Going "40 Deep", after the break!

Karaoke Night at The Roguelike Tavern

Soundtrack for this Adventure

& "Nightcall (2024)" by Kavinsky, Angèle, and Phoenix

I hardly escape my suburbian bubble often as you probably already know. It really takes an important life-affirming event to force me to even attempt an evening ride into the Valley anymore.

All it took this time to break my social bubble was a text message from the legend himself, "30 Deep" (aka Owen), to make this late Friday evening adventure happen. For it was his birthday & all he wanted to do to celebrate another year around the sun was to chill at his local bar - "The Roguelike Tavern" - and catch up with all of us. Especially me whom he hadn't seen since last year.

Little did we know... or maybe he was aware... it was a Karaoke night!

Really had to stop myself from falling asleep before leaving. I had worked the last 4-days and got improperly mentally prepared by laying in my nice warm bed after a big Jersey Mike's meal. A quarter of a club supreme & Philly cheesesteak in case you were wondering. Already felt like our long-lost Comic Book nights cause that's what 30 Deep, Danger, & I would grab before returning to Danger's former NoHo apartment. The memories were already flowing as I popped a tiny Pepsi, clicked shuffle on my Apple Music, and rode the twilight towards "Friday Night Hollywood Traffic".

Luckily I had downloaded so many new & buzzworthy projects for the long drive just like when I made the road my home decades ago. Just imagine a megamix of Keith Urban, Jamie xx, Bon Iver, Future, Seether, Terrace Martin, Soken's Final Fantasy XVI projects, and one of our soundtracks above... Kavinsky, Angèle, and Phoenix's 2024 version of "Nightcall" which played on repeat as I was returning home close to midnight. Yes... the vibes were immaculate.

After avoiding traffic jams... cause I know these Hollywood streets like the back of my hand... I arrived at the Roguelike Tavern located in Burbank. A rather new establishment with a cool name. Absolutely love that genre of video games wherein you can expect a fresh experience & challenge each time you spawn in. To make that your dive bar mantra is quite clever! They even sell an upscaled gimmick-themed puzzle box to take your night to another level. We didn't partake but maybe next time we will?

All I wanted was the BBQ wings & a Coke. Both were delightful! Gets a huge recommendation from me.

What I didn't know at the start of the night was I standing technically in Sardo's, the former home of legendary Karaoke nights that remain talked about Hollywood memories even now. Makes me happy that Roguelike continues to keep its music-loving spirit & tradition alive for the next generation. Just feels right, you know? "Hi Ho Karaoke", a party company based here in Los Angeles, did an amazing job sponsoring all the musical performances for the night. Their songbook binder had over 10,000 songs to pick from! Every song and genre you can imagine all while being updated frequently (just so you know). Hate when I visit Karaoke bars and they don't have the NEW stuff.

But it has been ages since I partook in Karaoke outside of my driver's seat. The last time I can remember was at Michael's (formerly in Burbank) with the Vault crew (alongside Danger) over a decade ago. Didn't stop me from being a good audience member for everyone at Roguelike all night. Knew most of the songs that were played which ranged from Billy Joel, Abba, Brie Larson from Scott Pilgrim, The Black Keys, Sara Bareilles, Chappell Roan, and select songs from Hamilton: An American Musical.

It was basically a battle between two parties as one group really loved Chappell Roan and the other group loved Musicals (mostly the Hamilton songbook). The first group understood the assignment as Chappell remains hot in 2024 & all her popular tracks sound great in the karaoke environment which truly surprised me honestly. In a good way.

By the time we reached the fourth Hamilton song on the playlist, a light bulb flashed in my head posing the question... "were these members of the Hamilton Touring Group currently performing at the Pantages Theatre a few blocks away?" That makes sense, right? Why else would this group proudly sing multiple pieces from the musical with incredible Broadway flair. Especially the man who sang "You'll Be Back". He looked like Jonathan Groff'.

Even though we couldn't find any evidence to confirm our theory... that's what I'm going ahead with.

30 Deep, Danger, and I departed the bar after all his close friends slowly vanished into the night. The old comic book crew continued to chat in overtime while shopping at Vons. We walked out with some desserts to eat in the parking lot with our hands before departing once more. It was great to catch up with my NoHo bros. Our weekly comic book adventures feel like a lifetime ago but I'm glad every time we meet... it still just feels like yesterday.

Always try to remember your presence can be the greatest gift you can give to a person. Pray they never take it for granted...

Hope you're enjoying all these random 2024 adventures! Really having a blast sharing my crazy LA Nights with you. AND... if you're in Burbank, be sure to stop by for a Karaoke Night at The Roguelike Tavern (or try to solve their puzzle box) and if you require a Karaoke service, be sure to inquire about "Hi Ho Karaoke"!

Fair warning: our next Journal is gonna be quite epic! Expect a new monthly playlist too before then. More music soon...