Our Favorite Karaoke Spots By Fritz Hahn washingtonpost.com Bars and Clubs Editor Updated August 2001

No matter what night it is, you can find a karaoke bar. (Mark Finkenstaedt for The Washington Post)

Karaoke appeals to the ham in everyone, and it's a rather addictive activity – people are reticent to perform at first, but watch how quickly they are to sign up again.

Booking yourself on a karaoke bar stage is a really simple process: Every karaoke DJ has a binder filled with songs and artists to choose from. Leaf through the list until you find one you want to sing, write it on a slip of paper the DJ provides, and turn it in. All these places have the words appear on a screen while you're singing, in case you need a reminder.

Here are a few of our favorite places to sing in the D.C. area. We've tried to include an indication of what kind of music the DJs specialize in, but most have a wide variety of tunes in their books. For an in-depth look at the Washington karaoke scene, read Eric Brace's Weekend cover story.

The Meeting Place
On Fridays, this underground bar grooves to soul and oldies, with lots of Motown and '70s R&B. A bonus is that you can hit the great happy hour before you sing: 2-for-1 drinks from 4 until midnight, with a buffet from 4 until 6.

Renzo's
On Saturday nights, Dave's Good Time Karaoke serves up the hits. It's mostly a country crowd, with some oldies and Top 40 material.

Rock It Grill
There's karaoke every night of the week at this Alexandria bar, and rock is king.

Lasick's College Inn
Tuesdays find mostly Top 40 and alternative music, with some '60s thrown in. Singers are a mix of locals and college students. (Hint: If it's Natalie Merchant or Alanis ...)

Shark Club
Wednesdays find singers belting everything from '50s tunes to today's, with a lot of '70s and '80s. Sometimes there's a younger crowd.

Stained Glass Pub
There are four nights of karaoke a week here: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. Songs of the '60s and '70s are common, and the younger people in the crowd keep it current.

Cafe Japone
The crowd varies depending on the day. With a nightly karaoke scene, this spot has a wide range of songs.

J.J. Muldoon's
The crowd on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays seems to favor country and oldies, but the material and vocal talent can vary.

Paradiso
There's general karaoke on Sundays and Wednesdays, and no one crowd predominates. Expect applause if you sing Sinatra, though.

Peyote Cafe
An Adams Morgan staple, this subterranian bar offers karaoke every weekend to an '80s-loving party crowd.

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