Friday, April 27, 2012

Logan Steps Up to the Mic

 Every Thursday night there is a line spilling out the door at the Pizza Pie Café. Music blares whenever the door is opened, and lasers can be seen flashing around the walls inside.

 It’s karaoke night at the Pizza Pie Café.

 Students flock here by the hundreds, bringing along dates, family or their roommates to indulge in all-you-can-eat pizza and the spectacle of seeing their classmates in the limelight—if only for a few minutes.

 However, this will be students’ last chance to sing before fall—the karaoke nights won’t be featured over the summer.

 “We are closing down for the summer,” said DJ Brady McDonald. “We will be coming back in the fall, but we are expecting most the kids won’t be here during the summer.”

 The night was spearheaded by McDonald, who started karaoke nights at the Pizza Pie Café in his hometown of Provo.

 “We started down in Provo, and they wanted it up here because it’s a college town too,” McDonald said. “We average about 300 kids down there. Because of the size of this location, we average about 400 kids here.”

 For the last three months, McDonald has watched the night become a local phenomenon. As the owner of Rock the Mic Entertainment, McDonald has a lot of experience hosting karaoke nights around Provo and Salt Lake City.

 But few places have taken off like the karaoke nights in Logan.

 “We do karaoke all over the state,” McDonald said. “This one is by far one of the most successful ones, and the five dollar buffet really helps too.”

 Students spread the word quickly, often bringing along friends who have never been. Katelyn Wallace, a student at Utah State University, brought several friends for their first karaoke experience.

 “I’ve only been once before. It is fun and they’ve never been,” Wallace said. “I don’t sing though—I just don’t.”

 Prizes are offered for those brave enough to pick up the microphone. They include gift cards, free products and a free helicopter ride.

 Despite the allure of prizes, Tony Brown, a student at USU, knows the moment has to be just right before he will sing in front of the sizable crowd gathered inside the restaurant.

 “I might go up and sing,” Brown said. “Inspiration will come, and that’s when I’ll sing.”

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