A & E

He sits behind his desk at McKees Rocks High School, a man very much at ease with himself and his world.

Joe Grushecky, a special-education teacher at the school, has good reason to be content. Not so long ago, he might have seemed anxious when plied with questions about his music. Now, with the impending release of his new album with the Houserockers, "East Carson Street," Grushecky has reached a certain peace in his life.

At 60, his reputation is cemented. The musician who has been called "rock's best-kept secret" more times than he can remember no longer is worried about album sales, being compared to his friend Bruce Springsteen or competing with the new crop of musicians that rises up every few years.

Even his approach to "East Carson Street," which will be unveiled Saturday at the Altar Bar in the Strip District, was relaxed.

"I was always looking for that capture-the-moment feel," Grushecky says of his previous releases. "This one was more leisurely. I worked on the songs a lot by myself. I gave (the Houserockers) the songs, and they rehearsed themselves before they came into the studio. Everything felt very relaxed, and everybody felt good about what they were doing."

And everyone -- especially longtime Houserockers bassist Art Nardini, who thinks "East Carson Street" is the Houserockers' best album in years -- felt not only that the band was in prime shape but that Grushecky had brought in a rare group of songs.

"I was just lucky this time to write a good batch of songs," Grushecky says.

As the saying goes, luck is the residue of design. Musically and lyrically, Grushecky's new compositions are worthy of his catalog, meaty rock tunes that mesh perfectly with the high-octane energy the Houserockers are capable of producing.

"Chasing Shadows" and "It's Too Late (Can't Turn Back Now)" are vintage, full-barreled Grushecky, and the title track is a nuanced portrait of Pittsburgh's South Side. There's also "Another Thin Line," co-written with Springsteen (and featuring his vocals) during the sessions that produced "Code of Silence."

But it's Track 6, "Broken Wheel," that stuns a listener. A collaboration with Pittsburgh-based singer-songwriter Bill Deasy, the song is accented by Grushecky with banjo, acoustic guitar and mandolin, with Springsteen doing the electric-guitar solo.

"I was listening to a lot of Johnny Cash at the time," Grushecky recalls. "I had the idea of writing a murder-ballad-type thing, and that was my and Bill's attempt at that."

That's not the only diversion. "Carried Away" is a soulful tune that producer Rick Witkowski called "Joe-town," and "This Is Someday" is a Grushecky collaboration with Kenny Alphin -- Big Kenny of Big & Rich. The latter song is a starkly framed ballad that easily could be recast with a country-western flair.

Grushecky has a number of projects brewing from occasional trips to Nashville to collaborate with songwriters. In the past, he would have shunned such experiences, but age has mellowed him, made him more amenable to new experiences.

Could this be a new Joe Grushecky? Would he dare don a cowboy hat and take the stage at the Grand Ole Opry?

Probably not, but a country song here or there might not hurt.

"Well, I do have an accent," he says with a laugh, noting his roots in Westmoreland County.

You can take rock 'n' roll out of the high school, but not from the teacher.

Joe Grushecky strides through the halls of Sto-Rox High School clad in a leather jacket, looking like he just got off the stage at the Stone Pony, the revered ocean-side club in Asbury Park, N.J., where he has performed numerous times. Outside his classroom, Grushecky, a special-education teacher, has posted a photo of himself with Bruce Springsteen, a close friend.

Most of the students, according to Sto-Rox principal Melanie Kerber, have no idea who Springsteen is. Some of the younger teachers don't even recognize Springsteen's name. But they realize that Grushecky is making an important contribution to the school.

"He's a man of a lot of color," Kerber says. "He's very good with our emotional-support classes. He has a very kind manner with kids, but he also knows how to relate to them."

Two years ago, Grushecky started working with musically inclined students at the school, teaching the basics of rock music and guitar. With his band, the Houserockers, Grushecky has held fundraisers for the program at the school.

Kerber says Grushecky's devotion to the program abets his considerable contributions in the classroom.

"The music side of it is great," she says. "He's taught students how to sing in harmony, and things about rock music. Each year, he's had a little combo of kids that have performed with him. ... He's a very low-key guy, and he's very compliant to what we do here. But I think he also gives a little bit of star power to the joint."

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