ADVENTURES IN KARAOKE: Finn McCool's Ale House

POSTED: Friday, June 17, 2011, 10:00 AM

CP's Brian Wilensky is on a mission to hit up every karaoke haunt in town — and then share all the mellifluous details.

Just like anything else, karaoke needs to be moderated — especially when it comes to the volume. That, however, wasn't the case this week at Finn McCool's Ale House, where the high ceilings didn't do much to even out the karaoke noise reverberating off of its cold, marble bar. By 10 p.m. the excessive volume and jabbering of the crowd left a pain in my ear that was unavoidable.

A nice touch to Finn McCool’s karaoke was that the KJ kept the vibe upbeat by playing songs in between singers so it never felt like there was any down time. It even seemed like she had a planned-out playlist. The first few songs she chose were '80s pop numbers and the setlist gradually became more modern as the night went on.

Andrew won the bar over with“My Sharona” by The Knack, sending a quick shimmy through the horde of McCool’s patrons. Next up, a duo chose from a similar vein of music: Eddie Money’s “Take Me Home Tonight." A fella donning denim and a cowboy hat sang Bon Jovi’s classic, “Wanted: Dead or Alive,” to a super enthusiastic crowd. Take note: To get the crowd revved up at McCool's, pick songs from the '80s and make 'em rowdy. And bring earplugs, because these mothers get loooouuuuuddd!

Nitty Gritty for Performers: Wednesdays, 9:30 p.m., Finn McCool’s Ale House, 118 S. 12th St., 215-923-3090, finnmccoolsphilly.com.

(brian.wilensky@citypaper.net)

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Featuring everything from event roundups to concert reviews and sex talk, City Paper's Critical Mass is a space for off-the-wall coverage of Philly's A&E scene.

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