Karaoke Review: Joe Mercury's w/ Ty

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: Peel Pub w/ Walter Henkel

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: The Grasshopper

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

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)