Houserockers - In the late

Houserockers - In the late seventies, there was a group from Pittsburgh called the Iron City Houserockers.

Now, normally at that point of the post I'd link the name "Iron City Houserockers" to one of the host of fan sites that has sprung up in absurd profusion over absolutely everything in our society, from "Hamster Dance" trivia sites to appreciation pages for C-list porn stars.

But I can't do that for the Houserockers, because no such fan site exists.

Existed, anyway. Because one does now.

The Iron City Houserockers were the best band you never heard, especially their four critically-praised, commercially-near-miss albums between 1979 and 1983. During that time, there was no better, fiercer, harder-edged, more passionate rock and roll band in the world. That they are not synonymous with eighties heartland rock, mentioned in the same breath as Mellencamp, Petty, even Springsteen, is a testament to the incompetence of MCA records. They were led by my songwriting idol, Joe Grushecky. Their fanclub includes Steve Van Zandt, Ian Hunter, the late Mick Ronson, Steve "Play It, Steve" Cropper, and the Boss himself - all of whom have produced the band's records over the years.

And they were a band whose music is a lynchpin of the musical soundtrack of my life.

So while I would never waste the time it would take to make up a common fan site, this is more than just fandom. This is righting a colossal injustice. For every time someone mentions "Great American Songwriters" without including Joe Grushecky, an injustice is indeed taking place. I'm just doing my part.

Here it is. Go forth and be better educated.