Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
GLoRIIA’S BAR AND GRILL; TACoMA, WA<br />
Gloria’s celebrates karaoke excellence<br />
By JTy Hughes<br />
odee and David, Gloria’s<br />
karaoke hosts, were both on<br />
hand Thursday, August 20th<br />
to put the wraps on their<br />
big karaoke contest. Twohundred<br />
bucks to the best<br />
singer they could find in the<br />
neighborhood.<br />
Several of the qualifiers that<br />
entered into the mix and perform in<br />
the finals were simply amazing talent<br />
to hear. Eleven contestants gave<br />
it their all to a small panel of judges<br />
and a large panel of critics. Everyone<br />
was praised for their efforts, but as in<br />
all things, there must be the superior.<br />
These were the singers Gloria’s had<br />
been hoping to root out and reward<br />
with cash money.<br />
David took the mic and proudly<br />
announced the winners. Congrats to<br />
the following standouts in Gloria’s Bar<br />
& Grill’s karaoke contest: In 4th Place,<br />
Katy was a strong contestant, David<br />
landed in 3rd Place with his own<br />
impressive style. The final two spots,<br />
only one of which would cash out, were<br />
so close, Jodee was considering a singoff<br />
– which is how you want it, right?<br />
“They are both incredible singers”, she<br />
says, “They both deserve to win”.<br />
David calls them to the stage,<br />
Jodee and David beside Galen (ctr) and the judges on the outside<br />
2nd Place first… Terrel, and in 1st<br />
Place and two-hundred bucks richer…<br />
Galen! The crowd erupts in a standing<br />
ovation, agreeing on the chosen winner.<br />
He modestly takes the stage and<br />
blushes to an applauding room full of<br />
apprecianados.<br />
Galen dropped out of medical<br />
school to move up here from Illinois<br />
with his new wife a couple years ago.<br />
She’s since left the poor guy and now<br />
he’s just tryin’ to make a living like the<br />
rest of us. I told him he really ought<br />
Galen takes first place and $200 cash<br />
to consider a career in music, like he’s<br />
never heard that before, right?<br />
Galen used to live in Germany<br />
and sang karaoke a lot over there. “Isn’t<br />
it hard to sing in German”, I asked jokingly.<br />
“They pretty much like the same<br />
stuff we sing over here”, he says.<br />
His Em-Oh, or M.O. (Modus Operandi)<br />
is to perform<br />
his stuff without<br />
any lyrics on the<br />
screen, so I had to<br />
ask him what the<br />
reason for that was.<br />
His answer blew me<br />
away and makes<br />
so much sense. He<br />
said, “That way I’m<br />
not staring at the<br />
screen trying to follow<br />
along intently.<br />
I can open up, let<br />
loose, even ad-lib,<br />
and stay connected<br />
to the audience<br />
during the entire performance.”<br />
What an epiphany! I wish more<br />
competitors employed this sort of reasoning.<br />
Galen’s heartfelt performances<br />
and strong vocals will draw you right<br />
into his web, and there you’ll stay,<br />
transfixed until the final note.<br />
Jodee, David, Gloria herself, and<br />
the whole entire room was pleased<br />
with the results of their contest and<br />
enjoyed a surge of business during<br />
the event and they want to do it again<br />
very soon. But this time, they want<br />
2nd Place: Terrel 3rd Place: David 4th Place: Katy<br />
to pay down to 3rd Place so they can<br />
have more winners and reward more<br />
of their favorite singers. So, watch for<br />
details on this one!<br />
Gloria’s has been around for<br />
a long time at 82nd and Pacific in<br />
Tacoma. I’ve been by there countless<br />
times and had never walked through<br />
the front doors. I changed that last<br />
month and I’m so glad I did. Gloria’s<br />
is such a comfortable and well laid out<br />
bar. Everyone is super nice and easygoing.<br />
I could totally hang out here on<br />
a regular basis.<br />
Jodee hosts the karaoke here<br />
Tuesday through Friday nights, and<br />
David runs the show every Saturday<br />
night – so five nights a week you can<br />
enjoy hearing yourself on their huge<br />
speakers connected to a premium<br />
sound system in their sweet sound<br />
booth on a big ol’ stage in killer little<br />
bar! Gloria’s got the walls all mirrored<br />
off, which gives the illusion that the<br />
place just stretches on and on. I kept<br />
wanting to continue walking into the<br />
other rooms, only to be reminded that<br />
wasn’t an option.<br />
Gloria’s is a fun little bar that<br />
you can settle in and really enjoy some<br />
quality singers on a great sound system.<br />
Come in and check out the blend here,<br />
you’re bound to make a few new friends.<br />
And be sure to enter your name in their<br />
next karaoke contest going on now!<br />
7<br />
September 2009 - www.nwkaraokeguide.<strong>net</strong>
Change language