I'm opening a bar and grill

I'm really hoping that my experience with DJing all these years will make me a successful bar owner.  I have no experience running a bar, but have had experience owning a restaurant before.

Being on stage you get to see what all the customers are doing and enjoying, you also get to deal will bar managers, bartenders, and bar owners.  I would like to think I have picked up a great deal of knowledge on what to do and what not to do in order to make this a successful venture.

I'm starting another blog Opening a bar on the steps I'm taking to opening a bar and will be posting the good and the bad things I have to deal with.  So, if you have any tips for someone starting out I would be very appreciative for any help I receive.

Has anyone else every made this transition from Karaoke host and DJ to bar owner?  Do you have any tips for me?

I changed Karaoke hosting software

Finally my equipment started slowly lagging and giving me glitches during shows, so it was time for a change.  I read all the recommendations and went with Karma Karaoke hosting program. 

In the beginning I was happy with my choice, it had a lot more options than the older version of PCDJ I was using.  But, I just couldn't seem to get the sound that I previously was able to tweak out of my old system.  I bought a new mixer, the Allen and Heath ZED 10FX which I'm happy with except that it doesn't fit in my Gator case.

I have found that the Karma Karaoke Hosting program is not meeting my needs for filler music and dance sets.  Through a large learning curve I have found that you must manually clip the silence and the beginning and end of each song you plan to use on your dance set.  This wouldn't be a problem if it would save those points for the next time you choose to play that song.  My other issue with this software is that the songs set for the dance set don't always start automatically.  I can not find a rhyme or reason as to why it doesn't work sometimes.  But, I do know there is nothing worse than taking your bathroom break and having to room to the stage to start a song because there is now dead air in the room.

As for being a good karaoke software program, it does have some great features that I like.  You are able to save a singer's history and change the version they are singing immediately if it is not the version they like.  You also have the ability to change the key and tempo.  Right now I'm testing out a new program to see if it better suits my needs.

Are you a mobile DJ and do karaoke?  If so what programs have you found that work best for you?

Biker or Not

Biker or Not is having a meet and greet this weekend at the Iron Horse.  Friday through Sunday.  Come meet some fellow riders, have a cold beer, sing a song and dance.  Great weather is expected this weekend.  Time to bring in Spring in style.

Friday nights mean karaoke at the Iron Horse

You can find me on Friday nights doing a karaoke show at the Iron Horse Bar and Grill located in Beech Island.  There is a great group of people there with a wide variety of musical tastes.  Fantastic food, pool tables and lots of drink specials.

Some artists you might hear if you come in on a Friday night are Patsy Cline,  Michael Jackson,  Jamie Foxx,  Led Zeppelin,  or Sugarland, .  It's so nice to have a variety of music being sung.  It gives you a chance to slow dance or shake your booty.

I'm not one of those karaoke hosts that hog the microphone either.  In fact I only sing if help is needed on a song.  People who enjoy karaoke, come out to sing, not to hear the DJ or KJ sing.  I do like to play 1-2 dance songs at the end of each rotation.

Speaking of rotation, as singers turn in their requests, they are added to the list of singers in the order they are received.  At the beginning of each round, I start at the top of the list work my way through to the end.  Play a dance tune and start at the beginning again.  Song books are placed throughout the bar or you can come up and ask for a specific song.  I add new music each month and keep what I call a "wish list"  If you ask for a song I don't have, I put it on my list and try to find it to add to my collection.  I'll be adding a link at the top of this page for the current karaoke songs I have available.


I have wireless microphones so you are not limited to singing on the stage.  You are free to walk around and interact with the crowd.  The microphones allow me to add more bass, echo or reverb to your voice if needed.  I run my karaoke show on  PCDJ RED Mobile DJ Software so I have the ability to change to pitch or a tempo of a song to fit your singing style. Or to change your song choice on the fly.


Come see us one Friday night, your bound to have fun.