Hello My Name Joe
Coronavirus
( COVID-19 )
Update
For the safety of our community and its people , Impact Fuel Room will be closed and all shows rescheduled and postponed for the time being .
We are grateful for many of our customers who have purchased tickets to these shows , and we will be reaching out with updates as we learn more .
Joe Grushecky and Bruce Springsteen
Last month , a new Bruce Springsteen album hits the streets — Letter to You , his 20th , with the E
Street Band this time , but stealth-released like usual . And fans will not be disappointed — at
71 , the New Jersey native is feeling both wistful about his early nightclub days (“ Ghosts ,” “ Last Man Standing ”) and angry about a potentially Trump-controlled future (“ Rainmaker ,” “ House of a Thousand Guitars ”), with a dollop of uplifting hope sandwiched somewhere in between (“ The Power of Prayer ”). Reflection and rancor — sentiments best expressed through the medium of timeless rock and roll . But Pittsburgh-bred Joe Grushecky — longtime frontman for The Houserockers , nee The Iron City Houserockers — harnessed The Boss ’ s current feelings first , two years ago , when they collaborated on the rousing anthem “ That ’ s What Makes Us Great .” Featured on The Houserockers ’ “ Glory Days ”-minded, 2018 indie outing More Yesterdays Than Tomorrows , the duet was just reissued as a perfect pre-election single by a recently-resuscitated Cleveland International Records , the imprint that initially signed Grushecky in the mid- ‘ 70s ; run then by the late Steve Popovich , Sr ., it ’ s now overseen by his equally-canny son , Steve Popovich , Jr .
Check www . impactfuelroom . com for updates . Thank you for your patience , stay tuned and stay safe !
11 • 2020
And when Grushecky and Springsteen ’ s ragged rasps dovetail on the anthemic “ Great ” chorus , you can ’ t help but want to stand up and cheer for the dying concept of Democracy , which still might be able to be salvaged : “ Let ’ s turn this thing around before it gets too late / It ’ s up to me and you , love can conquer hate / I know this to be true , and that ’ s what makes us great .” “ When I wrote the song , it just struck me that it would be a great thing for Bruce to sing on ,” explains Grushecky , a true believer who — like his East Coast pal and occasional songwriting / performing partner — has kept his band chugging over the years , through thick and thin . “ So I sent him an acoustic version , and he liked it right away and said , ‘ Let ’ s do it .’ So it came together pretty quickly . We recorded a good version of it , sent it to him , and he sent it right back to us with this incredible vocal on it , so we just went with it . We actually did it through the Internet this time .” Politically speaking , the single ’ s second-life rerelease is perfectly timed and parallels this year ’ s remastered version of The Iron City Houserockers ’ definitive sophomore set , Have a Good Time But Get out Alive !, now with a second 16-track disc of bonus material , including a Ramones-speedy cover of “ Doo Wah Diddy .” The time is right for a Houserocking Renaissance , although its leader maintains his customary Regular Joe humility . He ’ s not name-dropping when he talks about Bruce — they ’ re actually good friends , comrades in working-class arms . “ So with “ That ’ s What Makes Us Great ,” the record and the video , all we ’ re trying to say is , ‘ Hey — we ’ re all Americans here . There ’ s too much blue-state / red-state , us-against-them stuff going on — we should all be in this together because there are certain things that everybody should agree on .”
IE : First , I ’ ve really got to say — having been there — Pittsburgh is just a beautiful city . JOE GRUSHECKY : It IS a beautiful city ! And at the turn of this century , Architectural Digest did a story on the three most beautiful cities in the world , and they were Paris , St . Petersburg , and Pittsburgh . But I hope that it never gets too popular because it ’ s still kind of a best-kept secret .
IE : And the Warhol Museum is there , between two giant buildings . JG : Yeah . They ’ ve got some really iconic things here . People come to town , and you always want to take them up the Incline , look at the city from Mt . Washington , and take ‘ em to Primanti Brothers for
6 illinoisentertainer . com november 2020