Karaoke from Hell Band
Karaoke From Hell is Portland’s original live karaoke band, rocking in Portland for 27 years and counting. This band give normal people with rock star fantasies a bona fide chance to get up and sing in front of a real live rock band!
“We know over 800 songs, if you count Christmas carols,” says rhythm guitarist and backing singer Dawn Panttaja.
Panttaja founded the group 27 years ago on Memorial Day, and since that time more than 50 local musicians have passed through the revolving door as band members. “Our earliest gigs were at Satyricon, and for the first several shows we had a different band each time,” she recalls.
The group currently holds court every Monday at Dante’s with a now-steady rotation of 12 band members. The Dante’s shows are often orchestrated by local bon vivant and Voodoo Donuts impresario Tres Shannon, who sings, plays harmonica, kazoo, and assorted percussion instruments, while ordinary working stiffs get a chance to front the band, singing everything from Abba to the Zombies.
Not that the occasional celebrity doesn’t happen by.
“Pink sang Me & Bobby McGee, Deborah Iyall from Romeo Void did It’s My Party, and one of the guys from Insane Clown Posse covered Tracks of My Tears. The bigger the star, the more likely they are to sing some old standard,” Panttaja notes.
Nowadays, the band is known for bringing the rock to people’s weddings, private celebrations and company parties. Among their recent clientele: Doc Martens, Apple Inc., Wieden+Kennedy, Stumptown Coffee Roasters, Nike, Liquid Creative Agency and many others.
Appreciation from HAPPY CLIENTS:
“Hi Jen! Just wanted to say thank you for sending the Karaoke From Hell band down to SF for our iPhone launch event. They killed it! Took our party to another level. Everyone was lovely to work with as well. My husband and I will definitely go see them when we visit Portland.” -Shasta Maiorana, Apple Inc.
“In this town, you can’t claim any serious karaoke cred—or indulge in any kind of meaningful rock star fantasy—unless you’ve jumped onstage with Karaoke From Hell.” –John Chandler, The Portland Mercury
"The Karaoke From Hell group was AWESOME at the Crystal last Thursday. My first time experiencing them at a Nike party and I am totally hooked now! Thank you Jen." - Janet Hausmann, Nike World Headquarters Senior Event Coordinator
“Our group had a blast! They owner of our company said: ‘We’re doing this every holiday party!’ The band was also super gracious dealing with the boozy persuasion at the end of the evening. Thanks again!” -Adrienne Corso, Liquid Creative Agency
“Hi Jen! Oh my goodness, everyone LOVED the band. They are so incredibly talented and were beyond welcoming to the AskNicely crew! Thanks so much again for everything!” -Nicole Anderson, Event Producer, AskNicely
“Jen, what an absolute pleasure to have the band at our event. It was a huge success and I’m sure they made a few peoples’ rockstar dreams come true! Loved working with you all, and hope our paths cross again soon!” -Grace Kim, Propeller
“Hi Jen! I wanted to pass along my sincerest gratitude for all of your help in making our holiday party the very best one yet! KFH was truly amazing and you were such a gem to work with. Thank you so much for all of your support and I hope we can do this again!” Lindsey Crawford, head of people, Stumptown Coffee Roasters
“OMG thank you so much, Jen! We all had a blast and it's great to hear such positive feedback from the Karaoke From Hell band. They were amazing and really helped our shy crew work up the courage for a night that I've had nothing but compliments about. There are a couple of quiet folks who unexpectedly came up to me at the end of the night and thanked me for forcing everyone to get out of their comfort zones and have fun together. It's been a tough year for everyone and this was such a great way to wrap it up. I would love to make this an annual tradition!“ -Alicia Barker, owner and CEO, Willamette Technical Fabricators
“Hi Jen! As we wrap up our convention this week, I just wanted to say how much everyone enjoyed the Karaoke From Hell Band! What an amazingly talented group. We can't wait to have them back next year! I'll be in touch with details to confirm dates, as soon as we begin planning. Thanks again!” -Cory Horton, Association for Computer Professionals in Education
