Karaoke joints are a dime-a-dozen (hell, my shower is a
karaoke joint), especially when you’re looking around
mic-equipped Asians. Denizens visit the area’s many Asian businesses, from
supermarkets to banks and video stores. Complexes neighboring the
hole-in-the-wall J Music Studio (conspicuously absent from the Yellow Pages)
house the famed Tapioca Express, site of Asian habitues sipping on boba, and
Sunny Donuts, an old-time eatery with a classic ambience. So grab a pho bowl,
slam down sake, then rent out a karaoke room at J Music Studio to croon,
serenade and tickle that inner diva.
Reenactments can go beyond Beyonce or Celine — there’s a
host of Korean songs to go along with a latter-day pop selection ranging from
Akon to Snoop Dogg.
Considering most karaoke establishments offer similarly
listless song choices, it’s hard to judge a place by its catalog. Its decor,
then? J Music has walls that belong in an off-color Howard Johnson, and carpet
that’s not much better. Could it be the price? Forty bucks an hour per room
ain’t bad, but that’s standard price. Maybe it’s the tambourine they lend upon
request? Can’t be.
J Music Studio is this year’s pick because I feel about it
the same way I feel about my first bike: it may have not been the best, but I
sure do remember my times with it. Equally memorable times at J Music Studio
include Mariah Carey, Britney Spears, R. Kelly and a whole lot of booze. And
who could ask for better company?
Runner up: DJ Karaoke
