Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Housei D.. MIV f DmUAT/tUfCVI WJ iHtrni ivvmniuMum Entertainment Editor "We've never had much commercial success, but 1 think our last two albums are as good as any other two albums that have been put out in that time, and that includes Tom Petty, Boh Seger, and anyone else who has been making records," said Joe Grushecky, vocalist, guitarist and songwriter for the Pittsburgh-based Iron City Houserockers. Blood On The Bricks, the Houserocker's third album for MCA Records, has recently been released, but Grushecky does not expect it to rocket to the tops of the charts, considering the fact that the band has rarelj performed outside of the Northeastern U.S. "I'd like to think the album will dc HOAr !ir-2a \4T\ ' i H ? X LUldini dl ]| 201 Assembly St. ]j 2 blocks South ] { of Carolina Coliseum 0 782-0207 BnnHH 1256| 10301 I Old Fasl !~wec I j I only l 1 ' if" 256-? . ; ; pHr.VBHHrMB0 MM MBfl r i : i rockers real well, but we just don't get the exposure that guys like Tom (Petty), Bob (Seger) and Bruce i (Springsteen) get," Grushecky told me in a ? leiepnone interview lasi week. 44 That doesn't mean our records aren't just as ; good, though." '. .. you don't have to work in i a steel mill to get the message.' The Houserockers have gotten their share of critical acclaim, however; Griel Marcus of Rolling Stone went so far as to call them i the best rock 4n' roll band in t America. Blood On The ' Bricks, like their previous ! aioums, nammers ai me ; themes of working-class > people locked in combat with OOOOOQOWOOOOOOCOOOO 1ECOMING SI 12 oz. Bud Cans (6 12 oz. Natural Lite 9 pc. Chicken Bu 18 pc. Chicken aooooooooooooccoooooo< iXPRE r::1^ =ast, Free Deli hioned Hand I New York St cal O wnedj nd_Oj ik-end Spe A Large rwo item Pizz nd 4 Free Cok $7.50 a $9.00 One Coupon Per Pi )301 Exp : Songs A% _ + it me oppressiveness 01 uieir surroundings. The characters in Grushecky's songs are often factory workers or street-hardened losers; one song, "Saints and Sinners," is about a Vietnam veteran who returned from the war with "eyes that never closed." WHEN I asked Grushecky if he was bothered by the fact that some people (a Southern audience, for example) might not easily identify with his highlylocalized, factory-oriented songs, he admitted that "yeah, it does bother me a bit, but the things I write about are things that I know about. I can't try to make up things that aren't real for me. A lot of the stuff we use is iust images: vou don't have to work in a steel mill to get the message. The songs are about people being trapped, and having to make ic/ALSI | pk) $2.75 |! (6 pk) $2.59 j| :ket $4.99 i j Bucket $8.99 I ? ##?## e e> ? e e o ^ oooooqcccoooooooooo^ nowMMnnnM 1 256- I ^ 03011 Rllll very 1 tolled Pizza 1 /le v ?? F D_erated_ m cial! 1 I value | I About I VA. Joe Grushecky HHM r >: / V " I*'^vl H &MM HIg|'\ 1 m 11RlB m ?D kR BEBHHhBHBBHH i I I teing Ti hard decisions. It does bother me though, 'cause you always want people to be able to appreciate your stuff." Blood On The Bricks is a relentless, somewhat grim album, much in the mold of Tom Petty's Hard Promises. Songs like the title track, "This Time The Night (Won't Save Us) " and "No Easy Way Out" avoid any traces of fancy production, relying instead on the guitars of Grushecky, Eddie Britt and guest musician Steve Cropper. There is no evidence, however, that this is "the best rock 4n' roll band in America." Grushecky's vocal range is pvfrpmplv limifpH nnH there is a distinct lack of the sharp musical "hooks" that lli^ .?'4H ^?fP?KB| f" *" rapped!1 artists like Petty and Seger build into their songs. THE HOUSEBOCKERS 1 are currently embarking on | i: : - i- i a iiauuu-wiue luur wnicn H Grushecky hopes will ^ pand their reputation asQ I great live band. "I think that M once people see us on stage J they'll get a much better I idea of what we're all || about," he said. "Then, if g they like us, that's great. If I they don't, well, I can't || worry too much about that. 9 The same goes for the || album. I hope they like it, j but the main thing is that I 9 like it, and the band likes^ ] I'd rather put out an albiffr f that I thought was good and [Jj have nobody buy it than put ll out something that was a |j piece of shit that sold a million copies." I: ( I J