Voicebox Karaoke Lounge

Want to add octane to your nightlife?

Looking for a place to belt out tunes with co-workers at the end of the day?

A way to spruce up an otherwise dull holiday party?

Or a novel twist for birthday bashes, bachelor parties, and girls-night-out?

You can turn up the volume on any get-together at Voicebox – Portland’s only karaoke venue that lets you rock out with family and friends in the privacy of your own party room!

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DETAILS:

• Voicebox’s party rooms are called ‘boxes’ – just like in Japan, where karaoke was invented in 1971.

• Voicebox has six ‘boxes’ in varying sizes that accommodate one to 24 guests at a time.

• Each ‘box’ is equipped for nonstop fun with two mics, a big screen TV, and a playlist of over 20,000 songs.

• There’s no waiting to sing or KJs to tip!

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Address: 2112 NW Hoyt Street (just off NW 21st. 1/2 block South of the Cinema 21)

Phone: 503-303-8220

Website: www.VoiceboxPDX.com

Hours:

Weeknights - 4:00pm to 2:30am

Friday/Saturday/Sunday - 1:00pm to 2:30am

Mondays - Closed

Advance Reservations:

Not required, but recommended to ensure there’s a ‘box’ waiting for your group when you arrive.

You can even reserve up to one year in advance for that special occasion.

Book your office or holiday party at Voicebox! Voicebox can handle up to about 90 guests at a time.

Looking for a great holiday gift? A Voicebox gift certificate!

Mark your calendars:

Voicebox is hosting a karaoke clinic with Mark Bosnian every other Tuesday at 7:30 pm – starting next week, 11/18.

Cost: only $10 and you get to stay and join in on our open mic night. Call 503-303-8220 for details.

For more information about Mark Bosnian, go to www.MarkBosnian.com

The Story Behind Voicebox:

Voicebox was created by Scott Simon, a 31-year-old former Silicon Valley hardware engineer and long-time karaoke fanatic who has spent over a year developing Voicebox, inspired by visits to such global hotspots as Korea, Australia, and Thailand.

Simon first discovered karaoke boxes while working on the core team at Cisco Systems that played a leading role in the development of what would become the ubiquitous wireless Internet. During a business trip to Seoul, he met three locals who had just returned from a year in Vancouver, B.C.. They insisted on showing him what karaoke is like in Korea, and led him through a maze of narrow alleys where tourists rarely venture. “It was astonishing. Everywhere you looked, it was neon, lights and a mob of people. There were even bars five stories high,” he says.

While at Cisco, Simon would often drive up to San Francisco to meet up with friends at Do Re Mi, a private room karaoke club in Japantown. “We always had such a good time. We would sing for birthdays, going away parties, whatever. We loved it! That’s when it became obvious to me how cool this was. What I didn’t realize was how much I would miss it.”

After six years of life in a cubicle (despite loving engineering and the work he was doing at Cisco), Simon left his job three years ago and began travelling the world, staying in hostels as much as possible to save money. Along the way, he fed his karaoke habit by stopping off at local boxes and bars – many of them in such unlikely places as the Mongolian Gobi Desert, where a small Soviet-built shack was, amazingly, equipped with the necessary apparatus.

Last summer, nine months after settling in Portland, Simon wanted to take some friends out for the evening, but couldn’t find a private-room karaoke box. “That’s when the wheels started turning in my head. I had always dreamed of owning my own business, but this time the situation finally felt right.” So he developed a business plan, scrapped together the money, then spent months trying to find the right location.

The motivation behind Voicebox, he says, has always been to give people an opportunity to experience what karaoke has brought to his own life. “Singing in a karaoke box is a simultaneous expression of your individuality and your strongest relationships. When friends sing together, it’s special. People form really strong bonds in that space. It’s freeing, intimate and exhausting fun!” he says.