This Just In…

Most people's idea of doing karaoke involves standing alone on a stage in front of a mike, singing the words to a song that they vaguely know, helped along by reading the words on a screen. The setting, of course, varies depending upon where you go. Ultimately, though, the idea is the same. For three minutes at a time, you can be the singer you always fantasized about instead of the tax accountant you ended up becoming. With that in mind, things just got kicked up a notch thanks to the guys in Roktapus, who just introduced Tuesday night's live-band karaoke at Dulcinea's 100th Monkey (717 East Colfax Avenue).

This past Tuesday, the band -- which includes former Polytoxic drummer Chad Johnson (aka Chadzilla), bassist Joe Gamble and guitarist Jonathon Barkin -- started things off with some original material and then began inviting folks up. One gal's version of "Respect" would've made Aretha Franklin proud, and another gal funked it up on "Brick House." Even Jay Bianchi -- who owns Dulcinea's, Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom, Quixote's True Blue and Sancho's Broken Arrow with his two brothers -- got down on the Kinks' "You Really Got Me." So far, the Roktapus guys have about 150 songs under their belt, everything from Hendrix and Zeppelin to the Band and the Grateful Dead to Jane's Addition and the Talking Heads. Within the next few months, they hope to add another 400 or so tunes to their repertoire.

Just down the street from Dulcinea's, on the corner of Colfax and Pearl, we noticed that a new joint called Cheeky Monk is in the works. We're not completely sure what's in store for the place, but we're guessing that it's going to be a Belgian beer cafe, offering ales like Chimay, which is made by Belgian Trappist monks.

And, of course, as one bar looks to be opening, another looks to be closing. Last week, the owners of Hubba's Pub (13740 East Quincy Avenue) in Aurora sent out a MySpace bulletin advising that their family-owned club -- which has promoted shows from '80s-era acts such as L.A. Guns, Faster Pussycat and George Lynch -- was seized by state officials on Monday, May 7, and will not reopen unless they can raise $18,000 within a week. Like many other bars, Hubba's has been struggling since last July, when the statewide smoking ban was instituted.