WW Karaoke Express Five-person team mans gear at KC's

By: Kurt "Swingcat" Johnson

There's no I in this team! That's the Karaoke KJ team at Portland's KC's Sports Bar and Grill at the corner of S.E. 162nd and Stark Street.

With a five-person Karaoke KJ team manning the gear six nights a week, you can bank on only the best in sound, mixing and selections when you visit for a night of singing and listening. Provided by W.W. Karaoke Express, KC's Team is made up of a mix of highly experienced KJs and DJs, newcomers to the trade and some very talented singers. With a seven month on-going gig, there are plans to add a seventh Karaoke night to the line-up.

Leaders of W.W. Karaoke Express are Wayne Weatherbee and his wonderful wife Trish. The duo manages an operation with gigs at other bars around the Portland area. They coordinate and support the late-night KJs and occasionally fill in when needed. The KJs are long time KJ/DJ J.R., a.k.a: "DJ Smoov.Blac." He's been KJ'ing in the Portland area for over 20 years and sets a very high standard of professionalism and customer-oriented service.

Blac explains, "It's important that we make sure that our customers get the best service possible, so it reflects on our business. It's important that we let our customers know that they matter, both bar management and singers. It's up to us to create that atmosphere. If we don't show our customers that we care how they sound, then they won't."

Next in the line-up is DJ Denali. He's been with KJ'ing for over a year and takes this approach, "I try to get them up fast. I like to keep the pace going and introduce myself. I like to promote the specials we have. Sometimes, I get involved and duet and get the crowd involved. I'm here on Mondays and Tuesdays. I'm DJ Denali and if you need any Karaoke help, you can holla' at your boy!"

The newest member of the team is DJ Leslie. She's been with W.W. for just one week. She has this to say; "I'm here to make people happy. I've been singing for years. I sing to make people happy. As a KJ, I'm here to bring the spice. I'm here for the people. You want to have a good time, good food, good friends. I'm here for your musical pleasure. Come see me and INDULGE!!"

Wayne and Trish have acted as greeters at the show and make the rounds to hand out party favors and trinkets, while promoting both the show and the bar to customers who quickly warm to the individual attention. Trish explains; "We're making people stars nightly and giving them a helluva good time. One of the things we've talked about is putting up a good-sized video screen and projection to show our performers and other things that go on in the bar. We're putting together a team that works as a team of the best DJs and KJs in town. They come to us as talents already. Then we train them to bring the best sound experiences to the singers."

Wayne adds this; "We've just come back from a real harsh year that Trish has fought with medical situations. We consider ourselves totally different than any other Karaoke business owners because of the things Trish does with the customers. We have state-of-the-art equipment and our customers tell us that we have one of the best sound systems and a very good song selection."

KC's recently underwent a major renovation that includes a rework of the bar and removal of old booths to make room for additional pool tables and video games. They offer the Oregon Lottery, Keno and video slots. There are three pool tables, dart boards, with tournaments both. They are open all day and offer full-service breakfast, lunch and dinner menus, along with late night snacks. The menu includes omelets, burgers, sandwiches, seafood, soups and salads, along with a fully-stocked bar.

In the recent past, KC's had bands on weekends but dropped them in favor of Karaoke after seeing how successful W.W. Karaoke Express has become.