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| - I heard about Kbox awhile ago but was waiting until they expanded their song list to include more Japanese songs. As of this weekend, they have more Japanese songs! Although I grew up in Idaho, I'm used to karaoke box style karaoke, as my husband and I lived in Tokyo for three years. I couldn't wait to try this new place !
(Quick background: I was one of those people who used to go to a karaoke box by myself on days of when I couldn't think of anything else to do.... I would order some beers, and practice singing my Japanese songs with no one around to hear me fumble over kanji that I was still learning to read. Or I would practice English songs that I loved, that were just difficult. So needless to say, I just LOVE karaoke rooms.)
I will break this review down into two main parts... the good, and the hopefully to be improved ;) I will list the bad, then good!
A few drawbacks: As far as the karaoke set up goes, we had some trouble using the touch screen but it was nothing unmanageable. A few of the 90s grunge songs we chose, didn't actually have lyrics on the screen, just the music. We definitely missed having a big book of songs to chose songs from. Those books are always fun to flip through, especially if you are just drawing a blank on what song to sing. Another problem was that sometimes, if we searched for a song in the English section, it wouldn't show up... but if we searched for the same song in a different language section (Chinese, etc) we could find the song listed there in English. Some of the songs also are listed by song name only, and don't have an artist listed. So finding songs was a little difficult at times.
Why it still rocked: Besides struggling a little with the machine, we were still able to find a TON of songs that we both liked to sing. I felt a little like I was back in Tokyo while I was shaking my tambourine and dancing around the room. The room we were in was very nice. Big tv and a comfy big couch that was clean. The mics worked well. Really great customer service. I mentioned beforehand on their Facebook page that I was coming to visit them for my birthday, and was given complimentary pop and cake! How awesome is that?! I love that kind of attention to customers. We went on a Sunday, mid-day. Different days they offer different deals, most days and times offer a discount except of course, prime time Friday and Saturday nights are full priced. If you intend to go more than twice, they also offer a membership so for 10$/yearly, so you can get 30% off each time (details are on the website). They also responded promptly to my e-mails when I asked if they had Japanese songs, and listened to my feedback on what songs I wanted to see in the store. I was able to belt out a lot of my favorite songs and it was really great time.
How's it going to work out for the average Pittsburgher? I don't know but I hope everyone gives it a try. If it's your first time trying a karaoke room, just try and relax and have a good time. Have a few drinks before you go maybe. A big part of karaoke in Japan was the drinking that went with it... since that's not an option at Kbox, if your nervous, down a pint or two before you arrive then start to belt out your favorite songs. Start with songs you sing in the shower and already know to help build your confidence! (edit: they now offer BYOB if you call in advance) (double edit 08/2015: they now serve alcohol and have a happy hour!)
Also a bit of karaoke etiquette: If your friend sounds terrible, just let them squawk it out and search for other songs or shake the tambourine and cheer them on. Clap and do a little dance while they have their time to shine. Karaoke is best with judgment left at the door. Also, don't put in 10 songs in a row for yourself. Best to take turns :D
We will definitely be going back and getting a membership. We've been missing karaoke rooms so much. Now... how to I convince my friends that this really is fun?!
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