Bruce Berg January 2014 Singer Spotlight

 

Congratulations to Bruce Berg of Napa, CA on winning our January 2014 AE Singer Spotlight.  AE gave him a $30 dollar karaoke gift card, either to purchase new music or pay for a monthly karaoke supscription to acess thousands of songs.  Also, he has automatically entered into our Singer Spotlight Of The Year.

The winner of the Singer Spotlight Of The Year will receive a $100 karaoke gift card and numerous gift certificates from all of our venues that we host karaoke at.  Winners will be randomly picked by AE Karaoke owner Dennis Anderson and our team of Hosts.

We interviewed Bruce and wanted everyone to get to know one of our karaoke customers/singers on what his thoughts on karaoke, him winning and just about him.

(AE) Tell us a little about yourself?

(Bruce) I am 56 years old. I was married for almost 17 years and divorced for 10 years now. I have two children, a daughter age 28 and another daughter age 26. My youngest has been married for almost 5 years and has given me two grandchildren...a granddaughter who is almost 4 and a grandson that turns 1 next month. I retired from the U.S. Army in 1997 after almost 23 years of service and have been working for the County of Napa for the last 15 years.

(AE) Where is your favorite place or places to sing karaoke?

(Bruce) Ranked in order of my preference: 1. Friar Tucks in Cotati. 2. Trancas Steak House in Napa. 3. Downtown Joe's in Napa. A former favorite that has been closed for a while was Rita's/Doc Holliday's in Santa Rosa.

(AE) When did you start singing karaoke?

(Bruce) May 2004. Like most virgins I was quite inebriated at the time!

(AE) What are you going to do with your gift card, buy new karaoke music and/or put it towards karaoke subscription?
(Bruce) Probably buy some new karaoke music, but I haven't made up my mind completely just yet.

(AE) How does singing make you feel?

(Bruce) Singing for me is therapeutic. It is a great stress reliever.

(AE) How often (days) do you sing karaoke in a week?
(Bruce) 2-3 nights a week on average.

(AE) How many hours do you sing karaoke in any given night?
(Bruce) 2-4 hours. It depends on a lot of factors....rotation length, size of the crowd, if the crowd is responsive or not, how far I have to drive afterwards, and how tired I am.

(AE) What is your most favorite moment singing karaoke?
(Bruce) Seeing and hearing that the crowd is into what I am singing. Finishing a song and having a "rock star moment" when the bar is cheering for what I just did. Walking back to my table afterwards while running a gauntlet of high fives and slaps on the back.

(AE) What is your least favorite moment singing karaoke?
(Bruce) Nailing a song...really owning it...and finishing up and hearing nothing but chirping crickets. The proverbial tough crowd.

(AE) What determines where you go to sing karaoke?
(Bruce) Several things: 1. The venue. I am not overly picky but I draw the line at total dive bars especially those that allow smoking. Reasonably clean, with bathrooms that don't have that open sewer smell to them. It has to be big enough to allow for some dancing, and I would prefer not to sing while being wedged in between pool tables. 2. The staff. Are they friendly? Service with a smile? Most importantly, do they make me feel like they value my business? I could tell some horror stories here. 3. The show. a. Is there a decent song selection? Name brand karaoke songs? Good variety? b. Is the equipment in good working order? Are the TV's and monitors clear and easy to read? Are the mics reliable or do they cut out all the time? Is the sound system clear and loud? c. Are there any lighting effects, i.e., disco lights, strobes, mirror balls, etc. 4. The host. Is he/she knowledgeable? Does he/she know their equipment and can troubleshoot? Does he/she run a fair rotation with no playing favorites or allowing someone to bribe their way to the top of the rotation? Is he/she friendly and personable with a good DJ personality? Does the host remember that their customers are the stars, not them? 5. Distance. I try to stay within an hour of home or closer.

(AE) If you could make your karaoke venue better, what would that be?
(Bruce) The mythical perfect venue would take the best of what I listed above....with rotations no longer than one hour! Hard to achieve I know. I also realize that some venues have limits as to what you can do, but separation between singer and crowd is nice, and a singer's monitor is always appreciated.

(AE) Additional comments:
(Bruce) Anyone can sing. The hardest part is doing it the first time!

 

Congratulations Bruce and enjoy your gift from AE Karaoke.