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 I found myself 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)
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