Only Tiki Bar in Portland
Alibi continues Karaoke nightly w/popular KJs
The Alibi Restaurant and Lounge is one of Portland's oldest and most established Karaoke bars and restaurants, located at 4024 N. Interstate. Karaoke is featured seven nights a week.
KJ Dave Gallic
((Photo by Kurt "Swingcat" Johnson)
Founded in the late 1800s, The Alibi is a fixture on the Portland dining and entertainment scene. You can't miss the location, as there is a huge neon Alibi sign in Polynesian motif. The interior is divided into three distinct sections. Inside the main door is the lounge and bar. Next is the main dining area and, in an elevated section, is the Karaoke area and DJ booth. The entire bar is decorated in a Polynesian/Tahitian motif, bringing to mind the Enchanted Tiki Room at Disneyland (less the animatronic singing birds and Tiki masks).
The menu provides the standard items you would expect to find at most bars and restaurants and is served fresh and filling. Service is courteous and prompt and your order is brought quickly with a smile along with refills as needed. The bar is well-stocked and offers a dizzying array of Polynesian drinks such as the ever favorite “Mai Tai” or even more exotic “Fiji Fandango,” “Hula Hoop” or a “Samoan Sunset.” There is a good assortment of microbrews, wines and domestic beers.
Karaoke is a seven-nights a week event at The Alibi. A solid cadre of regulars comes to sing with their favorite KJs. Management of the venue wants to emphasize that there is no charge to singers to participate. The Alibi's system is a CAVS-based system with many 1,000s of songs to choose from, including the old Pioneer lasers on request.
On this visit, KJ Dave Gallic was manning the booth and spinning discs. Gallic has KJ’ed for more than ten years, introduced to it by his mother when he was only 15. He's KJ'ed at The Alibi for almost four years. Gallic is at the Alibi on Sunday and Monday nights; there are two other KJs covering the rest of the time.
Gallic had this to say about his approach to KJ'ing at The Alibi; "I'm trying to host an entertaining evening so that everyone has fun. And, despite the ideas about KJs in Portland, I try to keep a very fair rotation and make sure everybody's happy and keep it lively. I try to keep it an encouraging environment so no one feels embarrassed." He continues, "I have to balance out what the crowd wants and what the bar wants down below. For me, the toughest part is people who start out quiet, then scream in the middle, then go quiet again. I love interacting with other people. We get all kinds of people and they all provide lots of great stories. My friendliness is not a facade I'm putting on. Even before I worked here, The Alibi was my Karaoke spot. It's always had this feeling of being a big party; and at the end of the night, tables that had never met were already mixing. So, if you come on a Sunday or Monday, I'll dedicate a special song to you. Just let me know you read this article!"
You can see more on The Alibi by doing an internet search for local Portland restaurant guides and see ad this issue.