Pitchfork

Ahh, karaoke... eradicator of shame, seller of so much sake, the reason we can all mumble our way through "Radar Love" when called upon. It's a deliriously hedonistic pastime, but one generally reserved for a group of easily embarrassed and far from sober chums and some sort of magical music machine.

But on January 31 at Studio B in Brooklyn, the hyperkinetic kids in the Thermals will be your friends, your enablers, and, yes, your music makers. Following a regular Thermals set, Hutch, Kathy, and co. will morph into the backing band for a night of karaoke sponsored by New York magazine.

The full song list is being worked on at the moment, though we've been told that Bowie, Madonna, and the Ramones are in the mix. With this lot, we'd guess the faster the jam (and fewer the chords), the better your shot.

The evening should run much like the one Of Montreal did with New York mag last April, which apparently devolved into a two-way reading of "More Than a Feeling" between actor Paul Rudd and "State" associate David Wain. Can the Thermals inspire that level of soused silliness in the evening's as-yet-unannounced celebrity MC or the madding crowd?

Alas, as their MySpace so indelicately puts it, the Thermals are "NOT on tour" at the moment, so the set they do before the karaoke pops off is their only proper show to speak of for now.