As any young kid, my first taste of music was whatever my parents listened to; mainly jazz, classical and Paul Anka. At the age of ten, a family friend introduced me to Queen. At this discovery of electric guitar and distortion, a love affair with all things rock ensued, which still doesn't explain my fondness for show-tunes.

I was first introduced to karaoke at a truck-stop in Oakville. I came. I saw...but I can't say I conquered.
Flash-forward to Queens University where they had organized a karaoke show. Naturally I decided to win friends and influence people by make a complete fool of myself. I swallowed my fears and went up to sing "My Boyfriend's back". I was nervous. I was terrified. I was hooked. I came back to Oakville and mercilessly tracked down every damn karaoke venue I could find.

Two years later and I'm living in my beloved Ottawa. While downtown with my new roommates I heard Gloria Gaynor wafting from a bar. Naturally I started singing "I Will Survive" on the street at the top of my lungs. Someone yelled "So you like to sing?" My response: "Hell yeah, I like to sing. Which reminds me, where can a girl find some **good** karaoke around here?" He suggested the Dog & Pony show at V.I.P. I went the next week with my friend Cait and renewed my addiction while popping her karaoke cherry. Hooked again, I went to every Dog & Pony show I could find and earned 5 paws the following week.

In my first few months in Ottawa, I had tried other karaoke companies but always came back to Dog & Pony. It wasn't just the great song selection, or the awesome sound, or the bad segues. Here, I had found an amazing community, which, over the past 3 years, has become more like a family and I wouldn't give that up for anything short of stardom. But even as a rock star, I know I'd always come crawling back for more.

~Cris (a.k.a. Stray Kitten)