Karaoke

You know how they say you learn something new everyday? Well, I don’t know if that’s always true, but it definitely is today! While sitting here, thinking about writing this blog about Rumors Bar and Grill (located at 400 F Ave NW in Cedar Rapids) , I decided to do a little bit of extra research about the bar. And to my discovery (I probably would have eventually been observant enough to realize this on my own, but, alas, I had yet to) Rumors offers karaoke at their bar 6 nights a week. The only night that is set aside for live music is Fridays. So. Anytime any of you get the hankering for some karaoke, unless it’s Friday night, you can head down to Rumors and satisfy your longing! 

Now, I am a fan of karaoke. I find it entertaining, I love to sing (I’m completely average, but that’s besides the point!)  and I simply enjoy the atmosphere of people getting excited about singing, or being nervous because they’re a Karaoke Virgin (I try to remind first timers that no one really is listening anyway, and if you suck, no one cares, haha!). While I have enjoyed the live music I have been fortunate to hear while visiting the great bars here in CR, I still LOVE to end up at a bar with karaoke at the end. It’s where I will happily sit for hours, observing people’s song choices (sometimes they seem completely opposite of a person’s look… the old man in a cowboy hat who sings some hard rock Metallica, or the girl all dolled up for the bar who belts out some Aretha Franklin) and joyfully run up to the microphone myself to sing a song or two (I prefer Sublime, and oldies as a general rule!).

Rumors has a great atmosphere for karaoke… they have a stage, so you’re up above the rest of the bar goers (makes you feel like a star, even though you’re only hitting every other note correctly!) and everyone always claps when you’re done, making you feel that even if you didn’t sing like a rock star, they’re happy you came anyway! Add in great drink specials and delicious food, I think Rumors is a great choice anytime you’re feeling the need to work those vocal chords!!! Right now they are also part of the South of the Cedar bar crawl, so make sure to buy a shirt for the crawl ($15 that goes to benefit Habitat for Humanity) and hit the other 3 F Ave bars (Coopers Mill, Cedar River Landing, and Double Inn) for your chance to win some great prizes from the pub crawl! Be sure to check our the Cedar Rapids Nite Out Facebook page for pictures from Rumors! See you on the town!

Thursdays in Cedar Rapids can include drinking, walking, donating to a great cause, winning prizes, and TONS of fun! I decided to check out the South of the Cedar Pub Crawl this past Thursday, and it was great to see all the people sporting the t-shirts (donations go to Habitat for Humanity) and getting their cards punched at each bar.




I decided to start the nite at Cedar River Landing (I wanted nachos!), then moved on to Coopers Mill (nice acoustic live music), then to Double Inn (dart league in progress) and ended the night at Rumors (KARAOKE!!!). It was fun to wander from bar to bar, and I guess I didn’t realize just how close these 4 bars were to each other! Each has it’s own vibe and crowd, and there’s something for just about everyone in one of these 4 bars!

I love that they sponsor the pub crawl, and that the donations go to a great cause. For $15, you can buy a t-shirt and that money goes to support Habitat for Humanity. You then get a punch card, and each Thursday you get your card at the first bar and then hit the other 3, getting your card stamped at each. Having the card and t-shirt entitles you to drink specials, and at the end of the night, you give your fully stamped card to the last bar and you are then entered into a contest. At the end of the pub crawl, there will be a drawing for the winners of the prizes! You could one of two super cool sport vehicles from McGraths Power Sports, or an HD TV, or $200 in cash! All for going to bars you already love, and donating to a worthy cause! Sounds like a great deal to me!

I plan on being out again this coming Thursday, and I hope to see you all there! I’ll have the newest photographer/blogger to the Cedar Rapids Nite Out team with me, Whit Jaykin, and I hope we can show her a great night! See you on the town!

Live Music on a Nite Out!

Just the parking lot of the Chrome Horse is a testament  to it being one of the hottest places to be on a Saturday night! It’s always packed, even at 8:30pm! Now, I was lucky enough that a car was pulling out just as I was pulling in - a good sign that it was going to continue to be a good night! Chrome was packed from wall to wall like usual, and the feeling from the group was anxious waiting  for the evening’s live band, Crazy Delicious. After wandering around and chatting with a few people, all of which were happy to take a picture for me (thanks everyone!) the band started.

Now, I have never had the pleasure of seeing most of  the live bands that play in our area, and Crazy Delicious was no exception to this. I was pleasantly surprised when they got started, playing a Lady Gaga song and Katy Perry song to get things kicked off. The floor immediately flooded with dancing girls, and people sang along. They were really great! It was a good night at Chrome, people continued to file in, and I decided to let them have their bar back, so it was off to Outskirts for their Beach Party!

While Outskirts wasn’t packed like Chrome, everyone there was happy to be there, having a great time! If you didn’t get lei-ed at Outskirts, there was definitely something wrong with you (haha, get the pun? I think I’m pretty funny sometimes!)! I happily drank one of their Sex on the Beach drinks, as well as a round of $1 Jello shots with my friends. Karaoke with Off Key Entertainment was just getting started when we got there, and it was an eclectic selection of songs… I decided to flex my vocal cords and sang Barry Manilow’s “Copacabana” (it seemed fitting for the beachy flavor of the night) and one of my friends sang The Door’s “People are Strange” (which happens to be MY favorite Doors song). After a few more songs from the other bar goers (dressed in hula skirts, beach shorts, with flowers and sunglasses as accessories) it was time for the hula hoop contest! I thought “Ah heck, why not?”. Now, I used to hula hoop like a master when I was a little girl, but these hula hoops were pretty light, and I couldn’t keep it up to save my life! It was a fun little game, coming down to a final 2, boy and girl, who really rocked that hula hoop! It was a fun time, with fun people, and a great way to end my evening!

Check out the Cedar Rapids Nite Out face book page for pictures from the evening, and make sure to “Like” the page, and friend me, Jen Kat, on my page! Jenkat82@gmail.com

St. Patricks Day in Cedar Rapids!!!

St. Patrick’s Day in Cedar Rapids, IA (and probably every other place in this fine state) equaled lots of green clothes (and hair, and nails…), loud music, and LOTS of drunkenness!

The day is meant to commemorate the death of  Saint Patrick, who (long story short) traveled through Ireland, converting the natives to Christianity in the 5th Century. Over the years, the day has turned from a primarily Catholic holiday into a “Be Irish for a day” celebration. So we have Saint Patrick to thank for March 17th every year, when we all get to sport our green colors, wear “Kiss Me, I’m Irish” t-shirts, and drink ourselves silly!

While I knew an Irish pub (like Mahoney’s) was the place to be on this particular holiday, I wasn’t quite ready for that right off the bat, so I trekked over to Cedar River Landing first… the parking lot was packed, and the music pumped through the air. I walked into a sea of green, and had the pleasure of hearing the band Between Monsters play for the first time. The band was even nice enough to pose for a picture for me (Check out the Cedar Rapids Nite Out Facebook page for all the pictures from the night!)  and give me a little shout out during their show! Being drunk definitely seemed to loosen the inhibitions of the bar goers, and the dance floor was packed as Between Monsters did their thing (Marcy Playground and the Cranberries among the artists they sang). It didn’t take long to see that this party was going to continue all night, so warmed up, I decided to brave Mahoney’s!

Again, it was PACKED, and after parking a few blocks away, I walked to the bar, bracing myself for what was inside. If I thought CRL was packed, I was terribly mistaken! Mahoney’s is small in size with a personal feeling, but when you pack as many people into one room as there was Thursday night, you REALLY get up and personal with those around you! Irish music played through the speakers, people were drinking and yelling and talking and just having an awesome time all around! There was no lack of Irish pride inside, and the patrons spilled out into the street and in the parking lot, having a great time. After the Irish music at Mahoney’s I decided I was in the mood for a musical change, so it was to Tailgators that I traveled next.

Swamped as well with green being the primary color of everything, the group Downward Fall were rocking the stage. Two bands in one night that I had never heard, and let me tell you, these guys were awesome! The dance floor was packed and people sang along to the great music. With a larger space than Mahoney’s, there was still room to move around and get comfy, but the atmosphere was the same as the previous two bars… “Let’s get drunk!”

I continue to enjoy exploring our town and meeting all the awesome people that venture out to our bars and grills (that would be YOU, Reader!) and I hope you all showed your Irish pride on Thursday (actually being Irish seems to be the last requirement for this day!!!)! See you on the town!

St. Patricks Day is right around the corner.

St. Paddy’s Day is in the air! Walking into Longbranch last Wednesday, I was hit with decorations of green shamrocks and other St. Paddy’s Day themed things! I was reminded that Spring is right around the corner, and I know we’re all ready for that! Longbranch was celebrating Hump Day with a $3 taco bar (which smelled amazing, although I didn’t get to eat any) and a fun round of “Name That Tune” with Entertaining Donkeys. The idea? They  play 30 seconds of a song and you have to guess the name of the song and the artist… and the team who got the most answers correct? They won a prize! While I didn’t hear the whole contest (it started at 7pm), it was fun to see the patrons putting their heads together and singing along to try to guess what the song was! In between contest songs, Entertaining Donkeys played all kinds of fun music that one could sing along with to enjoy your evening. And a really cute bar tender behind the bar was a definite plus for all the ladies there!

Following along the path of St. Patrick’s Day, Mahoneys was my next stop. And I was not disappointed by their decorations! Including an electronic sign counting down the days until St. Paddy’s day, this small and cozy bar offered a more laid back environment. If you’re looking for a spot where you and your friends can sit and talk (and actually be able to hear each other), Mahoneys on a Wednesday night would be a great choice! The other bar-goers there were friendly, even one guy offering his table to my friends and me so that we could sit in a more suitable space for 3 girls! Now THAT doesn’t happen at just every bar!  While Mahoneys doesn’t have a food menu, they were happy to bring us a menu from a neighboring business who were more than willing to deliver to the bar… so my friend ordered a delicious basket of onion rings, which had my envy radar going off, as I did not order any food (I’ve skipped tacos AND onion rings tonight, what was wrong with me???).  Mahoneys is MY kind of spot, and I look forward to going back again!

Now that my stomach was rumbling and I’d been silly enough to skip food at the first two bars, it was off to Cocktails and Company where we ordered an enormous heaping plate of nachos. Oh, how I love food! With extra salsa and sour cream, we 3 hungry girls dug right in and were not disappointed with the results! Cocktails wasn’t terribly busy on this Wednesday night but the music was good, as was the food and the friendly patrons.

I am happy to say that it was another enjoyable evening in our very own town of Cedar Rapids. Good food, good friends, good times… what more can a girl ask for? Maybe some warmer weather!

How 'bout some cowbell?!?!

I’m a sports fan. I enjoy live sporting events… the atmosphere, the fans, the food and beer. If I had to pick my favorite, hockey would not have been on my list.

Yet, going to the Roughriders game on Saturday, I realized that you don’t have to be a hockey fan to enjoy live hockey games. These fans are intense!!! You can’t help but get in to the game, when everyone around you is focused, excited and so INTO what’s happening on the ice. And… the constant ring of cowbell in your ear reminds you just where you are!

The arena was packed full, and fans sporting their Roughrider jerseys and showing off the team colors of green and black surrounded me. If you’ve never been to a hockey game, I can now honestly say I recommend that you do! I had a great time watching the fast pace on the ice, the players banging into the glass, and getting into the game with all the rest of the fans in the stands. There was no lack of beer, yelling, and easy companionship among the crowd, and, again, that cowbell! The intensity of the fans didn’t excuse anyone… even children finding their way back to their seats were not spared the holler of “Hey, sit down, the games on!” Of course, it was all in good fun, but these fans are not ones to mess with!

This particular game was played against the Saints, and while the final scored favored the guest team, the Roughriders fans never faltered in their support of their beloved team. So. I suggest you check out the next game, see for yourself. And… MORE COWBELL!!!

Discovery

I’ve lived in Cedar Rapids for about 4 years now… and I had NO idea how much there was to do around here, and how many great places we all have for entertainment until I started this gig! I decided to check things out on Wednesday, and had to pleasure of going to 2 places I have never been before… Outskirts and La Cantina.

Outskirts, over by Kirkwood, had a nice little vibe to it… friendly people right off the bat. Although I left before the karaoke started, I was able to simply get to enjoy those that were there. The night included playing pool, and even teaching one of the patrons how to play the card game Rummy (I always keep a deck in my purse - you’d be surprised how often I’m happy I have them with me!). I’m so happy I now have a new place to hang out and enjoy!

After the cards and pool, I was hungry, so it was off to La Cantina, where I had some fantastic food. The warm chips and dip for free were the perfect appetizer to my chicken quesadilla… packed FULL of chicken & cheese and served with rice & beans, it took about 5 minutes for my friend and me to clean the plate! The wait staff was friendly, prompt and the music was the perfect atmosphere for a late night dinner! See, if I’d never started this gig, I never would have discovered some of the best chips and salsa I’ve had in LONG time!

With a full belly, I headed to Cedar River Landing where DJ Bryan Lee was kickin’ the beats. This place was PACKED full! The atmosphere was of people having a great time, enjoying the music, the drinks and the company of their friends.  Normally to me, bar music is just bar music and a DJ is just a DJ. But DJ Bryan Lee had something a little extra special about what he was playing that seemed to make everyone want to dance … I don’t think I saw a single person there that wasn’t at least bouncing their head to the music! It was the perfect ending to my evening!

All in all, it was a really fun night, I met some great people, ate some great food, and listened to some great music. I look forward to continuing to explore Cedar Rapids, and letting all YOU know what I thought! See you on the town!