Kara-Okay Kick Off at Karaoke Shout

Went here last night and had an awesome time. Great place to just have a few drinks, sing, and laugh with friends.

Kudos for the 30 minute stop over I did and this wonderful event wherein I had the chance to meet up with other fellow Unilocalers. Thanks Unilocal.
Hopefully I’d be able to stick way much longer next time, I promise.

KARAOKE + BOOZE + PIZZA + STRIPPERS = AWESOMENESS…
Well NO Strippers!
This is the event that i’ve been hearing from people. They were super psyched and anxious to belt out some tunes. I walk in and see a lot of familiar faces. A few new ones in the crowd, but still the same old group of people.
Karaōke Shout is a great place to hold an event. They have awesome rooms big enough to fit all of us in. I do remember coming here after previous Elite Events in the past so i’m no stranger to this place.
This was the type of event where you can just unwind, with a drink or two and a mic in hand. You don’t have to be an amazing singer or even carry a tune. It’s all about the experience with the other Elites, that’s what made the night. The duets to classics from the Backstreet Boys, Spice Girls, N*Sync and even Shaggy weren’t bad as well.
After all the singing, booze filled group numbers and even a great performance by the legend himself, Jando. It was definitely a great event!!!
Even though I had to cross boroughs to get there. Queens knows how to get down and dirty!

What a great night! Yes, I live in Manhattan, a few blocks from Koreatown but I am super-​glad I came to the Kara-​Okay Kickoff in Astoria. It was fun hanging out with the Elites (and their Plus-​1s) – esp. Mike B., Monica, Juan, Jimmy C, etc.– and I was amazed by how many talented singers came out, esp. Catherine J! Good times and thanks again, Jando!

This was a great night out in Queens. Surprising awesome because the rooms were quaint and small and you could just wander from place to place. I liked the brightly colored lights, how the event was full but you could still move and the music selection.
The drinks and the pizza added an extra benefit to the experience that definitely.
The pizza was surprisingly really good and I’ve been craving pizza for a week but couldn’t bring myself to eat it. The sauce was delightful and the single pepperoni on the pepperoni slices made eating it a treat. The cheese was also cooked nicely.
The rum at the event was spiced and who doesn’t love spiced rum.
Thanks for a great event Jando!

As a new Elite, coming to events can be a little overwhelming — all of these extroverts, chatting it up, drink in hand, and everyone seems to know everyone else! But I knew from the start I couldn’t miss out on a karaōke event! I even made a new friend or two.
Karaōke Shout is clean, hi tech, spacious, and the people were super nice. Drinks flowed, pizza was passed, and everyone enjoyed some songs from our earlier years! If we ever do another one of these, you have to ask Jando to sing Shaggy.

This was a really fun event, very cool QUEENS crowd was out last night. I had been here before but never actually in one of the private rooms, just stayed in the front whole time last time. Awesome event really it was, EDITOR’S note: yeah this is pretty funny to say… I will try to find out who that girl was that I was holding her hand at the end of the night, I think she was with Unilocal-​ahem pretty sure but can’t remember who she was. I left later than most of the other Unilocalers.
I like the rooms and they had the cool IPAD to check the songs and stuff.
I was surprised to hear so many boyband songs. Quit Playing games with my heart, Hangin Tough, BYE BYE BYE, TEARING UP MY HEART, lol. I did some background singing on some of those songs. I did not get to do my one song in Japanese that I said I was gonna do or my go to Karaōke songs like Jessie’s Girl or Beck «LOSER». Great drinks we all got to enjoy too: Spicebox Whiskey on the rocks or with Ginger Ale. Jameson shots for a discounted price, those ruled too. I didn’t have any beer last night, but next time I go for the beers on tap. The Unilocal crowd did have some real singers out last night. IT was cool to have the three big rooms, you could just move in and out like traffic and check out the energy in each room. You would go from the Giant room hearing Bohemian Rhapsody to the small room Hearing Ron’s rendition of MR. BRIGHTSIDE to the medium size room hearing some other great song that I just never heard of (lol). It was cool to meet some new Unilocalers and of course see some of the cool regulars like Kristy, Ron, Jimmy C, Will C., Juan, Lara G., Mike, Evan, Janice, Catherine, oh yeah and T-​Pain was there too.
— The pizza was so good too and it was free. Rizzo’s Fine Pizza was great to sample. There was alot actually being passed around for the crowd, some had pepperoni too, how about that.
— Thanks Jando for a really great event. Night one of Unilocal DRINKS Week was a success. Fit those drinks in with– NO HANGOVER the next day.
I also finally got the Unilocal LIFE fingerless gloves, thanks guys for not takin all of them early.

Another great Queens event!
It’s been a while since I put a mic to my mouth and sang. Luckily I didn’t have to travel far (I’m actually a little suprised I’ve never been to Karaōke Shout considering how close it is), which makes it all the more likely I’ll go back. The Elites had three rooms, though I mainly stayed in one room the entire time. I cheated on my go-​to Shania and instead sang Gretchen Wilson and I even tried to become the next Sophia Grace Brownlee by testing my rapping skills with Superbass. And for good measure, I threw in a little of The Offspring. Songs could be chosen via computer screen, iPad, or remote, but luckily no one was fighting over the next song. Everyone had their turn at signing (one or two or three or more times).
Though it was a +1 event, it still felt small and intimate, which was nice. I met some fun new people and had a blast. I think my weary body was pulling for me because I never drink whiskey, and while I know those Spice ‘n’ Shouts I ordered were not weak, I managed to stay pretty sober and 100% hangover-​free this morning. Rizzo’s Fine Pizza was a great and easy companion. I’d heard mixed reviews about Rizzo’s, but I have to say I am a new fan.
Many, many thanks to Jando for another fantastic event and for starting the week off right!

Who knew I wasn’t the only closet boy band groupie. Yes.
Coke-​araoke was the star of the night. Clever.
When I ordered two Spice n Shouts, the bartender instead heard «two spicy shots.» Score.
And I don’t know if it was the Jameson but after a certain hour, everywhere I looked, I saw pizza. Napkin.
This event was definitely worth a Jando-​bucks. Cheers

Wait is today Friday? Oh… no, I was sprawled out on my couch half-​naked with all the lights on, acting like it was Thursday night. Nevertheless, what a great kickoff for Unilocal Drinks! 2012.
Much love to Alex and the Unilocal crew for hosting another great event like always. Also props to Alex for entertaining me and busting out his Shaggy — «Angel». Whaaaa whaaaa Shaggy! Our next Duet will be «A Whole New World». Alex will play Princess Jasmine, and I’ll play Creepy Aladdin voice.
Nelson rocked for paparazzing out and making us feel like the stars we really are, and allow us for a special photoshoot in Room 4, that probably won’t make the event album. Oh HELLLO!
As a Dirty Coaster, I loved me some dark drank (Spicebox Whiskey). Rizzo’s Pizza also was a lifesaver from me waking up completely naked on my couch with McDonald’s wrappers sprawled out to the side and on top of me. Rizzo’s also helped me reconfirm to this Manhattan-​ite that Queens, as a whole has the best food in New York.
Finally, I’m still trying to learn everyone’s names, but everyone in the first big room to the left, ya’ll ROCK. We were belting out some Queen, Pitbull, Leona Lewis, Drake, and BACKSTREET BOYS.
Day 1 of Unilocal Drinks!: Success!

karaōke. cheap & free drinks. free pizza. Unilocalers. put these things together and ask yourself… WHAT HAS SCIENCE DONE?!
Unilocal Drinks week kicked off with an outstanding event in Astoria at Karaōke Shout. I know people usually rate events as 5-​stars and it sometimes gets cliched, but this event truly deserved it. when my biggest gripe with an event is «the iPad was slow with selecting songs» (First World problem), yeah, it was a stellar time.
we had three rooms of large (around 20 people), medium (around 15), and small (around 10) sizes reserved for us, plus you could sing by the bar. management was really helpful and nice, and they even sang some songs at the bar with us!
the small room quickly degenerated into a hilarious and eclectic song mix: Meat Loaf, The Killers, NSYNC, Spice Girls, Miley Cyrus, Billy Joel, the Beatles, and so much more. after a few drinks and shots, my horrendous singing voice was much more tolerable to my friends (or so I would like to think).
Spicebox whisky sponsored some drinks (the one with ginger ale was my standard for the night), Jameson shots were $ 3, beers were $ 3 too, and Rizzo’s Pizzeria sponsored some tasty pizza. surprisingly, there was some pizza left over at the end of the night by the bar, which was still good.
had a total blast with some new faces, some old faces I haven’t seen in a while, some regulars, and my friend Dan (one of my reliable +1s). props to Jando for setting up an event where we could all turn loose and go crazy to have some fun!
also, Evan R and myself will be forming a boy band, we are taking applications now. you must be able to sing «Trolololol» effectively. Evan is the nice one and I am the angry bad boy, so those roles are already taken up. dance moves are a bonus but not required.

My friends live right across Shout Karaōke. According to them, last night was the only night they appreciated across Shout. Apparently, the vocal stylings of the Unilocalers convinced them they should finally take up «kara-​okay». I told them that had they seen the choreography of our very own NSync Boys Evan, Mike and Dan as they sang, they’d probably be inspired to teach their toddler some moves. :)
Jando hit all the right notes in doing the Unilocal Drinks kick-​off event at Shout. The $ 3 Jameson shots in addition to the SpiceBox whisky cocktails quenched the thirst of the singers. The bartenders were efficient, courteous and lightning quick in slinging those drinks. And if it’s not enough that he personally welcomed each arriving Unilocaler, Jando went from room to room making sure that everyone had a slice of Rizzo’s pizza.
There was ample opportunity for a turn on the microphone as there were a number of rooms Shout management generously made available for use of Unilocalers. I can’t sing even if my life depended on it but I’m so glad to have entered the universe where among the brightest stars that shine are Catherine J. and Amy S.
A huge thanks to Unilocal and Queen CM Jando, SpiceBox Whisky and of course to Shout Karaōke Bar and Lounge.

I’ve never been much for the private room experience but as none of these Unilocalers have heard me sing & I so rarely get to do it, I was for this right away. I kept myself in the big room since it was very comfy and a lot of fun.
There are also some very good singers among the Unilocal Elites & their plus ones, including our own Jando (if you didn’t hear «Angel,» you missed out). Are some of them professional singers in their private lives? I’ll have to bring a music producer or something next time.
Jimmy C. also turned in the funniest karaōke performance I’ve ever seen with his rendition of «Wannabe» by the Spice Girls along w/​the other gentleman whose name I don’t remember (and I say that having been to many karaōke nights & seeing tons of performances by various people in 4 different states). He was also quite proficient w/“Careless Whisper.” Again, if you didn’t see it, you missed out.
I also admire my fellow Unilocalers for diversity in song choices. You heard everything from new songs to classics. There was no need to feel shy or self-​conscious about your song choice.
The staff here was very polite in getting me water & the bathroom sink is very interesting in design. The bathroom itself was also clean, which always makes me happy.
The Rizzo’s Pizza was wonderful & very plentiful. I didn’t have any of the alcohol since I never drink before singing & didn’t want to tempt fate by getting sick but I’m sure it was good. I couldn’t stay later though the room rate was generous.
As usual, great to see people though we didn’t have the presence of Phil & some other Elites I’ve met. Lots of politeness all around & I was happy to meet Caroline B., who recognized me from the Talk threads.
Overall, an awesome event w/​great swag (that bouncy ball will come in handy when my neighbors get noisy)!!
Please do more karaōke events (just don’t interrupt me when I sing, though).

Way too much fun for a Monday night! But then again, I can’t think of a better way to kick-​start the week with some «kara-​okay» Queens-​style.
I’ve been to Karaōke Shout on numerous occassions, and the place really lends itself to some crazy, fun festivities. Here is this contemporized karaōke setting that uses ipads and seems to constantly update an already massive song catalog. It’s fun to sneak off into the rooms for a more private gathering, or you can opt to stay right at the bar and sing for the public, if you have the vocal chops to do so. Or, even if you don’t! Ain’t no shame!
Now, I’m not much of a singer, I’m even timid to sing in the shower, but I’m a good listener. And I had a blast hearing all the good and the bad last night bless these very earlobes of mine. Thanks to the stellar voices (you know who you are)! You gave me goosebumps and a live concert, oh yeah. It was especially great to see all the lovely Unilocalers that made this event an exceptionally good time.
Queens is in good hands having Jando (who, btw, morphed into this man last night
, during his performance of «Angel» with a completely uncanny vocal resemblance of everyone’s favorite «Bombastic» singer), he gets things movin’ and groovin’ and we all adore a CM that can kick it with us. Lastly, many thanks to the entire Unilocal crew involved in organizing this fabulous event, and for the mega-​bargain, Unilocal drinks deal, and the tasty pizza!

I LOVE BEING AN ELITE!
This was my first time at a KAA (Karaōke Addicts Anonymous) meeting! Oops, I mean this was my first time at a Unilocal Elite event! Who knew there’s such a cool karaōke spot right in the heart of Astoria? Song selection was very up-​to-​date and on point (and I am usually picky about the song list) and I liked how high-​tech the system was, even though I didn’t get a chance to use the infamous iPads. The Unilocal drink specials were plentiful, as well; although my +1 (Vicky A.) and I stuck with our $ 3 beers, I was intrigued by the Spicebox advertisements. Next time, perhaps. And the bartenders were friendly and chatty and cool! The only thing I have to say about the bar is that karaōke scoring system is off! I heard some awesome people sing and only get 65. No bueno!
Vicky and I stuck with the room all the way in the back left side, where it stayed relatively empty for the whole event, probably because most people ventured to the first two rooms they saw; some Elites came and went, but I was glad to see my good friends and fellow KAA’s Amy S. and Linny F. as well as meet some new faces and great voices! I was especially impressed by Jando S., the CM, the man with the plan, who not only was a great organizer and host, but also had some slammin’ skills on the mic! I can’t recall the last time my jaw dropped to the floor upon hearing someone’s vocal abilities, but I can tell you it doesn’t happen often. Jando, you have my total respect and I look forward to future karaōke sessions together, Unilocal or not!
I wish I had more opportunities to belt out by the bar, but I’m sure this won’t be the last time we all gather there. All in all, a great time was had and I look forward to future events together!

This was one of the best events I have ever been to!
Right when we walked in, we noticed how fun this was going to be. People were lined up at the bar for some Spicebox Whisky cocktails and $ 3 beers. There were off-​key singers coming from the other rooms. Once we got our drinks and name tags, we wandered to the back room where we were greeted by some of my dearest Unilocal friends as well as some new Unilocalers I had never met before.
We quickly settled in and the singing began! I would like to take this opportunity to say that Evan R. and Mike B. should bring back Nsync. Their rendition of «Bye Bye Bye» along with choreography was epic. The ladies (minus myself because I’m Ginger Spice and left the group) also pulled off Spice Girls quite well.
There was plenty of swag to snatch up. Jando came around with pizza, which was appreciated due to all the whisky we were throwing back. And it wasn’t a large group either! I prefer the smaller groups, we tend to have more fun. Plus the fact we were allowed to choose our own rooms was pretty awesome.
Well done, Jando!

Jando really knows how to party.
Shout is awsome, karaeoke lounge with ipads wow… the selection is huge and it was free :)
party with the fellas and girlas, the new Unilocalers are coming out of their shells and accepting the Unilocal culture.
Nice to see some old Unilocalers and the new ones really coming back for more.

It’s Okay to Kara-​Okay! And with that lame intro, I can safely say that this event was definitely the opposite of lame.
In fact, any event that feeds you shots of whiskey, beer and slices of pizza all while letting you yowl tunelessly to your favorite tunes is awesome. Yes, I yowl people. Ask the folks who heard me.
Me and my gal pal sang a Guns ‘n’ Roses duet, and I had at least two additional pop-​up singers to my rendition of Pearl Jam’s «Alive». What can I say, I sing rock ‘n’ roll — if they had proper metal, I’d sing that as well. But I digress.
After not checking out an Elite event in nearly a year, I’m glad I ended up at this one. Hello to all those I said hello to (you know who you are).
Jando — you rock. (thanks to the Unilocal crew too!)

First off, another ringing endorsement of Jando for President of the United States. Sorry, I meant for Jando as a great CM along with a cool team of Unilocalers. If this was a precursor to what Unilocal Drinks 2012 will be like, it is definitely going to rock. I cannot vouch for the food or alcohol since I did not get the chance to have any, I will say I thoroughly enjoyed the interaction and picture taking opportunities with my fellow Unilocalers.
Minus a few mishaps that occurred along the way, Unilocalers were really able to enjoy themselves and sing their hearts out. This is probably the hardest event to photograph with all the talent on the mike that distracted my attention, including Jando’s performance of Shaggy’s Angel with Kyle W. Great stuff.
However, if I can single one person out (and please forgive me if I spelled the name wrong), it is Siu S. Siu — if you are reading this, let me just say that you voice was amazing! Your choice of ballads were excellent, and your range just completely blew me away. I was getting goosebumps when I heard you down the hallway. You need to be on a talent show somewhere.
Once again, thanks for Jando for organizing a fun, intimate event which allowed everyone to let loose. It was a lot of fun to meet new Unilocalers and catch up with the stalwart Unilocalers like Amy and Lara. Thanks to everyone for making my job easy by striking them poses and to Karaōke Shout for hosting us.

I’m not going to say that Kristy made me do a solo of Tearin’ Up My Heart, but I’m not not going to say that. It totally didn’t lead to Mike and I doing five more N’Sync songs either.
Thanks to Jando’s careful leadership and timeless shutter shades, Queens events have reached legendary status. We basically had all of Karaōke Shout to ourselves, save for the middle aged Jewish gentleman at the bar who couldn’t sing on key if his matzoh balls depended on it.
We had plenty of space to spread out, and the staff was terrific all evening (as they usually are — the people who work here are incredibly friendly). We also got to enjoy Rizzo’s pizza. It was a little cold given the mass quantities, but there was plenty of potential so a follow up visit is in order.
It was great seeing all of the regulars and some new faces. I had no idea that Annie and Mike had so much gangsta in them, that Jimmy’s last name is Sinatra, or that Lara is the Clark Kent to Ke$ha’s Superman.
My biggest takeaway from this event was simple: this is Amy and Catherine’s world, and we just live in it.