Karaoke Forums

We took a solid hit from Sandy here in NJ, as most of you may know.

No power. Intermittent cell texting but no voice calls. No cable TV.

Personally, I had no water issues, but a large maple tree fell in my back yard. I was lucky. Branches touching the pool and the garage, but no hit.

Generators are being found and sold at gauging prices. Fuel is tough to find with no power at the pumps.

SO:

At home I have a 400 watt windmill, solar power panels on my workshop roof, and a couple of generators that can run on gasoline, propane, or natural gas- I can even burn alcohol in the 3500. Power is no problem.

Here in the office, which is actually in another residence, I have an 1800w solar/battery/inverter system, and dial-up for the PC. The residence is dark, but my office isn't.

The landline is working at home, where I use standard phones, and I can also plug lights into the jacks. The home Wi-Fi is out.

I have a digital converter and antenna for TV viewing.

So I'm good to go....except:

Every single one of my venues is closed. I'm not working because they aren't. I could run the show with a generator, or use power packs for the mini setup. I have done "Moonlight/ Candlelight Karaoke" many times in nights gone by in other venues.

I guess I'm kind of ticked off and venting because the only reason that I'm not working is because other people- business owners- couldn't bother to be prepared. Since they are losing way more money than I am, this seems at the very least, to be ridiculous.

OK, rant over. Time to take a look behind my bar....

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"No Contests, No Divas, Just A Good Time!"

" Disc based and loving it..."

There is much more to life than money.

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I am the ONLY SANE 1 HERE

wow, really?

if i was a bar owner and read your post, you wouldn't be working for me anymore.....

just say'n ..........

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It's all good!

‘Really can’t fight mother nature & expect to win. I wish you well, Joe. Be safe.

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To be fortunate enough to derive an income from a source as fulfilling as karaoke music has got to be as close to heaven as we can get here on earth!

A lot of businesses can't sufficiently run on generator power. I'm sure bars can only do so much. You might be able to run your show from a generator, but bars need their refrigerators and other apparatus as well. Sandy took its toll on a lot of people and businesses, but I think this is a time to be a bit more patient. People have died, and many more are suffering to get back to normal. Don't you think you might just be a tad bit selfish considering everything that's going on around you?

I for one Joe am not here to bash you or judge you. I'm just happy you are doing good!

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KingBing Entertainment C'mon Up! I have a song for you!!! [font=MS Sans Serif][/font]

You are absolutely right! I don't care about the money. I just love what I do, and go kind of bonkers at night, bouncing off of the walls when I'm not doing it

My family, friends, and loved ones are safe. THAT'S the priority!

That being said- my Wednesday night venue now has power. I'M WORKING TONIGHT!

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"No Contests, No Divas, Just A Good Time!"

" Disc based and loving it..."

For expressing my opinion? Well maybe, but if you did, you'd lose a whole lot of steady income.

That aside, it's really kind of easy to do. A medium generator to run the cooling and heat. candles for light, and a manual register ( which is still being manufactured) or one plugged into a little UPS or power source. the money spent would be made up in one or two nights.

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"No Contests, No Divas, Just A Good Time!"

" Disc based and loving it..."

Rip, coming from you that means a lot! My thanks to you, Brian, and all for the good wishes and kind words.

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"No Contests, No Divas, Just A Good Time!"

" Disc based and loving it..."

Joe, glad you're doing good. Where in Jersey are you? I was born and raised in Jersey. I have family living in Clifton who, thank God, were not affected by Sandy.

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Electro-Voice Evolve 50... Taking Sound To The Next Level.

Those hurricanes are getting smarter..

They are skipping over the trailer parks and heading right for the trailer factories..

Even if the bars had power, most of the residents are stuck at home. No buses, no subways, no taxi's.. no karaoke..

I'll tell that when hurricane Charley went through my area in Florida in 2004 I was not not thinking about singing. Charley a cat 4, 150 mph, storm passed just 30 miles south of me. My neighborhood lost several very tall washingtonian palms, and nothing else. Had I been 30 miles south of the storm I would have sustained much more damage. I had spent nearly 1000 dollars on plywood, tarps, etc, and not to mention emergency supplies and a generator. My neighborhood does not allow solar panels or windmills, and I am fine with that.

I am glad that all is well with you Joe, and I hope that your strong sense of community reaches out to help those less fortunate than you.

"Life is not about the number of breaths you take, but about the moments that take your breath away".

Glad to hear you are OK Joe.

In my corner of NY we just got power back yesterday and internet this morning. Ran the generator for 32 hours straight! My property was spared any trees/large limbs but there still TONS of trees leaning on power lines around here.

...Joe, glad to hear you and many others are hanging in there! Sorry for any losses that were suffered and hope for a full recovery for all!

Amen! well said!

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To be fortunate enough to derive an income from a source as fulfilling as karaoke music has got to be as close to heaven as we can get here on earth!

I'm about 5 exits north

However, in the 80's I had an office there on main at the top of Crooks Avenue. I used to spend a lot of time at a restaurant owned by my friend John called Trax, across from Buffalo Ave. I also knew Penny the hot dog truck guy, and we BOTH know where to get the best hot dogs anywhere, and it wasn't Penny's.

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"No Contests, No Divas, Just A Good Time!"

" Disc based and loving it..."

I did receive an e-mail from a fellow KJ/Friend, who stated that one of the Regulars within our little flock, suffered enormously. Her house burnt down to the ground. Absolutely nothing was recovered... all gone. I'm not sure where she lives, but I think she might be from the Breezy Point area (which had many houses burn down because of Sandy). This KJ (couple) wants to hold a Fund Raiser at their next show or 2, to try and help this woman out a bit.

I was lucky.... My neighborhood in Queens did not suffer any damage. I had to head out to PA early Thursday morning, and it was kinda scary driving through downtown Manhattan at 3:30 AM. I was on the Williamsburg Bridge, and half the bridge was lit (the Brooklyn side), half was dark (the Manhattan side). That was weird. Once I entered Manhattan, I needed to head uptown to the Lincoln Tunnel (so I could get into NJ to head to PA). The streets were all pitch black south of 14th street. Traffic Lights were all out in that area as well. I had to drive at about 5 MPH and stop at the end of every block (just in case some A-Hole might have been driving with their headlights off... Yes, there were some cars driving in the City at that hour). There were several key blocks where the Police had their cars parked, and their lights flashing (just to illuminate the streets a bit). Once I got to 42nd street (by Times Square), you wouldn't have known there were any problems. It was so brightly lit... all the Neon Signs and Marquis were on and illuminated.

I'm glad you avoided any serious affects of Sandy. The venue owners will probably make out by taking inflated write-offs, and getting grants and no interest loans......so they don't care.......good luck, and I hope things quickly get back to normal.

Some folks lost their lives. Some folks lost their homes. Some kids lost a parent or two and Joe Chartreuse is concerned about his boredom ruining his nights out on the town. What a concerned citizen!

You would think that all of those UP SCALE venues that Joe works in could afford back up plans.