KaraoKe Corner - The Medallion Online

4
February 2012 - www.nwkaraokeguide.net
MR. B’S LOUNGE; TROUTDALE, OR
“Certified” Oregon karaoke at Mr. B’s in Troutdale
By Kurt “Swingcat” Johnson
This is the first in an ongoing series
of articles featuring fully-certified,
legal, non-pirating karaoke venues,
and the KJs who have passed the certification
process to become legitimate
karaoke providers.
With all the
recent controversy
surrounding
the Sound Choice
karaoke infringement
lawsuits in Oregon,
it's difficult to find a legally compliant
karaoke show these days. They are few
and far between, that’s for sure.
We’ve scoured the landscape in
search of just such a show. Here, we
will spotlight their show, so you might
be better informed and will support
these particular shows over another
that may be practicing illegal pirating
of their music. These locations have
been proactive in taking precautions
to get certified, and currently enjoy a
professional, guilt-free karaoke show
worthy of your attendance.
In Troutdale, Oregon you will
appreciate Mr. B’s Lounge at the
Truckstop on I-84, a fully-compliant,
and legally certified karaoke show.
Just at the entrance to the Columbia
Gorge National Scenic Area in Troutdale,
“Big Mike” Heppner is your Host,
owner and operator of Big Mike Entertainment.
Working closely alongside
Big Mike is his co-KJ, Rocky Hettrick.
They share the KJ duties at Mr. B's to
the tune of seven nights a week!
Big Mike has been a KJ for nearly
seven years, six of which have been at
Mr. B's. He also hosts a show at the
Mountain View Sports Bar at Spirit
Mountain Casino in Grande Ronde,
Oregon's largest gambling and casino
operation, about an hour west of Portland,
toward the coast.
Karaoke seven nights a week at
Mr. B's, plus Wednesday and Sunday
nights at Spirit Mountain keeps Big
Mike busy. He's been at Spirit Mountain
for about two years now.
Big Mike was one of Oregon's earliest
adopters of the Sound Choice and
Chartbuster Certification programs.
He was proactive in contacting
Sound Choice and Chartbuster, with a
creative suggestion for doing the audit
via video teleconferencing over Skype,
well before they targeted any Oregonbased
businesses. They agreed, and
through live video, he presented his
large Sound Choice collection (including
the mother of all CDGs; #8125).
Kurt Slep, Sound Choice CEO, later
remarked that Big Mike has one of
the largest Sound Choice assortments
he’s ever seen.
Big Mike talked about the customer
reactions to his certifications.
"Basically they come in asking about
the other bars they go to. They want
to know about what's going on. So,
I'm educating them. They can visit
my Web site at www.bigmikesentertainment.com
and see videos of
newsclips, my certifications, and find
out who's legal in their area. It's not
only customers, but other KJs that
Friendly staff at Mr. B’s Lounge
Big Mike Heppner advocates the importance of conducting business as a legit Karaoke Host
have come in and asked to go through
the process. Plus, a lot of disc-based
hosts asking about how to get certified.
Even a couple other bar owners.
My goal is to educate. There's going to
be enough market for everyone to get
along. Unlike before, when everyone
was backstabbing each other."
He continues, "ORKA is the Oregon
Karaoke Association. They provide
a forum for legal Karoake Hosts to
discuss the future in the business."
M r. B 's
A s s t . B a r
Manager, Samantha
Bruck,
p r o v i d e s a
management
p e r s p e c t ive
on Big Mike's
certification efforts,
"We feel
great knowing
that we don't
have to worry
about any of the
infringement
issues. From a
business perspective, we respect that
Sound Choice is trying to protect their
interests. We're just really happy that
Mike had the foresight to prevent any
possible damage. The customers think
he's great, especially since we still have
our entire library!"
Big Mike's system is computerized.
He uses a laptop with Compuhost
software. His sound system uses profes-
sional gear that includes Crown amps,
a Mackie mixer, and 18" Subzero main
speakers. The bar has a big roomy
stage and a huge flatscreen TV at the
back of the stage. And now they’ve got
a brand new, roomy dance floor. The
rotation order scrolls across the bottom
of the screen, reminding the audience
of their turn on the microphone.
He talks about what visitors
think of his system, "I've had alot of
visiting truckers that say it's one of
the best sound systems around the entire
country, and they know, because
they travel nationwide. That's a huge
compliment!"
The stage at Spirit Mountain Casino, Grande Ronde, OR
First time visitor, Chris Avis
is from Redmond, Washington, and
hosts his own show at a bar in Issaquah,
had this to say about Big
Mike's show at Mr. B's, "It's a great
venue set-up. Everybody is looking at
the stage. There are no distractions
when viewing the singers on stage.
They do have dartboards and pool
tables in a separate section of the bar,
but the people that come here, come to
sing and enjoy the music. Unlike others
where the karaoke is secondary,
here it is the primary focus.”
Big Mike is a singers’ KJ. One after
the other, he runs a quick rotation.
His books proudly display his certificate
of compliance right on the inside
cover. Find more on Mr. B's Lounge
at their Website, www.mrbslonge.
com and more photos on our Web site,
www.nwkaraokeguide.net.