Libertyville troubadour Ike Reilly is more vocal than ever
Ike Reilly has made a career of speaking truth to power. But his blue-collar ballads, outsider anthems and punk rock poetry about the American Dream deferred have never felt more urgent than right now, a time when the Libertyville troubadour also feels more galvanized than ever.
Ahead of his live band, The Ike Reilly Assassination, taking over Schubas Tavern March 14, 15 and 17, he's been guesting at politically charged shows with his fellow L-ville pal Tom Morello.
Last November, Reilly was part of the guitarist’s “and friends” ensemble at the Vic Theater along with his son/frequent collaborator Shane and Rise Against frontman Tim McIlrath where they contributed to covers of Woody Guthrie and John Lennon. In February, a similar lineup assembled for Morello’s “resistance and solidarity” benefit concert in Minneapolis to support the families of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, who were fatally shot this year by federal immigration agents during a protest and an immigration enforcement incident, respectively.
“I have so many friends up there that were suffering and depressed, and to be able to go up there and play that show … it was emotional for the whole city and for us,” Reilly said of the performance, which was held at First Avenue, a Midwest staple that he’s played nearly every year since 2001.
Emotional, too, because Reilly finally had the chance to share a stage with his longtime idol, the night’s special guest, Bruce Springsteen who had released the protest song “Streets of Minneapolis” just days prior. “I can’t even tell you how exciting it was to be on stage with my son, my pal Tom and The Boss, all sharing a microphone singing ‘Power To The People.’ And, right after, we marched,” Reilly said, hinting that there could be a chance for some kind of reunion at Springsteen’s United Center show in April.
For years, Reilly has been compared to the “Born in the U.S.A.” legend, with their catalogs sharing a strong bloodline of working-class anthems. “I had heard that he was a fan, but I never believed it,” said Reilly. That was until he took some meetings around the launch of his new SiriusXM Radio show, “Lies and Apologies” (airing the last Sunday of every month at 7 p.m. Central time on The Spectrum, in which he shares stories and spins records by bands like The Clash, Prince and The Pogues). Apparently, Springsteen had played SiriusXM CEO Scott Greenstein “Bolt Cutter,” a 2017 song Reilly wrote about Trump’s then-travel ban. A show offer came soon after.
Until now, this kind of success has always evaded Reilly. As he watched friends like Morello leave Libertyville and prosper, and even as the New York Times and Stephen King sang his praises, the 62-year-old commercially floundered, losing the family’s beloved log home at one of the lowest points. “I've always put more effort into the songs and the creative end of it than the business out of it. I think I’ve got the lawsuits and credit rating to prove it,” Reilly joked. “But I’m straightforward with the level of obscurity that I inhabit.”
Reilly’s hard-knocks story is the subject of the acclaimed 2024 documentary, “Don’t Turn Your Back on Friday Night” (executive produced by Morello), which paints him as a George Bailey type while espousing the merits of his “wonderful life.”
Reilly comes full circle with the new album “Blind and Surrounded” (out June 12) as the album’s title pays homage to his “Salesmen and Racists” debut. Except this time, the two men featured on the cover are not a pair of New York racketeers coming out of court with their faces covered, but rather Reilly and his son Shane staring deadpan at the camera. It comes as a new generation of family talent emerges: Shane wrote half the songs on the album while brothers Kevin and Mickey are part of the Ike Reilly Assassination band.
“I'm really proud of the record. There are some introspective ballads and some ferocious rock and roll songs,” Reilly previewed. “Someone said to me it sounds like one guy has a glimmer of hope, and the other guy sounds like he’s taking a beating and I kind of like that.”
Like all of Reilly’s material, it speaks to how many, including himself, are feeling now in light of the sociopolitical issues Reilly and Morello have been vocal about onstage.
“What I will never understand is, why wouldn't we want everybody to do well? … I've been poor. I've been desperate. And I may be again. But the currency that I hope I have is the ability to sing and play and speak my mind and make people feel part of something bigger than themselves.”