LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Highway 63), Local2's New Webseries, And More!!

On this Valentine's Day, we're doubling up with two posts, so be sure to check out our newest spotlight on Werehold Records' Friday the 13th new music events in the post below this one! Now though, we have a new song posting, all the latest on a brand new music webseries that sounds very intriguing, and first, LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, so here's what you should know!

Sault Michigan classic/hard rock quartet Highway 63 have confirmed five (maybe six?) new concert weekends for the regional Kewadin Casino branches this year! Announced on their Facebook page on January 30th (though note that Kewadin's entertainment page has not confirmed them yet), the Monkey's Uncle successors will return to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino on May 29th & 30th, June 19th & 20th, and on August 28th & 29th, along with shows on July 17th & 18th and on September 18th & 19th at The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino, so they're definitely staying busy into the fall! Also, the guys list new shows at The Rapids Lounge on February 27th & 28th, but those conflict with previously announced shows that weekend by new local hard rockers Ten Kings, who even have a poster made up for them, so unless something new is announced to the contrary, we'll treat those as Ten Kings dates.

All of Highway 63's new shows have likely 9:00 PM start times, 21+ age limits, and no announced cover charges, so for more details, visit the above links! The guys have also elaborated on plans to record a "demo album" of covers that they plan to send to send to casinos in the Lower Peninsula, and though I'm unsure if it will be made publically available in some form (especially given the cover nature), they did share a rough mix of their studio version of The Outfield's "Your Love (Josie) on their Facebook page last week, courtesy of frontman Henry Switzer's personal Facebook page. It's a little heavier than the original, and well performed with great vocals, so give it a listen below!

Next up, here's our first extensive info on Local2's newest music-themed webseries! As previously previewed in a commercial at the end of their Treble Charger video, Local2 has launched Bare, a new musical performance series that takes 1-2 members of local bands and places them in an acoustic stripped down setting. Hosted by local drummer, filmmaker, and Tidal Records co-founder Dan Nystedt, he was interviewed for this SooToday article on Bare, which confirms that upcoming episodes will feature Tidal Records artists like Shannon Moan and The Boot Hill Crooners, potential out of town touring bands, as well as the teased episode with local grunge/alternative trio The Pixo Control, so hard rock and punk artists are welcome on Bare! Dan commented positively in the article on working with The Pixo Control, and frontman Michael Mikus positively remarked on the Sault getting a show like this as well, so be sure to give the article a look!

Local2's ongoing music spotlight webseries Tuned with Donna Hopper also featured Bare in it's lead story for Thursday's new episode, where Donna asked Dan about how he got the concept for the series, his ambitions for Bare, and what he wants fans to get out of it. The Pixo Control's Michael Mikus and Steve Edwards (Keeghan Rosso's not featured) are also featured in the episode in shots of them preparing for their performance, while they're also interviewed briefly, with Michael talking about how they heard about Bare and what he thinks of the series. The episode ends with behind the scenes footage of the making of their episode, including brief clips of The Pixo Control performing, but we'll get the full episode soon, I'm sure! Note that this episode oddly doesn't feature a concert calendar segment, instead listing two upcoming shows (including next week's Elements/Late Shift concert) in text below the video.

Finally, the first official episode of Bare is now online at this link, which spotlights Frank Deresti (pictured above) & Jay Case from Frank Deresti & The Lake Effect, which can also be seen on YouTube. It's strictly a performance with no unique interview, but I like the multiple camera angles, and it is interesting to hear such a stripped down version of "Like They Said" compared to their usual large lineup! If you or your band wants to appear on Bare, message Dan at dan@villagemedia.ca, and stay tuned for the Pixo Control episode and more to come!

Finally, here's another new track from Haggith drummer Mike Haggith's upcoming solo album "The Warinside", as per his YouTube channel yesterday! Entitled "Of Cars & Criminals", this song features a guest appearance by Mike's Haggith bandmate Curtis McKenzie on backing vocals and a guitar solo. I won't review the track yet, as we again hope to review "The Warinside" in full upon release, but it's a lighter song until the guitar solo. Give "Of Cars & Criminals" a listen below, and stay tuned for more from Mike's solo project!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes in the coming week! Thanks everyone!