MT: Is anyone not coming back?

Baranek: Yeah, there's going to be a few that are sadly going to be out of the country on that date.

MT: There must be a reason why some of them aren't in the band anymore. Are there some who didn't want to play, or that you didn't want to play?

Baranek: [laughs] I thought that was going to happen but actually we got full cooperation. If they were in town, they were going to do it. 

MT: Who are you most looking forward to playing with?

Baranek: I mean, I'm really excited to play with a few of them. It's like a Christmas show, and it's kinda like my family. That sounds like a cliché, but with all these ex-members — I've lived so much life with these guys. It's going to be a fun, family reunion type thing. I haven't played with some of these guys in nearly 10 years, man, you know? I think it's going to be great. I'm really excited. 

MT: And it's at the Magic Stick ...

Baranek: That was kinda like home base when we did all of our record release parties. All of the fuckin' craziness happened there, all of the fun. I think it's still one of the best places, man. I can't tell you how many times I've carried the Hammond organ up those steps. ...

MT: Do you still have a big following abroad, particularly in the UK?

Baranek: We do alright. We're trying to get over there. UK and Spain. We haven't been over there since 2005 or 2006 maybe, so I'd like to get over there and check out how much of a following we've still got. 

MT: You're a notorious Anglophile, but is Detroit still the place to be?

Baranek: I wouldn't want to be from any other place. I don't even know how to be from any other place. It feels so good to be from Detroit.

MT: What still drives you?

Baranek: It might still be the same songs I'm playing on stage, but it's a new room, new audience, new city ... we just got back from Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Chicago and Madison, Wis. So it's just as fun as hell for me. It may be the same songs, but every night is different and new. What drives me is that I'm still hungry on stage.

MT: What do you have planned for the Sights after this show and record?

Baranek: We're midway through the fifth studio album, so that should be out in the spring. We've got eight songs done with Jim Diamond, so we're just going to tidy those up, do another batch, and we'll be out by early next year. 

The Sights play a record release party for Twelve in the Bar on Dec. 28 at the Magic Stick; 4120 Woodward Ave, Detroit; 313-833-9700.

L to R  Dave Shettler, Eugene Strobe, Eddie Baranek, Matt Hatch, Dave Lawson, Jarrod Champion, Skip Denomme, Bobby Emmett

> Email Brett Callwood