Karaoke at the Marco Polo Lounge has always possessed the character and ambience that make sports dives like it great places to want to sing—but, it being located on the industrial side of Georgetown, my Greenwood ass needed a reason other than that real-life NASCAR and its ever-present smell of fried chicken to choose it over the more proven and frequented weekend options on that end of town. It just lacked the spirit and energy that distinguished memorable venues from forgettable ones. But that was before veteran KJ Rio Ventura took over as host last year. She has transformed their Saturday-night show into the event it always had the potential to be, bringing together her devoted regulars and Marco Polo’s well-established neighborhood crowd and making it the premier spot to sing on the south end.