We are in the Macomb Daily and here is our story!

The new year will bring a new look to the entertainment scene in downtown Mount Clemens with the addition of at least two new nightclubs along with the departure of a longtime local favorite.

A group of young investors plan to bring a new dueling pianos entertainment concept in the building on Main Street that has housed the Hayloft Liquor Stand for more than two decades.

In addition, renovation on a former bank in Mount Clemens is nearing its completion as the facility will undergo a rebirth as an upscale martini bar this winter.

In January, The Hayloft will be converted to Keys, a nightclub-restaurant that will host piano duels on baby grand pianos four nights a week. Keys will offer a Caribbean-flavored menu offering jerk chicken, crab cakes, mojitos and other specialty items.

"It's going to be an unbelievably interactive show between the piano players and the audience, who themselves become part of the performance," said Patrick McKinnon, one of the investors.

McKinnon, 31, of Algonac, has teamed up with brothers Scott and Chris Gaigalas of St. Clair Shores to spruce up the Hayloft building. Hayloft owner Ron Masters will remain on as an investor and adviser but he has other projects in the works.

All three have experience in the bar and restaurant industry as McKinnon has worked in management with the Firehouse in Clinton Township, while the Gaigalas brothers have been involved with Crazy 8's, Hungry Howie's pizza and others.

"We think this is going to be something unique to Macomb County and the east side that everyone is going to enjoy," said Chris Gaigalas. "It's going to be fun for everyone from 18 to 80."

This isn't your father's piano bar either.

The baby grand pianos will be placed in the center of the main room with the audience seated around them. The musicians will play requests and invite audience members to join in and even come on stage as part of the competition.

There's a second room in the building that will offer a quieter haven from the action in the main room.

J.D's Key Club in Pontiac is the only dueling pianos bar in the tri-county area, but the concept is big in destination cities such as Chicago and Las Vegas.

Word of the new club has yet to leak out in Mount Clemens, but business owners and city officials privately were encouraged by the news for two reasons.

Although the Hayloft has endured for more than 30 years, first as a country bar and for at least the last decade as a rock-rap concert venue, it has attracted a mostly younger, slightly rowdier crowd than city officials would like to see.

The Hayloft only has a handful of violations since 1999, including some that have been dismissed, according to records from the Michigan Liquor Control Commission.

It's also been an after-hours hangout for bands performing at the Emerald Theatre. In the late 1990s and even until a few years ago it wasn't unusual to see Kid Rock or Eminem nursing a beer inside.

More importantly, the new piano concept is likely to bring in those 30 and above. There's only a few downtown locations aimed at entertaining adults, so this one will be a welcome addition, said Arthur Mullen, director of the Mount Clemens Downtown Development Authority.

"We have places for the 21- to 30-year-old market in spades," Mullen said. "What we really need to do is to diversify our drawing power for people coming into town on the weekends to go have fun. This sounds like a great opportunity."

Tentative plans call for piano shows to run 8 p.m.-close on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, and 4-9 p.m. on Thursday. The restaurant will be open seven days a week.

Meanwhile, downtown scenesters are eagerly awaiting the opening of The Bank Nightlife, a new martini bar currently under renovation.

The Bank, a Ron Masters production, is the former Federal Savings and Loan building on Main Street south of Cass Avenue. The building was known for its swooping concrete roof.

Masters, who did not return calls for this story, is investing thousands of dollars into sprucing up the interior. The facility has not yet been inspected by Mount Clemens building officials, who say the bar probably won't open for another couple of months.

Mount Clemens, long known as the entertainment capital of Macomb County, has more than 30 bars and restaurants in and around the downtown area.

City Manager Doug Anderson said he's heard reports of at least one more bar coming to town sometime in 2008. He declined to elaborate.