But it wasn’t nearly as good as mine, so I shrugged it off. It made me wonder if he was trying to me show me up. Rotation 4: I set out to outdo Frank and succeeded with a rock-solid “Lay Down Sally.” Then Frank committed the ultimate karaoke no-no and sang “Wonderful Tonight,” repeating a song someone else had sung.

Juan, too, got in over his head with “House of the Rising Sun.” Rachelle redeemed herself with Christina Aguilera’s “Beautiful.” Frank did Clapton’s “Cocaine.” I was a little annoyed that he jumped in on my theme, but since Steven sang the artist Juan sang, I couldn’t make a fuss. Rotation 3: Steven kept rolling with some Creedence of his own, “Lodi.” I challenged myself with the original Derek & the Dominos’ “Layla” and the fast pace proved too much for me to handle. If that contest ever comes around again, I’m confident he won’t have to strip to his underwear- Risky Business style-to secure a spot in the state finals again. He sang with control and was totally in key. His vocal abilities have really come a long way since that first time I saw him, two years ago at Atlantic Crossing for the Karaoke World Championships. Rotation 1: Steven started with “Let Her Cry” by Hootie & the Blowfish. It was me, Steven, my buddy Juan, Steven’s friend Rachelle, and this dude in his late 40s named Frank sitting at the bar.

In the two hours I was there, only five people sang. The best feature is a stage cam that occasionally interrupts the 60-inch lyrics screen above with a wide image of the singer’s performance. Disco and laser lights establish a club atmosphere.

Although there was next to nobody there, I found it to be a great place to sing-a long, dimly lit room with high ceilings and a big wraparound bar in the middle. Last Wednesday, I checked out Valhalla Bar and Grill in Kirkland, a new spot where my friend Steven Butler hosts.

Wonderful tonight karaoke