Best Of DC!

After almost 6 years of hosting karaoke at Cobalt, it finally happened... Cobalt was picked as best karaoke in DC by the Washington Post Express! This is what they wrote:

Karaoke

Cobalt
Sunday nights are the worst: They feel like a weekend but are actually school nights. Wednesdays aren’t that much better: Friday is so close and yet so far! Beat both sets of blues with Cobalt’s Sunday and Wednesday karaoke nights, starting at 10 p.m. Be prepared for a heavy dose of cheesy pop, and remember: You can never go wrong with “Love Is a Battlefield.” K.P.K.
1639 R St. NW; 202-232-4416, cobaltdc.com. (Dupont Circle)
2nd: Hill Country Barbecue, 410 Seventh St. NW; 202-556-2050, hillcountrywdc.com. (Archives)
3rd: Muzette Karaoke, 2305 18th St. NW, basement; 202-758-2971, muzette.com. 

It is wonderful to finally get some acknowledgement on something that I've worked hard on for over half a decade. But a couple things do still nag at me.

First, unlike The Washington Blade, the Express doesn't throw a party or hand out awards. It's just this online. Having it in print does feel good, but you know what would feel better? Something to actually show off to people.

Second, while it's true that karaoke exists on both Sunday and Wednesday nights, we have to be honest with ourselves. Sunday nights are still pretty non-existent. And I don't see where Eric does anything to make the night bigger and better. It's just there and he's just there. Wednesday night is the night people show up for, the night that has the contests, the night that tries to do something special... the night that I run. It's insulting to me for anyone, yes even Mark Prime, to try to take undue thunder. I promote the night. I try to evolve the night. I plan and execute the special events. I strive to make it better than it already is. Even the one time Sunday did something different, I planned it and told Eric how to execute it. I get little to no help from the bar or the staff. So this acknowledgement is a bit personal for me.

Third, karaoke as a whole at Cobalt would do so much better, in my humble opinion, if management would advertise it. I know that they don't "advertise" per se because there's no budget for it. But it'd still be nice if they said something more than just an hour before karaoke starts. I don't have the reach that the bar has. My voice is only so loud.

But all that griping aside, I'm honored and surprised that we were voted best karaoke in DC this year. Here's to hoping that it helps propel us forward into the next year and to another best of win.