And on lead vocals …

Late-night karaoke singers go to Seidenfadens, where James Barber performed his rendition of "She Sells Sanctuary" by The Cult on Dec. 27.

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It's rainy and chilly outside Seidenfadens on Breckinridge at 1 a.m. on a recent Sunday morning, but inclement weather can't stop the beat.

Inside, four friends are huddled together belting out the Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter."

"It's just a shot away, it's just a shot away …"

Singing their hearts (and lungs) out in front of the movie-sized screen displaying the lyrics, the quartet is surrounded by a laid-back, convivial crowd singing along, downing drinks and basking in the shelter of this charmingly unpolished Germantown gem, known to many a local karaoke aficionado as one of the coolest places in town to indulge your inner rock star.

It's not for early songbirds. The karaoke doesn't start until midnight at the earliest.

"(We want) to get the late, degenerate crowd," says bartender Ed Neary, who earlier climbed up onto a table while passionately singing Don Henley's "Boys of Summer." "Its karaoke for people who don't sing karaoke in karaoke places. There are a thousand karaoke bars, but here you're more likely to hear Lou Reed, Morrissey, David Bowie. … It's hard-core and decadent."

Louisville's karaoke community doesn't seem to have a problem with places that get the party started before midnight either. The pastime, viewed by some as intolerably cheesy, and by others as a joyous expression of their love of music, is an enduring hit in Louisville. With seemingly endless songs and venues, anyone can be a full-time faux rock star in the River City.

Karaoke is far from dead in the USA. At Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, passengers can karaoke while waiting for their flights!

But back to the Louisville scene.

"I've been a karaoke DJ for seven years and I've seen it come and go," says Erin Carnahan, a DJ and bartender at Creeker's on Bardstown Road. "This last year has been one of the hottest times."

What makes Louisville such a karaoke mecca?

"I wouldn't blame it on lack of a music scene," says Seidenfadens' manager Jimmy Heck, who is responsible for the bar's song selection. The songbook reads like a dream jukebox. On a single page you can find Cher, AC/DC, Hall and Oates, Eminem and Bob Dylan. Yet, Heck wishes he had more.

"There's so much you can't get," he says. "I'd like to elaborate on The Pixies, Beck, old-school punk rock."

There is more than enough to keep the crowd and crooners interested and often pleasantly surprised.

According to Neary, karaoke success isn't about a perfect voice. "It's about finding a gem that is overlooked but karaoke-ready," he says. "A song that makes you think, 'Why have I not sung that song? It's the perfect choice!'"

And all night, those kinds of tunes keep coming. The catchy opening chords of the J. Geils Band's "Centerfold" energizes the crowd, as does a rendition of Pat Benatar's "Heartbreaker" and the Velvet Underground's "I'm Waiting for My Man," sung by Heck. There are also some karaoke standards sprinkled here and there.

A woman who wished to be identified as "Vendetta" did the Bonnie Tyler classic "Total Eclipse of The Heart," and one of the most common karaoke songs of all time, Guns N' Roses "Sweet Child O' Mine," was also covered. During "Child," Tim Yunker, 47, was inspired to provide backing vocals.

"I was having a damn good time," he says, shortly after finishing the song. He lives nearby on Vine Street so he can just "roll home," he says.

How does he feel during his personal rock-star moments? "The same way I do when I dance," he says, "... like nobody's watching."

On a Sunday night at TK's in Fern Creek, it's a totally different karaoke scene, overseen by DJ Mike. At about 11 p.m., the first singer busts out with Billy Idol's "Rebel Yell" on the large stage with speakers stacked along the sides. It's freezing outside, yet many of the bar's regular crooners braved the frigid temperature to entertain the crowd with their song stylings. With a selection of 10,000 songs, it's easy to find one that fits.

In a silky Isaac Hayes voice, Thomas Jones sings The Undisputed Truth's (and The Temptations') "Papa Was a Rolling Stone." The 33-year-old bouncer says he never gets butterflies before belting a song. "I know I can sing," he says. "I'm not embarrassed."

Jones also enjoys singing Luther Vandross and other Motown tunes, and is impressed by the quality karaoke he hears around town. "Louisville's got a lot of talent." He guesses karaoke might be so big here because we're so close to the country singing capitol of Nashville.

When Gerry Robertson, 31, takes the stage to sing soaring, pitch-perfect renditions of Phil Phillips' "Sea of Love" and The Platters' "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes," his dreamy voice carries the crowd back in time. It's amazing how Louisville in the 2000s can suddenly feel like a prom in the 1960s.

Kicking and punching in time with the music, Erin McManus, 24, delivers an electrifying performance of Limp Bizkit's "Break Stuff."

"I mainly do rock because I can't 'sing-sing,'" says McManus, a J-Town resident. "I can scream and yell. … Karaoke is an escape.

"I don't care if you're good or bad, if you're out there having fun, I'm cheering you on."