The best of karaoke

THe hottest places to sing in Macomb

By: Kari Albsmeyer

Posted: 12/3/08

People across campus can be heard complaining about there being "nothing to do in Macomb." If they would take the time to look around, they would see that there is something going on almost every night of the week.

Karaoke can be found at a few different locations in Macomb throughout the week. Whether you go to sing or laugh at those who do, it's hard not to have a fun time at a karaoke night.

There are four locations in Macomb one could go for a good night of karaoke: The Islands of Macomb on Thursday evenings, Parkside Bar and Grill on Saturday evenings, The Ritz on Monday evenings and the Last Chance Saloon, also on Monday evenings.

When at karaoke, many things contribute to having a good time that draws you back week after week to watch the same people perform.

What makes a location good for karaoke? Good food, fun atmosphere, great contestants, good song selections, an involved crowd and a good DJ all make up a good night of karaoke.

By these standards, the best place for karaoke is the Parkside, hands down. They have great food in a fun atmosphere, the contestants range from regulars, drunk randoms and weekend bar crawls, and they all seem to know how to pick songs that the crowd loves to get involved in.

The Islands is in second best place. The food is getting better now that it is under new management, but due to the previous ownership, the number of audience members is down, which means the number of contestants is down. Numbers aside, the contestants that show up are one of a kind and always entertaining. They bring good friends and good laughs with them, all of which add up to a great time.

Coming in third is The Ritz. The main reason it holds third place is that most people still do not know they have karaoke. The few people that do know and participate are not very talented and don't do a very good job at getting the crowd involved.

Contestants also have a huge impact on whether karaoke is a good or bad time. A contestant must not only have a smidge of talent, but they must also know how to pick good songs, entertain and involve the crowd.

Many contestants participating in karaoke think having a great voice is all it takes. If you take the time to notice when a good singer gets in front of a crowd and starts to show off their talent, the crowd usually takes the time to refill their drinks and visit with their friends.

One of the contestants that stands above the rest is senior Board of Trustees major Ben Webb. He frequents The Islands and entertains the crowd with his great voice and by rewording songs to make them dirty and hilarious.

Also at the Islands this past week were an amazing and talented duo, Tony and Latoya. These two commanded the attention of the entire bar and had everyone singing along and on their feet applauding when they finished.

A karaoke junkie that could easily be called a regular at the Parkside is 25-year-old Pat Raftis, a high school teacher at Illini West. Raftis entertains with his vocal talent and gets the crowd involved by picking the right songs.

Another Parkside frequenter that stands out is Matt Kessler, or should I say, Johnny Cash. Kessler sounds exactly like Johnny Cash, and the crowd eats it up.

The Ritz does not have many standout contestants yet, but once word gets out, karaoke fanatics will show up to wow a new crowd.

So next time you hear someone complain about Macomb, tell them to head over to karaoke for a good time. Just make sure they know that getting drunk and singing karaoke is never a good idea.