Local Alaska Cab karaoke vans a sound success

WASILLA — If you like singing karaoke, chances are you’ll agree with Alaska Cab-Valley owner Corky Hedrick that the company offers “the best damn cab ride in town.”

Two of the 15 local Alaska Cab taxis are now “karaoke cabs,” vans outfitted with high-quality karaoke machines, two microphones and disco lights. They’re also emblazoned with colorful music-note decals and the words “Karaoke Cab” to let the potential rider – or singer – know just what they’re getting into.

When Hedrick and her husband first experienced a karaoke cab in California last year, they were more or less ambushed while entering what looked like a regular taxi.

“(The driver) slaps this mic in my hand and the music goes on and the lights start going and it was (Queen singing) ‘We will, we will, rock you,’” Hedrick said.

She told the driver she didn’t know all the words to the song, so he switched it to “Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond. Hedrick soon found herself at their destination, singing at the top of her lungs and unwilling to let the driver bring the ride to an end.

“He gets to the hotel room and I’m having a ball,” she said. “I didn't even wanna get out of the cab.”

When she did, she knew Alaska needed some karaoke cabs.

But she wasn’t about to catch people by surprise. She wanted to promote it.

“It’s such a unique fun,” Hedrick said. “They’re really popular.”

And it’s not just for patrons of local bars, nor do all singers need a heavy dose of liquid courage to enjoy the karaoke vans.

“We have kids in there all the time,” said Hedrick’s daughter Ashley, an Alaska Cab employee. “I’ve got friends scheduling a night out just so they can go out in the karaoke cab.”

Office manager Heather Ingram said some people will even sing a song or two in a karaoke cab that’s parked and waiting to pick up customers who have called in.

“You just park in front of the bar and you open the doors and you let the lights shine (and people come),” Ingram said.

Each cab has six CDs of different genres of music, but the karaoke machines — which are wired into the sound system of the vehicles — are cell phone and iPod compatible, so riders can sing to any music they want.

Corky Hedrick said she hopes the karaoke cabs can be fun for everyone, and also safe.

“It’s just a fun little thing for people to do, and hopefully keep ’em riding taxis instead of driving their own cars, especially when they’re out partying,” she said. “The more people we get in a cab, the safer the roads are gonna be.”

“Our theme has always been ‘take the right blue and white home tonight,’” she added, referring to the company’s regular taxi colors.

Hedrick said they’re looking to add at least two more karaoke cabs to their fleet, and potentially turn all of the taxis into mobile musicals. But don’t worry — customers “don’t have to sing if they don’t want to,” she said.

For those who do, however, Alaska Cab is hosting a karaoke cab video contest through its Facebook page until the end of the month. To enter, participants need only capture themselves singing inside one of the karaoke cabs and post the video to the company’s page at facebook.com/alaska.cab.9. The people featured in the video with the most likes will win “cab cash” — mock dollar bills to be used for cab fare with Alaska Cab.

For more information, call Alaska Cab-Valley at 357-7675.

Contact reporter Caitlin Skvorc at caitlin.skvorc@frontiersman.com.