fridays, Saturdays
10 PM - 2 AM

Health Advisory Alert: XO Karaoke Box

2007-06-27T22:36:00.000-05:00

2007-06-27

I've never written anything like this before and it greatly pains me to do so, but XO Karaoke (see review), once my favorite karaoke box, has issues with its rooms on the second floor (and possibly the first floor as well) that are unhealthy during the summer months. Lack of proper ventilation on XO's 2nd floor rooms make it like a sauna due to air conditioners that do not even vent air nor can you open a window. The Toronto Karaoke Meetup group when there1 month ago when the weather was still agreeable and with 8 of us in the room within 30 minutes people were complaining about stuffiness, people were sweating and even my glasses were starting to fog. All attempts to vent air with the air conditioner failed (fan turned but suspect the air vent was clogged up) and the air condition could't/wouldn't condition the air at all. The hallway outside had proper working air condition but the door don't allow any air flow. In order to allow people to breath comfortably we had to open the karaoke box door to the outside hall to vent air. The 2nd floor rooms are not air tight but its uncomfortably close. Last year I couldn't bring my group to XO during the summer months for the same reason so this problem has gone unresolved for over a year now and so for the health and well being of karaoke lovers I must advise against using XO Karaoke, or at least its 2nd floor rooms during the summer as the air cannot vent and there is no working air conditioning inside the rooms. Only the outside hallway. You can of course leave your room door open, but people in other rooms would probably be unhappy with that. Anyway, I've to the owners of XO, sorry but this is a health hazard that needs to be fixed, now. When I find this problem fixed I'll remove the advisory. I have repeatedly informed the staff of XO of this issue and there has been no effective action in over a year. With this hot summer, this is in my opinion a potential health hazzard as people are being enclosed in small spaces with no proper ventilation during a time when the temperature can be dangerously hot.

Here is full information in case anyone wants to leave their "two cents" with the management.
XO Karaoke
693 Bloor Street West, 2nd Floor
Toronto ON
416 535-3734
HanJoon Kwon, Manager

New Karaoke Venue Update, Summer 2007

2007-06-27T09:02:00.000-05:00

Fellow Karaoke Lovers:
I'm compiling a list of current places for Karaoke Bars and Boxes as well as reviews so we can know where to go for either a private or public session any day of the week. (Yes it IS possible). Also to let people which places have sadly passed on. Without further ado, here is the list of venue places, events and (sob) closings.

Regular Resturant & Bar Events (Confirmed):

Joe Mercury's Big City Sports Bar & Grill
************************************************
** Important Notice **
** Last day of operation July 28th 2007 **
** Being demolished at the end of the summer
** See Review **
************************************************
2345 B Dundas St. West
(416) 535-1324
9:30 PM - Closing
Thursday, Friday, Saturday
************************************************

** New Venue **
** to be reviewed mid-July **
Chinadoll
587 College Street
Toronto, ON
416-536-5384
w/ Peter Styles
Mondays

** Recently Revived, to be reviewed shortly **
California Restaurant & Tavern w/ Pam
914 Pape Street
Toronto, ON
416-461-1251
Saturdays 9 PM - Closing

** New Venue **
(see review)
Butterfly Lounge with June Linderfield, Karaoke MC
422 Adelaide Street West
Toronto, ON
(416) 366-7399
Thursdays, 8 PM - 1 PM (suggest leaving before 10)

** New Host **
Karaoke Queen, Katie Appleton
The Unicorn
(416) 482-0115
175 Eglington East
Toronto, ON
M4P 1J4
Monday Evenings, 10 PM - 2 AM

** Recently revived **
(see review)
Wolf & Ferkin w/ Spin Doctor
43 Elm Street
Wednesdays
9:00 PM - 12:00 PM
Phone: (416) 971-6264
Toronto, ON

(see review)
The Grasshopper
460 Parliament Street
Toronto ON M5A 3A2
416 323-1210
Thursdays, Sundays

THE FOX AND FIDDLE w/Kanary Karaoke
1285 Finch Ave West
North York, Ontario M3J 2G5
(416) 633-1286
Thursdays
9:30 pm - Closing

IZIK'S PLACE w/Kanary Karaoke
529 Wilson Heights Blvd
North York, ON M3H 2V7
(416) 636-9306
Fridays
8:30pm - 12:30am

(review tcoming this week)
Kramer's Bar and Grll
1915 Yonge Street
Toronto, ON M4S 1Z3
(416) 483-0697
Fridays, Saturdays 10 PM - Closing

AC's Bar and Gril w/ RJM Entertainment
1151 Dundas West (Westdale Mall)
Toronto, ON
Thursdays, Fridays
9PM - 2AM

(see review)
Safari Village w/Erika
1690 Danforth Avenue
Toronto, ON
(416) 406-0534
1st and 3rd Friday of the Month

The Bow & Arrow
1954 Yonge Street
Toronto, ON
416-487-2036
Friday's (Saturday's?) 10 PM - Closing

(see review)
Cheer's W/ Spin Doctor
2364 Yonge Street
Toronto, ON
(905) 855-7584
Thursdays, Sundays
10 PM - Closing

Gabby's
383 Eglington Avenue East
Toronto, Ontario
M4P 1M5
(416) 484-4101
Thursdays 9 PM - 1 AM

Duke of York Tavern
1225 Queen Street East
Toronto, Ontario M4M 1L6
(416) 463-5302
Wednesdays 8:30 - 12:30?

Flashback Entertainment/Kanary Karaoke:
Applejacks Resturant
3757 Keele Street (South of Finch)
(416) 631-9013
Tuesday Nights
Time: 10 PM? (no time given)

** Recently revived **
Hollywood On the Queensday(New Review to follow)
1184 The Queensway
Phone: (416) 251-0288
Web Site
8:30 PM - Midnight
Wednesday Evenings

Gus' Knott Inn
Peter Styles
1562 Weston Road
Phone: (416) 913-8090
Wednesday Nights
Time: 10 PM

(see review)
Mayday Malone's
1078 Bathurst Street
Toronto, ON
Phone: (416) 531-8064
Thursdays Evenings 10 pm - 2 am

(temporarily suspended)
MayDay Malone's
965 Bloor St West
Phone: (416) 516-7844
Thursday Evenings
10 pm till 2am

Chick 'N Deli
744 Mount Pleasant Road
Toronto ON
416-489-9464
Wednesdays
9 PM - Closing

The Old Sod
2936 Bloor St. W.
Phone: (416) 239-3812
Tuesdays & Sundays
9 PM?- Closing

Badger and Firkin
555 Burnhamthorpe Road, Unit 5
Phone: (416) 620-5959
Tuesdays
9 PM - Closing

Rose and Thorne
246 Brown's Line
Phone: (416) 233-8827
Thursdays
9 PM - Closing

Boston Pizza
117-4841 Yonge Street
Toronto, ON
416-733-3172
Wednesdays, 10 PM - closing

Di and Gabby's
2902 Lake Shore Boulevard West
Phone: (416) 503-3791
Thursdays
9 PM - Closing

Bert & Ernie's
5555 Dundas Street West
Phone: (416) 231.5858
Sundays
9 PM - Closing

(see review)
Hurricanes W/ Katie Appleton, Karaoke Queen
963 Bloor Street West
Phone: (416) 531-7818
Wednesdays
10 PM - Closing

J Michael's Restaurant & Tavern
235 Dixon Road
Phone: (416) 249.2651
Saturdays
9 PM - Closing

The Dufferin Gate
1204 King Street West (King & Dufferin)
Toronto, ON
Phone: (416) 534-2238
Thursdays 9:30 - Closing

The Chateau Bar & Grill
1157 St Clair W (Just East of Duffrin)
Toronto, ON
Phone: 416-654-3784
Saturdays, 9:30 PM - Closing

Sway
1335 St. Clair West
Toronto, ON
Phone: 416-653-8777
Saturdays, 9:30 PM - Closing

(see review)
** Largest Song Collection in Toronto, +30k Songs **
Tequila Sunrise W/ Jason Rolland
212 Adelaide Street West
(416) 593-6164
10 PM - 2 AM (Host: Jason Rolland, http://www.jasonrolland.com/)
Tuesday & Thursday Evenings

P.M. Toronto
1245 Dupont St.(Rear Entrance to Galleria Mall)
Toronto, ON
Phone: (416) 530-4505
Thursdays 9:30 - Closing

Main Event
2368 Yonge St.(North of Eglington)
Phone:416-544-8070
Wednesdays 9:30PM - Closing

(See Review)
The Groundhog Pub
401 Bloor Street East
Toronto, ON
M4W1H7
Phone: (416) 975-1867
Fax : (416) 975 - 9252
Fridays & Saturdays 10 PM - 2 AM

(See Review)
Fox & Fiddle
280 Bloor Street West (Bloor St. West @ St. George)
Toronto, ON
(416) 966-4fox (369)
http://www.bloorfox.com
Monday, Tuesday & Saturdays 10 PM (11 PM Saturdays) - 2 AM

(See Review)
Saxony Resturant
(416) 929-2300
599 Sherbourne Street
8 PM - 2 AM
Friday, Saturday Evenings

Zippers Bar
72 Carlton Street
(Phone Number being confirmed)
8 PM - 12 AM
Thursday Evenings

(see review)
The Gladstone Hotel
1214 Queen Street West
(416) 531- 4635
8 PM to 1 AM (Host:Peter Styles, http://www.peterstyles.info/)
Thursday, Friday and Saturday

(See Review)
Fiddler's Green Pub
27 Wellsley Avenue
(Phone number pending)
(7-9? confirmation of start time pending) - closing time
Friday Evenings (Prizes indicated)

(see review)
The Fox and Fiddle
535 Danforth Avenue,
Toronto, Ontario M4K 1P7
Phone: 416-462-9830
Fax: 416-461-3132
Wednesday, 10:30 PM - closing

(see review)
Hoops Sports Bar
458 Yonge Street
(416) 929-3324
9 PM - closing time
Wednesday, Thursday Evenings

(see review)
Shoeless Joe's Bar
401 King Street West
(Phone Number pending)
10 PM - 2 AM (Host name pending)
Friday Evenings

Peel Pub
276 King St. W. (& Duncan)
(416) 977-0003
Tuesday 10:00pm - Closing

(see review)
On the Rocks Restaurant
169 Front St. E (& Sherbourne)
(416) 862-2901
Thursday, Friday, Saturday

Unconfirmed Karaoke Restaurants & Bars
(Note because these are as yet unconfirmed, I cannot be certain that
all these venues are still in operation. I will be confirming them in the coming weeks)

Billy Bob's
2448 Bloor Street West
Toronto, ON
(416)-762-1157
Thursday
10 PM - Closing

Blue Lagoon
3180 Lake Shore Boulevard West
Toronto ON
(416) 259-4700
Fridays
9:30 PM - Closing

Crews Toronto
508 Church Street
Toronto, ON
416-972-1662
Tuesdays & Thursdays
11 PM - Closing

Fiddler's Dell Bar
781 Annette Street
Toronto,ON
416-767-8882
Wednesdays
10 PM - Closing

Canton Karaoke Lounge
4810 Sheppard Av East
(416) 332-0801

Club Epiphany Restaurant & Lounge
11 Arrow Rd
(416) 740-9329

Future Karaoke Restaurant
58 Redlea
(416) 321-5618

Huong Bar & Karaoke
1680 St Clair Avenue West
(416) 654-8889

Manila By Night Karaoke Bar & Restaurant
4949 Bathurst Street
(416) 225-1078

May Karaoke
876 Dundas West
(416) 361-9377

The Fox & Fiddle
4946 Dundas Street West.
Toronto,ON
(416) 207-9990
Saturdays

Crossroads House
1544 Danforth Ave. (& Coxwell Ave.)
(416) 406-4017
Wednesdays

Cubao Bar & Grill
298 College St. (& Spadina Ave.)
(416) 966-9024
a song or two during the band's break

Duke Of York
1225 Queen St. E. (@ Leslie)
Toronto
(416) 463-5302
Saturday 4:30 to 7:30 P.M. with SD SIKI

Hollingers Restaurant & Tavern
1026 Coxwell Ave (& Danforth)
(416) 425-9877
Fri & Sun

Jekyl & Hyde
2340 Dundas Street West.
Toronto,ON
(416) 535-0547
10 PM - Closing
Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays

Mr. Slate Sports Bar & Top Brass Lounge
952 Kingston Rd.
M4E 1S7
(416) 694-9495 Thursdays Fri 10 P.M.

New Karaoke Restaurant
793 Gerrard E
(416) 463-9902

Play It Again Sports Bar
1002 St. Clair Ave. W. (& Oakwood Ave.)
Toronto M6E 1A2
(416) 656-8434
Friday 11:00am- 2:00am

Purple Pig
1 Richmond St. W.
(416) 366-6465
Friday

Rio Restaurant
129 Danforth Ave
Toronto, On
(416) 461-2208
Wednesday

Spirits Bar & Grill
642 Church St.
Toronto, ON
M4Y 2G3
(416) 967-0001
Saturday & Sunday

Star City Karaoke
393 Dundas West
(416) 593-9996

Tropical Nights
1311 Danforth Ave
Toronto, On
(416) 693-9000
Mon 10:00 P.M

Winchester Tavern
537 Parliament St. (& Winchester St.)
(416) 929-1875 Wed and Sun

Wise Guys
2301 Danforth Ave.
Toronto, On
416-690-8343
karaoke with Dr. Spin

JR's Bar & Grill
3653 Lakeshore Blvd. West
(416) 521-6302
Karaoke Saturday Nights

*******************************************************
** Closings: **
*******************************************************

The following Venues have closed their doors. We'll miss them:

Spice Isle Granadian Sports Bar (formerly 'Caffe Del Corso')
1928 Eglinton Ave. W., York
(416) 782-4044
Fridays 9:30pm - 2:00am with Martin Dalcourt & Merike Purje.

Joe Badali's Restaurant (Elbow Room)
156 Front St. (& Simco)
(416) 977-3064
Wednesday 6:30pm to 10:30pm with Walter & Chris Henkel

Mr. GreenJeans
The Eaton (Sears) Centre (Dundas & Yonge), 3rd floor
(416) 979- 1212
10 PM - 2 AM (Host: Jason Rolland, http://www.jsonrolland.com/)
Wednesday, Thursday Evenings (Saturdays? possible type/bug on site)

Milwaukee's Good Bites
220 Adelaide Street West
(416) 368-1017
10 PM - 2 AM (Host: Jason Rolland, http://www.jasonrolland.com/)
Tuesday Evenings

Fuel Station
335 Jarvis St. (& Carlton St.)
(416) 921-1361
Mondays, Pool Tables

The Red Spot
459 Church St
(416) 967-7768
Mondays with Foofer

Lee Garden
1255 Bay St. (& Bloor)
(416) 968-3689
All English Daily 9:30pm Chinese Food Restaurant

Sushi Bistro
204 Queen St. W.
Toronto, On
(416) 971-5315

Cafe Lang Van II Karaoke
70 Ossington
Toronto, On
(416)536-5482

Charitiy's Karaoke Cause Bar
240 Sherbourne
Toronto, On
(416) 922-4885

Ah So Gardens Japanese Restaurant
614 Jarvis St. (& Bloor)
(416) 920-4333
Featuring songs in English, Chinese, Japanese & Korean.

Fox & Firkin (Open but stopped Karaoke 3 years ago)
51 Eglinton Ave. E. (& Yonge St.)
Phone: (416) 480-0200
Sundays British Pub. Imported beers on tap

Stanley's Entertainment Lounge
129 Danforth Avenue
(416) 462-3373
9:30PM - Close (Host name pending)
Wednesday Evenings

T.J.'s Tap & Grill
2112 Danforth Ave. (E of Woodbine)
(416) 424-4612
Saturday with Mary

Karaoke Box Venues:
This sections I need time to get full details.
See reviews for:
XO Karaoke
Bar+Karaoke
BMB Karaoke,
Echo Karaoke
The King N I (review coming shortly)
boxes for details.

Karaoke Box Lovers: A New Place true to Japanese Tradition!

2007-06-22T20:46:00.000-05:00

Folks, you know how I've been at a few karaoke boxes to get proper equipment. Well, I've been in touch with someone who is looking to open a karaoke box in the Japanese tradition with PROPER equipment: Key Changers, Food by computer screen, the full works. So those karaoke box owners too cheap to get key changers or get decent food, competition is coming. I won't say who but I'll supporting with great enthusiasm anyone who wants to do it RIGHT (like in Japan/China/Korea) instead of just cheap (what can I get away with).

This venue is still in the planning stages and I've been asked for advice on in which I'm giving free but I'm also looking to any and all fans to help me out with something: Software solutions for karaoke boxes. I've done some preliminary research and have 1 or 2 software packages that will server for a client/server situation for boxes but I would LOVE to know all the pre-built karaoke solutions out there for purchase, regardless of country of origin. So if anyone out there is willing to give a hand, I share the glory with all contributors. I'll continue to do my own research to help support what I believe will be the FIRST karaoke box in Toronto 100% true to Japanese tradition with real facilities. My time is also limited as I'm the middle of a project but when summer is over I'll have more time.

Upon reflection it is not only possibly but relative easy (at least compared to other major projects) to create a Linux based karaoke box system using core parts of the install base like the setup in Ubuntu (any MPEG compatible player with Python or Java scripting), to create a client/server based system. Many Linux MPEG compatible players can be scripted to link to a central interface and generic database but before I do so I want to be sure I wouldn't recreate the wheel. I've found 2 software solutions made for MS windows but I'm not convinced they are the best software packages for the job. So ANY help the karaoke community can give will be rewarded with a first rate karaoke box. Man am I excited about this. Thanks to all in advance. - Jonah A. Libster

Karaoke Review: Cheers w/ Doctor Spin

2007-06-19T23:22:00.000-05:00

Review: 2007-05-24

When I was looking for a suitable venue for the East York Karaoek Group one of the members suggested "Cheers". I wasn't sure I wanted everybody to know my name, after all karaoke venues sometimes change a bit when they know someone is observing.

The Good: There is a lot of space and a stage nearly as large as The Hollywood on The Queensway. Service for drinks was quite friendly and prompt and there are two pool tables for those who enjoy pool. Besides that I can't say a lot goes into this section which is generally not encouraging.

The Mixed: While its a large bar its also very dark. Basically a low budget decor reminding one of a typical American style bar. When I tried to order food there was none available as the restaurant that apparently provided food was closed. The equipment is fair: The sound was decent but levels were not always well balanced (more attention to the sound levels would be ideal). The monitor is poorly placed on the floor and one has to squint to see the lyrics. Selection isn't bad but not great. Only 6194 songs which is passable but just barely. The MC once he gets into "driving" gear isn't bad but it takes awhile before that becomes apparent and is not always focused on either the sound levels or even changing the songs as he was sometimes slow to change his CDGs. (Old CDG system, no centralized laptop solution).

The Bad: The really bad thing here that I could see was the price of food (when available). It is quite high especially considering the decor and condition of the place.

Summary: Well, Cheers isn't the worst place I've seen. It has lots of space, a real stage and if you are in the East York area its a place to go on a Thursday or Sunday. On the other than that I can't say the place has anything that stands out in a good way. The Karaoke selection is average, the equipment overall is a bit below, and the MC is fairly good IF he is paying attention. I felt as if the atmosphere was affecting his approach to being a karaoke MC, but given the less than inspired decor of the place, I wasn't surprised. Its quite funny, 2 places in East York, each is almost completely complements the others: one has excellent decor, excellent food, great food prices and a first class MC, but with limited space. The other huge space, good stage, lessor MC, no food , high drink prices. Both have less than ideal selection and equipment which ome of these karaoke MC's should make an effort to improve.

Final Grade: C-

Facilities: 6.5 (Bonus for size and real stage although its decor is not the cheeriest)
Equipment: 6.8 (decent mikes (but worn), low monitor one has trouble reading)
Song Selection: 7.1 (all the basics just over 6k and good mix of modern and oldies)
Food Service: 8.0 (Very attentive, just wish there was food to serve)
Food Selection: NA
Food Quality: NA
Food Prices: 6.3 (expensive drinks and food from outside restaurant)
Location: 7.6 (Coxwell Subway and 2 blocks East)
Host: 6.9 (not always attentive but is good when he is "on the ball")

Venue Information:
Cheers W/ Doctor Spin
Thursday and Sunday Evenings, 10pm - 2am
1795 Danforth Ave.
Toronto, ON
M4C 1J2
(416) 698-9191

Karaoke Review: Good Tymez Pub w/ Robert Chorney

2007-05-22T09:26:00.000-05:00

Reviewed: 2007-05-19

The Toronto Karaoke Meetup Group is slowly getting attention in the Toronto Area. Enough that I'm actually getting more information from the owners themselves which is good for all. The owner of Good Timez Cafe approached me with a possible place to bring the group. Approaching me in someone else's venue at a group meeting wasn't necessarily the best place and for future reference venue owners, I tend to frown on that for many reasons. Better to send me an e-mail. In future interruptions of a meeting at someone else's venue will be reported to them as its really uncool and disruptive. Email is the best way to get in touch. Referrals are even better. Nevertheless in good karaoke spirit I went to check the place out as the owner claimed his system was better than the traditional "PA" systems, implying that all other venues were not really good for karaoke. I have some skepticism on this but still one never knows. I invited the group out to evaluate the place as the owner was hoping to make his venue the "home" of the Toronto Karaoke Meetup Group.

The Good: When I checked out the system it was certainly superior to most systems I had seen in terms of sound quality. I have seen the equivalent but not often. Its hard to sound better on any system out there. First rate Fajitas were also reported on the food selection.

The Mixed: Food prices weren't bad but weren't great either. Drink prices were above average

The Bad: There is an unusual twist to the selection here. Its Internet based. This is in my view a cheap way to get karaoke venue started in North America. Now the Japanese use a similar setup in their karaoke boxes but its a system designed for karaoke boxes and I believe it has a central server cache. The internet vendor here was "Eat Sleep Karaoke". The owner claimed 250k songs. Problem was some of the most seasoned veterans of my Karaoke group out found nothing in as many as 7 songs in a row, mostly alternative rock. The search system was flawed:By title didn't work properly at all (serious bug). There were no song books either (again cut costs on initial setup) and this increased confusion and many people watched found songs available at nearly every karaoke venue I'd been to unavailable in this system. It left the claim of 250k songs in serious doubt. The wait times were extraordinarily long given the small crowd. This is because the owner was acting as MC and he didn't really know how to search songs properly. The bugs and flaws on this Internet based system didn't help either. I felt this was more for home use than a profssional venue. The place is really just a bar ad can't hold more than 40 people tops and you won't be able to sit if you have more than 25. There is rumored to be a second floor available, but when it will be available and for whom is in question. To make matters worse, getting food in this place (if you want any) is a bit of a challenge. You'll probably have to go up to the bar to get any service in a reasonable amount of time because this is primarily a bar. To be more accurate a bar that serves as an Internet Cafe during the afternoon, and tries to be a karaoke bar on Friday and Saturday nights. It can't appear to decide what it want's to be so, it does the karaoke part awkwardly at best. Oh, no stage either. You are in the corner of the bar where few could see you. Given the configuration of the place its the best they could probably do. But its extremely awkward. You face the wall, not the audience when you sing as well.

Summary: Karaoke venue owners and wannabes, if you want to show a venue make sure you are ready. This is the second venue where the owner or manager didn't do their homework. If you want to be an MC make sure you are rehearsed and prepared. This venue is not what I would call a karaoke bar. I would call it a bar. And not a well decorated one at that. This place screamed seedy American bar which are typically an eyesore. What I saw here was an attempt to bring more business to a bar with limited attendance using its Internet Cafe facilities to try to be a karaoke venue. My group was unimpressed with the selection, the wait times or the configuration. The quality of the sound equipment was first rate but to quote one of the group members "is it worth it?". I'd have to say a big "no". 5-10 minute wait between songs is not acceptable. The internet based karaoke system is okay for the home, but not for a venue. When I say 5-10 minutes I mean 5-10 minutes of no singing at all. One customer was complaining loudly about this. Most of my group didn't want to stay after the first hour. The owner clearly didn't do his research into karaoke at all and thought a good sound processor and a sales spin would be a substitute for a quality MC, and quality song selection which is to say, purchase the songs and have them on site. Its a large investment to be a professionally acceptable karaoke venue. Short cuts like this internet based karaoke system don't cut it and an expensive sound system (cheap when compared to the prices of song royalties) isn't a substitute. If I had to choose between the claimed 250k songs here and the 600 songs at the Butterfly, I'd take the Butterfly for the simple reasons that at least I KNOW what they have, wait times are short, and there is a proper karaoke stage setup. There is a lot more to a good karaoke bar than a sound system: You need a system that guarantees fast song queueing and way of showing your audience what songs you ACTUALLY have. There is little more irritating than a selection guessing game. Karaoke Venue potentials need to do their research before they go public. A first impression is a lasting one. If its bad, it lasts even longer.

Facilities: 5.7(It looks and feels like a small seedy bar with a room for Internet Terminals seperated from the rest of the bar. No karaoke stage, karaoke equipment against the wall in a corner. One of the worst overall setups I've seen so far)
Equipment: 8.2 (Great sound for vocalists, but that is the beginning and end of this system. No real adjustment of the sound levels)
Selection 6.8 (Internet based, claims 250k but can't find the basics, too many gaps, no books to see what songs you have)
Food Selection: 7.0 (Basic Bar food with some Tex-Mex thrown in)
Food Quality: 7.8 (Fajitas were quite good, rest was average)
Prices: 6.7 (drink prices were above average, food was about average pricing, but most expensive French Onion Soup I've seen anywhere)
Location: 7.5 (5 minutes from Dundas Subway station. Parking around but have been warned you may not want to leave car around this area)
Host: 6.0 (The owner didn't know how to operate the Internet based karaoke system properly. Felt he was entertaining himself more than the group)
Service: 6.5 ( Basic service, food you'll probably have to step up to the bar. The good news is the place is so small you won't have far to go)

Final Grade: D+

Venue Information:
Good Tymez Pub
117 Dundas Street East
Toronto, ON
(416) 916-2156
Friday & Saturdays
10:30 PM - 2 AM

Karaoke Review: On the Rocks

2007-05-22T08:24:00.000-05:00

Reviewed 2007-05-17

I love being the organizer of the Toronto Karaoke Meetup group for two reasons: 1. because you meet so true affectionados. 2. Because people often send you to places they enjoy going themselves. Good, Bad or in between, its info other karaoke lovers can use when selection a venue. Its what my blog is all about. So here is another reviewed on yet another reviewed venue.

The Good: The selection here was surprisingly good. Around 8k songs. The system is MIDI based as this is another family run restaurant/bar. Yes there is food here. The stage is actually a stage albeit a small one. There are 3 mikes here: two on stage and one at the bar so if one wants to stay seated with their drink they don't actually move anywhere to sing a selection. The rotation times were quite fast probably because there are not a lot of people on a Thursday night. Fridays and Saturdays may be another matter. The rotation is strictly round robin. Service on food was very prompt.

The Mixed: The equipment isn't bad not not amazing either. Mikes are passable and sound levels acceptable most of the time but you may need to be aware of them. Food selection is Chinese Schezwan dishes, most of which are a little bit spicy. I've had worse but have certainly had better. Prices are reasonable, although you may get a bit better in Chinatown but then again, one isn't here strictly for dinner. Room here is limited to around 50-60 people, plus the outdoor patio on warm evenings. There was only one book by title so you'll have to basically ask for it when you want to find a selection by song name.

The Bad: There was nothing really bad here. Isn't it nice when this section is short?

Summary: On The Rocks is a good place for Karaoke if you live on the east end of Front Street or anywhere near Front & Sherborne. Its not amazing karaoke venue by any means but is has all the basics and a short wait time if you go in on Thursdays. Its more of a neighborhood place than anything else but its a decent one to go to for karaoke with people you know in your neighborhood. There is another place I'll be reviewing shortly, Upfront Bar & Grill, which is almost across the street, but On The Rocks has a larger selection of songs. The only thing it lacks is an MC but the owner is interactive enough with the customers that she could quality with a little effort.

Facilities: 7.7 (its a bar/restaurant but has a real karaoke stage setup. Decor isn't too bad so you'll feel right at home)
Equipment:7.5 (Its got the basics plus a bonus for a 3rd "bar" mike)
Song Selection: 8.0 (Surprisingly good consider this is an "all-in-one" MIDI System, could be the same as the Grasshopper but unable to verify)
Food Service: 8.2 (Service was quick, attentive and friendly)
Food Selection: 7.0 (Basic Schezwan, caution if sensitive to spicy food)
Food Quality: 7.4
Prices: 7.3 (Prices are okay, but seen better for the food you get)
Location: 7.8 (There is a bus that runs along Front Street, some parking both paid and free on side streets)
Host: 6.9 (The Bartender calls your name, but the owner has potential..)
Wait times: 9.0 (Thursday's a slower night but since the restaurant only holds round 60 people, wait times shouldn't be too bad)

Final Grade: C+

Venue Information:
On The Rocks
169 Front Street East
Toronto, ON
(416) 862-2901
Thursdays, Friday & Saturdays
10:00 PM - 2 AM

Karaoke Review: The Grasshopper

2007-05-19T14:14:00.000-05:00

Reviewed: 2007-04-19

After leaving one karaoke venue somewhat early I decided I should try to do one more. I had passed the Grasshopper from time to time and knew that hey karaoke there so decided to bite the bullet and give it a try. With all the grass blades of karaoke venues a hop to one more couldn't hurt and could prove an interesting place to "chirp".

The Good: The song selection was actually fair considering that it was a MIDI based system. This one was called DVOK. Its MIDI so obviously the quality of the music isn't the best and is meant for a low budget add-on activity for a bar. But it had a better selection than most. Books available. In addition to the 8068 songs in English there were songs in Vietnamese, Hindi, Spanish and Filipino. There was a real stage which is actually impressive for a place this small in size. Service was quick and quite friendly which is actually fairly common in family run businesses so its something I look for these days. There is no food as this is a bar but the prices for drink were decent. Rotation times were as fair as they could be but this place is a pure FIFO rotation. (First In First Out). so being a new person won't score you points but its fast enough you won't care. The size of the place has something to do with this.

The Mixed: While the MIDI selection was good obviously MIDI isn't ideal (MPEG would be much better). Its a basic DVD system with Mikes. Speakers were weak for singer and levels needed work but not horrible. The Monitor placement wasn't horrible (I've seen much worse) but 7 feet above the floor is awkward to read. Selection in drinks is not great. Mixes only but they can most likely make you the equivalent of most premixed bottled drinks you may be accustomed to. There is no host here which isn't really bad but if you are a traditionalist you'll notice. Its like taking home karaoke into a bar and that is what this entire setup is meant to me.

The Bad: The place is really small. Can hold only 30-40 people tops. It keeps the rotation times down but the number of people you can bring is small. Don't bring more than 4 people with you if you expect to site anywhere.

Summary: The Grasshopper is a bar with karaoke added for fun. Its not a place for true karaoke lovers but if you are in the neighborhood and feel the urge to sing its worth going to. Of course there are better places. But there are worse as well and nothing better in this section of Toronto that I've come across. Its also VERY easy to get to: Just take the streetcar on College/Carlton East bound and there is a stop almost right next to it a block south of Parliament and Carlton. For a economic setup this is certainly one of the better ones with 8k songs in English to choose from and the people who come hear enjoy it so if you want to get noticed by a crowd this is not a bad spot to check out.

Final Grade: C

Facilities: 6.8 (Its a bar that is too small to hold many people, but has a real karaoke stage setup. Decorations do little to reduced the seedy bar look of the place however)
Equipment: 6.8 (Equipment works but speakers aren't the best and monitor placement is a bit of a neck strain)
Song Selection 8.0 (Surprisingly good consider this is an "all-in-one" MIDI System)
Food Service: 7.8 (its a bar, you get drink only, but at least the service is attentive and friendly)
Food Selection: NA (no food so don't come before dinner)
Food Quality: NA
Food Prices: 7.5 (Prices for drink aren't bad, you won't break the bank here.)
Location: 8.4 (easy to get to on the College/Carlton Streetcar. Free parking is available in various side streets)
Host: 6.7 (The Bartender calls your name, not a true karaoke bar setup)
Wait times: 9.0 (this place only holds 40 people tops so wait times are generally quick)

Note: I was noticed writing notes here and was asked several time what I was writing about. FYI, I'm not going to tell you. So if you see someone writing, if they are writing a review they'll look badly on you poking into their material. If they are must someone who likes to write, you are being irritating. So if you want to make a good impression, don't be noisy. If the person is an inspector, you'll increase you chances of a formal inspection. So, leave the people taking notes alone if you are truly concern because asking, especially more than once, will not win you any favors. Most likely the opposite.

Venue Information:
The Grasshopper
460 Parliament Street
Toronto, ON M5A3A2
(416) 323-1210
Thursdays & Sundays
9 PM - 1 AM

Karaoke Review: Butterfly Lounge w/ June Linderfield

2007-05-19T13:37:00.000-05:00

Reviews: 2007-04-19

Karaoke Review: Butterfly Lounge with June Lindenfield

Now here is an interesting twist: Karaoke run by an expert...in the Hair Salon industry. Karaoke lovers come from everything and the fact that someone loves it enough to start their own business is fantastic. With a lounge next door to one's business, I guess I'd be tempted as well. Passions for the "sport" is wonderful but can they hold their own against the pros already out there. I was eager to find out.

The Good: The place has really nice decor outside and in. It is a lounge (basically a place for people to hang out, pickup and get picked up I imagine. There is a dance club below which I'll get to shortly. Several open cubicle like sitting areas hold 4-6 people each is a nice touch and for a karaoke setup has potential. The stage area was quite open and truly center stage so for those that like the "performing" feel this place is a good setup for that. The MC, June, knows how to hold a crowd and keep them involved. She's not quite Jeff Zedic (but then who is) but she can hold her own.

The Mixed: For starters the place is a lounge so there is no food. Drinks are typical for a lounge which is to say they are on the high side. Still its nicer than most bars that have karaoke. While the speaker quality sounded good there were somewhat frequent mike overloads which for many people including me is extraordinarily painful. If that can be kept under proper control you'll sound decent.

The Bad: I hate to kick a new venue in the groin but in this case I have no choice: When I counted the songs there 600. Yes you read the zeros correctly (2) 600! While June claims this was the top 600 that is open to debate. Songs common to most venues I visit weren't there at all. Mostly country, some Alternative, and lot of older songs. While I like older songs most of the basics from there weren't in her book either. I commented on this to June who said Rome wasn't built in a day. Okay, but at 600 songs in a business where new karaoke MC's start at 5-6k, to quote Samwise from The Lord Of The Rings, in terms of selection, "If this is shelter than 1 wall and no roof makes a house". You can't be taken seriously in the Karaoke business if you have less than 5k songs. Sorry but that's a fact. If you have less than that, wait until you do before starting out. I felt like I was in someone's home rather than a karaoke loung/bar. I know that its not cheap to get the songs but a professional must be prepared to spend $5000 for the Music alone to get started. Its the nature of the business. A couple I know paid $30k to buy a business from someone else. You get the idea.

It gets worse, yes...I need another paragraph for this one. At 10 PM the "real" business of Butterly kicks off and you have to compete with the DJ of the nightclub in the lower level. At 10 PM sharp your karaoke vocals will interact with a very loud beat in conflict with the music you are singing. And it gets louder the longer you stay as their music (not just the intense bass). Any of you who visit nightclubs know how loud the DJ plays his music and how much bass he pumps out. This makes karaoke participation almost impossible for you to enjoy solo, and impossible for anyone else to enjoy if you are any good. This venue just bites for karaoke with the conflicting business below.

Summary: While I liked the idea of karaoke in a lounge and have seen it done successfully before (see review on Neutral) Butterfly is clearly an effort by a passionate karaoke lover new to the business. Butterfly is next door to June's hair salon business which is probably why she choose this venue but its a terrible venue and impossible to have karaoke activities there after 10 PM. Her own hair salon would be better given the nightclub activities of Butterfly. I suppose I could recommend it to people who need to be home by 11 PM but outside of those hours you are much better off else where and will have much better selection if you plan to do Karaoke on Thursday after 10 PM. Its really too bad. To anybody have ambitions of being a karaoke professional a few ground rules: Do your homework.

My reviews can help not only the participants but can be a good benchmark for people starting out. Key changers are a MUST. Some places try to get cheap but I've had complaints about Karaoke MC's and even karaoke boxes who got cheap on this. It doesn't go well especially as the customers most likely to be regulars KNOW Karaoke. Most of us serious karaoke lovers have some education on the subject so bear that in mind. Make sure you know what the minimum song selection you need to start out with is. Again, the minimum any SUCCESSFUL professional is 5000. While this is a bit low given the new numbers coming out (8k, 12k, 30k, 35k) its a minimum if you are short on financing. An engaging MC is of course crucial. While you may get a few die hards like me who are willing to help get energy levels up, you can't count on that. Waiting for a minimum number of people to come in makes an MC look unprofessional and is a waste of people's time who do come in to participate. Karaoke MC's who wait for minimum numbers before starting need to reevaluate their ability as an MC. So those are my comments for all you professional karaoke starting out. Hope it helps.

Final Grade: D

Facilities: 5 (8 from 8 PM to 10 PM)
Equipment: 6.8 (Equipment okay but too many mike overloads, not the greatest equipment)
Song Selection: 3.5 (600 songs, we have a new low. Many get a better selection on their Ipod)
Food Service: 7.0 (you'll get your drinks but nothing to "sing" about)
Food Selection: NA (no food so don't come before dinner)
Food Quality: NA
Prices: 6.5 (Its a lounge)
Location: 8.2 (easy to get to on the Spadina Street Car, parking around all paid)
Host: 8.0 (Probably the best part of this venue)
Wait times: 9.0 (Not a lot of people for karaoke so wait times were fast, but with the selection, you'll get through a lot of the material very quickly)

Venue Information:
Butterfly Lounge with June Linderfield, Karaoke MC
422 Adelaide Street West
Toronto, ON
(416) 366-7399
Thursdays, 8 PM - 1 PM (suggest leaving before 10)

Karaoke Review: Tequila Sunrise w/ Jason Rolland

2007-03-09T00:07:00.000-05:00

2007-02-27

Many of you may remember when I reviewed Jason Rolland. Various comments came out and it made for some interesting discussions. It was the first review I had written that had gotten a sizable number of people talking. I received a e-mail from Mr. Rolland telling me now had the biggest selection in town. I've had MANY people make that claim so I look at this the same ways as people giving their "credentials" when they try to pick up someone in bar: with skepticism. But hey, you never know so I went. The issue with a few of the "Banned" songs still left an impression, but times can change so I went trying to keep an open mind.

The Good: To start with, Jason wasn't kidding. He indicated 30k songs in his e-mail which was "More songs than God" according to the cover on his song books. Mr. Rolland was in the 29k range but indicated he had another 2k coming in a couple weeks. In any event the margin was not really an issue. When you are talking 10s of thousands of songs, 1k give or take is not significant in my book. The selection was close enough I have to say Jason Rolland has by far the best ACTUAL song selection of any Karaoke MC in Toronto. I was told that Celine Dion will still be "banned" but the he had removed "Banned" stickers from most of the other selection. Since Jason appears to have lightened up on the banning I try to lighten up on the scoring. Not that I really have to to give him a high mark: This more than double the 2nd highest count I've confirmed with other karaoke hosts. Oh, apparent if you REALLY feel the need Jason can be persuaded to do ONE Dion song, but apparently she gets overplayed. (We had a chat about differences of karaoke philosophy but from what Jason indicated people have been "booed" in the past for singing Dion. Audiences, this is truly BAD form in Karaoke, okay? Not Cool!) Jason still has some of the best equipment I've seen anywhere (as I indicated in the last review) and this one good thing that hasn't changed. Sound is first rate. Mr. Rolland isn't quite a Jeff Zedic but he engages the audience well. The karaoke stage is very well placed (although your audience will be limited). The theme is of course Mexican and the decor suits the theme. The table clothes add to the motive and the restaurant is exceptionally clean and service was decent.

The Mixed: The prices are fair for the food but not amazing although the alcohol is cheap on Tuesdays. Seating at the Tequila Sunrise is limited and it can't hold more than 50 people from what I saw.

The Bad: Great selection, great karaoke equipment, excellent MC, really bad food however. I know something about Mexican food and I enjoy it immensely. Unfortunately the quality of the food just wasn't there. The portions were not only small, my salad (what little there was) used visibly old lettuce and the chicken I had was dried out. Even the refried beans were average at best. The chef (who came out to sing) looked quite young and perhaps experience was part of the problem. Whatever the reason, the prices seemed less fair after you actually ate the food. Especially with a good chance of being hungry later in the evening. On the up side, the Fried Ice Cream was alright. Perhaps its better to have dessert and drinks here rather than dinner.

Summary: Well Jason, you've blown away the scoring for song selection. I know it was not a small investment and the effort deserves to be acknowledged. Jason apparently doesn't have a Monday or Wednesday event which I encourage a venue to remedy because its truly a shame not to put this HUGE collection to good use. I tried to find weakness in the song selection: Zero, nada. And I'm picky. He even has a good collection of Gilbert & Sullivan. The significantly reduced restrictions add to the songs you can enjoy (except perhaps for Dion) If you CAN find any well known songs (or even not well known songs) you know that are not in this book (Musicologists PLEASE be reasonable) I'd love to hear about it. I'm almost tempted to offer a prize to the person who can find the most weakness in a 30k+ collection in the next 3 months. In short, the selection is great. The only real weakness at the Tequila Sunrise is the food. But its a big one. Maybe that will improve with time but Restaurant owners, if I ever see salad greens that old again I'll send it back and take notes for later. Come for the karaoke, come for the cheap drinks and come for desserts. I'll stop there. For karaoke lovers its a great place to good as the crowds are not huge and the wait times will be quite short.

Final Grade: B/B+

Facilities: 7.9 (The restaurant is a bit small. Excellent decor. Karaoke stage quite good, especially given the size of the venue )
Equipment: 9.0 (Great sound, balance, wireless mikes, 'nuff said.)
Song Selection: 9.3 (30k songs, minus Celine Dion, "prohibited" songs reduced, 'nuff said)
Food Selection:7.7 (Fair food selection for Mexican restaurant)
Food Quality: 6.4 (Dinner wasn't good here: Dried out chicken (sauce was okay), salad was old and in my view shouldn't have been served, small portions. Desserts were okay.)
Food Prices: 7.3 (Its in the 7 range for the lost cost drinks)
Location: 8.2 (Adelaide a one way street. All parking is paid. Small walk from John/Queen or King off the Street car)
Host: 8.7 (Quite engaging with the audience. Gets to know his audience)
Wait times: 9.0 (Small capacity and moderate crowds means you'll get plenty of chances to try out a few of the 30k collection)
Food Service: 8.6 (staff is fairly quick with order taking and servicing)

Venue Information:
Jason Rolland, Tuesdays, Thursdays
Tequila Sunrise
212 Adelaide West
Toronto Ontario
416-593-6164
http://www.jasonrolland.com

Karaoke Review: Safari Village w/ Erika

2007-03-08T22:55:00.000-05:00

2007-03-02

Although I've spent some time earlier looking for good venues in East York I had trouble finding any place I was confident in recommending. Fortunately I got a few leads on places East York. One of which came from the venue owner herself. The Safari Village serves East African & Caribbean food which is certainly different from any other venues I've visited. The most exotic venue I visited before this one was One Eleven (see review) which served Russian cuisine. Given the unusual food ethnicity I was hoping that this would be a good place for East Yorkers to go for karaoke as well.

The Good: The service was quite prompt . I later learned it was the owner's birthday(bonus!). Upon looking at the menu the prices were extremely reasonable. One can eat a reasonable meal from between $6-11 (before taxes of course). The quality of the food was actually exceptional especially for the price. The nicest surprise was when an old karaoke favorite, Erika, who use to do shows at the Fiddler's Green, had come out to East York so I knew I was in for a good show. Erika has always been an excellent host and knows how to keep an audience engaged. It was good to know she hadn't lost her touch. The prizes aren't too shabby either. (Has small prizes at her shows if you pay for raffle tickets). The equipment was in good order and sound was decent as was the karaoke stage which has enough room for a small group to “get down”. Apparently the restaurant owner or the MC have fans as a couple came down all the way from Richmond Hill to attend the show.

The Mixed: While the prices and food were excellent the food selection was not a broad as many people may be accustomed to. This may be in part to do with the culture but upon talking to the owner I was told there was a little more variety in the summer because of larger crowds. Still it isn't bad. Chicken (Choma and Jerk), chicken or beef sandwiches, Ox Tail (apparently quite popular), Chicken Wings and Goat or Vegetable curry were among the top choices. No salads or significant appetizers. What you get is exceptional, there just isn't as much selection variety as a few other restaurants. The decor of the place works well. The candles at the table are a nice touch The ceiling tiles need minor repair which is a small distraction but the decor overall and makes one feel at home. Unfortunately the space is very limited space. 40 people max so its only good for small groups. The Karaoke setup wasn't bad but the monitor was a 32” TV next to the bar and if one wants to see the lyrics you have to face the wall rather than the audience. I've said this before but a simple 12-15” LCD monitor would do better than a CRT television (especially a large one) and is easy to position anywhere with a stand. I actually did some research and found supplier who can provide the monitors (easy) and the LCD portable stand (not so easy) so if anyone is interested let me know and I can get one from a distributor. It really does make a difference in situations where the stage is a little small. The wait times were very mixed and hard to evaluate: The show was split between people dancing in the stage area (possibly because it was the owner's birthday) and singing. I wasn't always sure why there were delays songs but given the small crowd it should have been easy to get a lot of songs in. The next show (in 2 weeks) I hope that Erika will be able to give people more singing time. Everyone had a great time in spite of in. Its hard to know what to say because everyone was enjoying the format (including myself) but I wasn't singing as much as I expected . As it was the owner's birthday I suspect an alteration to the show was made in part because of it and I'm guessing more singing time will be see at the next performance.

The Bad: Erika hasn't lost her touch as a Karaoke MC but her selection has not been updated since I saw her last (2005). Counting the songs in her book didn't take me long and I counted twice to be sure: 5389 after duplicates were removed. It really pains me to say this but two years ago 6k was the base for an average score and people have been increasing this since then so 5400 songs is a bit below par. Its enough to have fun but a karaoke enthusiast will feel they want more of a selection. Small note: there is a door chime on the front door as you come in and out. During the karaoke show this is VERY distracting and it should probably be turned off when the karaoke show begins or replace it with a flashing light.

Summary: This venue has a number of good things going for it: The best prices overall on food and drinks I've seen so far (food quality and prices taken into account), and the venue has a very nice neighborly feel to it. You feel very much at home and the staff seems to give the food and decor a very personal touch. Erika complements this with her excellent and interactive approach to karaoke show hosting. Although the size is small it works well for the “at home” ambiance as long as you are a group of 6 or less. I've probably said this too many time but Erika is an amazing MC but her selection really needs to be expanded. If you are going for great food and good times with a small but acceptable karaoke selection you won't be disappointed and the prizes add to the fun. While the wait times were a tad long for the number of people, there was never a dull moment. I strongly suspect more song time will be seen in future events as I came in on a special occasion. If you are a hard core karaoke fan who is big on selection you may want to look elsewhere but I will certainly be back for the overall experience. Safari Village is my new overall recommendation for karaoke lovers on a budget.

Final Grade: B-

Facilities: 7.0 (Seating limited, door bell distracting during karaoke, good karaoke stage and decor)
Equipment: 7.7 (equipment is good but some small delays due to finding disks and 32” TV in awkward position, a 15” LCD monitor + stand would be much better especially facing the audience)
Selection 6.8 (Song selection needs to be expanded as every one else is expanding theirs)
Food Selection:7.0 (drink selection is good, meal selection good but a little more selection would help)
Food Quality: 8.9 (the quality of the food is exceptional. Makes you almost forget the limited menu)
Prices: 9.0 (overall the best value for the food I've seen yet)
Location: 8.3 (Coxwell Subway 5 minutes east, side street parking)
Host: 9.0 (Erika is among the most entertaining hosts out there. A true showman)
Wait times: 7.8 (due to a special event this is not final, I imagine this will probably go up next week)
Service: 8.8 (staff is very attentive. A small venue helps but even with this taken into account they look after you)

Venue Information:
Host: Erika
Safari Village
1690 Danforth Avenue (East of Coxwell)
Toronto, Ontario
(416) 406-0534
Fridays (every two weeks), recommending calling to confirm

New information requested: Support is appreciated

2007-02-22T13:23:00.000-05:00

Folks, it appears that some people are actually taking parts of my blog
seriously. Its kind of cool and I am working as hard as I can to keep
new material coming in. The topics of this Karaoke blog have expanded to include
topics like ideal karaoke systems, Laptop versus self-contained
hardware, equipment to use, software to use. I've actually been asked
how to set up an ideal small Karaoke Box in Chicago, how to set up a
laptop here in Toronto and a guy from Florida ask me how to recover songs from his dying CAVS hard drive. You will see a donation button on the right and perhaps a few
small adds. Reason for this is getting the information I provide takes time and resources to collect and publish. So there it is: I have to pay to visit karaoke
boxes, pay for food/drinks at karaoke bars, pay software license and
even equipment in some cases.

Please be assured that this will have no affect my objectivity.(or subjectivity some may argue) The content of my reviews will never be for sale. If a service or product
sucks, I'm going to say so. Period. Likewise if something is fantastic I'm going to say so even if they tell me I suck. Its all about providing useful Karaoke info about Toronto and in some case the world of Karaoke in general. If you think my work is worth anything and would like to help expedite the process feel free to volunteer information (for which credit will be given)or give a small donation to offset my costs(public acknowledgement of donors will be given with permission from the donor). It really does help. Cheers all.

Oh, if anyone one has an old CAVS JB-99 that boots up I'd be interested in buying it. I want to test a software tool I'm writing to speed up loading large amounts of data to it which will be freely available and open source upon successful testing. Currently the method of loading gigs of songs to a JB-99 through the IDE-TO-IDE (by far the fastest) method is VERY technical and error prone (for non-techies). I intend to rectify that with this tool but I need a JB-99 to test it on. As long as it can read a hard drive properly formatted it doesn't matter if it has scratches or non-working cd carousel or no hard drive. Just as long as it is functional (meaning it can ready a properly formatted hard drive and play the songs ). If one could loan me one for 2 weeks that would also be great and would count as a donation. Thanks all.

Jonah A. Libster

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Karaoke Review: Bar + Karaoke Lounge

2007-02-21T21:40:00.000-05:00

December 12th, 2006

This place was set up by the owner of one of Toronto's first premium karaoke boxes, XO. I was told by a senior manager that this new place was set up to attract “westerners”. (As opposed to the Korean population at Bloor & Christie. Someone told me there is some Korean gang activity in Koreatown so perhaps this was also motivation). Although I had loved XO for 10 years the fact that much of the original furniture was badly broken and ventilation systems were mostly non-functional (especially in the summer) left me longing either for a major repair at XO or a new venue of the same selection and equipment. When I was told about the “plasma” screens I was drooling as my mind envisioned the ultimate karaoke box in the center of downtown Toronto. Imaginations can run away with you very quickly when you are looking for the ultimate karaoke box. With a 30 minute free trial this was going to be the a easy review for my wallet.

The Good: Well the plasma screens were there, brand new of course although I quickly recognized them as low end. (plasma is less expensive than LCD which has clearer images) The look of the place felt like karaoke box meets night club feel to it. The looks of the interior was actually very nicely thought out. The selection was identical to XO which is to say it was decent.

The Mixed: I wish I could say that the spirit that created XO was preserved but unfortunately all the effort appeared to go into initial looks. The mikes were cheap and easily overloaded and I was picking up residual noise noise from the receiver. It turned out to be a radio signal coming in over the speaker. I quickly pointed this out the staff who told me the receivers were lower quality from Korea and they would be replaced eventually. The other thing that caught my attention was that there were no key changers in ANY of the rooms. What I was hoping to be an awesome experience was turning into a bad dream: The owner got extremely cheap on the equipment: all you had to do was scratch the surface of that pretty exterior for the poor quality beneath to show. XO was the top karaoke box in its day and for the owner to get cheap on equipment was a real let down. I told the staff what I had observed and even told them how to get key changers for <$200 each. 13 rooms for a total of ~$2600. For a small business this is not a big investment. For 6 weeks I kept checking in to see if key changers were going to be added. Every time I check out the place it was fairly empty. I asked about food availability. They said there was food available at a nearby restaurant but no menu was available. This looked like a minimal beginning as well as a cheap one. The rates are slightly less than XO which I'd like to say was good but given the quality of the equipment that was there (no key changers) I felt the customers could do better for the money.

The Bad: The service when I was there was pretty poor as well: People often weren't at the desk when I was checking out the place as late of 9 PM. Kind of scary. Other times people seemed more occupied with playing video games on a computer than attending the desk. Very unprofessional work ethic ½ the time. The crowds may not be there yet but they should at least look like they cared. I've already said my peace about the receivers there which were outright bad as well as the mikes.

Summary: The owner of this place perhaps should consider a career in interior decorating (or refer the person he hired) because he seems to think “westerns” have no knowledge of what karaoke is all about or what quality equipment is. Let's start with basics: People have different song ranges, so key changers are ESSENTIAL. Yes, ESSENTIAL so that everyone can participate comfortably. Not having simple key changers that will work on any analog audio system is, frankly, very discouraging considering the great work on initially done with XO. Not only that but cheap Korean equipment and radio signal feedback on the audio (when there was no radio component on these receivers or perhaps I should say preamp) also suggests that the owner was doing everything to get this operation up on the cheap using excellent decorating to hide the fact. After six weeks of telling them they should have key changers and even telling them where to get them with no results show lack of attention the customers. Every time I went to the place (generally Fridays) I didn't see much of a crowd. Perhaps its just as well given the lack of respect for Karaoke lovers. Perhaps this is why he has let XO become so run down it is now dangerous to go to in the summer due to lack of proper ventilation and working air conditioners which had not been repaired properly for at least 2 years. I had to stop bringing the Toronto Karaoke Meetup Group as a result. There may be a general trend of business and Karaoke Box owners trying to avoid initial business costs with the invent of computer based Karaoke song changers, but just because a computer can do the rotations doesn't mean you don't provide the basics if you are going to be in the karaoke business at all. Anyone looking to start a karaoke box be aware there are those of us who have been to Asia, know what standard karaoke is supposed to provide and we will let people know who respects their customers, and just as importantly, who does not.

Summary Scores:

Facilities: 9.0 (Nice rooms, really clean, furniture in amazing shape)

Equipment: 6.5 (Cheap receivers(radio noise), mikes and no key changers. People do notice when karaoke boxes cheapen the experience. At least the computer song changer worked well. The 0.5 bonus for plasma screens but they are no substitute for proper karaoke equipment)

Location: 8.0 (Block north of Dundas Subway. Parking will cost you a pretty penny at Yonge/Dundas however)

Food Prices: NA (Prices on drinks are average, but only snack food)

Service: NA (staff seemed to be killing time a lot so perhaps its for the best they only serve drinks)
Selection: 7.0 (~7000 English songs, lots of Korean, Chinese, some Japanese, same as XO).

Wait Times: 9.0 (Its a computer AVI/MPG server. So this is expected)

Room Prices: 7.0

1-5 people: $25/Hour

6-10 people: $40/Hour

50 Large Room: $50/Hour

Final Grade: C (Given the equipment quality and lack of basics this is a gift)

New Info: Since my original visit I've been informed that there is a Korea Midi system with limited key change capability but still no real key changers. (2007-02-21)

PS: Some actually asked about this place and when I told them my findings they asked if I could carry around a key changer for the Toronto Karaoke Meetup Group. People notice, people care, and people have to carry basic karaoke equipment with them, better off going elsewhere. Why would a karaoke box customer pay to bring proper equipment?

Venue Information:
Bar + Karaoke Lounge
360 Yonge Street
Toronto, ON M5B 1S5
(416) 340-7154

New of upcoming events at the Groundhog Pub

2007-02-21T00:35:00.000-05:00

I have to publish my new review at the Groundhog Pub with new MC Jeremy Siklosi. Before I do here is an update on new events being planned right from the horse's moutm, Jeremy Siklosi:

"We are going to start theme nights in March.
The 1st night will be Musicals, with prizes & stuff."

I have no idea of what the other themes are will be but I will ask.

Improvements in relation to previously posted Karaoke Info

2007-02-19T01:32:00.000-05:00

I got a notice from Jason Rolland informing of a few things which I should pass on. Tequella Sunrise for one thing is on again with different days. I had visied the palce with a friend awhile back and was informed by the staff that karaoke was no longer a regular event but I've been assured that is no longer the case. (I pass Adelaide on my way to a client so I'll have plently of opportunity to stop in the afternoon and make sure there are no crossed signals) I've also been informed that Mr.Rolland has substantially increased his music collection from when I last checked him out. He indicates 30k songs but I won't consider that official until I review his books (someone once told me they had 20k but the books said otherwise). Remember MC's, if the songs are not in the book, I don't count it. Having songs at "at home" or elsewhere else means '0' to me and to anyone else attending.

I had made some non-karaoke related remarks (as an IT consultant) about Mr. Rolland's site being set up for IE only. I've reviewed the site again and a long last I don't get any messages about my not using the insecure, infamous and inhospitable Microsoft Internet Explorer if I use my Apple Powerbook. Unfortuantely on the Windows OS there is STILL this annoying redirect which has no technical reason for being there. Here's the proof:http://www.jasonrolland.com/index2.html.
The redirect is a very simple and pardon my saying, poorly written javascript snippet. Easy to hack, and according to web professionals other than myself (although I'm one of them) very unreliable. Everyone who keeps up with IT security news doesn't use IE 6 (unless you love spyware being placed on your computer without your knowledge via the magic of ActiveX scripting), and IE 7 has a number of compatibility problems with older sites. Consequently a HUGE increase of Firefox users has been recorded in the last year which of course reduces IE users. So Jason, get up with the program (if you don't want to turn off/away customers) and play nice with the rest of the Internet world (W3C standards). To recoin a phrase "IE is soon to no longer be Number 1 for a reason". Jason appears to still have a little work to do on his web site.

There is a new venue that has also opened up by a Karaoke MC company called Flashback Entertainment/Kanary Karaoke:
Applejacks
3757 Keele Street (South of Finch)
Tuesday Nights
Time: 10 PM? (no time given)

Now I will get to reviewing this venue as it's within Toronto Borders (just) but I'm told by an employee that this company has
"just under 3000 songs however our song selections are extremely popular amongst our Karaoke participants".

Karaoke MCs: I'm all for promoting Karaoke and as such I'm posting this info where I can, but if you want me give a good impression you need to get at LEAST 6k songs to get a decent review. With everyone "upping the ante" with 8k, 9k, 11k and even (unofficial) 30k song lists, 3k just isn't competitive in this business and I'd be doing karaoke MC's and participants a great disservice if I said otherwise. Even if they are "extremely popular". The larger lists I've verified have even more "extremely popular" songs so you can't really make up for such a small selection as there are just too many people in Toronto with diverse musical tastes. I'm not trying to be mean but in my 2 years of visiting and writing reviews on this topic I think this karaoke company needs to "get it up" in the selection criteria if they want to avoid disappointing fans. This is especially crucial if they want to keep the younger crowd. (Peter Rockwell and Jason Rolland are particularly popular with these audiences)

More to come soon.

Karaoke Review: Mayday Malone's w/ Jeremy Siklosi

2007-02-19T01:22:00.000-05:00

Review Date: 2007-02-09

After an admittedly long absence due to my day job as well as well as a few other distractions I'm finally able to get back to reviewing karaoke venues. A few things have changed from last year. For starter's Jeff Zedic has left to explore the world and has passed on his business to the Jeremy Siklosi who carries the torch and at the Groundhog and Mayday Malone's. Jeremy has some big shoes to fill as Jeff was in my view the best Karaoke MC in Toronto since I started this blog. I also had to hold off this review because of a technical mishap that occurred literally the day before the torch was officially passed on. I felt it was ncessary to wait a short period in order to give a fair review. Now that the collection is restored I can move forward with a clear conscience as see how well the new shoes fits our new Karaoke Host.

The Good: Mayday Malone's as a venue has really low prices on food. If you are looking for a karaoke bar on a budget this is one place you should definitely check out. Especially if you like Nachos which are half price on Thursday nights. The equipment is mostly unchanged and Jeremy takes the same care and attention to sound quality as Jeff always did so unless you yell into the mike you'll sound anywhere from good to amazing. The song selection mostly the same as Jeff had. There are around 10k+ songs in the book as a few are still being restored but it should not be too long before the original 13k+ songs are back in the system. The wait times are quite good for the most part but there is a regular group that goes in around 11 PM so your best best to get in 3-4 songs in the evening is to get there around 10 PM. Jeremy keeps up the tempo both in the rotation and energy although he needs a little more variety in his commentary. The food services is quite prompt.

The Mixed: The layout isn't bad and its as good as the restaurant will allow given its configuration. You may be forced to site near the front door due to space. Mayday Malone's is not really ideal for large groups because seating near the karaoke action is limited, especially if groups come to play darts which requires 2-3 tables to be removed so they can play. Seating in the 1st half of the restaurant isn't bad, but it can be awkward to reach when your name is called. The food quality is palletable, but I've had better at places like the Groundhog Pub, but then again prices are higher. I'd say its the best food you can get for modest pries they charge, and that being said, the food is fairly decent.

The Bad: While you get good food and portions for the price the selection is severely lacking, not only in food selection (very basic sandwiches, pizzas, Mexicana food, a few appetizers, and no desserts), but in drinks as well. No coolers available. They can do mixes for your and they have all the basic beers and lagers. Be warned that if you are a fan of coolers or premixed drinks, you won't find any here.

Summary: Mayday Malone's is probably the best place I've seen in downtown core (roughly) for someone looking to do karaoke on a tight budget. With a very wide selection of songs to choose from, good quality food (especially for the price) and great equipment you'll be happy with this place. The space is more limited than other venues out there and the food selection is extremely limited so bear in mind that low budgets have their price. Jeremy Siklosi takes good care of his participants and tries very hard to please. Fans of Jeff Zedic, be aware that Jeremy is not the comedian that Jeff was. (Jeff actually did professional shows at Yuk Yuk's every so often and that is a rare find in a Karaoke MC). I do miss the well timed jokes and the trivia that Jeff used to give in his shows. If I had any immediate tips for Jeremy in his new role I'd say work up the Karaoke Music Trivia between songs and add a few comic observations. This is one way Jeff Zedic really pleased the crowd and Jeremy is capable of it. All he needs is more practice. Given the way things got started off when he took over the business, Jeremy has been a professional by follow the old motto, “The show must go on”. He's probably still reeling from the mishap of late December when Mr. Zedic accidentally scrambled the music collection the day before Jeremy took over which took some quick action get mostly restored. I strongly suspect we'll see Jeremy shine as an MC now that he is able to focus on personality aspect. I'll check up on him and alter the selection and MC scores as Jeremy gets settled in. All in all this is still a quality karaoke venue to visit.

Final Grade: B

Facilities: 7.0 (Seating may be limited and you may be forced to sit on the opposite side of the from bar from the karaoke host & equipment)
Equipment: 8.8 (minor glitches if MC has to use a disk rather than the computer hard drive)
Selection 8.8 (a few songs from the original collection missing but will be restored shortly)
Food Selection: 6.8 (food & drink selection are really limited here)
Prices: 8.8 (some of the best prices I've seen for the food in downtown Toronto)
Location: 7.8 (Bathurst Subway, and walk north about 15 minutes, scattered side street parking)
Host: 8.5 (Very attentive to sound levels of his singers,but commentary occasionally gets repetitive. There have been some exceptional circumstances to take in to account so this score should improve shortly)
Wait times: 8.5
Service: 8.5

Venue Information:
Jeremy Siklosi, Siklosi Karaoke
Mayday Malone's
1078 Bathurst St.
Toronto, ON
M5R 3G9
(416) 531-8064

Thursdays: 10 PM - 2 AM

Karaoke Events & Updates 2007

2007-02-19T01:21:00.001-05:00

Fellow Karaoke Lovers:
I'm compiling a list of current places for Karaoke Bars and Boxes as well as reviews so we can know where to go for either a private or public session any day of the week. (Yes it IS possible). Also to let people which places have sadly passed on. Without further ado, here is the list of venue places, events and (sob) closings.

Regular Resturant & Bar Events (Confirmed):
** New Venues Added **
Safari Village
1690 Danforth Avenue
Toronto, ON
(416) 406-0534
1st and 3rd Friday of the Month

Gabby's
383 Eglington Avenue East
Toronto, Ontario
M4P 1M5
(416) 484-4101
Thursdays 9 PM - 1 AM

Duke of York Tavern
1225 Queen Street East
Toronto, Ontario M4M 1L6
(416) 463-5302
Wednesdays 8:30 - 12:30?

** New venue ***
Flashback Entertainment/Kanary Karaoke:
Applejacks Resturant
3757 Keele Street (South of Finch)
(416) 631-9013
Tuesday Nights
Time: 10 PM? (no time given)

** Recently revived **
Hollywood On the Queensday(New Review to follow)
1184 The Queensway
Phone: (416) 251-0288
Web Site
8:30 PM - Midnight
Wednesday Evenings

Gus' Knott Inn
Peter Styles
1562 Weston Road
Phone: (416) 913-8090
Wednesday Nights
Time: 10 PM

(see review)
Mayday Malone's
1078 Bathurst Street
Toronto, ON
Phone: (416) 531-8064
Thursdays Evenings 10 pm - 2 am

(temporarily suspended)
MayDay Malone's
965 Bloor St West
Phone: (416) 516-7844
Thursday Evenings
10 pm till 2am

The Old Sod
2936 Bloor St. W.
Phone: (416) 239-3812
Tuesdays & Sundays
9 PM?- Closing

Badger and Firkin
555 Burnhamthorpe Road, Unit 5
Phone: (416) 620-5959
Tuesdays
9 PM - Closing

Rose and Thorne
246 Brown's Line
Phone: (416) 233-8827
Thursdays
9 PM - Closing

Di and Gabby's
2902 Lake Shore Boulevard West
Phone: (416) 503-3791
Thursdays
9 PM - Closing

Bert & Ernie's
5555 Dundas Street West
Phone: (416) 231.5858
Sundays
9 PM - Closing

Hurricanes
963 Bloor Street West
Phone: (416) 531-7818
Wednesdays
9 PM - Closing

J Michael's Restaurant & Tavern
235 Dixon Road
Phone: (416) 249.2651
Saturdays
9 PM - Closing

The Dufferin Gate
1204 King Street West (King & Dufferin)
Toronto, ON
Phone: (416) 534-2238
Thursdays 9:30 - Closing

The Chateau Bar & Grill
1157 St Clair W (Just East of Duffrin)
Toronto, ON
Phone: 416-654-3784
Saturdays, 9:30 PM - Closing

Sway
1335 St. Clair West
Toronto, ON
Phone: 416-653-8777
Saturdays, 9:30 PM - Closing

Tequila Sunrise
212 Adelaide Street West
(416) 593-6164
10 PM - 2 AM (Host: Jason Rolland, http://www.jasonrolland.com/)
Tuesday & Thursday Evenings

P.M. Toronto
1245 Dupont St.(Rear Entrance to Galleria Mall)
Toronto, ON
Phone: (416) 530-4505
Thursdays 9:30 - Closing

Main Event
2368 Yonge St.(North of Eglington)
Phone:416-544-8070
Wednesdays 9:30PM - Closing

The Groundhog Pub (See Review)
401 Bloor Street East
Toronto, ON
M4W1H7
Phone: (416) 975-1867
Fax : (416) 975 - 9252
Fridays & Saturdays 10 PM - 2 AM

Fox & Fiddle (See Review)
280 Bloor Street West (Bloor St. West @ St. George)
Toronto, ON
(416) 966-4fox (369)
http://www.bloorfox.com
Tuesday & Saturdays 10 PM (11 PM Saturdays) - 2 AM

The Unicorn
(416) 482-0115
175 Eglington East
Toronto, ON
M4P 1J4
Monday Evenings, 10 PM - 2 AM

Saxony Resturant (See Review)
(416) 929-2300
599 Sherbourne Street
8 PM - 2 AM
Friday, Saturday Evenings

Zippers Bar
72 Carlton Street
(Phone Number being confirmed)
8 PM - 12 AM
Thursday Evenings

The Gladstone Hotel (see review)
1214 Queen Street West
(416) 531- 4635
8 PM to 1 AM (Host:Peter Styles, http://www.peterstyles.info/)
Thursday, Friday and Saturday

Fiddler's Green Pub (See Review)
27 Wellsley Avenue
(Phone number pending)
(7-9? confirmation of start time pending) - closing time
Friday Evenings (Prizes indicated)

The Fox and Fiddle (see review)
535 Danforth Avenue,
Toronto, Ontario M4K 1P7
Phone: 416-462-9830
Fax: 416-461-3132

Hoops Sports Bar (see review)
458 Yonge Street
(416) 929-3324
9 PM - closing time
Wednesday, Thursday Evenings

Shoeless Joe's Bar (see review)
401 King Street West
(Phone Number pending)
10 PM - 2 AM (Host name pending)
Friday Evenings

Joe Mercury's Big City Sports Bar & Grill
2345 B Dundas St. West
(416) 535-1324
9:30 PM - Closing
Thursday, Friday, Saturday

Peel Pub
276 King St. W. (& Duncan)
(416) 977-0003
Tuesday 10:00pm

On the Rocks Restaurant
169 Front St. E (& Sherbourne)
(416) 862-2901
Thursday, Friday, Saturday
"Marginal selection of out of date songs, but good atmosphere"

Unconfirmed Karaoke Resturants & Bars
(Note because these are as yet unconfirmed, I cannot be certain that
all these venues are still in operation. I will be confirming them in the coming weeks)

Billy Bob's
2448 Bloor Street West
Toronto, ON
(416)-762-1157
Thursday
10 PM - Closing

Blue Lagoon
3180 Lake Shore Boulevard West
Toronto ON
(416) 259-4700
Fridays
9:30 PM - Closing

Chateau Bar & Grill
1157 St. Clair Avenue West
Toronto ON
(416) 654-3784
Fridays
9:30 PM - Closing

Cheer's
2364 Yonge Street
Toronto, ON
(905) 855-7584
Wednesdays
9 PM - Closing

Chick 'N Deli
744 Mount Pleasant Road
Toronto ON
416-489-9464
Wednesdays
9 PM - Closing

Crews Toronto
508 Church Street
Toronto, ON
416-972-1662
Tuesdays & Thursdays
11 PM - Closing

Fiddler's Dell Bar
781 Annette Street
Toronto,ON
416-767-8882
Wednesdays
10 PM - Closing

Canton Karaoke Lounge
4810 Sheppard Av East
(416) 332-0801

Club Epiphany Restaurant & Lounge
11 Arrow Rd
(416) 740-9329

Future Karaoke Restaurant
58 Redlea
(416) 321-5618

Huong Bar & Karaoke
1680 St Clair Avenue West
(416) 654-8889

Manila By Night Karaoke Bar & Restaurant
4949 Bathurst Street
(416) 225-1078

May Karaoke
876 Dundas West
(416) 361-9377

JR's Bar & Grill
3653 Lakeshore Blvd. West
(416) 521-6302

The Fox & Fiddle
4946 Dundas Street West.
Toronto,ON
(416) 207-9990
Saturdays

Crossroads House
1544 Danforth Ave. (& Coxwell Ave.)
(416) 406-4017
Wednesdays

Cubao Bar & Grill
298 College St. (& Spadina Ave.)
(416) 966-9024
a song or two during the band's break

Duke Of York
1225 Queen St. E. (@ Leslie)
Toronto
(416) 463-5302
Saturday 4:30 to 7:30 P.M. with SD SIKI

Hollingers Restaurant & Tavern
1026 Coxwell Ave (& Danforth)
(416) 425-9877
Fri & Sun

Jekyl & Hyde
2340 Dundas Street West.
Toronto,ON
(416) 535-0547
10 PM - Closing
Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays

Joe Badali's Restaurant (Elbow Room)
156 Front St. (& Simco)
(416) 977-3064
Wednesday 6:30pm to 10:30pm with Walter & Chris Henkel

Mr. Slate Sports Bar & Top Brass Lounge
952 Kingston Rd.
M4E 1S7
(416) 694-9495 Thursdays Fri 10 P.M.

New Karaoke Restaurant
793 Gerrard E
(416) 463-9902

Play It Again Sports Bar
1002 St. Clair Ave. W. (& Oakwood Ave.)
Toronto M6E 1A2
(416) 656-8434
Friday 11:00am- 2:00am

Purple Pig
1 Richmond St. W.
(416) 366-6465
Friday

Rio Restaurant
129 Danforth Ave
Toronto, On
(416) 461-2208
Wednesday

Spice Isle Granadian Sports Bar (formerly 'Caffe Del Corso')
1928 Eglinton Ave. W., York
(416) 782-4044
Fridays 9:30pm - 2:00am with Martin Dalcourt & Merike Purje.

Spirits Bar & Grill
642 Church St.
Toronto, ON
M4Y 2G3
(416) 967-0001
Saturday & Sunday

Star City Karaoke
393 Dundas West
(416) 593-9996

Tropical Nights
1311 Danforth Ave
Toronto, On
(416) 693-9000
Mon 10:00 P.M

Winchester Tavern
537 Parliament St. (& Winchester St.)
(416) 929-1875 Wed and Sun

Wise Guys
2301 Danforth Ave.
Toronto, On
416-690-8343
karaoke with Dr. Spin

JR's Bar & Grill
3653 Lakeshore Blvd. West
(416) 521-6302
Karaoke Saturday Nights Began Nov. 2, 2002, On-going

Closings:

The following Venues have closed their doors. We'll miss them:

Mr. GreenJeans
The Eaton (Sears) Centre (Dundas & Yonge), 3rd floor
(416) 979- 1212
10 PM - 2 AM (Host: Jason Rolland, http://www.jsonrolland.com/)
Wednesday, Thursday Evenings (Saturdays? possible type/bug on site)

Hollywood On the Queensday(See Review)
1184 The Queensway
(416) 251-0288
8 PM - Midnight (Hosted by Karaoke Nights)
Wednesday Evenings

Wolf & Ferkin
43 Elm Street
Wednesdays
7:30 PM - 11:30 PM (Starting after the first week September)
Phone: (416) 971-6264
Toronto, ON

Milwaukee's Good Bites
220 Adelaide Street West
(416) 368-1017
10 PM - 2 AM (Host: Jason Rolland, http://www.jasonrolland.com/)
Tuesday Evenings

Fuel Station
335 Jarvis St. (& Carlton St.)
(416) 921-1361
Mondays, Pool Tables

The Red Spot
459 Church St
(416) 967-7768
Mondays with Foofer

Lee Garden
1255 Bay St. (& Bloor)
(416) 968-3689
All English Daily 9:30pm Chinese Food Restaurant

Sushi Bistro
204 Queen St. W.
Toronto, On
(416) 971-5315

Cafe Lang Van II Karaoke
70 Ossington
Toronto, On
(416)536-5482

Charitiy's Karaoke Cause Bar
240 Sherbourne
Toronto, On
(416) 922-4885

Ah So Gardens Japanese Restaurant
614 Jarvis St. (& Bloor)
(416) 920-4333
Featuring songs in English, Chinese, Japanese & Korean.

Fox & Firkin (Open but stopped Karaoke 3 years ago)
51 Eglinton Ave. E. (& Yonge St.)
Phone: (416) 480-0200
Sundays British Pub. Imported beers on tap

Stanley's Entertainment Lounge
129 Danforth Avenue
(416) 462-3373
9:30PM - Close (Host name pending)
Wednesday Evenings

T.J.'s Tap & Grill
2112 Danforth Ave. (E of Woodbine)
(416) 424-4612
Saturday with Mary

Karaoke Box Venues:
This sections I need time to get full details.
See reviews for XO karaoke box for details. More to follow

What's to come for the New Year (okay its February I know)

2007-02-02T08:14:00.000-05:00

Folks I apologize for momentary lapse of reviews and articles. As you may have guessed from my recent postings, I've been busy on a Karaoke project which I believe is mostly concluded. Aside from making sure backups are in place to prevent another mishap that I wrote about from reoccuring everything is ship shape and I can now go back to what we all love: Finding out what's hot (and what's not) with Karaokeland in Toronto.

I have an article I need to publish but Feburary and March there are several places I plan to visit: As you know Jeff Zedic has left for England but a MC has taken over at the Groundhog Pub and Mayday Malone's: Jeremy Skilosi is the new owner of Toronto's best song selection. Can he measure up to one of Toronto's all time best Karaoke MCs? I'll let you know next week. There is also a new karaoke venue at Church/Wellsley with Karaoke MC FooFer, and place called "Grasshopper" at Parliment, the Chick N' Deli at Mt. Pleasent and Eglington as well as The Unicorn near Eglington/Yonge/Mt Pleasent (The Uni as my friends called it) Monday nights (wow a place on MONDAY!!) as well as the The Dufferin Gate in Parkdale. So Karaoke MCs (KJ's) dust off your mixers. We'll have some private box reviews for you as well. There is a new place at Yonge and Gerrard which I held off publish a review on after I visited it because I wanted to give them the chance to improve some poor audio equipment and rectify lack of key changers (they allow you to change pitch which allows more people to participate). The owner of the venue setup XO so I had hoped he intended to set a high standard to top Twister. I'm publishing my review on them as well with or without good equipment next week as they've had more than enough time to get their house in order. So as you can tell there is lots to come. So as they used to say in TV land before Internet and cable tv, "stay turned". Or at least check the blog out once in awhile.

- Jonah

An Experience inside a CAVS JB-99 Karaoke Jukebox

2007-01-01T18:15:00.001-05:00

Alternative title:How to PROPERLY create or format a new Hard disk drive for a JB-99 Karaoke System (max 120 Gig Hard Disk, 160 Gig untested)

(Event took place December 17th to December 20th, 2006)

I recently had an experience just before Christmas which may be good for Karaoke MCs using the CAVS JB-99 Jukebox in the event they have difficulties with the hard disk. A Karaoke MC had recently bought a used JB-99 System and all the CD disks from an acquaintance and they wisely inquired about having a backup of the computer hard disk drive in case a hardware fault occured. Unfortunately when the original owner (no, not me) attempted to clone it using Norton Ghost, which is a reasonable enough tool for people who are only familiar with Windows, serious problems arose. (I prefer to use open source tools listed below which are free and as good or superior in many situations)

What should have been an easy clone turned into a nightmare: Not only would the new disk (which was 160 Gigs) would not work in the JB-99 Karaoke Jukebox, but the original disk was unusable. Worse yet: The music originally stored on the hard drive was apparently lost or at least unreadable. The Original hard drive was taken to a professional recovery service with no success. All they got back was a set of ~100 unplayable MP3s. When I heard about this problem I said I would try my hand at it because I've been given disks where clients had be told by "experts" that the data was irretrievable and I had proved them wrong. I ran my usual tools and scans and got just as far the other company had done and spend 2 days in research figuring out how the data was actually stored. I had to cut this data recovery attempt short because of another problem the new MC faced: He had no usable hard disk for upcoming shows. They needed a usable hard drive and CAVS had not made instructions on formatting a new hard drive for the JB-99 easy to find. So I had to figure it out from pieces. I felt obligated to print my research findings because it was such a pain to do even when I found the answers I needed to get a JB-99 Hard drive working.

To start with this system was designed around 1995, when Linux was not nearly as powerful as it is today, computer circuitry was 1/8th is current capability and music files were (and still are) very large when converted to MP3+CDG Files. In addition they wanted a way to minimize ability for people to potentially pirate the music and minimize the processing power required to run the jukebox as well as use a text only interface. To this end the developers wrote the entire CAVS Jukebox computer system in Caldera DR-DOS (And flirted with IBM & MS DOS later on). As many fellow geeks out there are aware, the old DOS had extreme limitations in Partition size with FAT16. The CAVS developers actually came up with a fairly clever around it: Keep the core partition with the OS and binaries (juke.exe is the CORE is the JB-99 jukebox system on a minimal partition of 200 MB in FAT16 format and keep the song data on the rest of the drive which remained in RAW form. The index for the music and graphic data would be stored on a text index file (I.txt) which told the system which parts of the disk each song and corresponding graphic file was stored.

Many of you may now realize the difficulty in getting the files out: Even if I could scan and figure out which block of data belonged to each file, I had to figure out which were graphics files and which were MP3 Files. This is undoubtedly what daunted the specialists where the drive was first sent to for data recovery. They probably had no idea which file was which and assumed that all files were MP3. (And this is what I would have done in their shoes without the additional research I did). To complicate matters further, I noticed on the original source disk there were not one but TWO 200MB partitions on the disk with identical files. Now I understood the seriousness of the problem: The owner had accidentally copied a second 200MB partition to the SAME disk! Because the rest of the music and graphic data was stored on the unformatted portion it was at least partially overwritten even if I scanned the disk and successfully identified the various files. For reference I did test scans of the binary encoding of MP3 files and discovered they depending on the encoder there are different headers and footers for various MP3 files although I assume on the JB-99 import system they would be the same. The real problem was that I'd have to test each individual file to determine if it was corrupted or not. With over 10,000 sets of MP3 and corresponding graphic files to test potentially I quickly realized it would probably take fewer man hours to just reimport the song from the MP3+CDG disk IF I could get a hard drive working.

I checked on the forum from the CAVS website and only got partial answers. There were references to a "how to" of creating a Hard disk. I found at least partial instructions on various parts of the forums. I called CAVS directly to see if I could get any direct answers. I discovered two things about CAVS: 1. None of them speak English as a first language (probably all speak Korean) but having taught ESL abroad, that didn't daunt me. 2. They like to make money buy selling preformatted hard drives. One person was worried I was attempting to pirate songs but I was able to persuade him to confirm the files that were present on one of his "preformatted drives". Here is what he send me:

COMMAND COM 66,785 01-07-99 7:03a
FONT <dir> 11-18-06 7:52a
WORK <dir> 11-18-06 7:52a
EMM386 EXE 120,926 02-01-96 12:36a
HIMEM SYS 29,136 02-01-96 12:37a
CONFIG SYS 107 11-05-99 2:49p
AUTOEXEC BAT 24 11-05-99 2:58p
JUKE EXE 257,676 11-09-02 4:17p
TITLE TXT 117 06-14-01 1:00a

Now the original drive had IBM DOS files but I knew I was close to having what I needed from the web even if this wasn't an exact match to what was was originally damaged .I called later that day (as time was pressing for this MC as he had a show to do) and a senior technician (who came in afternoons) directed me to this link:

Jb-99 Hard Drive Format Howto

with disk images located here:
Jb-99 Hard Drive Format Floppy Disk Images

Now out of respect for the company printing this much I'm not going to print the exact contents of this forum here. You can look it up. However I will simply point out that when I followed the instructions exactly as written, the disk didn't work in the JB-99.

I discovered that the instructions a the posting were actually incomplete. The fellow at CAVS who sent me the file list gave me the hint I needed in his e-mail. Notice above that you need a JUKE.EXE file on the root of the 200 MB partition in order for this to work. The procedure listed at the site doesn't copy the JUKE.EXE file. Not only that but every time I ran it there was a complaint about a missing folder. Fortunately I had already looked up how to restore a corrupted system and found updated files for the JB-99 Juke.exe prorgram here:

Juke Box Update for JB-99

This is the latest version of the JUKE.EXE program which is version 7.

The core system files to restore damaged files on a JB-99 formatted hard drive are here:
Core JB-99 System Restore Files

and the core missing files for fonts are here:
CAVS Forum: Hard Disk Formatting

I also found someone else who had also followed the directions and had difficulties:
CAVS Forum: Hard Disk Formatting

A senior technician posted for him an UPDATED version of the system files. You have to go to this page and its set so I cannot send you a direct link to the download but you are required to go to the above page first and click the link to the *.IMZ file. If you cannot download it at all you can e-mail me and I can send you a copy but ONLY if you are unable to get it from the CAVS link I sent above. It is their application after all.

You now have every file I had when I (After some trial and error) created a working 80 Gig Hard Drive (forums indicate the maximum supported hard drive is Winimage Program
and the original formatting disks (which will get you 80% home) here:
JB-99 Hard Drive Format Floppy Images

Note: There are other compression tools that will open IMZ/IMA files on the Internet.

2. Make floppies of either the original 2 floppy images from the howto listed above or use the newer one I listed from the forum. I suggest the first one because it has the fanfare folders you may want to use to get a welcome message from the JB-99 when you turn it on. Also, make an additional floppy (non-bootable is fine) from the JB99_UTIL_BOOTDISK.IMA file.(see link above for where to download this) This is VITALLY important as I was unable to find any other source for the required fonts to show data on the TV screen from the JB-99. Before going to the next step, make SURE your BIOS settings attempt to boot from the floppy drive BEFORE the hard drive.

3. Boot from the Disk 1 (or only disk if using second image from forum) with the new target hard drive connected to the Second IDE Channel as MASTER. This is VITALLY important because the jukehd.exe program will NOT work unless the target drive is the MASTER on the SECOND IDE channel. (Hard coded into the .exe). Would recommend disconnecting all other hard drives to prevent accidental alterations on the wrong drive. ;-) (removable IDE drive enclosures help if you have one)

4. type "fdisk" and hit enter. Follow the steps on he screen/documentation to make a 200 MB partition in FAT16 format.

5. When step 4 is done you'll have to reboot(with the same floppy in the drive). After doing a reboot, type 'S' and hit the "enter" key. This starts a Batch file (S.BAT) which does the following 3 steps in one shot: jukehd.exe -f, jukehd.exe -s, copy titles.txt c:/title.txt. You can do the 3 steps manually if you want but why bother.

6. Remove the first floppy and insert the second floppy. Copy manually the following: The FanFare Folder with all files inside (3 MP3 files), fan.txt (root directory on c:), fan.bat (root directory on c:). The commands (for those who are no techies) are:
1. copy a:\fan.txt c:\fan.txt
2. copy a:\fan.bat c:\fan.bat
2. xcopy a:\fanfare c:\fanfare

Note: You will have to copy some files from the 2nd floppy of the howto images because they have been split.

7. Insert the floppy created from the JB99_UTIL_BOOTDISK.IMZ file.

8. Copy the font directory to the root of your 200 MB partition. The command would be the following:
xcopy a:\font c:\font

or you can do it this way:

c: (then press enter)
mkdir FONT (then press enter)

copy a:\font\asc32.fon c:\FONT\asc32.fon
copy a:\font\asc48.fon c:\FONT\asc48.fon
copy a:\font\spfont.fon c:\FONT\spfont.fon

Note: I make the target directory "FONT" because that is how the original drive
had it but since dos isn't case sensitive it shouldn't matter. I just a stickler for detail as I work in Linux a lot which is case sensitive.

9. If you want the fanfare to appear when the system starts do the following:
c: (then enter)
fan (then enter)

This will initialize the fanfare sequence for the JB-99. Note: It is possible to customize the fanfare greeting by changing the text file containing the message about CAVS JB-99. Just change the text there. I believe it is the fan.txt file in the root directory which was written to when you ran the fan.bat file. I don't remember exactly but I'm pretty sure that is where the text is.

This should be everything you need to get a new hard drive working 100% on the JB-99. You can skip the fanfare files and steps if you want to but I kind of liked the greeting. It just felt more complete but ignore it if you want to. The real key that was missing from the howto steps was that you needed the font files and its failure to copy the juke.exe to the root of the 200MB partition. The misisng fonts were mentioned when someone commented on missing screen text but it was a separate posting so I thought it was appropriate to clarify that here. I also told the CAVS people to put the link to the howto section for hard drives on the JB-99 in a more obvious place as it took me some time to find it. It turned out fortunately I looked around else I would have been confused about the missing fonts.

When I first called CAVS and the junior technician told me I couldn't make a JB-99 hard drive myself you can image my first thought: "Petty money padding to the profits already made with the initial sale". Upon talking to a more senior technician later that day and my research my opinion had changed. Its not that they don't want to give you the information, its that they didn't bother to organize information relating to the topic properly. The information and necessary files are there if you are persistent and know where to look. But that takes time and time is money. So to CAVS I say, thanks for your willingness to help, but your documentation and information is not well organized. Possibly because of various translations from Korean to English, but regardless, it looks more professional to have information properly organized and reduced people asking the same question many times over. Would I recommend a CAVS system to a professional Karaoke MC/DJ? Yes, if you have the computer background. Otherwise you may need a friend/consultant to help you figure out all the computer technobable and/or fill in any gaps CAVS may have left in their instructions if you want to make proper use of the hard disk capabilities which I think are essential for a top MC because of potentially shorter change times plus the ability to make relatively quick backups to your valuable music archives once you know how to do it properly. The JB-199 makes it a lot easier (as its based on XP Home edition with FAT32 partitions) than the JB-99 (DR-DOS based) but in all fairness, there were limitations that I think the engineers did a decent job of getting around with the limited partition spacing FAT16 and efforts to prevent mass copying. (Or at least take minimal precautions to satisfy the corporate executives at ASACP and the like). I knew one MC who had his entire collection stolen from a venue he trusted so a computer based song system remove the requirement of carrying around a valuable CDG collection which people may be tempted to steal, especially if you have an exceptionally good song selection.

To do a proper clone (without damaging the original as happened here), use Norton Ghost EXACTLY as specified here (do it slowly and for heaven's sake don't rush):
JB-99 Ghost Instructions
(search for Q12 or Ghost to skip to the section).

For those of you who do not wish to pay the somewhat high price tag to Symantec for what I consider to be basic cloning software check out the following:

http://www.feyrer.de/g4u/

this is GREAT tool but its command line so it takes some getting used to. Perfect for disk-to-disk clone or taking an image file which I recommend but clone the ENTIRE hard disk or you'll lose your songs. Basically same risk as Ghost if you do it wrong but the odds of making a mistake that overwrites your original disk are less based on my experience. (Someone obviously managed to mess this up with Norton Ghost which resulted in this article being written). While you're there consider making a small donation because this truly is a superior quality product which free and open source.

Knoppix has all you need to do disk cloning using the famous dd and dd_rescue tools. dd_rescue is a godsend if the disk has damaged sectors as is the GNU ddrescue which doesn't come on Knoppix yet but is probably better for people new to this as its more user friendly.

Knoppix Live CD Distro

Now for the record, any Knoppix distro will have the tools you need to clone a disk (dd and dd_rescue) (and again clone the entire disk only or you'll lose your songs) but my favorite is the following:

Helix Computer Forensics Knoppix Distro

This is for hard core gurus but it works, and if files are badly damaged or you want to pry out secrets from hard drives, this collection of tools is great. Its often used by pros who don't want to write ANYTHING to the original hard drive.

The best part about all the above tools is they're free and support by the open source community!

For those who can compromise on the easier graphic interfaces but want the convenience of the more user friend GNU ddrescue you can get the following Linux Live Distro:

http://www.tux.org/pub/people/kent-robotti/looplinux/rip/

if you only have a CD burner this one may be better for you.

Anyway I hope this little journal of my experience trying to rescue a JB-99 is useful to all you Karaoke MC and hopefuls out there. To those of you who ask, yes it is possible to setup a karaoke system similar (or in some cases better) to the CAVS JB-99 or JB-199 with a laptop computer. I've seen it done very successfully (although I can think of one or two points I would use to improve upon it) but details on that are for another time. Cheers all.

PS: As I said before if you for some reason cannot download the files I've provided links to I can e-mail them upon request but ONLY if you cannot download the files from CAVS. After all, they made the files. Presumably one asking for them already owns a JB-99 system.

PPS: (2007-02-06) Update: Some people out there are apparently trying to backup their disks to 160 Gig Hard Drive. It says clearly on the CAVS website to use a Hard Drive of LESS THAN 120 Gigs. There are testimonies of 120 Gig hard drives working and NONE of a 160+ Gig Hard drive working. I saw one attempt of using a 160 Gig Hard drive fail. I will experiment briefly but I'm pretty sure that if you use anything larger than a 120 Gig hard drive, the CAVS JB-99 system won't use it. So if you buy a 160 Gig hard drive and can't get it to work no matter what the website or this posting indicates, there is a reason. I've haven't seen many 120 Gig hard drives around but there are still pleanty of 80 Gig hard drives at $55 USD or less. I recommend Seagate. Wester Digital IDE Hard drives are the cheapest thing you can buy, and they seem to die. I wittnessed a new JB-199 with a Western Digital 250 Gig IDE hard drive die after one week. The "click,click,click" from the hard drive was the second sign things weren't well. The first sign was the system wouldn't boot. :D In fact if you buy a JB-199, I suggest you clone the hard drive to a Seagate or Samsung IDE drive ASAP. Western Digital may make good SATA drives but their IDE drives appear to have serious reliability issues. (I know this isn't supposed to be a hardware review but I've seen 3 CAVS systems (Jb-99 and JB-199s) with Western Digital IDE drives that died in the last 3 weeks so I'm giving everyone a head's up)

Karaoke Review:One Eleven Yorkville with Peter Rockwell of Pete Rock Radio Karaoke

2006-12-14T00:33:00.000-05:00

11-12-2006

After reading my first review of Peter's Performance at the Fox and Fiddle he invited me to check out his new venue at Yorkville. Having already given him an exceptional review I had no worries about Peter's performance as a karaoke host. So the only thing to really take into consideration is the venue itself.

The Good: The venue is different from any I have been to because it wasn't typical pub but a Russian Restaurant/Bar. I was greeted by a very friendly waitress at the door. I'll say this for them, the staff appeared to know how to make you feel welcome. The furniture didn't hurt either: Soft Couches, soft padded chairs and small tables and low but visible lighting made One Eleven a very easy place to relax before facing a new work week. The menu had a nice selection of Russian dishes and desserts. Its a very intimate place. Although the place is smaller than a typical pub for Sunday nights this is actually ideal as you don't generally get a large crowd on that day. The stage set Pete arranges near the piano fits in well and creates an effective stage area. Peter gives his usual comic additions between and during songs with his usual knack for timing and witty charm. The wait times are better than average, which is what one would expect given the limited capacity of the restaurant

The Mixed: The only thing I would call mixed here is the food pricing and possibly the space. Again, for Sunday a smaller place is ideal in my experience as you don't get the empty feeling I'm all too familiar with when I check out a place on Sunday evening. The food pricing is on the high side but the selection and preparation is par to fine dining so although the food prices are a bit expensive, its quality Russian food which is rather exotic, at least for me.

The Bad. I could find nothing that was bad here at all. (Isn't it nice when this section is short and sweet?)

Conclusion: This is a quality venue with one of Toronto's better MC's. There are few enjoyable places you can do to with a quality MC on Sunday. This is definitely one of them. Well worth checking out if you can sleep in on Monday morning. ;-) If your budget is limited you may not want to come for dinner but the desserts and drinks are within reason.

Final Grade: B+

Summary Scores:

Facilities: 8.8 (Excellent atmosphere, great furniture, seating space may be a little limited unless you share a table or couch.)
Equipment: 9.4 (The video setup isn't as good as the Fox and Fiddle but its still very well done with the sounds and the lyric monitors work well)
Food Selection: 8.2 (Its a fair selection of Russian Meals and a great selection of desserts)
Prices: 7.0 (The prices are bit high. This is no place to go for a cheap meal but the food is excellent)
Location: 8.7 (Yorkville is an easy place to access through Bay Subway station. Plenty of paid parking in the area but free parking is not available anywhere nearby)
Song Selection: 7.5 (added points for good selection in modern songs which is rare for MCs with selection in the 6k range)
Wait Time: 8.5 (Well above average, some improvement in change times from when I last saw Peter in action)
Host: 8.8. Good taste and timing for jokes and sound effects as well. As I indicated in my last review of http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifPeter Rockwell, you won't be disappointed.
Service: 8.7 (Fairly fast and exceptionally friendly service here. Yes, the Russians know how to make you feel at home)

Venue Information:

Peter Rockwell, Pete Rock Radio Karaoke
One Eleven, 111 Yorkville Avenue
Toronto, ON
(416) 850-9471
Sundays 10 PM - 2 AM
Pete Rock Radio Karaoke
Site: http://www.peterockradio.com and
http://www.karaokeisstupid.com

The end of a Karaoke era. A Master MC Retires, December, 2006

2006-12-11T22:29:00.000-05:00

An master karaoke MC at the end of his career. A tribute to Jeff Zedic.

Having watched karaoke venues seriously for the past 2 years I've noted the things that make a Karaoke MC good or bad. The think I look for most is what makes a Karaoke MC Fun. That's what is all about ,right? Its with a happy and heavy heart I write this because this year I believe I found the best example of a truly fun Karaoke MC. So fun in fact several other professional Karaoke hosting companies (I'm not giving names but you know who you are), have sent their MC fledglings to watch him. Jeff Zedic has for the last decade been an ideal example of what a Karaoke Host should bring to the show. Happy because I had the opportunity. Sad because I only heard of him 7 months before his decision to retire. Many of you may have heard that Jeff Zedic is finally retiring and moving abroad. I write this good-bye in hopes it may inspire another MC to achieve or surpass the standards Mr. Zedic has set in the Karaoke MC World.

So what are the qualities that make an ideal MC? Attention to sound for one thing. I find many MCs lacking in this area. Besides Neil Harris, Jeff Zedic is the only other MC I've seen pay as much attention to his equipment and the way it functions in the room. Watching Jeff give pointers to his replacement, I heard him iterate several times the importance of listening for sound in the room and applying discrete sound effects to enhance the singers. The listening is constant and it always showed but I only truly appreciated it when I saw other MCs with less attention to this kind of detail. This applied to Jeff's equipment. I've often emphasized that wireless mikes are a nice touch. Jeff actually took the trouble to tell me the reasons he didn't use wireless mikes is it affected the quality of sound. I've seen people use quality wireless mikes (although good ones are around $800 apiece I'm told) but you have to respect anyone not wanting to risk lessening an already sweet sounding system.

Song selection is one thing Jeff Zedic always had. I was happily surprised when he blew my scoring system for song selection right off the scale. The song totals as of December, 2006 were 13964 songs with more being added. The second official selection published in any books are 9000 songs (once duplicates are eliminated). Jeff has no duplications of any kind and the selection spans over MANY genres. No one of any generation is eliminated or "banned" from participation.

The hardest part of the Karaoke MC job is engaging the audience. Most MCs don't engage nearly enough for a multitude of reasons. And its hard. Much harder than you'd think. Sometimes its having enough trivia in your head to avoid repeating the same stuff too many times. Sometimes its a sense of timing. Other times MCs just aren't assertive enough or rely on their band of "home boys" to get things started. The thing that made Jeff Zedic stand out, even without his top quality equipment, selection and attention to detail, is the way he can engage any audience. His mix of music & political trivia along with jokes about members of the audience (sometimes a little risky) and occasional play acting with the singers just keeps you engaged and laughing all the way to the mike (or even at the mike if you are lucky). His cowbell will certainly be missed by many. He probably could have been a comedian had he decided go in that direction. The creativity,energy and work required to keep an audience engaged for more for 4 hours is unimaginable when you think about it. Peter Styles, Peter Rockwell both do an amazing job, but Jeff is a touch act to follow which is why he had such an extensive following.

So, Jeff, thank you for 10 years of bringing fun, frolic, humor and harmony to karaoke lovers in Toronto. One can imagine that after 10 years its time for a change. I wish you well on your journey to Europe but you will be missed by Karaoke Participants in Toronto, both singers and MCs alike I'm sure (after all how many Master MCs are there in Toronto). My apologizes for holding out of this, but I had to be sure, but you officially get the Karaoke MC Of the Year Award for 2006.

Bon Voyage and thanks again for all the fun karaoke nights.

Jonah A. Libster
Toronto Karaoke Blogspot Writer

PS: Karaoke at Mayday Malone's and The Groundhog Pub will continues with the same equipment and a new MC, Jeremy Siklosi. While he is a little new to this gig, he is making an active effort to measure up to his mentor. Review to follow shortly, as I watch him progress.

Karaoke Review:The Rivoli with Carson Foster from Kickass Karaoke

2006-12-11T21:34:00.000-05:00

10-29-2006

MC: Carson T. Foster Kickass Karaoke, Sunday Nights (Every 2nd & 4th Sunday of the Month)

Another place recommended by a Toronto Karaoke member and here we are again, checking out a new place. Rather than the traditional pub or bar we have a pool hall with restaurant below and a small bar. Lots of pool tables available. Hopefully the karaoke is equally impressive.

The Good: The ambiance of this place is rather pleasant. Pretty easy to relax here. The restaurant specializes in Asian Fusion. I grabbed some Pai Thai which was actually quite impressive. Not only was the quality of the food exceptional but the quantity was enough I almost didn't finish it. (almost...). Service was very reasonable . The selection was fairly good with mixes of Thai, Indian, Japanese and Vietnamese dishes. Large variety of salads with a few sandwiches available (including burgers).

The Mixed: The quality of the food was the best part of this venue. The karaoke unfortunately wasn't as exemplary. The setup for karaoke wasn't bad but given the narrow walkway to the stage and the distance of the farthest table, you could be walking a stretch to reach the mike. Which brings me to the next part: There was only one mike (most people have two). The MC started over 30 minutes late and waited for the group before doing ANYTHING! This MC has a bit of an attitude as well: He has his policies on this request forms which is all well and god, but some of them I have never seen anywhere else and the unique policies were for his convenience at the expense of the participants. His rules are as follows:

1. I take requests from a given person in the queue at one time when the person sings then they can give me their next request. Its fairer and I ignore this rule at the top of the night.
2. When someone gives me a bunch of requests put one into rotation an d the rest on the side until they sing. Then filter them as they sing. Sometimes I misplace a request. Sometimes I may change the request order if I feel a certain song is more appropriate at a given point in the evening. Better for the singer to hang on to them. I have limited space and fewer brain cells. (No other MC I've ever seen has difficulty in keeping requests in order, even when "bunches" are submitted.
3. I do try to get people who haven't sung in a given evening a chance to come up and participate. After that they're back in the rotation like everyone else. (this is fairly standard)
4. If a staff member of the bar or presenter puts in a request I do give them preference. After all it's their party. (Hmmm...does that mean the owner/presenter will "party on" if the customers come and don't buy anything? Someone should remind him that we, the customers, are the ones who foot the bill in the end).

Oh, to topt off rules 1, 2 and 4 which I don't totally agree with, this MC will only start when there are 3 requests. Now I've said this many times but I guess I can't say it enough: a good MC will know how to work a crowd even if its a slow night. This fellow didn't seem to want to even try to warm up the audience. I guess he is accustomed to karaoke die-hards like myself. Even if the room is filled with karaoke fans, sometimes they need the MC to "stir things up".

In addition to the one mike I mentioned earlier (instead of the customary two) the lyric monitor is horribly placed. Not only was it too far to see without stepping off the stage to the left, but when people passed their requests they had to step in FRONT of the monitor to reach the MC. This is really distracting. Its almost impossible to feel comfortable on this stage unless you have the words memorized. The monitor and outer casing have definitely seen better days. Fortunately the speakers were decent and levels well adjusted which is the only reason equipment is in the "mixed" section instead of the "bad" (although I was tempted with the monitor placement which was a new low for this karaoke reviewer). The stage (save for the monitor) was well placed although it was fairly small. About average for most karaoke pub/bars. There is not dance area however. The music selection was a bit on the low side (5966 songs) but just enough to be considered an average selection. Note: disk in the "900" range have "various issues" such as non-synchonized text (which usually isn't accurate anyway), or background noise. On the plus side there is a good balance of modern and oldies music. The book format and construction is one of the best I've seen. Too bad the contents are not as impressive. As an MC Mr. Foster isn't bad. He keeps the crowd going fairly well, once its already going. Again, my view, part of an MCs job is to get the crowd going, even if they are slow to start. He rotates the new people in and the wait times are fairly reasonable.

The Bad: There was nothing really bad here, save the monitor placement which I feel I must put here as it was an all time low in terms of readability.

Conclusion: I don't know its a coincidence but everytime a karaoke hosting company has some "cool" name there is some let down. Jason Rolland (whose business slogan was "the only karaoke that doesn't suck" but I think he's toned it down a notch), and now Kickass Karaoke. The food was the best part of my experience by far. The karaoke wasn't bad, but the selection was barely average, the equipment was less than average, and the MC I feel has a bit of an attitude with his regulations. A few parts of them were good but most of them I felt were excuses for less than average attention to the participants and leave a bad taste in one's mouth. I wasn't alone: I talked to a few karaoke hard-core fans and they agreed that Carson has a bit of an attitude. Its a good place to go on Queen Street West if you want a big quality meal, but in terms of overall karaoke experience, I've been to better, even on Sundays. (See the review of One Eleven in Yorkville). I know this will upset some of the Kickass Karaoke Fans who come here, but sorry, gotta call them as I see them.

Final Grade: C+

Summary Scores:

Facilities: 7.8 (place is quite nice but stage walk is potentially awkward)
Equipment: 7.0 (Worst monitor placement witnessed to date, one mike, very worn monitor case)
Selection 7.4 (Bonus for good design/layout)
Food Selection: 8.3 (Lots of Asian fusion, with a few western platters for those of us who are less adventurous)
Prices: 7.8 (a little on the high side, but the quality and quantity is excellent, drink prices very reasonable)
Location: 8.0 (Queen/Spadina, easy to get to via streetcars, paid side parking available)
MC: 7.0 (Had good points but policies on requests are less friendly than any other MC I've seen to date which was a significant downer on the overall experience)
Wait times: 8.5
Service: 8.3 (quality service with the quality food)

Venue Information:

Carson T. Foster, Kickass Karaoke
The Rivoli, 334 Queen Street
Upper Level (Pool Hall)
Toronto, ON
(416)596-1908
http://homepage.mac.com/kickasskaraoke/Menu21.html

Karaoke Review: Neutral Nightclub w/ Steve-O and Margaret from Songsmith Karaoke (aka Karaoke Cult)

2006-11-04T18:30:00.000-05:00

October 17, 2006

Recently I'm getting referred to more places by the Toronto Karaoke Meetup Group (Thanks Mo) and I take their recommendations seriously. This next venue takes me in one of the soho areas of Toronto known as Kensington Market. I generaly try to come early to karaoke venues when doing a review. I was told 10 PM but the place doesn't open until the stroke of 10 and the actually show generally starts between 10:30-11 PM so I'd come around that time. Although the formal address is "College Street" you have to find the entrance on Augusta on the west side next to a camera store and sushi shop. You'll see a hand-made wooden with "Neutral" with a cross as the "t". The entrance gave me a few doubts but since a karaoke fan recommended it I was hopeful that there was more to judging this book than its cover.

The Good: The facilities are larger than you'd think at the door. The decor is a bit on the dark side and I discovered the reason was many customers who come to this place are into the goth motive. The place was appropriately decorated to match. The stage was well set with an excellent view of almost the entire area. (some couches in the back corner were the only exception where people probably wanted privacy anyway). Possibly the best stage I've seen since Hollywood on the Queensway (see review) stoped their karaoke shows. Watching Steve and Margaret do sound checks was encouraging. The selection will grab your attention. Lots of modern and alternative music to choose from (again fits in with goth moods), plus many old favorites. I counted about 11290 and the largest collection (the only collection I've seen so far) of songs from the musical, Spamalot. On talking to Steve he said they had 20000 songs but I need to confirm that as it wasn't in the books. Either way an impressive selection and probably the best alternative music collection I've seen to date. If I can confirm the 20k songs I can reassign Jeff's best karaoke bar song selection award. This is a nightclub so there is no food but the drinks are reasonably priced (like most things in the Kensington Market area)

The Mixed: While the equipment was large, impressive and in good shape there were issues with 1 or 2 sound overloads when one mike faced the other even though they were two feet apart or more. Probably because of the mike sensitivity levels as well as the volume being pumped out of the impressive looking speakers. The idea is karaoke meets nightclub and the volumes are set appropriately which has possibilities but I thin its a delicate balance to do well. Even though singer/music balance was very good (they did extensive checks before they began) when I first went up I could barely hear myself. The 2nd round of singers was better when the volumes were taken down a notch presumably because after hearing the levels in the room it was decided it need adjustment. The MCs performance left me with mixed feelings as well. The performers were announced well enough but that was about it. MCs having great voices or even great equipment is good, but in my view its not quite enough. You need to engage you're audience and I know Steve has personality as I've seem him entertain very effectively at another Karaoke Venue when he was a participant. There was little to no interaction this evening with Steve's audience as an MC. Perhaps this is because its a nightclub and Steve may have been holding back to be consistant with the nightclub ambiance. I still think there was room for more personality. Hopefully if Steve reads this he and Margaret wil give my comments some thought because there is great equipment, excellent selection a LOT of potential if the right balance with all the elements including the MC's personality can be achieved. Wait times were quite good and there were no delays in song queues or rotations (save when a monitor had to be replaced but I'm certain that was a freak occurence). One final note here: While the books were available by Title and by Author, the "Title" book still had a mix of Author organization which was a little disorienting for me so I stuck to the books by Author which was more straightforward.

The Bad: Nothing struck me as "bad" here. Just more audience interaction would help, especially if the place is not full yet.

Summary: We have another unique setup: Karaoke meets nightclub. It has great possibilities now that I've seen it done and it could be a great combination with minor improvements. The selection is either a new record or a close second. Hosts are very attentive to sound levels and the stage configuration is supurb. You'll feel like a real entertainer here IF you can hear yourself as I felt initial volumes were a little too high (was rectified later). While we karaoke lovers enjoy entertaining we also like the MC to entertain as well. This place is unique not only for its nightclub setting, but with a scenery and atmosphere highly suitable for the goth crowd who are sure to be pleased with this venue. If you are a karaoke fan who is dying to do lots of alternative or modern songs, this is probably the best place to go.

Final Grade: B

Facilities: 8.6
Equipment: 8.0
Selection 8.6 ("By Title" books somewhat confusing)
Food Selection: NA
Prices( Drinks): 8.0
Location: 7.7 (little hard to find the first time, off College Streetcar stop at College & Augusta, free and paid side parking available)
MC: 7.4 (Steve and Margaret are attentive MCs but they should put more of their personalities into it even if it is a nightclub. Steve is quite capable as I've seen him entertain effectively singing at another MC's venue. I'll be back in hopes of seeing that ability applied at future Neutral shows)
Wait times: 8.5
Service: NA

Venue Info:
MC: Songsmith Karaoke with Steve-O and Margaret
Neutral Nightclub
349a College Street
(at Augusta) Kensington Market
Toronto, Ontario M5T 2V8
416-926-1212

Every other Tuesday Evening
Next show from date of publication: November 14th, 2006
UPDATE: Starting November 14th, 2006 Songsmith Karaoke (aka Karaoke Cult) will be at Neutral EVERY Tuesday night

MC Info:
Songsmith Karaoke
Stephen Chadderton - MC
(416) 565-1659
MySpace Account Link

A message to Karaoke Box Fans and Owners

2006-11-03T12:43:00.001-05:00

Folks, I have published a few reviews on Karaoke box now. A disturbing trend I'm seeing is a tendency for box owners to spend more and effort on rooms but be cheap on equipment. While XO still has a few issues with furniture, I still consider it #1 for a true karaoke enthusiast in spite of the grade I was forced to give it for aging mikes, furniture and air conditioners. Why? Because they initially invested in the equipment. It was the #1 Karaoke spot for many years because of this. Equipment means Mikes, Speakers and Key Change (pitch modulator) mixers.

In the 3 reviews I've done of Karaoke boxes so far I'm seeing a disturbing trend of people getting stuff from Korea primarily because its cheaper. I'm also seeing box owners getting cheap on their customers by not getting key change mixers. This later trend is very disturbing because they are assuming that karaoke participants don't understand or have forgotten what karaoke is supposed to have (and do in Japan, China and probably Korea). I thought that these boxes were rather expensive but on a hunch I did an Internet search. I found key transposition mixers (pro boxes) as low as $209 USD. Karaoke Box owners, that is NOT a large investment in a business per room. For, say 13 rooms that is a around a $3000 to get these boxes for all the rooms at, say the new place, BAR + Karaoke Lounge. I have a small business and I have spent more than that in computers and equipment for it. That's a legitimate business expense folks. You can probably get some tax credit for it as well. More importantly, it shows respect for Karaoke lovers everywhere and WILL bring in more customers. I get a number of e-mails asking for the best Karaoke places so my recommendations are starting to carry a little weight. I will happily and actively endorse the first Karaoke Box that shows this kind of respect for its clients for the simple reason: It will be the best. I've encountered two places that have just about everything they need except key pitch control for their larger selection of songs. One pitch modulation box is all that is required. $209 USD per room, probably less with bulk discount (I know from experience in computer wholesale it is possible to negotiate these things).
The system I came across the most was the DA-2200 PRO. The two sites I found them sold are as follows:

http://www.acekaraoke.com/hvcpkm2200.html
http://www.karaokestar.com/vocracmounec.html

On November 5th: Some more research reveals the popular term for these devices is "Key Changer". Google that for more results:

http://www.karaokewh.com/Key_Changers.cfm
(Their VocoPro KC-300 Pro Sonic Enhancer Key Change system look really nice although its $300 USD its perfect for any karaoke setup. They have a basic one: VocoPro DKC-100 Digital Key Changer for $189 USD. Vocopro seems popular in canada but low to mid end from what I've seen)

So now that this is out, I no longer accept the excuse that the boxes are too expensive. I'm talking off significant marks on equipment if you don't care enough to get key change mixers when you can get them at these prices. As I said, I will actively endorse the first Karaoke box with good facilities and make an investment in this equipment. I loved XO in its golden days. People who own karaoke boxes have the opportunity to blow them away. Its up to you. Karaoke Fans, if you want this basic feature to not be neglected, ask people at Karaoke Boxes if they can transpose ALL their songs. If not, tell them you'll be back when they do. We must never forget the basics because some parts of technology appear to make things easier or cheap. Key Change is a basic feature in Karaoke. Box owners are currently testing us to see if we will notice a little nickel & dime pinching(relatively). Make it clear we don't want our karaoke experience cheapened. As my sister always tels me: Vote with your minds, vote with your hearts and vote with your dollars.

Oh for those of you who want Karaoke in your home, there are options there too. This is not a bad and inexpensive way to start: DVG-888 Karaoke DVD player home theatre.

Criteria for Karaoke Box Reviews

2006-11-02T13:18:00.000-05:00

I guess many wonder how I rank Karaoke Boxes. Those with less than stellar reviews might say I don't know what I'm talking about. Well, actually I do as spent time in Japan and saw how Karaoke's motherland did things. The Japanese place a high emphasis on presentation. In restaurants its more important than the taste. I also spent some time in China and the big city Karaoke boxes their are equal in every aspect. The big things I saw with all Karaoke Boxes in both countries were:

1. Facilities: Places need to be clean, funiture in great shape. The Japanese and Chinese take their Karaoke seriously.

2. Equipment: It should be hard to overload a mike and you should have a decent sound even if you suck rocks. Karaoke is about the participation and good equipment is essential.

3. Food availability: People who spend hours sing want more than drinks. They will also want food. So many places wimp out on that here but it really helps. Especially if you are hungry and want to "Sing on".

4. Selection: The Japanese and Chinese karaoke boxes had enough English songs I could have fun with. My ability to Sing Japanese songs is somewhat limited and Chinese ability non-existent yet places here had at least 3000 English songs to choose from even though I didn't expect it. After all I'm in their country. Now, if they can do this in China, than surely it isn't to much to expect Karaoke Boxes in Canada (in which the official languages are English and French) to have at least DOUBLE the English songs in China. Those who don't are frankly not very courteous to Canadians in general and in an English/French Country it makes Karaoke look bad because it limits the ability for Canadians to participate. In Tokyo, Japan, I'm told everyone subscribes for access to a song database and download it from there so I guess it helps improve standards. Oh, ability to LOCATE songs is also part of the selection scoring. If I have to work hard to find the songs you have, I'll dock points because if someone can't easily find a song they have, its almost as bad as not having it at all. (many give up). There is no suitable substitute for books yet folks.

5. Sound quality: MIDI systems are cheap. Its as simple as that. If you have a MIDI only system it shows lack of caring in regards to sound quality. There are so many better options out there with computers and MPEG, even if karaoke box owners are looking to reduce staff which were need to change LD's in the old days. If all you have is a Taijin system, the best you will get on Selection is 6.5 and points off on equipment for sound quality. Its barely passable for an English speaking country on its own.

6. Wait times: this may seem academic but some systems react faster than others.(although the difference is less and less these days)

7. Location: How easy is it to reach you? (By TTC primarily) How easy it is to find you? Is it a reasonably safe neighborhood? Can I find Parking? These are the questions I ask myself in this category.

8. Average price for a small room on a weekend is ~$25 so I start from there.

Additional comment:
I'm told there are great deals in Richmond Hill if I'm willing to put up with extremely limited English selection or I prefer singing Chinese. Again, this is basically telling English speaking Canadians (Chinese is not an officially supported language here) to get lost. Frankly this disturbs me. If I see a place I feel has little regard for the English speaking residents here, I'm going to point it out regardless of location (within Canada).

Karaoke Review: BMB Karaoke Box

2006-11-02T13:02:00.000-05:00

November 1st, 2006

In my contining quest for the best karaoke party box in Toronto I continued on the same night to a place I had passed numerous times but had only been to once in all my years in Toronto. So, it was time to check it out and see if they could help. The sign was nice enough...

The Good: The rooms at this box clean although a few shoe scuffs were somewhat visible on the inner doors and walls but no damage as far as I could see. Mikes were as in great shapes as were the speakers (about the same as Twister). The doors gave a little bit more privacy than Twister as I could see more than outlines from the inside. Rates were better than average.

The Bad: No food at all. Just drinks.

The Mixed: The selection was fairly limited. 4600 English songs is a little weak in my view for a Karaoke box these days. Mind you they have a LOT more Korean. I'm a learning quite a bit about the majority of Korean Karaoke boxes though: They often use a system I am becoming familiar with: Taijin. Yes, Taijin, with its 100% MIDI music and Title only song books. At least it saved me having to look to see how many songs they had as I had already counted from Twister's Taijin system. On the plus side at least the remote had English labeled buttons this time. (helps a lot actually, especially if you've never used it before) so I felt free to try out all the "neat" features like tempo control, music and microphone volumes. Apparently there is a Video game option?!? Hmm... Anyway, it wasn't bad but as I say, 4600 songs is a little weak for an MC, let alone a dedicated Karaoke Box. The saddest thing is they had older Modulation Boxes connected to the system so if they had the 10k song system that Twister had, they could REALLY bump their rankings for this review. Frustrating! One has the selection, the other has modulation boxes that are no longer in use. A partnership would be kind of cool, or at least sell Twister their modulation boxes so they can mop up the competition. :D Oh, the Taijin system has a small selection of Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese and Tagalog songs so ESL students would probably appreciate that. Obviously this place is tailored to the Korean-Canadian population but at least they had the curtsey to get English labeled Controllers for their Taijin system which is appreciated. That's about all I have to say on that.

Summary: BMB Karaoke is a lower end Karaoke Box in terms of selection for English Speaking Karaoke lovers. Basically the song selection is ideal Korean speaking people. On the plus side they had an English labeled Taijin controller which Twister didn't have. If a place only has MIDI (especially Taijin system) its pretty much a budget facility. At least the rooms and equipment were in great shape. If you want a place near Bloor and Bathurst this place will pass if you are in the neighborhood. Just bear in mind you have only 4600 English songs (more Korean) that are all MIDI music but you can transpose them using the Taijin controller, or the modulation box if you want to get cute like I did. The rooms are comfortable and you can get snacks and drinks. The rates were posted here which were better than average.

1-5 people: $20/Hour
6-7 people: $25/Hour
8-10 people: $30/Hour
10+ people: $40/Hour
Large Room: $50/Hour
Party Room: $60/Hour

Summary Scores:
Facilities: 8.0 (Nice rooms, really clean, furniture in amazing shape)
Equipment: 7.5 (MIDI Only but I'm giving points for Good Mikes and Speakers)
Location: 7.8 (Block off Bathurst. Parking to be found on side streets)
Food Prices: 7.0 (Prices on food/drinks are average, but only snack food)
Service: 8.0 (they do their job, which given the Taijin systems make it easier I'm sure until cleanup time comes around)
Selection: 6.5 (4600 English songs, books only by title. Its....Taijin)
Wait Times: 9.0 (Given the limited selection the index makes it easy I suspect)
Room Prices: 7.7 (a little better than average)

Final Grade: C

Venue Information:
593 Bloor Street West
Toronto, ON
M6G 1K5
(416) 533-8736

Karaoke Review: Twister Karaoke Box

2006-11-02T12:15:00.000-05:00

November 1st, 2006

Recently I had a reader recommend a karaoke box for a birthday party. Being eager to inform my readers I set out to expand my thin karaoke box reviews section. This place I had been to before years ago and had stuck to the downtown core for reasons of convenience. That time has passed and I'm now covering a wider territory. This place had been good years ago but many karaoke boxes have changed their technology and in many cases it has not been for the better. Read on to see how things fared here.

The Good: The rooms at this box were very clean. Probably the cleanest I've been to so far. Not only were all the walls, doors and equipment nearly spotless but the mikes and speakers were in pristine condition and the sound was no exception. There was a bit of a catch with the sound which I'll get to in a bit. Selection is very wide and includes the widest mix of languages I've seen yet: English (of course), Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Spanish, Russian, Vietnamese, Korean (TONS of those as the place is Korean owned as are many places in this neighborhood). Once could argue that the selection (with no other considerations) was the best of any karaoke box out there.

The Bad: There is no real food here, just chicken wings at $10 and instant noodles at $3 plus of course drinks (no outside drinks allowed).Aside from lack of food the only other bad thing was the fact that the rates were not posted anywhere I could see. That represents a somewhat unprofessional attitude. I asked them to tell me the rates verbally which I'll list here. I don't think they will increase them on any unsuspecting customers. More likely didn't get around to posting them (which I'd strongly recommend) but just in case here they are:

1-5 people $25/hour
10-14 people $50/hour
14-20 people $60/hour
They have only one large party room for which I didn't get the rate.

The Mixed: The rates as you can see are average. Remember I said earlier that the selection COULD be one of the best for any Karaoke box but....(you knew there was one coming) there are a variety of problems. First is the equipment. The speakers and mikes were in great shape but this place has TWO karaoke systems in each room. (Yes, you heard me right, two). I'll explain exactly what they are. Apparently these systems were purchased from Korea. One made by Taijin comes with books (By title only) and computer box and a remote controller. The sound tracks are all MIDI (its good midi but still midi) and selection is limited to English (4600 songs) and Korea (didn't get count). The upside of this is you can change the pitch, the tempo, mix male/female voices and get a cute (although not accurate) score on your "performance". (strictly timing with music). I know that an English controller for the Taijin system is available but this place didn't have any. Only the Korean controllers. If, like me, you don't read Korean its a REAL pain to use. Its okay once you figure it out. The second system has a LOT more songs, converted to MPEG format from original LDs so the the sound is much better. They try to indicate which have original footage from the artists (one didn't work) which is a nice touch. All the languages I mentioned above are available but at a price: No books. This make is REALLY awkward. Karaoke Box owners, I WILL take points off for no books, okay? There is just no good reason for it except to be cheap. Computer system selectors are not that good yet. Also the computer navigation system here is awkward because if you select song by title (your best option) you can't skip pages. So if your song is at the end of the "c" list for example you have go page by page.(mind you it may be possible to go backwards but the middle you are still in for a long scroll. Song by author has a serious flaw: Not all the groups are listed. For example, saw a good selection of the Bee Gees, but the closest they had to a "Bee Gees" group was "Barry Gibb" which had only one song. Radiohead wasn't even there but I saw several Radiohead selections by title. You get the idea. Oh, and last but not least: there is NO TRANSPOSITION on the 6k (English, 14k others I estimate as owner guesstimated 20k songs) selection list. This is a major let down because while you have an impressive selection of songs, you are limited by your vocal range. Or you have to use the MIDI Taijin system and limit your songs available. To switch between the two systems have issues as well. Its easy to do but.. you could lose your sound output because Twister uses cheap 3 way video/audio switches in many of their rooms with circuits that cut in and out. They actually moved me from room #2 to room #1 because of this problem. While I saw another one of these cheap 3 way plastic switches it appeared to have been bypassed to a quality toggle switch which worked properly. Hopefully they will replace those cheap switches to quality ones by the time you've read this. But if you see a triangular plastic switch near a monitor, tell them what you read here. It would only be an extra $10 to get a better 3 way switch. A quality 3 way video switch is between ($30-$40).

Summary: Twister has a good deal going for it: Rooms and furniture in near perfect condition, wide selection of languages (perhaps the largest in the GTA) and great mikes/speakers. Unfortunately, attempts to be cheap in certain areas detract from the experience there. The great equipment is plagued by cheap connection boxes and a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Consequently I had to be moved to a room with a better junction switch. While the selection is potentially great, the lack and books for the system with the larger selection and its awkwardly and incomplete configuration hampers one's ability to find songs easily. Lack of transposition is a serious let down which is easily corrected by getting the modulation boxes often used in karaoke boxes. I actually encountered one at a second karaoke box that was still connected to a Taijin system (because they hadn't bothered to move it) and it transposed the pitch so I know this works on ANY sound input running through it. Its an investment, but very worthwhile and essential to the Karaoke experience. In Japan I didn't find ANY karaoke boxes without this ability as its essential for the great number of people to participate and enjoy the experience. This simple investment would make this one of the best karaoke boxes in the GTA. But as it stands I can only say its has the widest selection of languages. If you are willing to put up with MIDI sound, learn the Taijin system controller and/or learn Korean and settle for only 4600 English songs rather than ~6k, you can the transposition need for all voice ranges to have fun. One thing about XO for which I will stand by it is when it comes to selection and the ability to participate, they have it all. (if only they could replace some of the mikes, funiture and almost dead air conditioners). Oh posting the rates in plain sight would also be a good idea. They do explain how their system and they try to please. But if they really want to be a TOP karaoke box, they need to get modulation boxes and replace the cheap plastic junction boxes. Then they wouldn't need the Taijin system at all. On that note, an English remote, PLEASE. If you want to host people with a wide taste in languages (prefect for an ESL class) this place would get my top recommendation with the understanding you'll have navigation and transposition limitation. Its still a reasonable place to have a fairly enjoyable karaoke event. Wit an investment in books and modulation boxes, it would be more than just fairly enjoyable: It would be fantastic.

Summary Scores:
Facilities: 8.5 (Nice rooms, really clean, furniture in amazing shape)
Equipment: 7.0 (Great Speakers, Mikes but plagued by poor junctions boxes and transposition on limited number of songs which are in MIDI. For this system reading Korean is advised)
Location: 8.5 (plenty of parking, 5 minutes from Finch subway station)
Food Prices: 7.0 (Prices on food/drinks are average, but VERY limited food)
Food Quality: 7.0 (Average, what little there is)
Service: 8.5 (they are very attentive and try to please)
Selection:7.2 (Better than XO, but worse at the same time. Come on guys, Books, modulation boxes. This is all you need to truly have the best selection in the GTA and be one of the best Karaoke boxes all in town)
Wait Times: 8.5 (Have to adjust because for transposition you have to switch between 2 systems)
Room Prices: 7.0 (average)

Final Grade: C+/B-

Venue Information:
Twister Karaoke
5586 Yonge Street (Finch Subway)
North York, ON
M2N 5S2
(416) 225-2465

Karaoke Review: Echo Karaoke Box

2006-10-20T14:12:00.001-05:00

October 13th, 2006

After realizing my karaoke box section was sorely lacking I decided to try out a place that I often passed on my way to see clients. The Echo karaoke box is located on the 2nd floor of the mall at Spadina and Bloor on the Southwest corner. You can't miss the flashy sign that says "ECHO". I invited a Chinese speaking to come along with me just in case as many places in this area have questionable English and my Chinese is almost non-existent. You never know, right?

The Good: The pricing was unusual for me at least in North America. This place is membership based. The price per hour is by far the best thing going for this place as well as location. The pricing is as follows:

Monday - Thursday 3 PM - 8:45 PM $7 per person
Friday 3 PM - 8:45 PM $9 per person

9 PM - 3 AM Weekdays: Small room (1-5) people : $35 - $50
Medium room (5-8) people: $60 - $100
Large Room(10-15) people: $120
Party Room(20+) people : $120 - $180

9 PM - 3 AM Weekends: Small room (1-5) people : $55 - $90
Medium room (5-8) people: $120 - $180
Large Room(10-15) people: $200
Party Room(20+) people : $240 - $320

These are flat rates for the entire evening you are there between the times
posted. It has the potential to be very cheap per hour. Best time is probably Friday
nights before 9 PM. After that I calculate the pricing to be average. There are a few
thing you need to know about the pricing they don't tell you but I'll come to that in the next section

The Bad: Now we come to the fun part. While I indicated the pricing is good for Weekdays and average on Weekends there are a few hidden details. First, its subscription based. Its $20 per year for 1 year membership. If on one in your group has one its an additional $5 per person. (Why is it that people from outside Canada see fit to leave out these details in writing?) They have food there but the quality was mediocre at best and the prices on this food were almost double what I would pay at XO. Beef Chow Mein was $12 for a serving fit for one person while at XO I get 2-3 times the amount and better quality food for $10. Oh they also charged a $3 service fee as well which XO doesn't do. I guess this is why a Chinese bunch leaving at the same time I arrived and went for dinner elsewhere. The equipment doesn't get any better. The system is pure cheap midi controlled by a computer (not even MPEG). There were no books, which made selection awkward and the selection of English songs was barely passable at 3200. My Chinese friend told me they had a decent amount of Chinese songs but I didn't get a count. Around double the English songs (which is still pretty small) The speakers were of very low grade, the microphones even lower (have to work to sound decent) and there is no transposition at all. Small rooms are VERY cramped. As for as communication with the staff my fears were justified. The staff there including the manager there could barely speak English. They didn't even understand the word "pitch" when I asked about whether I could transpose the music or not (my Chinese friend eventually translated to Mandarin for me) and there are no written instructions anywhere (not even in Chinese) except the screens and they were minimal at best. Watch out if you decide to get membership here because they ask you for ID and may "offer" to hold on to it while you are in the room. My first thought of course was "potential identity theft" so I made to process the membership card in my presence and took my idea when done. They could have easily asked me to fill out a from. I could be wrong but something felt shady about the whole thing as no one should require Government ID unless its part of government regulation, let alone keep for a few hours at any karaoke place. This was the most unprofessional and suspect karaoke box I have ever been to and I felt I'd better watch my credit card and bank activity for the next few months.

The mixed: The rooms were clean in and in good order but rooms looked small compared to other boxes I've been to.

Summary: If you are looking for a place near Chinatown and you want to sing cheap come here on a Friday but be warned. If you don't have a friend who has membership (which I do now) and you want to come more than once, insist that you give them membership information on paper or on a form and DO NOT give them ANY ID with private information like Social Insurance, Driver's License or Bank information. If they refuse to accept this, go somewhere else. Identity Theft is on the rise and these people should know better, especially for what amounts to a low grade karaoke box. Keeping one's government ID for long period is simply unacceptable. Period. If you can get past all I've said and want cheap fees on weekdays with limited selection and no transposition and cheap equipment the location is convenient enough and the price is right. Otherwise there are MANY other places out there which I will be reviewing shortly.

Summary Scores:
Facilities: 7.0 (Small rooms are really small but rooms are in good order)
Equipment: 6.0 (cheap speakers, poor initial levels, cheap mikes and no transposition)
Location: 8.0 (parking may be a little out of the way but easy access by streetcar)
Food Prices: 5.0 (Prices on food here are highway robbery, better off eating elsewhere)
Service: 5.0 (Poor English, inadequate instructions and questionable ID collection practices)
Selection:6.0 (Barely passable with 3200 English song, Chinese I'm told selection is better)
Wait Times: 8.0 (For a computer system this system was somewhat slow)
Room Prices: 8.0 (see matrix above, best to come weekday evenings or prices are average)

Final Grade: C- (These guys got me to bump up XO original C- grade to a C but they have also have been fixing up furniture) For a new business these guys have a lot of work to do. I feel like their motto was "how cheap can you go?" along with "how much can we get for food". There was just an unprofessional feel to the staff and membership practices they current have there. I would advise against joining their membership list unless they change the way they collect your information for your own protection.

Venue Information:
Echo Karaoke Box
280 Spadina Avenue
Toronto, ON
Phone: (416) 596-6800

Karaoke Review: Jimmy's Pub w/ Neil Harris & "The Nightowl"

2006-10-20T10:00:00.000-05:00

October 10th, 2006

At long last I'm starting to get outside of the downtown core and headed out west. This place was recommended to me by a Toronto Karaoke Meetup member and I was looking for more "fresh blood". With new territory often comes new styles and approaches to karaoke and Neil was no exception. He is what I call one of the "crooner"s of karaoke MC world. If anyone is interested in cool kats in Karaoke, read on.

The Good: The selection is one of the most extensive I've had in a pub. Very wide. Many traditional British pub dishes, sandwiches, Mexican entrees, Steaks, Ribs, Chicken dishes, salads, pizzas and appetizers. (even escargot). Pastas, Greek food and Stir Fries are also available with less variety and an All day breakfast. Nothing like a Bacon & Eggs for dinner, eh? Prices for food are very reasonable. On another topic, the wings I had were exceptional so Tuesday night are a great time go where they are half price. Service was the best I've ever had in any restaurant. Very fast, very attentive and actually quite friendly. (They even gave me an ETA on the food). Neil as an MC makes you feel right at home. His style reminds of a bit of Frank Sinatra: Voice and performance as smooth as silk, very relaxed and mellow. He's not an MC that gives snappy comic remarks that many MCs downtown often use. but his commentary between songs is pleasant and he adds a few funny lines here and there. Neil could add a few more but not much as it could break something that works well. Like other MCs he wants people to participate but he eases you into it gradually. I could almost picture myself at the Cafe from the well know movie "Casablanca". He adds a little incentive with small prizes given out to random participants but people will be drawn more to the relaxed commentary and no pressure invitations. Its different approach than any other MC I've seen to date and it takes a really cool customer to pull it off. Neil is the PERFECT MC for groups with people new to karaoke who may be a little shy about trying it out or for people more mellow and laid back. His selection is significantly above average: Around 8800 songs and he's adding on regularly and takes requests for future venues from his participants. There is a good mix of new hits and old with minor gaps on both ends. No Supertramp but large selection of others and one of the new MCs who actually has A-Ha. Whatever your preference you won't feel left out with what's available. Neil is also a real stickler on sound quality for his shows and does his own audio editing for each song. Its a labor of love for him and it shows. His Equipment is in top shape and I saw what appeared to be new mikes. Although the music levels initially slightly overpowered the singer this only happened when he was singing himself so I can only assume this was just an initial sound check because afterwards the levels were excellent. The quality of the sound on his music tracks is significantly above the norm. In an age where more and more people are settling for cheap MIDI sound its nice to find someone who understands that poor quality music track really does detract from the experience. Wait times were very reasonable. Neil does something unusual in his rotations: He has people do 2 songs each turn. This is technique could work well in crowded room but could also backfire if someone selects a particularly long song and could slow wait times. I may be inclined to go back later to see what the results of this are in a packed room.

The bad: The only thing that could qualify as "bad" is the orientation of the stage: it faces the entrance so the singer cannot see the audience at all. Only people going in and out. The audience can only see you from the side view. Even though I sat fairly close, I didn't have a clear side view. As a stage it was wide enough and you could dance on it if you so desired but the orientation is a distraction to what could be a really great experience.

The mixed: The main course I had was quite good but the salad was average. The biggest mix in this bag was the atmosphere: The lighting nice which adds to Neil's charm but because of the stage I've put the atmosphere in the mixed category. I can't say its a bad stage setup but facing the entrance while singing is extremely awkward especially if you are new to singing on stage. Jimmy's is not ideally setup for a Karaoke show but from what I could see it was difficult to do much better with the pub's configuration.

Summary: Neil Harris is an MC in a class all his own. His calm smooth approach could relax the most nervous participant and he makes an effort to warm up to people which his audience appreciates. His attention to the quality of his music tracks stands out and the extra effort to do his own mixes really adds to the experience. While Neil is not a comic, he is a true entertainer in the karaoke business and pays careful attention to his participants he and he listens to feedback which perhaps is the most important thing a karaoke MC can do. Jimmy's is an exceptional pub with great select, good food and amazing service but its configuration is not ideal for karaoke stages. Even with the uneasy stage orientation you will have fun at with Jimmy's with Neil's unique easy going style combined with exceptional music tracks, excellent equipment & selection plus a smoothness unmatched anywhere. Its not for the party animals, but if you want a place you can relax and feel right at home with karaoke (as opposed to a more aggressive approach) Neil's a great choice. One thing that did stick out at me was the song books are not in exact order because of his additions. Consequently you have regular selections, new additions and more new additions (literally) in order by artist or song title. Makes it harder to find things within the 3 sections so if they could be consolidated that would be a BIG help.

Summary Scores:
Facilities: 7.3 (Nice ambiance which is at one with Neil's style. The Stage is the only negative aspect. Unfortunately facing the entrance rather than the audience is a significant distraction)

Equipment: 8.5 (normally I'd give an 8 but the music tracks are part of it and Neil's are exceptionally good in terms of sound quality. You'll feel like your in a recording studio with most of his tracks. Good balance and new mikes also add to this as well.

Location: 7.5 (Not quite on a subway but if you go to Wilson subway station and take a westbound bus its a 5-10 minute bus ride from the station. Enough free parking for people if you go by car)

Song Selection: 8.3 (Its exceptionally extensive with almost 9k songs and he adds to them regularly. I had to take 0.2 points off because finding songs is a little time consuming due to the fact he has song divided in 3 sections: regular, new additions, and more new additions. Regardless, its an exceptional list so everyone should find something they like)

Wait Time: 8.5 (wait times are quick. The fact that Neil has people do 2 songs at a time is interesting. I'll have to go back and see how this works on an exceptionally crowded night).

Host: 8.2 (Not a lot of comic remarks but enough to keep one smiling. Neil's commentary between songs in general makes you feel relaxed and right at home. He's perfect for nervous newbies or people who want relaxed karaoke. Neil has a Frank Sinatra twist to his style that I've seen nowhere else. Its unique and it works surprisingly well)

Food Prices: 8.2 (prices were very good. You won't go broke here)

Food Selection 9.0: of all the pubs/clubs/ restaurants I've been too this place had the best food selection I've see so far. Bravo!)

Food Quality 7.5:( Great wings, exceptional main entrees, Salads need some work)

Service: 9.3 (Best service I've ever had. Even better than upscale restaurants I've been to). Fast, courteous, attentive and even with a smile. I almost felt I was being served too well)

Final Grade: B+
There were so many good things here I really wanted to give this play an 'A-'. The one really bad item sticks out enough to lower the grade though. If the configuration could be changed in a few small ways (face an audience rather than the door please!) it would be a unique and amazing experience. In many ways it already is. I've know I've said this many times but I'm just so surprised how well Neil makes a laid back approach work and his selections and quality of sound tracks are exceptional. He's worth checking out for these aspects alone. If he can get his books in proper order this excellent song selection can get a few more point percentages. The prizes he gives out to random or new participants add some fun as well. His 2 songs per turn approach will appeal to many people who are worried about wait times. In a crowded it could add time but perhaps he'll adjust when the need arises. I'll certainly be back to find out.

Venue Information:

Jimmy's Pub
1805 Wilson Avenue
North York, ON M9M 1A2
416-740-7404

Tuesdays: 10 PM - Closing

MC/KJ Information:
Neil Harris
Neils Karaoke with "The Nightowl"
416-653-2041
nightowl123@sympatico.ca

Karaoke Reviews: Response to Requests from MC's

2006-10-09T10:38:00.000-05:00

Something I thought I should let people know: 2 MC's have asked me to postpone reviews till they were ready. I won't mention names or places and I try to oblige to a degree as I understand everyone has an off day or may be starting out. However bear in mind I won't wait forever as I am obliged to write them eventually and fairly soon.

Upon reflection I also feel that people also have a right to know if someone is starting out (for better or worse). This can actually be an advantage, especially if they do better than a veteran. I've seen 3 examples of this so far. If someone is new I have mentioned it in the past and take that into account when recommending or not recommending a venue. Reviews are a double edged sword for KJ/MC's and Karaoke Boxes but the other thing they must bear in mind is that what I do on this blog is primarily for the benefits of the PARTICIPANTS. One cannot effectively serve two masters although I try to be nice where I can. My official policy now is I'll hold off a review for 2 weeks tops if there are significant initial setup problems at a new venue I feel are significant. To serve the participants properly I need an idea of what a TYPICAL karaoke evening will be like. An exceptionally bad evening is often not typical so a postponement or second review may be in order. After that its open season. One should be ready upon a second visit. Ideally I'd love to write A- to A+ reviews everywhere I go, but I have to feel its an 'A' level event first.

It would be interesting if I could do two reviews of every venue and take an average of overall scores. Peter Styles is due for a 3rd look as I've seen 2 other amazing MC's plus the Gladstone actually has food now and I suspect the kitchen has extended hours (they stopped at 9 PM when I was there last) so I must do this before giving the official MC of the year award . Perhaps one day if I have volunteers or am independently wealthy I'll do this. But for now its too difficult so I will only postpone or write a second review in extreme cases and will limit those exceptions to 2-3 times max in a year. I've had 1 or 2 complaints that my blog was not being updated enough so I really need to "haul butt" to keep this a useful tool to karaoke participants.

Oh, KJ/MC's, Karaoke Box Owners: I often have to look very hard to find your venues as they aren't well advertised so...if you'd like some additional recognition let me know your venue(s). If are confident you have an excellent karaoke service/venue, I'll write it up with pleasure. (Both good and not so good points of course)

Jonah A. Libster

Software Karaoke Research Project

2006-10-09T10:06:00.000-05:00

After seeing the pros and cons of the systems I've seen in reviewing MC's with Laptop karaoke I decided that the wait times could be better and so could problems like no video on occasional songs, no transposition in some cases and so on...I mentioned reducing wait times with a proper queuing mechanism. I mentioned I wasn't a karaoke software specialist although could write scripts if it would help. Then I thought, wait a minute...I'm an IT consultant, I write reviews, why not BECOME a qualified karaoke software specialist. This litttle idea of mine will take some time and probably cost me some 'okane' (that's money to you and me) but I figure I should put my 'okane' where my mouth is. The first part of this research will only cost me time so...I'm going to try to see what exists out there.

I hope people reading this will bear in mind I'm applying the profession that pays my bills (IT consulting) which I am basically going to give away for the greater good of Karaoke in Toronto. So....anything people can do to reduce the cost (time/money) to this project would be greatly appreciated. Now if any of you MC's who have would like to help with this (and I have already offered to help find ways to improve queuing times for free) if it would really be cool if I could see exactly what software you are using and how (which while I'd like to tell people ways to improve on a general level but not reveal who is using what as that is private, unless you want me to of course) that would give me a lot of insight. It would also give you ways to improve what you do as you'd be getting consulting services applied to karaoke operations at no cost. (The advantage is you'd be getting well before I published it to this blog giving people who help out an edge over competitors)

I'll be keeping my eyes on this project which is close to my heart:http://sourceforge.net/projects/plarpebu/
Its an open source Karaoke Player that supports .kar and mp3+cdg formats. This is actually a big deal and the French are the first to have the foresight to start something like this. I've also seen kTunes and iStar which I'll check out as well but open source means potentially constant improvement by many hundreds of developers which often proves as or more powerful than commercial solutions. (the Apache web Server and OpenOffice are two examples. The Internet I consider one of the first open source projects with the greatest impact obviously).

So those of you who are interested in a free karaoke player can check that out to start. I'm considering adding to the project if I can communicate effectively with these developers (My French Sucks..wonder if they speak Japanese..) More will come later on. Again any help would be great as this will be a major undertaking. Progress will start slow and build up as I get more data.

Also, I hope you are all getting useful info from my reviews. I'm really trying to put more out as fast as I can but it does cost me time and money: About $20-$40 CAD per review for the costs of food/drink or Karaoke Rental fees and about 2-4 hours to attend, jot notes, write and publish to the blog. It all adds up. I'd love ideas to offset/reduce this. Ads are annoying so I try to avoid them. Anyway ideas would be great but I will continue one way or the other. Cheers all.

Jonah A. Libster

Karaoke Events & Updates 2006

2006-10-05T23:29:00.000-05:00

Fellow Karaoke Lovers:
I'm compiling a list of current places for Karaoke Bars and Boxes as well as reviews so we can know where to go for either a private or public session any day of the week. (Yes it IS possible). Also to let people which places have sadly passed on. Without further ado, here is the list of venue places, events and (sob) closings.

Regular Resturant & Bar Events (Confirmed):

Mayday Malone's
1078 Bathurst Street
Toronto, ON
416-531-8064
Wednesday Evenings 9 pm - 1 am

MayDay Malone's
965 Bloor St West
416-516-7844
Thursday Evenings
10 pm till 2am

The Dufferin Gate
1204 King Street West (King & Dufferin)
Toronto, ON
Phone: 416-534-2238
Thursdays 9:30 - Closing

The Chateau Bar & Grill
1157 St Clair W (Just East of Duffrin)
Toronto, ON
Phone: 416-654-3784
Saturdays, 9:30 PM - Closing

Sway
1335 St. Clair West
Toronto, ON
Phone: 416-653-8777
Saturdays, 9:30 PM - Closing

P.M. Toronto
1245 Dupont St.(Rear Entrance to Galleria Mall)
Toronto, ON
Phone: (416) 530-4505
Thursdays 9:30 - Closing

Main Event
2368 Yonge St.(North of Eglington)
Phone:416-544-8070
Wednesdays 9:30PM - Closing

The Groundhog Pub (See Review)
401 Bloor Street East
Toronto, ON
M4W1H7
Phone: (416) 975-1867
Fax : (416) 975 - 9252
Fridays & Saturdays 10 PM - 2 AM

Fox & Fiddle (See Review)
280 Bloor Street West (Bloor St. West @ St. George)
Toronto, ON
(416) 966-4fox (369)
http://www.bloorfox.com
Tuesday & Saturdays 10 PM (11 PM Saturdays) - 2 AM

The Unicorn
(416) 482-0115
175 Eglington East
Toronto, ON
M4P 1J4
Monday Evenings, 10 PM - 2 AM

Saxony Resturant (See Review)
(416) 929-2300
599 Sherbourne Street
8 PM - 2 AM
Friday, Saturday Evenings

Zippers Bar
72 Carlton Street
(Phone Number being confirmed)
8 PM - 12 AM
Thursday Evenings

The Gladstone Hotel (see review)
1214 Queen Street West
(416) 531- 4635
8 PM to 1 AM (Host:Peter Styles, http://www.wizcrafts.net/PeterStyles/)
Thursday, Friday and Saturday

Fiddler's Green Pub (See Review)
27 Wellsley Avenue
(Phone number pending)
(7-9? confirmation of start time pending) - closing time
Friday Evenings (Prizes indicated)

The Fox and Fiddle (see review)
535 Danforth Avenue,
Toronto, Ontario M4K 1P7
Phone: 416-462-9830
Fax: 416-461-3132

Hoops Sports Bar (see review)
458 Yonge Street
(416) 929-3324
9 PM - closing time
Wednesday, Thursday Evenings

Shoeless Joe's Bar (see review)
401 King Street West
(Phone Number pending)
10 PM - 2 AM (Host name pending)
Friday Evenings

Joe Mercury's Big City Sports Bar & Grill
2345 B Dundas St. West
(416) 535-1324
9:30 PM - Closing
Thursday, Friday, Saturday

Peel Pub
276 King St. W. (& Duncan)
(416) 977-0003
Tuesday 10:00pm

On the Rocks Restaurant
169 Front St. E (& Sherbourne)
(416) 862-2901
Thursday, Friday, Saturday
"Marginal selection of out of date songs, but good atmosphere"

Unconfirmed Karaoke Resturants & Bars
(Note because these are as yet unconfirmed, I cannot be certain that
all these venues are still in operation. I will be confirming them in the coming weeks)

Billy Bob's
2448 Bloor Street West
Toronto, ON
(416)-762-1157
Thursday
10 PM - Closing

Blue Lagoon
3180 Lake Shore Boulevard West
Toronto ON
(416) 259-4700
Fridays
9:30 PM - Closing

Chateau Bar & Grill
1157 St. Clair Avenue West
Toronto ON
(416) 654-3784
Fridays
9:30 PM - Closing

Cheer's
2364 Yonge Street
Toronto, ON
(905) 855-7584
Wednesdays
9 PM - Closing

Chick 'N Deli
744 Mount Pleasant Road
Toronto ON
416-489-9464
Wednesdays
9 PM - Closing

Crews Toronto
508 Church Street
Toronto, ON
416-972-1662
Tuesdays & Thursdays
11 PM - Closing

Fiddler's Dell Bar
781 Annette Street
Toronto,ON
416-767-8882
Wednesdays
10 PM - Closing

Canton Karaoke Lounge
4810 Sheppard Av East
(416) 332-0801

Club Epiphany Restaurant & Lounge
11 Arrow Rd
(416) 740-9329

Future Karaoke Restaurant
58 Redlea
(416) 321-5618

Huong Bar & Karaoke
1680 St Clair Avenue West
(416) 654-8889

Manila By Night Karaoke Bar & Restaurant
4949 Bathurst Street
(416) 225-1078

May Karaoke
876 Dundas West
(416) 361-9377

JR's Bar & Grill
3653 Lakeshore Blvd. West
(416) 521-6302

The Fox & Fiddle
4946 Dundas Street West.
Toronto,ON
(416) 207-9990
Saturdays

Crossroads House
1544 Danforth Ave. (& Coxwell Ave.)
(416) 406-4017
Wednesdays

Cubao Bar & Grill
298 College St. (& Spadina Ave.)
(416) 966-9024
a song or two during the band's break

Duke Of York
1225 Queen St. E. (@ Leslie)
Toronto
(416) 463-5302
Saturday 4:30 to 7:30 P.M. with SD SIKI

Hollingers Restaurant & Tavern
1026 Coxwell Ave (& Danforth)
(416) 425-9877
Fri & Sun

Jekyl & Hyde
2340 Dundas Street West.
Toronto,ON
(416) 535-0547
10 PM - Closing
Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays

Joe Badali's Restaurant (Elbow Room)
156 Front St. (& Simco)
(416) 977-3064
Wednesday 6:30pm to 10:30pm with Walter & Chris Henkel

Mr. Slate Sports Bar & Top Brass Lounge
952 Kingston Rd.
M4E 1S7
(416) 694-9495 Thursdays Fri 10 P.M.

New Karaoke Restaurant
793 Gerrard E
(416) 463-9902

Play It Again Sports Bar
1002 St. Clair Ave. W. (& Oakwood Ave.)
Toronto M6E 1A2
(416) 656-8434
Friday 11:00am- 2:00am

Purple Pig
1 Richmond St. W.
(416) 366-6465
Friday

Rio Restaurant
129 Danforth Ave
Toronto, On
(416) 461-2208
Wednesday

Spice Isle Granadian Sports Bar (formerly 'Caffe Del Corso')
1928 Eglinton Ave. W., York
(416) 782-4044
Fridays 9:30pm - 2:00am with Martin Dalcourt & Merike Purje.

Spirits Bar & Grill
642 Church St.
Toronto, ON
M4Y 2G3
(416) 967-0001
Saturday & Sunday

Star City Karaoke
393 Dundas West
(416) 593-9996

Tropical Nights
1311 Danforth Ave
Toronto, On
(416) 693-9000
Mon 10:00 P.M

Winchester Tavern
537 Parliament St. (& Winchester St.)
(416) 929-1875 Wed and Sun

Wise Guys
2301 Danforth Ave.
Toronto, On
416-690-8343
karaoke with Dr. Spin

JR's Bar & Grill
3653 Lakeshore Blvd. West
(416) 521-6302
Karaoke Saturday Nights Began Nov. 2, 2002, On-going

Closings:

The following Venues have closed their doors. We'll miss them:

Mr. GreenJeans
The Eaton (Sears) Centre (Dundas & Yonge), 3rd floor
(416) 979- 1212
10 PM - 2 AM (Host: Jason Rolland, http://www.jsonrolland.com/)
Wednesday, Thursday Evenings (Saturdays? possible type/bug on site)

Hollywood On the Queensday(See Review)
1184 The Queensway
(416) 251-0288
8 PM - Midnight (Hosted by Karaoke Nights)
Wednesday Evenings

Wolf & Ferkin
43 Elm Street
Wednesdays
7:30 PM - 11:30 PM (Starting after the first week September)
Phone: (416) 971-6264
Toronto, ON

Tequila Sunrise
212 Adelaide Street West
(416) 593-6164
10 PM - 2 AM (Host: Jason Rolland, http://www.jasonrolland.com/)
Monday Evenings

Milwaukee's Good Bites
220 Adelaide Street West
(416) 368-1017
10 PM - 2 AM (Host: Jason Rolland, http://www.jasonrolland.com/)
Tuesday Evenings

Fuel Station
335 Jarvis St. (& Carlton St.)
(416) 921-1361
Mondays, Pool Tables

The Red Spot
459 Church St
(416) 967-7768
Mondays with Foofer

Lee Garden
1255 Bay St. (& Bloor)
(416) 968-3689
All English Daily 9:30pm Chinese Food Restaurant

Sushi Bistro
204 Queen St. W.
Toronto, On
(416) 971-5315

Cafe Lang Van II Karaoke
70 Ossington
Toronto, On
(416)536-5482

Charitiy's Karaoke Cause Bar
240 Sherbourne
Toronto, On
(416) 922-4885

Ah So Gardens Japanese Restaurant
614 Jarvis St. (& Bloor)
(416) 920-4333
Featuring songs in English, Chinese, Japanese & Korean.

Fox & Firkin (Open but stopped Karaoke 3 years ago)
51 Eglinton Ave. E. (& Yonge St.)
Phone: (416) 480-0200
Sundays British Pub. Imported beers on tap

Stanley's Entertainment Lounge
129 Danforth Avenue
(416) 462-3373
9:30PM - Close (Host name pending)
Wednesday Evenings

T.J.'s Tap & Grill
2112 Danforth Ave. (E of Woodbine)
(416) 424-4612
Saturday with Mary

Karaoke Box Venues:
This sections I need time to get full details.
See reviews for XO karaoke box for details. More to follow

Karaoke Review: Philthy McNasty's with MC, Tim for Canadian Karaoke

2006-10-05T09:28:00.000-05:00

Review on October 4th, 2006

I'd seen this place show Karaoke on Monday nights, but when I tried to go I was told it was changed to Tuesdays. Apparently this was done to get a popular DJ in for one night. Don't know the details, but they finally got a solid commitment to Tuesdays so I went in to check the place out. Passing the place many times on my way to clients it always looked a little seedy from the outside but was hopeful that when I got in things would appear in a different light.

The good: I generally need things to have a 7.5 or higher to be in the "good" category. Canadian Karaoke is usually able to get an MC or Equipment up to that level. The only thing I could put in here for this evening's performance was the wait time (they are getting better song change times it unfortunately that was it this round. The food selection of the bar was fairly good: Lots of Pastas, Sandwiches, Nachos, Pizzas and even Jambalayas and stir fries. For a sports bar, the food selection was certainly well above average.

The Bad: Some of the things from other Canadian Karaoke reviews still apply but as I said before the wait times were better in terms of changing songs. The guy could do it in 2-3 minutes average and that helps. Unfortunately too many things were going wrong. Aside from a group of < 12 people (you could do a lot songs in obviously) the initial sound levels were not good: Sound was tinny and music was overpowering until around 1.5 hours later when I guess the MC realized the sound problem. A multi-colored globe above the singing area was annoyingly loud creating a real distraction and I suggested several times it be turned off. The monitor was again too low (see previous reviews for Canadian karaoke venues). I strongly suggest getting a portable LCD monitor and a different stand. This has been used with great success and isn't as likely to break if knocked over). The one of the songs I generally do "Give a little bit" I had to do from memory because the video didn't work for that particular song. This was a first for me and I wouldn't have imagined it possible, but there are some issues with these computer based systems and I guess the video files (mpeg's?) can get corrupted. All the other songs were fine but this is extremely embarrassing for a karaoke company. The lighting in the place was a bit harsh and the bar area had a seedy look to it. Too many TV's made the lighting even harsher and often created unwanted distractions. The worst part of all was the food service. Karaoke is held in the bar area and I guess the waitress felt that getting any real food was an inconvenience. I had to go to her for any service (in every other pub/bar I've been to people would come by and ask if I wanted anything). When I did get the menu and placed my order (again had to go to the bar), I was served a chicken sandwich with fries, but no napkin or condiments. This is completely unacceptable in the food service industry. I had to find condiments and napkins from a far off table. Obviously I wasn't giving any tips that evening. To restaurant managers: If you are claiming to serve food, make sure your staff serves it properly, regardless of the setting, or whether they have friends there. (This waitress seemed more interested in talking with her pals rather than looking after her customers). Even if the place looks fairly empty (which it was) that is no reason for leaving even one paying customer without proper service. Highly visible upper bodies don't win points with me, sports bar or otherwise.

The Mixed: Canadian Karaoke is still on the level of ~6000 songs. Prices of the food were a bit on the high side (especially for the service you get). The MC, Tim, appeared to be quite new and getting to know the ropes. He has a great voice for radio (most women would consider him good looking as well), a strong singer and tried to keep the crowd he had involved. While I say it tried he was often unsuccessful or awkward. People like Peter Styles, Pete Rockwell and Jeff Zedic (Big City Music Karaoke) have enough trivia or subject matter they can play part time comedian. Sometime its needed, especially with weak crowds. Also felt he could have interacted with people more at the beginning of the show but he did make attempts with the front table later. Back tables (where were a few people there for awhile) were neglected entirely. They did seem more interested some conversation but I've seen MC's spark interest in seemingly disinterested parties in the past. In know its a lot of work and I'm not sure I have the talent to do what my favorite MC's do with crowds. Hopefully Tim and other Canadian Karaoke MC's can get more tips from their boss Allan, who does this fairly well.

Summary: Philthy McNasty's was a great disappointment to me as a venue. And maybe that brings out the weaker aspects of a Karaoke MC/Company. While I was assured many Tuesday nights had been packed, I had trouble believing it with the quality of service and food prices. The food prices were high but not horribly so. The service I experienced was completely unprofessional and wouldn't quality as service. I've had better service eating at friends where service is not expected from me. Tim as an MC I guess just needs a bit more experience but the fact a song video wasn't working and the MC wasn't aware of it doesn't look good. It may have been a one time thing which hopefully will not reoccur. The atmosphere was seedy with no redeeming qualities I could see and the karaoke area was awkward because of rows of high chairs/tables that made it difficult to see participants. The harsh lighting and excessive TV's didn't help either. I'd prefer to see Tim and Canadian Karaoke in a different venue with better service, better layout, lighting and food prices all around.

Summary Scores:
Facilities: 6.5 Rows of high tables/chairs, harsh lighting and too many TV's. The whole place looked "McNasty's" as a karaoke area: Seedy bar atmosphere.
Equipment: 7.0 (in good shape, but I had to take off points for low monitor, buggy lyric videos and poor initial balance. The noisy non-spining globe didn't help either.)
Location: 7.5 (plenty of expensive paid parking available in streets and parking garages. Can take subway to St. Andrew and walk 10 minutes or get a streetcar.
Song Selection: 7.0 (6000 songs, little weak in the modern selections but fantastic selection of TV Themes from the 70-80s)
Wait Time: 8.5 (The song change times are getting better. Small crowd didn't hurt either ;-))
Host: 7.2 (A little green, but has a good voice may do better with time)
Food Prices: 6.5 (A bit on the high side)
Food Selection: 8.3 (Fairly extensive selection for a sports bar)
Food Quality: 7.0 (Fairly good, but nothing to "sing" about)
Services: 5.0 (Completely unacceptable level of food service. I consider a 5 a gift. The manager is needs to have a chat with his/her bar staff)

Note: Apparently they have a variation of Karaoke with a live band on Thursdays. I may check it out bearing in mind I may be getting my own silverware if service was anything like I had this evening.

Final Grade: C-

Venue Information:
Philthy McNasty's
http://philthymcnastys.com
275 King Street West (St. Andrew's Subway)
Toronto, ON
M5V 1J2
Phone: (416)979-8060
Tuesdays 10 PM - 2 AM

Canadian Karaoke Company Info: http://www.canadiankaraoke.com,
(416) POP-TUNE

Karaoke Review: Fox & Fiddle w/ Pete Rock Radio

2006-10-03T01:43:00.000-05:00

** Best Karaoke Video Show 2006 **
** Best Digital Audio Effects 2006 **
Reviewed September 26, 2006

We have a new first at the Toronto Karaoke Blogspot: A karaoke venue tailored to the University student crowd. Since this venue is near the University of Toronto it makes sense. Now MC's like Jason Rolland also try to tailor to similar crowds but this MC has a twist all his own. Some may say its better as Pete has what I like to call "Karaoke with Bite". "Tell me more, tell me more" you say? Absolutely.

The Good: Pete opens up his show with the familiar phrase "This program contains adult subject matter". Well he isn't kidding folks so if you have any problem with rated 'R' material including jokes, sounds and possible still pictures well...discression is advised. This is certainly the first rated 'R' karaoke I've ever witnessed. But he has bar none the best audio effects (Jeff of Big City Music Services had good use of echo in appropriate places but nothing like this): Various voice recording, sounds of funny and sometimes gross nature. He even had a recording of William Shanter reciting "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds". He uses a digital projector on a screen to show the words for songs behind the singer and funny pictures which he does to great effect. Its a riot and a karaoke enhancement I'd never see done in public karaoke before. I would occasionally ask people in private boxes to elect the cheesiest video but the laughs from Pete's video system are second to none. Bravo!! He also uses wireless mikes (hey, people actually do this) and a first rate speaker system that never overloads. You will sound wonderful here and Pete keeps the music & voice levels at reasonable volumes and balance (unless you don't know words in which case he may through in a funny remark or two ). Overall Pete has a good sense of humor and he keeps it fun. Again, a few rated 'R' and X' pictures (1) and comments (many) come up, but for University students, this is tame compared to what you usually find in the frats of my old alma mater. We don't take off points for restricted or adult content here (and Pete does a good job for the expected audience) I must stress (as does Pete at the beginning of every show) the nature of the expected jokes. On to the restaurant itself, the food is quite decent in quality, services is excellent once they see you (it was unusually crowded when I was there). The layout was actually excellent: Tables arranged so you can get to the stage easily. The stage itself had a wooden floor section which is great for dancing and easy view monitors in front and above. The screen behind had both words and humorous pictures from the Digital Projector overhead. You'll feel like a star here. To me this is a great relief since the Hollywood on Queensway stopped their karaoke show. They had the best stage of any venue so its good to be able to suggest another place with a really good stage. The food is also excellent here and prices are bit better than average.

The Bad: The one weakness of Pete's system (And I noticed this for employees of Canadian Karaoke as well regardless of MC), is the time it takes between songs. I'm guess they are using some Apple iTunes or similar MP3 Program with video. This is all well and good but it takes longer to setup songs (you can tell this system by the fact they have no real numbering like on older karaoke systems). Being in the IT biz, I understand the flexibility these tools allow and commend Karaoke MC's for taking full advantage of them, but when you have a big crowd these increased wait times get noticed and MC's using this equipment sometimes have to "vamp" comical anecdotes to fill in for time it takes to queue up songs. So as a suggestion (and this is the second company now) find a way to allow these computer apps to store a queue of songs so people don't have to wait too long. We all like commentary (especially good/funny commentary between songs, but ideally one should keep turn around times between 1-3 minutes. These MP3 based "karaoke" systems seems to average 3-5 minutes between songs. Given that this is the second company I've seen with this problem with similar song playing methods, the software is definitely a factor. As an IT consultant (I'm not an MP3 software specialist however, is there such a thing...?) I'm happy to offer suggestions provided I can see what software you are actually using for no charge. Some songs in my opinion also go a bit too long especially with the song change times. I don't agree with Jason Rolland's "banned" list but one thing he does better than anyone else is he keeps singing times reasonable: Anything longer than 5 minutes he fades out. Something Pete here and MC's from Canadian Karaoke can learn from. So basically the wait times between songs are the only real negative side but I fear this will be increasing common with some of these new "numberless" systems coming into play on the Karaoke scene.(at least without proper remedy...drop me a line if you'd like any technical/scripting suggestions, especially mac users: you may not know how much power you have with AppleScript). It would be great if MC's using this Mp3 player computer on their laptops could keep singers within 5 minutes as some songs can go as long as 10 minutes unchecked.

The Mixed: Food selection was a little odd. The place feels like a British pub the selection feels more like from the USA: Large selection of sandwiches, Mexican dishes, salads, but limited British pub food (4 dishes). The song selection is decent: ~6300 (received e-mail indicating ~7000 from Peter) songs and has an excellent choice of recent hits which is not so common with Karaoke companies with this number of songs.(I put it in the mixed section because Jeff of Big City Music Services blew away my score ranks with his 13264 (last count) songs in his collection which I cannot ignore. To Pete's credit his has an excellent number of modern hits: ACDC, Dixie Chicks and Radiohead are only a few examples and most Karaoke Hosts don't have good modern selections unless they have at least 8000 songs so Pete, good choice on balance on available quantity and selection from all major genres for Karaoke music. No one should feel left out by any generation gaps here.

Summary: Pete Rockwell brings a unique edge to the Karaoke world as well as the best (and only) picture comedy show of its kind Toronto Karaoke (so far...) and certainly the best sound effects offered by any MC to date (you may notice unusually loud fart sounds but be puzzled by lack of odor). With top quality sound equipment including wireless mikes, a great dance floor on the stage and excellent food, its a good place for karaoke, especially if you enjoy University Student type of humor. I am officially giving Pete Radio Rock Karaoke the "Humorous Video Show and Sound Effects Award" which I was compelled to create for this new way of adding more fun to the karaoke experience. Its well worth the possible wait times you may have to endure if you go on a crowded night. There is room for improvement but overall an excellent place to enjoy Karaoke. Humor is good although not quite as good as Jeff of Big City Music Services but Pete is the youngest Karaoke MC I've seen so far and has great promise. Given time he may pass Jeff in the humor department, especially with his visual aids.

Summary Scores:
Facilities: 8.5 (Good stage, well planned path to the mike and lots of room in the back for additional participants)
Equipment: 9.8 (Highest score rating, knocking Jason Rolland's score down a few notches. Equipment as good as his PLUS great video! Decided we needed room for someone beat it which I think unlikely, especially on the video side which is something normally seen only in private boxes. Come all challengers!
Location: 8.7 (close to St. George subway station. Lots of street parking available on side streets. Possible free parking on residential streets if you don't mind walking a few minutes)
Song Selection: 7.5 (added points for good selection in modern songs which is rare for MCs with selection in the 6k range)
Wait Time: 7.0 (Average due to queue times of the software, sometimes singer up as long as 9 minutes which should be clipped by MC a little if longer than 5-6 minutes)
Host: 8.8. Pete's video elements are a riot. Good taste and timing for many pictures related to choice of song (and song switching times). Great sound effects as well. Jeff has a little bit of the upper hand in experience with his jokes, musical and political trivia (would do well as a professional comedian) but given Pete's age, time may well make him Jeff's equal or better. You won't be disappointed.
Food Prices: 7.6 (Decent, slightly better than average)
Food Selection: 7.5 (good selection but not quite what you expect in a pub, Sandwiches and Mexican food have more choices than British pub fair)
Food Quality: 7.8 (Quite good)
Service: 8.5 (very attentive, they look after you well)

Final Grade: B+/A- (Very strong finish. Almost beat the Groundhog because of its stage and equipment. This is a VERY solid venue and Host. Reduced wait times, increased selection or more experience to add a greater variety of joke topics (which WILL come in time I have no doubt), would make this place a solid A-. 2 or more of these would make this the first A venue to be reviewed.

Update (2006-11-10): I just received an e-mail from Peter Rockwell who clarified a few things:
1. He has roughly 6480 songs. Upon receiving a few points of clarification I recounted them carefully. (I was given a number of 7000 so I suspect there are new additions not in the books yet)
2. He isn't as young as I thought he was :D...ah well...shows how well I can judge a person's age but I'm pretty certain he hasn't been around as long as Jeff or Peter Styles so I'd say he's still pretty well polished for his experience in comparison to these old veterans.
3. The wait times I mentioned were apparently NOT due to Peter's software (although it is for Canadian Karaoke entering songs using iTunes) but is a conscious decision based on the style of his show)

Venue Information:
Fox & Fiddle
280 Bloor Street West (Bloor St. West @ St. George)
Toronto, ON
(416) 966-4fox (369)
http://www.bloorfox.com
Tuesdays & Saturdays 10 PM - 2 AM

Pete Rock Radio Karaoke
Site: http://www.peterockradio.com and http://www.karaokeisstupid.com
gig@peterockradio.com

Karaoke Review: The Groundhog Pub, with substitute MC, Allan Sochan for Canadian Karaoke

2006-09-05T20:39:00.000-05:00

This is a rather original review because the MC is not a regular at the venue performed. A group I organize, the Toronto Karaoke Meetup Group their usual meeting at the Groundhog Pub scheduled for September 1st. It came to my attention the day before that Jeff of Big City Services (see review) was out of town that weekend. Fortunately for us, management at the Groundhog Pub agreed to get a last minute substitute. As the organizer of the Toronto Karaoke Meetup group I'd like to acknowledge the efforts of the Groundhog Pub and Jimmy (employee) for his efforts. The additional benefit for all of us here is we get a review of a new MC: Allan Sochan, owner of the karaoke hosting company, Canadian Karaoke. I've had to make special adjustments to the scoring for this review because he was only given a few hours notices to get everything together and I'd also like to recognize exceptional efforts under stressful condition. Without further ado, let's review:

I already wrote a review of the Groundhog Pub as a venue so I'll forego repetition on the venue and concentrate on the MC.

The good: Allan keeps a very upbeat mood. Although not quite the comedy level Peter Styles or Jeff of Big City Music Services (and this was a new environment for him, Allan kept people interested and applauding the participants (one of Peter's great strengths, especially with sign he keeps). He made sure people were putting in requests. Allan was actually more active in ensuring everyone got their selections in by repeatedly visiting tables even though he already had a good list going. As an MC there is very little I could fault him on: excellent personality and very attentive both with people and with Mic levels. Mikes, speakers and mixers were excellent and Allan even added the bonus of using echo levels more effectively than any other MC I've see to date. (new category for best effects application in karaoke?).

The Bad: There was one weakness that caught my attention: The time he sometimes took to que up songs a little longer than most and he would sometimes talk to cover for the time it was taking. (His system by the way was on an iBook which from personal experience I can say is a wonderful machine) That was really his only weakness as an MC. The other weakness that stood out was the monitor: The size was okay, but it was far too low. Some people actually got chairs so they could properly read the text. With a different stand it would make a big different as its very hard to sing properly sitting down. These were the only real faults I can give.

The Mixed The selection was fair:~6000 songs. No one was unhappy with the selection (especially given the time to get things together). It was a decent collection of songs and the strongest TV Theme collection I've seen. Unfortunately it was slightly weak in the modern collections but Jeff of Big City Music is so far the one public MC with the wideest selection (13,000+) I've seen personally so far.

Summary: Allan is a very solid MC and with minor improvements to his equipment and song queing, he could be serious competition for Jeff of Big City Music Services and Peter Styles. Unfortunately (for us) Allan confessed to me he doesn't do a lot of MC'ing as he owns the company. Our loss in my opinon but would make a good mentor, especially since he is currently looking for dynamic guys and gals to work for him as an MC. So if anyone is interested in a part time career hosting karaoke events, send Allan an e-mail through his website at http://www.canadiankaraoke.com. Thanks again Allan for a great job at the last minute. (Now I'm curious how he'd to with a week's notice...)

Summary Scores:
Facilities: 7.5 (Have to squeeze through people if its really crowded)
Equipment: 8.6 (in top shape, but I had to take off points for the low monitor, but great sound. If you sound bad don't blame the MC, gave bonus points for excellent use of echo effect)
Location: 8 (plenty of PAID parking available and some unpaid. across the street from Sherbourne Subway, )
Song Selection: 7.0 (6000 songs, little weak in the modern selectios but fantastic selection of TV Themes from the 70-80s)
Wait Time: 7.0 (About Average, but this was due to the queing times of the MC)
Host: 8.7 (Keeps people interested in him and each other, Allan's friendly light humor keeps you grinning, really attentive with adjusting mic levels, his use of echo is the most effective I've seen)
Food Prices: 7.5 (Slightly better than average)
Food Selection: 7.0 (Decent Pub food with a touch of Greek.)
Food Quality: 7.7 (Mostly quite good. The Pub food is better than the Greek)
Services: 8.0 (Mostly good. Minor lapses but staff is generally very attentive)

Final Grade: B+(MC grade). Combined grade with Venue, B

Venue Information:
401 Bloor Street East
Toronto, ON
M4W1H7
Phone: (416) 975-1867
Fax : (416) 975 - 9252
Fridays & Saturdays 10 PM - 2 AM

Canadian Karaoke Company Info: http://www.canadiankaraoke.com,
(416) POP-TUNE

Karaoke Review: The Fiddler's Green Pub

2006-07-31T22:20:00.000-05:00

Fiddler's Green Pub Featuring Erica of Karaoke Queen 22 Wellsley (Wellsley & Yonge)

With one of the more original theme for a pub and a sign indicating prizes at this karaoke venue how could one resist? (Plus I'm a sucker for a good British style pub anyway). It was easy enough for me to visit being right across from Wellsley Subway station so...on to the review.

The Good: The host is by far the best thing about this karaoke pub. She has an excellent sense of humor, attentiveness that rivals Jeff of Big City Music. She really knows her stuff and keeps the crowd VERY entertained. The selection is decent (8000+ songs) with good variety although there was only indexing by alphabet, none by artist. Wait times were very well controlled it seemed although it was difficult to measure given the size of the crowd but active effort was made to move participants at a good pace.

The Mixed: Everything food related gave me mixed feelings. Service was adequate but nothing amazing. Food prices and quality were all average: You won't break the bank, but you won't have an amazing dining experience either. The selection was typical pub fare which I always enjoy but...a little more variety would be nice. Erica's equipment works fairly well, but a bit simple: Basic portable pro speakers on a post with 2 wired mikes. Sound quality was okay, but I've heard better. Wireless mikes would also help thing as well. The wired mikes seemed a big aged and should probably be replaced.

The Bad: The only thing truly bad here was the facilities: The room is entirely too small for anything but small groups. In fact karaoke participants were spread along stairs as the room couldn't properly fit them all. I felt the size and layout of the room was beneath the quality of this MC and was impressed she could do what she did in a room like this. All I can say to the pub management is: Come on! Recognize talent when you see it and use a room more suitable to bring in customers (like the first floor maybe. As a consequence of the room's size you don't really have a "stage". Just take the mike in front of the equipment.

Summary: Well Peter Style (and Jeff) have more competition here. Erica is definitely a first class MC with a style all her own. She definitely deserves the loyal following she appears to have and in public karaoke, the MC makes the event. ITs too bad the pub doesn't (or can't?) give here a room that allows her to show all her true colors. I'd love to see her in a play like Hollywood On the Queensway (who is no longer doing karaoke) where she'd really be able to give people that "entertainer" feeling. The food is okay, and will keep you from going hungry but its nothing exceptional nor is the service. Is the MC that will keep you coming here, and again, the pub should take advantage of that. The only thing I'd say to Erica is, with a wide selection (which is good but not as good as Jeff's who has 13k+ songs), and more up to date equipment, you'd have a karaoke event to seriously rival anyone doing karaoke shows in Toronto today, Peter Styles included. Brava!

Summary Scores:
Facilities: 5.5 (Just not enough room if you want a healthy crowd to show up)
Equipment: 8.0 (its good, but should be better, a little aged)
Location: 8.0 (its right in front of Wellsley subway, but all parking nearby is paid and the pub doesn't have a lot of its own but..there is parking right next door)
Song Selection: 8.0 (I'd have given it an 8.3 but Jeff at Big City Music just blew the curve)
Wait Time: 8.0 (Erica does a good job with this, far better than average)
Host: 8.8 (The MC really knows how to work the crowd. A few minor additions (I don't know what but Peter has a "applause" sign and Jeff's humor is updated with current events) and we'd have a major MC showdown)
Food Prices : 7.5 (slightly better than average)
Food Quality: 7.5 (you won't turn your nose up, but won't ask for 2nd's either)
Food Selection: 7.5 (Decent pub selection, but nothing else)
Service: 7.0 (Basic, nothing to complain about)

Final Grade: B- (With a room like this I'd normally give a lower grade but the MC manages to get the Fiddler's Green Pub a semi-decent grade. Management at the Fiddler: I'd bump it up to a B/B+ with a better room.

Venue Information:
22 Wellsley Street East
Toronto, ON 4Y 1G7
416-967-9442
Karaoke Friday, Saturday & Sunday from 10:00 PM to 2 AM

Note: This review was done early fall of 2005(Been busy). Erica is no longer performing at the Fiddler's Green. There is a new MC named Bernie (I'll have more info later on in a new review)

Karaoke Review: The Groundhog Pub

2006-07-25T01:27:00.000-05:00

**Karaoke MC Of the Year, 2006**

Groundhog Pub on Sherbourne and Bloor Featuring Big City Music Services. http://www.chang-sang.com/BigCityMusic/
Jeff Zedic as MC.

Well after a long absence its back to review and while I've been slow to publish I've been writing and the key think you always look for is professionalism. So far I've been averaging 50/50. Given that a place so close to where I live (no I'm not telling) it seemed unlikely a really good place could be within a 5-10 minute walk. The Groundhog was recommended to me by veterans before. Question is, was it a GOOD recommendation?

The Good: I almost hate to admit it but almost everything was good: The decor, cleanliness, lighting. The food is overall decent as were prices. Service was very good but the best of all was the MC himself. Jeff may well displace Peter Styles as the MC of the year and I'm not about to give up on Peter just yet, but its close. Deciding the MC of the year may be painful in 2006. The song selection is second to none so far. Around 13146 songs give or take. Jeff not only has an excellent voice and sense of humor (part time comedian?) but has a ton of trivia on the song selections. How many people remember a band named "Tom & Jerry" (before they took on their real names). The equipment is in excellent condition. Jeff even keeps backlists of the regular participants previous selections. You don't get much more personal service than that. Only thing missing is a wireless mike. (Hint MC's BIG hint here..)

The Mixed: Two words: Configuration and wait times. The later is impossible to avoid when you are popular (Should I be publishing this review?). Its a real stage of average size. But you will often have to shuffle between tables on a crowded day. Once you are there the setup is very good although if you are near the front window seats at the front you many have to come to the back to hear people, and you'll probably want to when the hard core karaoke fans come in. Some very funny and entertaining performances are done every week matching the levels of Peter Styles following (And they are impressive plus somewhat more colorful). The wait times are actually very good if you come in on a light evening. Otherwise expect a 2-3 hour wait between songs, which is still better than your average place with similar crowds like The Gladstone, but you can't really fault the MC at either venue. They try their best to be fair and both Jeff and Peter are very accommodating/ This is how quality and popularity are their own blessing and curse. On a crowded evening the awkwardness of the tables in relation to the stage and pool table/video game become more apparents. Aside from that everything else was was great.

The Bad: Hmm....I'm sure I could come up with lots of bad things to say, but not for this review. Got any suggestions? Send them in. (One person who will remain anonymous indicated the calamari was a tad overcooked (and I agree) but the cakes made up for it. That still puts food in the mixed category. (Gotta say SOMETHING).

Summary: Its rare that I so many good things to say and so few negative, but this venue is a rare find: Reasonable food, reasonable prices, excellent services, decent stage, combined with an MC who goes out of his way to please. The effort alone would get high points here, the fact the Jeff succeeds with flying colors makes him serious competition for Peter Styles and blows Jason Rolland out of the water. There will be a showdown I'm sure. Unfortunately for Peter (and Jason), Jeff has major edge with his selection which he is is constantly updating. He even has a website where you can ask for new selections (no promises but he does try). As I said before the room configuration can get a little tight when large crowds come in but once you get to the stage you hardly notice (until you have to go back to your seat). You'll sound like a pro on this equipment and Jeff seriously keeps his ears perked and adjusts levels according. He takes his patrons seriously and it shows. If you want a great time at karaoke, you won't go wrong here, crowds or no crowds.

Summary Scores:
Facilities: 7.5 (Have to squeeze through people if its really crowded)
Equipment: 9 (in top shape, if you sound bad here don't blame the MC)
Location: 8 (plenty of PAID parking available and some unpaid. across the street from Sherbourne Subway, )
Song Selection: 9.3 (13146 with lots of MODERN selections as well nearly all my old favorites, need I say more..)
Wait Time: 7.8 (Above Average)
Host: 9.3 (Matched only by the selection. Whether you singing or laughing at Jeff's jokes, you'll have fun)
Food Prices: 7.5 (Slightly better than average)
Food Selection: 7.0 (Decent Pub food with a touch of Greek.)
Food Quality: 7.7 (Mostly quite good. The Pub food is better than the Greek)
Services: 8.0 (Mostly good. Minor lapses but staff is generally very attentive)

Final Grade: B+/A- (its tough minor improves on food & food prices would be a solid A-)

Venue Information:
401 Bloor Street East
Toronto, ON
M4W1H7
Phone: (416) 975-1867
Fax : (416) 975 - 9252
Fridays & Saturdays 10 PM - 2 AM

Bg City Music Site: http://www.chang-sang.com/BigCityMusic/

New Toronto Karaoke Information Sources!!

2005-08-05T15:57:00.000-05:00

It is my pleasure to let you know I have discovered more kindred spirits dedicated to helping people know where and when to go for an amazing karaoke experience.

Mr. Dave MacDonald who hosts his site at Karaoke Scoop. If you send an e-mail to Dave at admin@karaokescoop.ca he will send you a pdf newsletter with listings of Karaoke Venues and a wealth of other information about other events, issues and new songs published on karaoke medium. So go and check it out!

I'll post other up to date sites as they come to my attention. Credit must also be given to Pierre, member of the Toronto Karaoke Meetup Group. Thank you for bringing this to my attention.

A note to all viewing my reviews

2005-08-03T17:26:00.000-05:00

Aparently I'm getting responses to my reviews. I've recently been receiving both fan and HATE mail. Well, at least hate mail from one individual. Mr. Rolland took exception to my review at Milwaukee's (now closed) created a profile on a size I help organize, tried to use the profile he created as a billboard and then started flaming on a forum. Being an organizer I was oblidged (regretably) to put a quick and decisive stop to it when innocent members (not myself) were being attacked publically. (My apologizes to the affect members)

I feel I should clarify a few things. My reviews are posted here and nowhere else. I don't even take the opportunity to post my reviews on other sites unless specifically requested by their owners. Its meant as a reference much like Now or Eye Magazine with their entertanment reviews. If anyone doesn't like an aspect of a review, you can ask for clarification or indicate where there might be an error. One person convinced me that Milwaukee's had better than average stage. Upon reflection I agreed and realized that maybe the MC's impression was overshadowing it. So I increased the score there from a 7 to an 8. (The MC Score stands as is)

In my reviews song selection and MC carries the greatest weight for the final grade. The equipment, facilities come next, followed by resturant prices, food quality and service. Its not averaged.

If an MC blatently censors content or singers publically the highest score an MC will receive is a 6.5 MAXIMUM (if he's amazing in all other aspects). So those offended by a bad MC score who censors songs publically (or course one can simply not put the songs in their books and I won't know) be aware of this. The score or policy won't change because you try to flame me. Its my work, its not affected by advertisements or outside pressure. I do it for the benefit of those looking for guide in the much overlooked karaoke world and no other reason. Just so everyone, especially disgruntled MC's know where I stand on my reviews and why. Cheers.

Toronto Karaoke Review: Fox and Fiddle on Danforth

2005-08-01T23:27:00.000-05:00

Fox and Fiddle on Danforth Featuring Canadian Karaoke Champ Michelle

I had been meaning to check this place out for sometime so I finally made an excuse to take an friend out there one hot summer day to check it out. As franchises go its an overall fun place go to. But is this one fun for Karaoke? The Danforth area could use a karaoke champion as one in the area had had closed its doors sometime back.(The sign is still up :-) )

The Good: The food quality was the best thing going for this place. I recommend going on Wednesday for the half priced Fajitas. Really nice. The food selection is exceptionally good. Wide variety of Tex-Mex bar food, bar food and FREE POOL! The karaoke facilities were decent: Good center stage, easy to get to. Better than most.

The Mixed: The food prices were about average but very good on Wednesdays for the fajitas. The equipment was about average, unfortunately the sound levels weren't great and the MC wasn't adjusting for them very well. Wait times were average.

The Bad: Unfortunately the largest part of this section will be on the karaoke itself. The MC was one of the most disorganized I'd ever seen. MIchelle started late because she waited for selections from her regular group to come in (I had a selection in but over 30 minutes before putting it in as I wasn't one of he regulars). I've seen MC's with poor crowds before work better than this. And the crowd this evening was actually quite good. This MC didn't know how to work them at all or get new inexperienced people involved. (Best place for new inexperience Karaoke participants is Shoeless Joe's) Even worse, the books were scattered with no central place for people to get at them (as is customary), there weren't enough books when people asked for them, and the selection was overall quite poor. I was informed by the Karaoke Management that other songs were available but they would have to check. What is with that? It should be in the book or not mentioned. Telling people you MAY have it undocumented is not professional. The many selections had no organization either, New songs added were tagged at the end so you had to work to find songs you wanted.

The mike levels were not adjusted properly by the MC. The song book talks about how this MC won some Karaoke contest. Well, that is only a small part of the skills required for make a good Karaoke MC. That said, Michelle IS a powerful singer (and so is Peter Styles who is my favorate MC) The food service was pretty bad too. Had to call the waitress in the end to get any service after waiting for 30 minutes right next to the main bar with no one noticing.

Summary: We have a new record for worst MC in my review books which is strange because Michelle is a professional level singer. She honestly looked a little lost without her regulars involved. Extremely limited song selections (around 2000 songs), no proper organization slowing lookup times, and not enough books: Never saw anything like it. New comers to karaoke will feel quite awkward and sound just as awkward as sound levels seems to be an afterthought. I either had trouble hearing people over the music or heard mike distortion by good singers. The food was was quite good and again, there is free pool. A friend asked me to go again for pool later on. Its okay for a bar, and maybe some incidental karaoke but not for true enthusiasts.

Summary Scores:
Facilities: 8.5 (Quality setup with central stage)
Equipment: 8 (Mikes and speakers were quite good)
Location: 8 (some parking available, can get there on Chester subway)
Song Selection: 6 (Small selection, bad organization)
Wait Time: 7.0 (Average)
Host: 5.5 (Good singers don't necessarily make good MC's and here's the proof. Has to wait on the audience, can't move them effectively, inattentive on sound levels)
Food Prices: 7.0 (Average, to high)
Food Selection: 8.0 (Fairly good Tex-Mex & Pub food)
Food Quality: 8.5

Final Grade: C-
Venue Information:
535 Danforth Avenue,
Toronto, Ontario M4K 1P7
Phone: 416-462-9830
Fax: 416-461-3132

Wednesdays 10 PM (depending on MC) - Closing

Toronto Karaoke Reviews: Fanny's Sports Lounge

2005-08-01T22:17:00.000-05:00

** BEST KARAOKE BAR SONG SELECTION 2005 **

Fanny's Bar featuring Pip with C.A.T Entertainment
http://www.pips-entertainment.com

This venue was recommended by one of of the members of the Toronto/East York Karaoke Meetup group and I thank this individual for his recommendation. I had not been out to the east end of the GTA yet so it was overdue. (I live downtown, so please don't hate me for this). Was it worth the trip and sore legs at the end of the ride? Well, if nothing else it would be a good route to add to a bike "Tour de Toronto".

The good: C.A.T entertainment has one BIG thing going for it with this review: The selection! HUGE selection. I talking around 8000 songs and that's after filtering duplicates. Mostly old ones but a good selection of new artists as well and the best 90's collection I've ever seen. This is a new record for in karaoke bars I've reviewed and even challenges karaoke boxes. The variety of food was also excellent. There is a family restaurant next door which is under the same management so there is no lack for real dinner food here. Drinks are a given at any bar. The equipment was also in excellent shape but no wireless mikes. The sound was excellent. The transposition was real (which I checked after being at Hoops). Overall good equipment, GREAT selection in song and food.

The mixed: While the equipment and selection is good the location is a bit of a pain to get to without a car. There is one TTC bus that goes there but is is not the most frequent and no subways near by. If you live in the area then you'll probably have no complaints but I have to rate ability of everyone in the GTA to get there. The Facilities are a tad small. Maybe around 500 people in here. The Stage is a bit of a chore to see and get to, but this is common to most karaoke bars. The Host was pleasant and entertaining but I had to take points off because I've seen some with more energy and a few songs ran as long as 10 minutes. One good thing I must say about Jason Rolland is he knows when to cut songs short or fade out and this person had let the songs run "as is". Usually this is okay, but if a song runs over 4 minutes in a karaoke bar where large crowds are waiting. Any pros reading this review please note: Songs generally 4 minutes max. 5 is pushing it. Anything longer then that should be faded out. I had to take off points on the wait times because waiting for 10 minutes for someone to sing a song I don't feel is reasonable. That was the only real fault I'd give the MC. The food prices were average, sometimes a tad on the pricey side in comparison to other karaoke bar's I've seen. The quality of the food was quite good overall. I didn't sample everything as it had a full blown resturant which closed earlier than the bar for understandable reasons.

The Bad: There was nothing I could say was really bad here. (Except for people riding their bikes from downtown Toronto :-) )

Summary:
Fanny's Bar is an overall a fun place to go for Karaoke and there were plenty of Karaoke fans as a result. The best song seen to date which deserves a SPECIAL commendation. You'll have all the songs you need here. MC's is overall quite good (still looking for someone who beats Peter Styles however) and good food selection. Prices of food are a little high, but service was attentive. The facilities are average for a karaoke bar which is to say slight awkward but usable. For those looking for hugh selections in the East end of the GTA, this is one place I DEFINITELY recommend.

Summary Scores:
Facilities: 7 (Average for Karaoke Bars)
Equipment: 8 (Excellent sound good mikes)
Location: 7 (Easy if you have a car, great parking, but for those on TTC, an effort to reach)
Song Selection: 9.5 (NEW RECORD!!! WAY TO GO!!)
Wait Time: 6.5 (scaled for public venue, had to dock points some songs went as long as 10 minutes without fadeout)
Host: 7.5 (I was forced to deduct marks for songs that ran too long, excellent host otherwise, very attentive with the audience)
Food Prices: 7.5
Food Selection: 8.5
Food Quality: 8.0

Final Grade: B-

Special: I am creating special award categories. To C.A. T Entertainment I am awarding the BEST KARAOKE SONG SELECTION AWARD for 2005. Congratulations!

Venue Information:
Fanny's at Bo-Peeps Restaurant
Friday's 10 PM - Closing
2277 Kingston Road
Toronto, Ontario M3H 6A7
416-261-3621

Toronto Karaoke Review: Hoops Sports Bar

2005-08-01T21:18:00.000-05:00

Hoops by Gold Entertainment

Hoops Sports bar is one of two Karaoke venus I've been to in the downtown core which makes it easy for everyone to get there.(Yonge & College) Its certainly an easy place to meet and fairly popular as sports bar goess. But is it an ideal place to invite people for karaoke? Let's see if any 3-pointers are scored here.

The Good:
As mentioned before as 2nd to none in terms on convenience. Of course parking is a little expensive in the downtown core but its right across the street from college subway station. I looked around for any free parking but let's face it, free parking in downtown Toronto will probably happen when pigs fly. The food is surprisingly good. Your taste buds should be very pleased and the prices won't break the bank, which is to say they are better than average for what you get. The food selection is even better with a good mix of bar food, pasta, pizzas and Tex-Mex. There are different sized portions as well. The song selection is quite exceptional. I counted around 6000 songs. A little weak on the newer songs but still you won't be disappointed. I saw selections here that I saw in only one other place out in Scarborough.. The equipment was really good: Great sound, wireless mikes. I could only fault one item which I will cover later. If you sound bad here you'll have no one but yourself to blame.

The mixed: As I said earlier there is but one fault with the equipment: No true pitch transposition: More like the way you change pitch with an LP (long playing vinyl record). If you want a lower pitch, the speed slows. Higher pitch, the speed increases. I was forced to take off points for this which is too bad because everything else was great. The facilities weren't bad but like most karaoke bars, it was awkward because only a few seats could see the karaoke stage. You have to walk through people's tables to get to the stage as well. Service for food was a little slow but not bad. It may have been a busy crowd that night.

The bad: Two things cam out bad: The wait time for songs which is unfortunately a result of managing by the host. You can wait as long as 2 hours to sing a song because the host is not always paying attention. He was away from his post more than any other karaoke host I've seen to date. Also took longer than most to queue up selections and all requests of old people are moved to the back increasing the wait time for those who came in first. The host is not the most energetic I've seen either, but the inattentiveness was the biggest think I had to take points off on.

Summary: Hoops has a great location and an exceptional karaoke play list with great sound equipment. You'll love the food and song selection. If you want to get the most for your time and money, go early, so you won't be one of the unfortunates to waits up to 2 hours to get a song it. I understand that crowds can be an issue but in this case I saw a lot of time lot in queuing up and newer people getting in 2 songs in a row with duets. That's just not good crowd management. However the equipment and song selection count for a lot in my reviews, so in spite of that I'm giving slight higher grade than the Gladstone because equipment and selection count for a lot. While the MC could have been better, he did nothing serious to detract from the enjoyment of the audience either. Overall, its a quality place to karaoke lovers to enjoy themselves, just don't transpose your songs more than a major 3rd in either direction or the speed of the songs will be an issue.

Final Grade: B
Excellent Selection and good equipment, GREAT sound. Host needs to be more attentive however. Food quality and selection are excellent with good prices. Great location but average karaoke bar layout.

Score Summary:
Facilities: 7.0 (Awkward configuration)
Equipment: 8.5 (Had to remove points for psuedo pitch transposition system)
Location: 8.5 (Easy to spot, easy to get to, no free parking)
Song Selection: 8.7 (all the good stuff including things I saw in few other places)
Wait Times: 6.0(scaled:public venue,host didn't manage this as well as he could have)
Host: 6.5 (exceptional absent times and poor queuing times with no personality took major points off. would have been a B+ review otherwise)
Food Prices: 8.0 (Quite good overall)
Food Quality: 8.0 (very nice, would invite others to this place)
Food Seiection: 8.7 (exceptional variety for a sports bar)

Venue Information:
Hoops Sports Bar
458 Yonge Street
(416) 929-3324
gold.entertainment@sympatico.ca
9 PM - closing time
Wednesday, Thursday Evenings (Contested on Fridays 10 weeks of the year)

Toronto Karaoke Review: Shoeless Joe's Restaurant Bar

2005-06-09T20:39:00.000-05:00

Shoeless Joe's is first and foremost a sports bar catered to the fans of sports and Toronto "jocks". Arrays of TVs with dedicated sports channels (and their occasional advertisements for rated "xxx" channels) guarantee that everyone can watch the popular sport of their choice while grabbing a beer. Can it make the cut as a cool Karaoke bar on Fridays? That is the question here.

The Good: The location is fairly convenient. A trip down a street car on King street will get you there in excellent time and is near a number of restaurants. There is parking both paid and unpaid on side streets.

The MC himself wasn't bad. A little calm during the first half but the second half of the show had a lot more energy. One unique twist that I'm giving bonus points for is something called "Kamikaze Karaoke" where new people are randomly chosen to sing a random song and given a t-shirt. It is the most original way of getting new comers involved I've ever seen and if you have shy people this is a good place to bring them.

The karaoke had some good things going for it. The selection was decent with around 4000 songs although the modern selections were a little weak.

The food selection was decent: Gourmet Angus burgers, wide variety of sandwiches, seafood dishes and some Cajun selections give a fairly exotic touch and should be enough to please most people. Prices are about average as bars/clubs go. Service was VERY fast and attentive.

The Mixed: The equipment was okay but the wired mixes were somewhat aged with a few dents and sound was a little dull (heavy bass). The sound would distort if the singer got a excessively loud. Any system would but I've heard some systems handle the overaggressive "singer" a little better. Overall the sound was decent. There was a single 15" monitor for subtitles. It works but if the space were available an extra screen would be good. The mike stand occasionally had to be rebuilt by the MC when adjusted.

The wait times were average. In my view they could have been better because the MC took an unusual amount of time to call new singers and find songs. In one case one person went up right after he was in a duet. It may have been an oversight but this generally isn't good form and would irritate audiences if the crowd were larger.

The bad: The only bad thing about this venue was the layout which the MC unfortunately cannot control. With the Karaoke stage being 10 feet from the bar there were few tables with convenient access to the stage and few people could even see the stage very well. The layout of the bar just didn't work well for a central stage format.

Summary: Petto's Karaoke at Shoeless Joe's is a decent event with only a few drawback, the biggest of which would be solved by doing the venue at facilities with a more natural stage layout. Its an excellent place for new/shy karaoke participants with "Kamakazee Karaoke". More karaoke places should do something like this. With decent food and a good selection its a good place for just about everyone looking for some old fashion karaoke fun.

Summary Scores:
Facilities: 7
Equipment: 7.5
Location: 7.5
Song Selection: 7.5
Wait Time: 7 (scaled for public venue)
Host: 7.5
Food Prices: 7.0
Food Selection: 7.5
Food Quality: 8.0

Final Grade: C+

Venue Information:
Friday's: 9:30 PM to 2 AM
Shoeless Joe's Bar
Phone: 416-596-2171
401 King Street West
Toronto, ON