By Nathan Czochara
Playing at Lions Club B&B will be Vicksburg residents Charlie Pritchard and Bob Soter from the Backroads Band. The band has been playing the event for six years and will be on stage again Friday night, July 25th.
The Backroads Band has been around for ten years, playing all over west Michigan. The classic rock/country band consists of John Engle on vocals and rhythm guitar, bassist Larry McKeown, lead guitarist Charlie Pritchard, drummer Bob Sutor. The band has slowed down playing shows in recent years, and always looks forward to the Lions Club annual summer festival.
“It’s going to be a lot of fun. We are looking forward seeing the local people. When we do play out and about it’s not usually around here. So when we come to Vicksburg, all our friends come on by,” says Soter.
The Backroads Band covers classic rock and country. The band has a fun time jamming out country classics from Dwight Yoakum, Merle Haggard, Hank Williams Jr., and rock artists such as The Beatles, CRR, and Bob Seger.
“We are fun with the crowd, we are really known for that,” says Pritchard.
Pritchard, assembler/driver at Houghton Manufacturing, and Soter, working for Greater Kalamazoo Auto Auction, have lived in Vicksburg for decades. The two really enjoy Vicksburg, and think the village really tries to promote events and festivals to bring in visitors.
“One thing about this town is that there is always something going on. More than most towns, Vicksburg has something going on and something to do for the kids,” says Pritchard.