Awful Arthur's has long been the gladiator of Roanoke entertainment. Area bands drool over the opportunity to rock an Awful crowd, Roanoke youth flock through the doors celebrating any holiday from 21st birthdays to New Year's Eve. In between the live performances and dance nights, Awful Arthur's provides Karaoke every Wednesday night.
Hosting the show is Quest Entertainment's DJ "Dolla Bill" Heller. "I definitely have some of the best nights in here," says Heller, who also hosts at the Tower's Awful Arthur's and Cornerstone downtown. As the original Awful Arthur's location, the downtown club is always a hot choice for downtown life. Karaoke nights are no different, offering an excellent, fun, yet laid back experience. While Quest's catalog is not the largest in the area, Dolla Bill has mastered a difficult room and provides some of the best sound found in a "club" atmosphere. Singers will perform on a slightly raised stage with corded microphones and a single screen for viewing.
Heller runs a freestyle rotation, bringing singers up on a first come first serve basis, or grouping song types together to keep the show flowing smoothly. Unlike some other Quest show's there are no song restrictions added at any point, so singers are free to sing whatever they want at any point in the night. "Kristen Gainey was on her first visit to Awful Arthur's Karaoke, and said that she really appreciated the selection. Gainey's friend Blaire Beyfon, runs a Karaoke loop with her. "I love Karaoke," he said and noted that the crowd was a good one, something appreciated by a singer.
One thing that set's Awful Arthur's apart from other facilities is that they are open after most of downtown shuts down. "It's a good late night place," Heller said. The busiest part of the night comes after midnight when people start to filter in from other venues. To service the late night crowd, Awful's serves sandwiches and appetizers till closing time as well as a raw bar until 1:00am. A full menu is available until 10:00pm Monday through Thursday and 11pm on weekends.
Awful Arthur's Karaoke is a good choice for Karaoke, especially for the late night group. So, next time you are downtown on a Wednesday night, consider dropping in for a song. You will not be disappointed in this top of the line club Karaoke experience.
To see more of Zipporah Bird's articles click here. If you enjoy Karaoke and Karaoke Bars, get an Email when a new article is posted by subscribing at the top of this page. Your Email address will not be shared.
To view videos of Roanoke Karaoke performers on Zipporah's Youtube page, click here. You never know who you might see!
