First off, Any upcoming projects/shows we should be aware of?
Well – we’re doing our annual holiday extravaganza we like to call it at the Crafthouse on December 28th. We’ll have two sets – the first with the old stuff with the Iron House City Rockers then the new stuff with Joe Grushecky and the House Rockers.
I also have two new records coming up and was involved in a new musical that premiered in New Jersey called East Carson Street
How did you get involved in a musical – and why premier in Jersey?
I was contacted by a playwright I knew in California, John Rosenberg – he did a play about the famous Gold Star Studios in L.A.where the Wrecking Crew worked out of – the famous studio recording band that worked with so many legendary bands.
He wanted to write a story using my songs and characters from my music. It’s a story about a Pittsburgh family. It’s not the Joe Grushecky story -it’s about Pittsburgh, and family.
As for why New Jersey – that’s just the dynamics of the theater business. They were the first to offer to do it!
Do you remember when you first realized music was your future/career?
I went to college for special education and it took me five years to graduate – I changed major a few times. I traveled after and dabbled in things but was always playing music. I haven’t stopped since I started in the Summer of ’68.
In ’75 I decided to really try to make it a career. Back then that entailed making a record and going to a recording studio. So I focused on songwriting and moved into the city. I moved to Mt. Washington January 10th, 1975! The sole idea was to become a recording artist.
It took 1 1/2 years to get a record deal and another 1 1/2 years to get a record out. We practiced relentlessly in our basement apartment in Mt. Washington – we had understanding neighbors thankfully!
When did you start playing in front of people?
We started shortly after that – back then you had to play four sets a night – those were the music union rules! But our hearts weren’t in it as much then – we were playing a lot of covers then – that’s what you had to do. But then we found a less popular bar call Gazeebos – it was doing as well and they let us do what we wanted to do. We caught on from there and then moved on to the Decade. That’s at the time the Pittsburgh music scene was exploding.
I wanted to ask you about the Pittsburgh music scene. It seems like it can use a more ways to support local musicians now – how can it do so?
First off, there are less venues. We used to play four or five times a week without trying. We didn’t start until 10:30! Now if you start at eight that’s late – they start rolling up the sidewalks at midnight. The whole scene has changed. There’s a lot of talent but less chances for it to develop.
It’s about social media now and clicks. Rock radio has all but died over the last 40 years. The infrastructure of rock n’ roll has had a major overhaul and it’s not for the better.
Would you ever consider opening up a venue?
No way – it’s way too much work. Maybe as a silent partner and music director I would, but not as a guy flipping burgers in the back. No way!
Who were some of the bands that influenced you – that you followed as you developed your career?
The Beatles inspired me to pick up the guitar. I listened to Motown, Muddy Waters, Rolling Stones…I think the Rolling Stones inspired me the most – I heard them a lot on the radio then. I’d listen to an alternative world of music on the radio – Fridays from four to six on AM radio they’d start playing obscure stuff. I’d listen to some of the rough and tumble music that influenced me. We were rough and tumble too. The Animals were like our spiritual animals – we had had similar voice as they did.
How did you impact and inspire others?
We wrote a lot about things people weren’t singing about then – about Vietnam Vets and the struggle of the working class. it wasn’t the normal pop lyrics people were writing then.
Punk rock was exploding then too and we had a little bit of that angry punk in us too. But it’s hard to say how much we influenced others. We did have a song make Little Steven’s Underground Garage list of cools song of the week recently though! That was cool.
How did Pittsburgh shape how you approached your music and general approach?
It did – totally. If you listen to our lyrics, we write about the city and family. The issues affecting us daily. I tapped into that and became a better songwriter.
The flights of fancy songs never rang true for me. When I wrote about the city – oh yeah – then it clicked. If you go through our catalog of songs we sing about steel mills and family. When John Rosenberg wrote East Carson Street that’s what he tapped into.
Some songs may sound dated now but they were current at the time. It was like a news report.
That’s storytelling right?
Exactly! Pittsburgh is such a colorful city. I was a coal miner’s son – I was influenced by vocal miners and steel workers and tell their stories.
As a Pittsburgh – I assume you’re a sports fan?
I’m a big sports fan yes. I played at the last Steelers game at Three Rivers. Anything went then – we were raging out where the chain movers were and I was with my son standing next to Bill Cowher. They brought out the old Steelers then and we got to see all of that up close.
I got to know Rocky Bleier and Jack Ham over the years.
I grew up a baseball fan too- baseball was king back then. I’m still waiting for the Pirates to make a comeback!