Ground Control

I have been attending Ground Control Karaōke since 2005 and have loved it since the moment I walked in the door the very first night. The man with the plan «MP3J Sark» is an excellent KJ with a great variety of songs. The atmosphere is AWESOME. A GREAT party every Monday night!
Jay Tando

Best karaōke experience in the city, for those who love music with a bit of a darker/​glammier/​gothier/​more alternative bent.
The 80s and 90s are alive and kicking out the jams, but don’t expect your Top 40 Pop faves, unless you’re gonna sing them deeply mired in irony, mash them up with Bauhaus, or change the lyrics to be about Japanese porn.
Also one of the strongest and most welcoming communities I’ve ever seen built around karaōke. If you can name more than 5 Bowie songs in the next three seconds, you’re so in.
And, go:

It’s a Monday night in Los Angeles. I didn’t really want to go to work today after the weekend ended. I want to get out and go somewhere to relax and have a good evening. With rare exception, there is only one choice: Ground Control.
At the beginning of 2008, my friend and I were looking for somewhere to go out on a Monday night in Los Angeles. The internet provided us with an option of an alternative karaōke bar called Ground Control. I had never performed karaōke in my life, but two things made me pause for consideration. The place billed itself as an alternative karaōke bar and there was a line on its web site that, «boo-​ers will be instantly ejected». I had never attempted karaōke before, but my interest was piqued, we went for it, and the first of many great Monday nights spent there was had!
The People:
I’m going to lead with what struck me first and foremost: the people. There are many regulars here. If you show up for two or three nights, you’ll know who they are. Don’t let this intimidate you though because these people rock! When I first started going to Ground Control, I was fairly taken aback at how friendly the regulars there were. For someone such as me, who balked at the mere thought of singing in front of a bunch of strangers, the friendliness and support of the people made all the difference. If you need to feel comfortable to sing your heart out to a crowd, consider yourself covered!
Song Decision:
There are easy to access binders with the lists of songs available to sing scattered throughout the place. To facilitate finding the song you might want, the first half of each binder has the songs listed in «Artist-​Song» order while the second half of the binder has the same songs listed in «Song-​Artist» order. Once you have decided on a song, all you have to do is request a song request slip of paper from the KJ, write down what you want, give it back, and wait your turn.
The Songs Selected:
So what do they sing here? Quite simply, a little bit of everything. To be sure, there does seem to be a focus on 80’s and 90’s alternative as far as I can tell, but it is very much not restricted to that. I have seen a fellow nail multiple Eminem songs. There are some hip-​hop selections thrown in. At least once a night it seems someone has an urge to sing a country song. They truly do have a mix-​up of genres, but people seem to stick to a rough core of the alternative material.
Singing the K:
Ground Control runs rounds of songs. Each person can sing once per round so everyone gets a fair turn. To me, this is where the quality of the people here shines through strongest. Almost everyone called for their turn is greeted with a sincerely supportive round of applause and hollering. When you start singing, some may partially sing along with you. It is not uncommon that you might have at least one regular run up and perform alongside you such as playing an air-​instrument (guitar, sax, drum, whatever), dancing, miming, or just goofing around. There is very much the air of a group of friends having fun. Whether you like it or not, they are going to make you feel welcome. And when you are done, there is always as much, if not more, applause and hollering after your performance as there was when you walked up. It doesn’t matter how good or bad you think you may have been, this place appreciates that you same, you sang, and you had fun!
Food & Drink:
Ground Control has a full bar open until around 1:30. The bartender on call usually makes a good drink and prices are about average for Los Angeles drinks.
I haven’t yet figured out how it is determined who will be cooking what for the evening. I’ve seen Doomie of Doomie’s Home Cookin doing what he does best there. There have been nights where someone is cooking vegetarian cuisine. Sometimes it seems the food of the evening is simple supermarket fish sticks and French fries. On many occasions someone on staff made a good sized portion of a tasty, home-​cooked meal and sold servings. I think only once in almost two years was I not happy with the food. It is almost always a good serving size for a fairly cheap price ($ 2 or $ 5).
Parking:
There is a decent sized free walled parking lot in the back with a security guard watching the area. You’ll won’t have to worry about paying for parking or walking a long distance.
Entry:
For the longest time, entry was $ 4. I have heard that recently they have reduced it down to $ 2! What more can you ask for? They are very laid back about re-​entry as well, so if you need to get something from your car, have no fear!
Summary:
I am grateful that I found this place. The people make this venue a gem. Even if you don’t want to sing, you should still go a couple of times for the atmosphere. If I’m going out on a Monday, you now know where to find me and where I’ll be trying to get all my friends to go!