Weekend Concert Previews, A New Local Band, And New Videos!!

It's time for this weekend's concert previews (Tarnished on Saturday aside, we covered that on Wednesday), as this is by and large a quiet weekend for hard rock shows. Things will pick up closer to the holidays, as usual. To pad out this post, we have some very relevant linked material relating to a band playing this weekend, including new videos, lineup updates, and leading off, their new side project, so here's what you should know!

We have a new band to add to our Sault Michigan band links, and they are Mackinaw Trail, a new side project from most of local classic/hard rock cover band Highway 63! Publically launched at the beginning of October, this trio comprises of singer/guitarist Henry Switzer, bassist George Belleau, and drummer Ron Suchey, who recently rejoined Highway 63 himself, with their guitarist Nathan Switzer not a part of this new group (more on the H63 lineup particulars in a bit.) The reason for the almost identical new band is so that the guys can record original material for distribution on Apple Music, while also using the Mackinaw Trail name for fill-in live concerts when Nathan is absent due to commitments with his new St. Ignace metal band Heavy Lies The Crown (more on them to come also.) To that end, the two bands split the October 18th weekend at The Rapids Lounge at the local Kewadin Casino, with Mackinaw Trail learning old Jager and Monkey's Uncle covers for their debut that Friday.

First off, I profusely apologize for missing both bands' Kewadin shows in October, especially as Mackinaw Trail did publically promote them on their Facebook page, but I didn't know they existed then, and Highway 63 never plugged them on Facebook themselves. Hopefully the shows went well! Of course, fans of Henry's music career will recall that Jager (4.0) had entertaining  original songs on their old MySpace page, so if Mackinaw Trail can recapture some of that magic, we'll be in good hands! Visit the above links for more on this new band as it rolls in!

Next up, we'll start this weekend's concert previews with the latest publically advertised concerts from Sault Ontario hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison, who will return to Gliss Restaurant for his usual matinee concerts TONIGHT & TOMORROW, sandwiching his latest nighttime show at  The Roadhouse Bar & Grill on Trunk Road TONIGHT! These shows are basically a complete encore from last week, as he is at Gliss every week, and also played at The Roadhouse last Friday, so if you're eager for more acoustic hits at the downtown steak restaurant or the east end nightclub, you know where to be! As was the case last week, the Gliss shows are 6:00 PM affairs with no announced cover charges or age limits, while tonight's Roadhouse Bar one-nighter is at 10:00 PM with no cover and a 19+ age limit. Visit the official Facebook event pages linked here & here for more details, and for a preview, here's Tym live at Gliss earlier this year!



Also, the only other non-Tarnished hard rock shows that I am aware of locally this weekend come via the aforementioned Sault Michigan classic/hard rock quintet Highway 63, who are advertised to return to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Unlike their last couple of gigs in Rudyard & the Soo, these shows had plenty of advance notice and we had heard about them for months prior, so we can get the proper push out for these ones! These will be Highway 63's first shows in St. Ignace since playing this venue in October, though like then, be advised that the band's Facebook page has not newly promoted these events there. This talented veteran quartet should have another solid weekend of hard rocking covers in store, so don't miss these shows if you're in the E.U.P.! As usual, these are 21+ gigs with no cover charges and 9:00 PM start times. See above for more details, and for a preview, we have new videos of Highway 63 in action!

Filmed by frontman Henry Switzer's wife Kristina and shared to their Facebook page in October, these were filmed at the aforementioned one-nighter at The Rapids Lounge on October 19th, and feature Highway 63's altered new lineup, including the return of original drummer Ron Suchey (replacing Russell Mayer), while there is no sign of keyboardist Brian Drumheller in these clips. Reasons for the departures have not been announced, but note that I only learned of the lineup changes via personal Facebook postings. Hopefully all's well with Brian and Russell going forward, but it is nice to see Ron back in the fold! The videos feature Highway 63 covering Styx's "Blue Collar Man" and, as embedded below, Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Born on the Bayou". The video quality is slightly muddled, but the audio holds up on both, and Henry's strong rangy vocals suit both tracks nicely! Give these a look above and below, and stay tuned for more on Highway 63 & Mackinaw Trail!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates on the site this weekend! Thanks everyone!