Our Team
Joe Grushecky
Joe Grushecky’s music has stood the test of time. Forty plus years since the creation of the Iron City Houserockers, Grushecky continues to create vital, complex music that is lyrically eloquent and relevant while remaining timeless in scope. After so many years, Grushecky continues to find new ways to express his muse in song. Publications such as Billboard, Rolling Stone, Village Voice, No Depression, and countless others have hailed him as one of rock & roll’s most talented singer-songwriters.
In 1979 Rolling Stone magazine crowned his band’s first album Love’s So Tough the “debut record of the year.” Acclaimed rock writer Jimmy Guterman named their second album, Have a Good Time (But Get Out Alive), as one of the 100 Best Rock & Roll Records of all time! Legendary guitarist and Rock Hall of Famer, Steve Cropper, produced Blood on the Bricks. Music legend Bruce Springsteen produced American Babylon in 1995 and continues to perform with the band and write with Joe including the Grammy winning Code of Silence. Their most recent collaboration “That’s What Makes Us Great” is an incredible duet and a call to arms.
Blurt Magazine has this to say about the band’s live performances: “Grushecky & The Houserockers performed like they thought they were damn rock stars and, on that night, they were indeed the greatest rock 'n' roll outfit on the planet.”
Grushecky’s most recent recording, More Yesterdays Than Tomorrows, is an entertaining, exciting work that takes full advantage of the Houserockers’ immense musical chemistry – forged by decades of hard knocks and a shared faith in the religion of rock ‘n’ roll – to create a wonderful collection of songs that rock recklessly but pump the brakes when needed. With his longtime band, Grushecky displays a renewed fervor and commitment to rock music as both soapbox and as a catalyst for social change. Grushecky delivers a career milestone, outdoing himself once again. It is these accomplishments that led Joe Grushecky to receive the “Key to the City” of Pittsburgh from Mayor William Peduto in 2021 on Joe Grushecky Day.
In a world where truth is rare and nothing seems genuine anymore, some things remain constant…there is still real music being made out there. And Joe Grushecky is still making it.
Jonathan Rosenberg
Playwright Jonathan Rosenberg, a native of The Bronx, New York, has called San Diego, California his home for the past 40 years. In addition to being a psychologist and special needs teacher, Jonathan has worked as an entertainment writer, radio personality and lead singer/songwriter for two San Diego based rock bands. In 2014, he turned his attention to play writing and composition that led him to set attendance records at the 2014 San Diego International Fringe Festival for his musical, Long Way to Midnight. In 2019, Jonathan’s world premiere musical, 33 1/3 - House of Dreams, broke the 44-year attendance record at the San Diego Repertory Theater. In September, 2021, House of Dreams was workshopped in New York City under the supervision of 7-time Tony award winner Barry Weissler. It aims for a Broadway production in 2023/. More information at houseofdreamsmusical.com.
In 2020, Rosenberg’s world premiere musical, Americano, based on a true story of an American DREAMer born in Mexico, became the largest grossing world premiere in the history of the state of Arizona. Americano was workshopped in New York City in November, 2021 under the supervision of Tony Award winner Ken Davenport. In April, 2022, Americano opened for a limited run at New World Stages in New York City where it received rave reviews and standing ovations. Among the reviews are the following: “A really robust celebration of life about a Dreamer. It’s a musical dream. A musical of dignity and pride and robust singing and dancing.” (WBAI Radio, New York), “This is a heartwarming story of family, patriotism, friendship, romance, and political activism.(Theater LIfe), “A powerful and resonant story [with] vibrant explosions of Latin-influenced song and dance along the way.”(Shelton on Stage), “An ambitious musical. Funny, heartfelt, and engaging.” (DC Metro Theatre Arts)., “This is a show in which all dreamers will feel heard, seen, cherished, with someone in their corner still fighting on their side…” (Time Square Chronicles). More information at americanothemusical.com
East Carson Street, an original musical with music from rock and roll icon Joe Grushecky, is a dream-come-true project for Jonathan, who has been a fan of Mr. Grushecky’s music for over four decades. He is thrilled about the opportunity to share the music of this great writer with the world.
Rosenberg received his undergraduate degree in English from the City University of New York, his Master’s Degree in Special Education from the University of Michigan, and his Doctorate in Psychology from United States International University (now Alliant University) in San Diego. He is married to comedienne Ilene Kruger, and is a father, stepfather, and grandfather. Much thanks to his mother, Eve Zweiman Rosenberg, who dragged him to Broadway theater when all he wanted to do was play ball and watch the Mets.
Daniel Kutner
DANIEL KUTNER was the resident Associate Director to Broadway legend Harold Prince, from 2003 until 2019. Projects with Mr. Prince included the new musicals, LoveMusik by Alfred Uhry at the Biltmore Theatre on Broadway; Paradise Found at London's Menier Chocolate Factory; Prince of Broadway, a retrospective on Mr. Prince’s 70-year career in show business, both on Broadway and in Japan as well as a developing a number of new shows including the Tony Award Winning, THE BAND’S VISIT. A Temple University graduate and a Philadelphia native, Dan served as the Inaugural Directing Fellow at the Philadelphia Theatre Company, assisting Tony Award winners Anna D. Shapiro and Pam MacKinnon. From there, Dan became the Robert Moss Directing Resident at Playwrights Horizons in New York. Off-Broadway directing credits include: the world premiere hit musical, I Love You Because at the Village Theater and It Must Be Him starring Peter Scolari at the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre. Dan co-conceived and directed Lea Salonga's sold-out debut at the Cafe Carlyle, The Journey So Far. He has also collaborated with Judy Kuhn for her debut at Feinstein’s at Loews Regency, and Barbara Cook for her 80th Birthday concert at Carnegie Hall. Regionally in the U.S., he directed a new version of THE WORLD GOES ROUND to inaugurate the Gettysburg Festival in Pennsylvania. In addition, Dan has developed and directed many workshops of new musicals under the tutelage of Mr. Prince. Dan also served as Director for the new World Tour of PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, which premiered in Manila in early 2019.
Patrick Jordan
Patrick Jordan is a Pittsburgh-based actor, director, and producer. He is the founder and the artistic director of barebones productions. In addition to his role as artistic director with the company, Patrick has acted in the company's productions of Rules of Seconds, A Steady Rain, and Killer Joe (with musical accompaniment from Joe Grushecky) and most recently, directed the extended-runs of The Legend of Georgia McBride and True West. barebones prolific body of work includes stage productions of: Glengarry Glen Ross, Take Me Out, Bug, The Motherfucker With the Hat, Lobby Hero, and many more. Patrick Jordan is a recipient of Pittsburgh Post Gazette's Performer of the Year award. Patrick's film and television credits include The Dark Knight Rises, Mindhunter, She’s Out of My League, The Next Three Days, The Kill Point, Supah Ninja’s, Mysteries of Pittsburgh, Smart People, George Romero’s Deadtime Stories, and American Rust opposite Jeff Daniels.
Cody Lassen
Executive Producer Cody Lassen is a Tony Award winning and Grammy-nominated theatre producer and live entertainment consultant. Cody was most recently represented on Broadway by Paula Vogel’s How I Learned To Drive, Indecent, which transferred from Off-Broadway to Broadway in just 11 months, and the Deaf West Theatre revival of Spring Awakening, which transferred from a 99 seat production in Los Angeles to Broadway in just 366 days. His most recent Off-Broadway production was the first new musical to open in New York since the pandemic began, A Commercial Jingle for Regina Comet. His Broadway productions and co-productions include Macbeth starring Allan Cumming, Significant Other, The Band’s Visit, and Torch Song. Cody serves on the board of New York's Vineyard Theatre and is a member of The Broadway League, The Recording Academy, Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the National Association of Musical Theatre and the Off-Broadway League. He serves as vice-chair of the board of GLAAD, an LGBT advocacy organization.