Karaoke at McShane’s
1460 Michigan Ave., Detroit
Jan. 12, 2025
“Power to the pussy!” declares DJ Thornstryker into the mic.
She’s the host of karaoke here on Wednesdays and Sundays at this Irish pub in Corktown that’s known for suburban sports fans and cops.
When she’s hosting, however, it’s mostly women and almost exclusively Black women. It’s likely because she creates a space for all women, in part by saying things like that into the mic. Plus, everyone feels like a star when they’re on stage . And leaning into a lot of throwback R&B tracks truly unites us all.
There’s a lot that goes into hosting a night like this, with so many people from a lot of different neighborhoods all interacting with each other over a shared love of music (and their own voices). DJ Thrownstryker is one of the best at bringing the room together.
She keeps people in check, too.
“If you touch my shit, though, I will fuck you up,” DJ Thornstryker tells the crowd after someone rearranged the sign-up sheets without her permission.
Just over a year ago, I popped into this karaoke night for Midbrow and was blown away by the camaraderie and community that was built around the microphone. It made me want to check back in and see how things are going — and to see which songs were still sticking to the ribs for karaoke diehards to belt out on a Sunday night.
I knew for a long time that Detroit is a big time karaoke town with big time voices. While Black women flock to these karaoke nights, it’s a racially diverse crowd with many different tastes in music. You’ll hear Frank Sinatra's “That’s Life” one song and Kendrick Lamar’s rap anthem “DNA” next.
“Welcome to church,” DJ Thornstryker tells the audience. “What’s in your DNA tonight?”
There are legitimate points where you feel like you’re at a concert.
“If you know this song, I need you to sing one time for me!” a singer named Surge declares, a chorus of women backing him up as he performs “Lovers and Friends” by Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz featuring Ludacris and Usher.
I have no clue if any of those people had ever met before, but it didn’t matter. On stage at karaoke, we’re all best friends for the night.
A skittish white boy with red hair croons through Patsy Cline’s “She's Got You” to a big applause. A woman calling herself Miss Glow In The Dark adorns a skintight racing uniform (hey, the auto show is back in town!) and purrs through “Sexual Healing” by Marvin Gaye.
The karaoke jukebox marches on…
Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats” brings all women at McShane’s together like one massive family. A trio of men join the stage to create their own (very loose) version of Boyz II Men for one night only. I can’t think of anything more anti-toxic masculinity than three men deciding to do karaoke together.
So, what’s that one song that still does it for everybody? On this night, it was without a doubt Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club,” which lit up McShane’s like a concert inside of an arena. Everyone was singing along. No one was left behind.
And I’ll have that damn song stuck in my head for days.
