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Karaoke is the great equalizer. No matter your jam or how good or bad your chops, when you are up there and holding that microphone all attention is on you and those scrolling words.
Chicago heart breakers Spike & the Sweet Spots celebrate the egalitarian beauty of karaoke in the video for their track “Act Like You Know Me”.
Taken from the band’s brand new debut album Strange Breed, available now through Randy Records, the video focuses on a motley group of wannabe rock and roll stars.
Led by the melodic vocals of Spencer "Spike" Johnson, who you may recognize from fellow Chicago garage poppers the Yolks, the track skips along with hooks that are sweet without being sugary.
Noisey: I spotted Willie Nelson, Mike Patton, Michelle Obama and one of the Golden Girls. Any other celebrities I’m missing?
Spencer "Spike" Johnson: Let’s see. Ryan Gosling’s in there, Larry the Cable Guy, The Empire Man. He might only be a celebrity in Chicago though
Who is your favourite performer in the video?
I really like the guy at the beginning with the girl draped over him, but my favorite is the guy who has the beach in the background and has that really nice sway dance going. He was singing “Is This Love” by Bob Marley
What is your signature karaoke song?
I like the 90s jams. My go to is “Under The Bridge” by the Chili Peps, but I like to mix it up. You might find me singing Sublime, R Kelly, pretty much anything Rob Thomas…you just never know.
Best karaoke spot in Chicago?
Alice’s is the spot. They are open until 4am and it’s always a good crowd over there. Our friends in Vamos do Sundays night karaoke at Cafe Mustache which is a lot of fun too
Karaoke highlights the importance of microphone technique. How is yours?
I’d say my microphone technique is a pretty wet one. I like to get up close and personal with mics, and sometimes that means leaving some kissing juices behind for the next performer, but you can’t be scared to get intimate with a microphone.
‘Strange Breed’ is available now through Randy Records.