Remember The Once Late Great I-Rock Night Club Bar in Detroit
The Once Famous I-Rock Night Club in Detroit
Remember The Once Late Great I-Rock Night Club Bar in Detroit?
Years have passed on one famous Rock venue 16350 Harper. The I-Rock nightclub was founded in 1989 by three brothers Adam, Steve, and Ted Jankowski who also had their band,” American Jam.”
When you walked The I-Rock it’s a walk down memory lane complete with Rock Memorabilia everywhere on the walls. Memories still fill my head of bands that would just show up but would play the venue. Like Dio and Lemmy Kilmister. National & Up and Coming from, Halestorm, Rik Emmet, Mitch Ryder & Detroit Wheels, Insane Clown Posse, Lamb Of God, Quiet Riot, Nazareth, A Flock Of Seagulls, Taproot, Dead Kennedy’s, Wendy O Williams, TV Horror host The Ghoul.
Local Paper I-Rock Ad
Many local favorites got their start on the I Rock Stage. Soldiers of Scrape, Trash Brats, Heaven’s Wish, Drop D, The Look, Blackmail, and many more. Still, remember the Pink and Green neon lights that went around the interior ceiling of the bar.
I-Rock Sign to the right of the front door
Currently, the bar is closed with no signs of opening. But never say never. Covid put a damper on any chance of things changing. It’s a matter of timing and right now, it doesn’t seem to be the right time for a small local business to make it a go. The Staff at the I-Rock was more than the staff it was a rock bar like the tv show Cheers, everyone knew your name.
Wonder what happened to the fish tank behind the bar? These questions and more hope to be answered soon. Local upcoming bands are finding it harder to find venues to play original music. Bars now are crowded with tribute and cover bands. It was on my bucket list for my band Chit! to play there. Let’s hope someday we can make a wish come true. Salute to the wonderful staff that worked there. They were all good friends. Hope you share a memory of the I Rock and cross your fingers. Are you saying there’s a chance? I Rock we miss you so much.
Check out artists’ bands Id’s Here: I-Rock Bands
Gunner Ross
Ricky Rat & Brian McCarty
Spike & Don Dushane I-Rock Staff
20 ONE-HIT Wonders for 420
We’ve compiled a smokin’ list of One-Hits from the ’70s and ’80s in honor of 4-20. 20 one-hit wonders for 420 is our tongue-in-cheek way of celebrating a day associated with weed. We all know what 420 means, but when did that happen? TONS of stories have been done on the origin of 420 and its ties to marijuana. Even Time Magazine has spent its resources trying to answer this question.
What are the 420 Theories?
Bob Dylan’s “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35” – 12 x 35 = 420
420 is a police code for marijuana smoking in progress
Adolph Hitler’s birthday is April 20th (WTH?)
None of these have any factual basis, BTW.
The Origin Story of 420
Most sources will agree that the origin of 420 goes back to 1971 in Marin County, California. Five San Rafael High School students (Steve Capper, Dave Reddix, Jeffrey Noel, Larry Schwartz, and Mark Gravich) would meet at 4:20 by the campus statue of Lous Pasteur to either smoke down or hunt for a pot field that its owner had abandoned… that part is sketchy. In any case, 420 became their code for marijuana. They also named themselves “The Waldos” because they met at a wall. – cnn.com
I find it astounding that 50+ years later, we know the names of these five people and have this amount of detail. Before the internet, before cell phones, and back when you had to pay for long-distance phone calls, this code managed to grow across our country and become a standard part of our culture. I dig some digging and according to history.com, the 420 code spread thanks to The Grateful Dead. It all makes so much sense!
The Grateful Dead Effect
One of the Waldos’ parents handled real estate for The Grateful Dead and the Waldos had access to the band and concerts. Things really blew up in the ’90s after Deadheads started passing out flyers with the history of 420 and inviting people to meet at, you guessed it, 4:20 on 4-20 to celebrate. This flyer made its way to The Huffington Post and, eventually to High Times. Boom. Global pot smoker attention has been achieved.
Some of our one-hits do have the double-bubble of being a one-hit wonder AND weed references, but not all.
Check out the videos and learn fresh nugs of info about the songs.
20 ONE-HIT Wonders for 420
Born in Mt Clemens, Screamin’ Scott has been a part of the Detroit airwaves for 30-plus years. With 40 years of experience in radio. When he’s not out on the streets for WCSX, you can find him devoting time to local charities with his, “Screamin Angels”; and for 16 years with Rock 4 Tots charity. And last 10 years with his local band, "Chit!." Screamin Scott likes to write about nostalgic Detroit area memories, classic rock, and local metro Detroit topics.