Kevin Bowker can’t sing.
Indeed, the 38-year-old readily admits he’s a “terrible singer.”
But he likes to put smiles on people’s faces. So he’s always been willing to grab the karaoke mic and make a fool of himself.
“You have to be comfortable with being uncomfortable,” he says.
Because for him, it’s all about having fun.
“Life is hard enough as it is,” he told Greater Long Island. “People sometimes need an outlet, something fun to do and something to put more smiles into the world. Karaoke in its nature has a way of doing this. That is kind of the core behind any business I’ve ever started.”
The lifelong entrepreneur and former owner of Tapped Enterprises — a beer and wine touring company that he sold earlier this year after a decade in operation — has just unveiled a mobile karaoke lounge called Rolling Raoke.
And it has proven to be an immediate hit across generations — at Long Island street festivals, kickball tourneys and backyard graduation parties.
“It’s really starting to snowball,” he said.
How it happened
Bowker, a Connetquot High School graduate (2004) who lives in Ronkonkoma, has always loved karaoke.
“I had it at my own graduation party,” he said.
Now combine that passion with his knowledge and experience outfitting party buses, along with his musically inclined in-laws — his brother-in-law is in a hardcore band; his father-in-law used to be in a disco band — and everything came together in December.
That was when he treated both men to a birthday party bus trip with the family to a karaoke spot.
“We had a great time,” he said. “We brought the kids and they were singing songs, the adults were singing songs. It really brought the whole family together.”
That wonderful day got his proverbial wheels turning.
Come April, he had purchased a shuttle bus used for passenger transport and got to immediate work transforming it.
What resulted was this (swipe left to view photos):
Hitting the streets
Rolling Raoke wasn’t even fully done when the summer’s first Alive by the Bay street festival happened June 25 in Bay Shore, but he and his crew — the mobile lounge always comes with an emcee —headed to Main Street anyway.
The ceiling wasn’t finished and the truck wasn’t yet colorfully wrapped, but the sound system worked perfectly. This was the first audition for his unique concept.
“At first we were worried because for the first two hours, people were kind of feeling it out,” Bowker said. “But maybe they needed to get some liquid courage in them, because for the last two hours at Alive by the Bay and [a week later] at Alive After Five in Patchogue, people were jamming out. People really dig it.”
A prominent spot in a News 12 intro for Alive After Five coverage only helped matters.
The demand for private events began to pour in.
How it works
Kevin Bowker, 38, of Ronkonkoma, unveiled his Rolling Raoke mobile karaoke lounge June 25 at Alive by the Bay in Bay Shore. (courtesy)
Rolling Raoke isn’t built for passenger service. That means there will be no singing Paradise by the Dashboard Light while motoring through Wine Country or on the Long Island Expressway.
The idea is to get a party going at any brewery, music festival, Sweet 16, graduation party or birthday barbecue, with a sound system and the option for a DJ or digital playlists to keep things going between the singing.
“Or if you just want to sit back and watch some old school music videos and kick it. It offers a lot,” he said.
The bus is also solar. It runs off solar panels and a battery generator, so it does not need electrical hookups for setup.
When bus is running going from place to place, it also charges the batteries to run the karaoke system.
And once it’s parked and those flaps go up, people start flocking (though maybe after a couple drinks). The bus is heated and air-conditioned, and Bowker fully intends to keep the momentum going through the four seasons.
This, and more rental offerings are to come, including a mobile bar and mobile tap system.
Simply call 631-495-6416 or visit the website for private party and/or event inquiries
Scroll down to follow their journey on Instagram.
courtesy photos
