Karaoke: the Phenomenon and the Mystique

Karaoke has always been an underground phenomenon in America. Unlike the Japanese, who've made karaoke a national pastime, many Americans publicly mock it as a garish time-waster. Nonetheless, you can find a karaoke bar or two (or twenty) anywhere.

The participants are a diverse crowd of all cultures, ethnicities, and ages. Karaoke's common ground lies in both its participatory and voyeuristic nature. People come to sing, listen, dance, playfully ridicule, and just enjoy. It cuts across the boundaries of culture and taste.


Alexandria's own Rock It Grill and Crystal City's Freddy's Beach Bar are likely Northern Virginia's most kicking karaoke bars. On almost any given night you'll hear a mesmeric mishmash of crooning, bellowing, serenading, caterwauling, harmonizing, and screeching -- all for your entertainment.

Remember, you don't have to sing to partake in the karaoke phenomenon (but drinking helps). Just cheer for the brave souls singing someone else's song ... in public. And maybe sing your own alcohol-induced rendition of Sinatra's "Mack the Knife" for all your fans!