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

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

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.