The Willow Glen Resident Photograph by Skye Dunlap Star Search: Anita Nakamura reaches for a high note during karaoke night at Goosetown last weekend. Local amateur entertainers get a chance to make their own music Karaoke craze hits Goosetown while piano bar remains popular By Michelle Ku The entertainment craze that has swept the globe like a slow wave over the past decade or so has finally hit Willow Glen. Every Saturday evening since Nov. 14, customers have been entertaining each other on the karaoke stage at Goosetown Caffe. Novice crooners who only sing in the shower are followed by trained vocalists, all in front of an energetic crowd in the lounge. Starting this Friday, Dec. 4, Goosetown is expanding its karaoke offering to two nights a week, from 9pm to midnight on Friday and Saturday. "The neat thing about karaoke is the energy it creates in the bar," says Martha Steffen, a Willow Glen resident and a regular at Goosetown. "People are excited about getting up and singing." So far, karaoke has proven to be popular with Goosetown's customers. "[The first week] it was a steady stream of people," says Gary Rovai, Goosetown's owner, adding that extraordinary talent is not a requirement. "We don't stop people from singing." On the second Saturday of karaoke, Los Gatos resident Donna Cowsert showed up by accident. She did not know about the entertainment ahead of time, but she thought it was a nice secret. "It's a great idea, one Willow Glen needs," she said. "If you're looking for an adult, fun environment, this is where you want to be." Moments later, Cowsert took her turn at the mic. Karaoke is also fun for those who do not actively participate by singing. "It's more fun to sit back and judge," said Christopher Deal, a Willow Glen resident and a Goosetown regular, who is working up to singing a song one day. A self-professed shower singer, Deal quipped that listening to people sing is fun "as long as they're not too bad." This isn't the first chance denizens of Goosetown have had to showcase their vocal talents. For about a year now, Goosetown has hosted "Anita at the Piano," an open piano bar on Sunday evenings. The open piano bar caters to a different type of crowd, encouraging customers to sing along with standards of the 1940s and '50s, Rovai said. Andy Taylor is a San Jose resident who has spent every Sunday evening at Goosetown since Anita began performing. "This is the only reason why I come," Taylor says. "If she weren't here I wouldn't be down here." Willow Glen resident Ann Burgess has also become a Sunday evening regular since she discovered the piano bar around seven months ago. "I think it's very entertaining," Burgess says. "I like all the old songs Anita plays." "I'm not the type of person to hang out in bars--I like to have a reason to be here, not to just drink." Since January, Rovai has had a number of different acts perform in the lounge. While they have come and gone, Anita has remained an institution. "I've seen some of the other acts," Taylor says. "They work for a couple weeks, but then they don't draw enough people." Burgess, a dedicated regular of Anita at the Piano who doesn't sing (she says she's not a good singer), is one Willow Glen resident who's interested in checking out the karaoke. "I might come in for that," she said. "Just to listen," she quickly added. KIMIKO Mobile Karaoke, a company based in San Jose, is providing the gear for the fun. Doris Mito says her outfit has more than 10,000 available songs covering a wide variety of musical tastes. Besides songs in English, KIMIKO has a selection of Filipino, Japanese, Spanish and Vietnamese music. Goosetown Caffe presents karaoke from 9 p.m. to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. Anita at the Piano performs from 7:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. on Sundays. [ Back to Contents Page | Willow Glen Resident Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Willow Glen Resident, December 2, 1998. ©1998 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.