Stand up and sing

Suzie Harrison

Visitors to Main Street in Laguna can pick up a mike and be anyone

they want, and on Mondays and Tuesdays the place is packed with

people preparing to do just that.

For almost five years Karen Cobb has been the official mistress of

ceremonies and hostess at Main Street in Laguna.

“I’m the karaoke queen DJ,” Cobb said. “I host the party here at

Main Street and am in charge of this side of the bar.”

She pointed opposite friendly bartender Michael Witkowski, who is

in charge of liquid mixology and is an ambassador of sorts, greeting

everyone when they come in.

“What we do is have a great time, we have fun,” Cobb said. “We

have some excellent singers and people that are entertaining.

Regulars come all the time.”

When she first started it was on Mondays, but expanded it to two

nights because of its popularity.

“When I first started it was me and the bartender, now it’s a

staple for gay, straight or whatever -- it’s a very mixed crowd.”

Cobb said. “It’s the place to be.”

Karaoke usually brings in the younger crowd and younger energy she

said but all ages still come. That was evident looking around from

people just 21 years old to people in their 60s.

“It’s not a sleepy bar by no means,” Cobb said. “I guarantee

nobody’s sleeping from 9 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Mondays and Tuesdays.”

The repertoire of songs is seemingly unlimited and she said that

they sing everything from show tunes, to hard rock, power ballads and

dance tunes.

Books full of possible songs were being passed around while Cobb

checked out what people’s choices were. In-between songs, the

talented Cobb would perform requests.

“There are 300 CDs and each CD holds about 18 songs so there are

2,500 different songs to choose from at least,” Cobb said. “It was a

hobby that got out of hand.”

Marty Goold, 25, and his friend Corey Witzel, 21, where searching

through the pages.

“I’ve been coming here for two years now but less since I have a

boyfriend,” Goold said. “No, I don’t sing -- there’s no way. I

request songs but I don’t sing.”

He has a couple of friends that come to Main Street to sing but

that’s definitely not something Goold would warm up to doing. But he

said he likes the crowd and that most of the time it is packed wall

to wall.

Witzel and a few others concurred that they come to Main Street

for the laid back, friendly atmosphere and liked that it was a

hometown kind of bar.

“Gay, bi, straight you can hang out like you’re a real down to

earth bar and don’t have to worry about being hit on by people,”

Witzel said. “It’s not superficial, it’s a very welcoming environment

where you can sit down and chat with your friends.”

Throughout the evening Cobb continued to keep the crowd going,

being an attentive hostess and encouraging people to sing.

“Karen is like the staple of the bar,” Witzel said.

Ron Belala came to Main Street to celebrate his birthday, singing

a few numbers and putting on quite the show. He danced and moved

around like he was the star he wanted to be.

“I hope this karaoke place will be here a long time because I come

here and work on my music and myself,” Belala said. “I like to pick

my own style and do my own thing. If you want to be a star you have

to do your own thing -- like this.”

He said his idol is Mariah Carey and he’s obviously a Britney

Spears fan, as he gave a no holds barred performance of “Oops I Did

It Again.”

“I’ve been singing here for years,” Belala said. “It’s my birthday

and I like coming here and having a good time. The point of my

singing is to make people happy and give them entertainment.”

Vince Savelle is still a regular. He owned the bar for 25 years

until five years ago and noted how things changed.

“This was a cabaret with a dance floor and now it’s a counter

bar,” Savelle said. “This bar has been around for at least 60 years.”

He explained that the decor has changed, as well, from a more

traditional English pub style to a Las Vegas-style with plenty of

lights, and reminisced about when the stars from Hollywood would come

such as Martha Rae, Robert McNair and Paul Lynn.

“Times have changed,” Savelle said. “Kids love the karaoke and to

sing and dance. They want to be a part of it.”

Cobb said that other nights of the week at Main Street offered a

variety of entertainment. Friday night she is a solo performer.

“We’re all a team we also have great singers on Thursdays and

Sundays,” Cobb said. “Denise Carter does everything on Sundays. She

is a blues mama and performs down home blues and jazz.”

Saturday night the musical duo Carolyn Sweets and Herbert Johnson

perform. Main Street is at 1460 S. Coast Highway. For more

information, call (949) 494-0056.