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Call me shy – OK, call me terrified – but the one time I managed to get up on stage (Magic Man, air guitar, Portland, Oregon), under the influence of extreme peer pressure and a terrific quantity of alcohol, I immediately broke out in hives and then passed out at the bar. When I came to the next morning I decided that, like driving in Morocco or riding Kingda Ka, it was fun but too stressful.</h4> <p>Max Karaoke just might make me change my mind. Located upstairs inside the Little Tokyo Mall on Third and Alameda Downtown, the rent-by-the-hour karaoke joint has been open since 2000, but has been on the radar lately thanks to word of mouth and a new generation of karaoke fans drawn to the intimacy of the private rooms and the good economic sense of BYO-whatever in lean times.</p> <p>One advantage Max has over the standard American karaoke bar for someone like me is that the magic happens in a controlled space. No stage, no stage fright! Comfortable but unfancy rooms are assigned depending on the number of people in your party; the biggest seats up to 40. There is a huge selection of songs arranged by title and artist, including “20,000 Spanish Songs” and monthly new releases advertised on the dry-erase board outside. From J-pop to Joey Ramone, Teddy Pendergrass to T-Pain, there are over 200,000 options to suit your musical bent. And if you don’t have a job but love to sing, happy hour is only $4 per hour, per person from 1- 8 PM, Monday through Thursday. </p> <p>The diversity extends beyond the song selection. For a city where people are not required to venture out of their cultural and economic comfort zones, Max is a place where roads converge. The night I was there I spotted Cali Dewitt, gallerist and founder of underground record label and press Teenage Teardrops; one half of downtown noise duo No Age; gays, straights, grandparents, punks, college students, young urban professionals of every ethnic stripe, and an Asian couple in their 30s whose two-year-old child rested his head on his mom’s lap while she sang.</p> <p>Shuzo R. Ishido, 24, friendly and polite with fine features, has been working at Max for about six months. He sings backup when he’s not selling Pocky and bottled water (Max has an official no alcohol rule), and has a preference for neo-soul like Maxwell. (“So hot!” he says. I have to agree.) Yuichi, 26, with a bit more of a scruffy hipster vibe, was also working the counter. “You know, Japanese people are shy usually,” he said, “so they like to have karaoke parties with friends. Here it’s mixed – Americans, Mexicans, Chinese, Japanese, European – lots of different kinds of people like to sing here. All kinds of songs! But Lady Gaga a lot. A little too much.”</p> <p>Brandon Schoolhouse, of boutique jewelry line Han Cholo, is big into karaoke and loves Max. “Max Karaoke is an awesome place to just get together with some friends and let off some steam and kick out the jams,” he said. “And it stays open late for those long nights you just don't want to go home after the club.” </p> <p>Jei Park, 31, was in one of the medium-sized rooms with a group of friends (she tackled Bad Romance, nailed it). “I come here at least once a month. It used to be once a week. I mean, it’s an Asian culture thing, we all do karaoke. I grew up in Japan, so when I came to Little Tokyo and found out this was here, I had to come. What I love about this place is that when you go to other karaoke places, you have to buy alcohol. This is a better deal. It’s also like a reunion for us, it’s where we get to see each other, and it’s where I come to unwind. Seriously, at 4:30 in the morning we’re like, 'We should go.'"</p> <p>She went on, “I’ve introduced a lot of friends to this place, people who are too shy to do karaoke in a bar. I’m shy on stage with a lot of people, but not with friends. Here, if you feel like performing you can perform, there’s no pressure.”</p> <p>No pressure. Sounds good to me. Maybe next time I’ll actually sing. </p> <p style="font-style:italic; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-indent: 0px;"><span style="font-style:normal;">Max Karaoke</span> has three locations and is open from 1PM to 3AM Sunday-Thursday, and until 4 AM Friday and Saturday. If your voice gets tired or you need a breather, you can visit Beard Papa’s bakery downstairs or Little Tokyo Market Place, a giant Japanese/Korean grocery store that stocks everything from Souju and Asian beauty supplies to octopus croquettes. 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