Sound Bar — Restaurant in Galveston

If you are expecting any sort of fair, consistent rotation of singers, this is probably not the place for you.

Our group showed up around 12:15, and it was not very full inside & didn't seem very busy. Three of us signed up right away, and the sign up list appeared to only show one singer in front of us. Instead, at least 7 people went up before us, and a birthday girl actually sang 3 times in the short 20 minutes we were there. It quickly became apparent that the KJ prioritizes singers based on how they tip. I understand that when a party group tips you well, extra effort would be given to allow them to sing more. However, I still think there needs to be a BALANCE of fairness for the rest of the singers on the list. Maybe I am spoiled from our karaoke bars back in Dallas, TX… Even on the busiest nights, the KJ's are considerate to communicate approximately how many people are ahead of us.

I was particularly surprised, because of the half empty room, that it seemed too difficult to mix in 3 new singers.  So....when there appears to be no end in sight, you lose hope / interest very quickly. It was our last night on vacation, and we didn't want to waste our entire night waiting for an undetermined amount of time.  Because there was no communication about how the rotation was structured (if at all) we just decided to cut our losses and leave.  I understand that each KJ has their own way of doing things, but it sure made me appreciate our KJ's back home.  The majority of the time, singers get to go up in the order in which they signed up. New singers get added to the top of the next rotation. If the list is particularly long, the KJ lets us know. If they cannot guarantee there will be time for us to sing, they let us know. They show consideration for those waiting by communicating!  I personally do not want to feel like I have to pay extra in order to be able to have a chance to sing just once. I don't think that is what a karaoke bar should be. I also do not expect every new singer to be inserted into the middle of the rotation immediately....but but when one person alone gets to sing 3 times in less than half an hour, it feels like the KJ is choosing the order at random, as new tips come in.  All this to say, I did not see any attempt at fairness in the way this place's karaoke was run.  Again, had I seen a long signup list, I would have known what to expect and been fine with it.  The KJ even inserted herself to sing a song while we were there,  which (in my experience) they usually put the customers before themselves....usually only singing at the end of a rotation, or often not at all,  if the list is too big.  Instead I saw no structure, no communication, and preferential treatment. It was a disappointment to me.

I'm not special, and am not saying I should have been put in right away ..... I'm saying there should have been a fair balance for all singers. I'm not faulting anyone for allowing big tippers to sing more, but 3 times in 20 minutes is on the extreme side. There should be some balance there. I wouldn't recommend this place if you're a karaoke buff and used to getting in a rotation and being able to sing throughout night in some sort of a...

The bartenders were awesome. Super fast and very polite. GREAT suggestions for drinks and made us feel welcome as soon as we can in the door.

The person watching the door was amazing. We felt welcoming as soon as she greeted us with a smile.

The big issue with this bar is the inexperienced karaoke DJ. The performances were VERY harsh and way too loud for anyone to enjoy.

The karaoke DJ had no idea what she was doing.

The sound mix was awful. Whoever was singing was extremely loud. And if people were nervous or quiet she turned them up to the point where the mics peaked several times and a few people (including myself) asked her to turn down the mic and up the backing track when singing. Which she did, but would immediately turn it back up/down after we started.

At the end of the night she told 3 of the people in my group no when they asked to sing a song because her list was full. But she added 5 other people to the list after we had asked.

She gave off a vibe of someone who only wanted to be doing karaoke for her friends and left us feeling not only unwelcome, but also with sore ear drums.

I wouldn't go here again just because of the audio issues. I left with a huge headache from how harsh...

What a horrible experience at this establishment. Was out this past weekend for a big veteran event which brought in 200+ veterans into town. We decided to check this place out for the first time. We were greeted at the door by an heavier set older women with short hair who claimed to be a “Manager”. She denied us access because two veterans from our group had service dogs.

The service dogs had their vests on and we had documentations provided by the DoD stating such. Said “manager” started to yell at us and demean our group and said “absolutely not GTFO of my bar”. No one from our party was being rude or disrespectful to any of the staff members.

I’m appalled that this establishment believes they’re above the law and can disregard the 1990 American Disability Act. We were denied access to Sound Bar based on discrimination of disability. The service dogs both serve a medical purpose. So good to know if you have a disability, Sound Bar...