www.montereycountynow.com JULY 25-31, 2024 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 21 Tuesday nights at the bar are typically uneventful—except at the Britannia Arms pub in downtown Monterey. Five people at 9:15pm will balloon to 50 by 9:30pm most Tuesday nights. T Dyer is among the first of the crowd to arrive and start writing a list of songs on slips of paper—typically starting with some from Taylor Swift or Pat Benatar’s “Hit Me With Your Best Shot.” It’s karaoke night. Host Ryan Rico is there to set the stage and he has no shortage of performers. Anyone in attendance would think it’s a happenin’ Saturday night. Rico joins Wednesday night host, nicknamed Ghostrider, whose signature is belting out heavy metal screamo songs. But before long, a man with an electric guitar shows up ready to add to the atmosphere in the already-crowded bar. He needs little help igniting the crowd to cheer for both him and whomever is singing. Karaoke is a community and a culture in Monterey County. Though the relative size of it may be small compared to larger communities, here it’s palpable. And it’s everywhere. Nearly every night of the week boasts a karaoke night at bars and restaurants throughout the county. Each venue has its own signature, but those devoted to showing up keep the culture alive. “It’s a good way to get your energy out,” Rico says. “If you have a good day, sing and celebrate. If you have a bad day, get it out.” Rico hosts at multiple venues for the cultural phenomenon, but that’s not the only hat he wears. He is also part-DJ, part-performer and part-mentor to newer karaoke hosts like Zane Gray, who until recently was hosting at Sly’s Refueling Station on Cannery Row on Monday nights. He credits Rico for his expertise. “I apprenticed with [Rico] for seven to eight months, but could’ve probably done it in four,” says Gray, who works at Zucchini’s Magic Shop and is beginning to plan karaoke nights there. Hosting a karaoke night takes more than just a machine and a playlist sans-lyrics. “You have to be outgoing and roll with situations,” Gray says, but that’s only one component of it. According to him, the qualities of a good karaoke host include some obvious traits like customer service and good communication skills. But the host must also be able to figure out how to order singers so that they don’t get lost in the crowd. Another colleague and friend of Gray’s, Kyle Howard, hosts at Bulldog Sports Pub on Lighthouse Avenue in Monterey on Sundays and at Cibo Ristorante Italiano on Alvarado Street on Thursdays. He employs a system for getting newcomers onto the microphone early so they get a chance to be hooked into singing. Like Rico to Gray, Howard was also an apprentice to another host in Fresno who goes by the stage name D.J. 808. Surprisingly, the ability to sing is not a mandatory requirement for a good karaoke host. Gray, for example, never used to sing before and yet found his own voice through hosting. “Now, I sing all the time,” he says. “You don’t have to be good to sing karaoke. No one judges.” Gray remarks that karaoke is a way to have fun through being involved. “You are not going to a music show, you are part of the music show,” he says, making clear that the object of it is for people to enjoy themselves. “The only time people get upset is when someone is intentionally trying to upset others, and that rarely happens.” One incident Gray recalls is when a spectator was attempting to overpower a Facing page: Sadie Severyn and Thomas Ficken sing together at the Britannia Arms pub in Monterey, which boasts four karaoke nights per week. At right: Eros Gonzales Lopez and Mirna Gonzalez sing a duet at Sovino Wine Bar in Monterey. Middle: At some karaoke venues, songs are submitted on slips of paper, which the host then figures out how to order. Some hosts, like Kyle Howard at the Bulldog Sports Pub, like to make sure that newer singers go first. Bottom: Adrian Fells (left) and Marley Martinez sing together at Britannia Arms.
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