Local Vibe

It’s nice to see the regions legions of talent banding together to be heard. Sharing our communities pages and stages to obtain exposure by any and all means necessary. One individual here at home trying to accomplish this is Terry Hesch, who operates 2xtunes.com.

Terry was inspired by his father, Ken Hesch, who started Terry deejaying while he was the entertainment director for The Royal Canadian Legion Br. 396 in Chippawa (Niagara Falls) ON., in the mid eighties. He sang his first karaoke song in 1993, the Georgia Satellites, ” Keep Your Hands to Yourself”, at the Jockey Club in Hamilton. Singing to a packed dance floor made him so nervous he was shaking, but the crowd went wild and he was hooked. Terry settled in Cambridge in 1994, after double hip replacement at McMaster University Hospital. He then began hosting karaoke at Murphy’s Sports Bar in 1995 when the then host called in sick last minute. This is where he met his future wife Melanie Leblanc. He also hosted at Spot 24, the Royal Hotel, the Comfort Zone and July, 13 this year will mark five years at Wabana Sports Bar at 89 Main St. downtown Cambridge.

Most bars already maintain a web presence, even if just an ad, but Terry wanted to offer more than this. With this in mind he formed 2xtunes.com. Originally created as a promotional tool for Wabana he envisioned something both customers and musicians could use to interact with one another while not at the bar. The name 2xtunes ( 2×2 ) was chosen as the site is about both music and karaoke. He states. ” Over the years, I have had the privilege of listening to quite a few karaoke singers whose vocal talents rival that of many musical artists. They deserve to be heard, and seen, just as much as any musician “. He continues, “You only have to look at shows like American and Canadian Idol to witness proof of this. 2xtunes provides all of our karaoke singers with a chance to let the world hear them sing “.

He recently begun to book the bands at Wabana, ” There are some really amazing local bands appearing on our stage every month and I thought this would be a fantastic way to promote their upcoming performances to our customers “. 2xtunes gives patrons a chance to preview bands before their shows by listening to songs, watching videos and viewing their bio’s and pictures.

2xtunes is not just a promotional tool for Wabana. It can be used by anyone wishing to use it as a home website or a base for their own promotion, whether your a band, karaoke host/singer, venues or for general interest. The site concentrates on the Waterloo Region to attain the exposure local talent deserves. Offering basic services for free; 30 meg storage space for audio/video/images, unlimited bandwidth, event calender with Google map address links, artist forums, blogs and more. With enough interest subscriptions will be made available to those who require more storage space than currently offered with their basic accounts.

Musicians and venues benefit from both a Vault and a Store for sales. The “Vault” covers digital media sales including audio/video/images and online ticket sales to events. The “Store” handles all physical item sales including clothing and C.D’s. To help cover costs 2xtunes retains 25% of sales from both the Vault and Store. Further security is offered by all sales being processed through Paypal (includes credit card processing).

Karaoke hosts/singers benefit from links to free software, so you can play karaoke and record yourself at home on your own computer. Also a link is provided to a site where you can legally purchase karaoke tracks for approximately $2.00 U.S. per track. Terry states “For next to nothing, people can now enjoy the same karaoke experience they get at their favorite bar in their home, without the waiting”.

So there you have it. Check out the site 2xtunes, register or join Terry for a kara-okay time down at Wabana.

Keep Amusing Your Muse, Peter Ezekiel.