Thank you to Tom Lindl, for this truly wonderful description of your night enjoying the weekly Saturday show in Drumheller. I'm blushing out loud!

 

 

"My wife and I had come to Drumheller on a business mixed with pleasure trip.

 

It was Saturday, and we were looking for a way to spend our evening. We had stopped in at a pub for a beverage and asked what was going on in town. They directed us to another venue, Yavis Prop Room, saying there was going to be Karaoke there that evening. We got there a couple hours early, had a meal and a beverage or two, and waited for the fun to begin."

 

I was prepared to be quite critical. I have worked for several years as a karaoke host, a professional musician, and I now own a music store and do sound production.

 

All the criticisms I was holding in reserve evaporated within the first few minutes of the show. Terry arrived early, went and talked to a few people who I assumed to be regulars at his shows, greeted some of the bar staff, and then did a check of his sound and video system. I started looking around for karaoke song list books, and noticed there were only a couple evident, and there were already around 40 – 50 people in the bar. Then I noticed on the audience display screen, he was showing a web address that you could go to on your smart phone and get a complete listing of his song library! Brilliant! Just as I noticed this, he was handing out some typed sheets with a list of new songs he had, but that hadn’t been added to his on-line playlist yet. This guy was on the ball!

 

"Once the show started, I just kept getting more and more impressed. The sound was great (and being a music store owner, working musician and sound producer, I am generally very critical about other people’s sound production). He had great gear, and even better, he knew how to use it, which is exceedingly rare at karaoke shows. He also knew how to work the room and the crowd. He knew many of the crowd by name, and remembered what they had sung before. He knew their strengths and weaknesses vocally and was active on his sound board to make each singer sound their best. He was constantly moving around the room throughout the night, partly to schmooze with guests and make them feel welcome, and partially to check how the sound was in different parts of the room, and make the necessary adjustments. At a few points in the evening he came and talked with us, and I learned that he was also a professional musician (Aha. That’s why the sound is so good!). We were out-of-towners being treated like valued regulars! Terry joked with guests both on and off mic, and everyone just seemed to feel so comfortable. Everything was smooth, and flowed well, including, I couldn’t help but notice, drinks from the bar. Terry kept the majority of the audience there all night because A) it was loads of fun, and well organized, and Terry had an extensive song list, and B) Terry had all kinds of little draws throughout the night, and a major draw at the very end that kept people singing to get more entries, and in hopes they would win the main prize.

 

"In short, the show was brilliant; the host was professional, personable, fun, and energetic; the sound was the best I have ever heard at a karaoke show; the crowd had a blast and stayed all night, and the venue sold a pile of food and beverages. I don’t know what Terry charges, but if it were my venue, I would have no problem paying this guy $500-$600 per night plus drinks and a meal. It was such a good show, I may have to steal a few of his ideas!"

 

Tom Lindl, Innisfail AB

Melissa R., Event Coordinator