Ike Reilly is a singer, songwriter and musician from Libertyville, Illinois, a northern suburb of Chicago that seems to have produced an outsized number of musicians per capita (although the communities of Winnetka and Oak Park certainly haven’t fared poorly in their respective outputs of musicians and other creative types). Despite his Chicagoland home base, Ike Reilly and his band, the Ike Reilly Assassination, have enjoyed a long connection with Minneapolis — including an annual night-before-Thanksgiving concert at First Avenue, a tradition now into its third decade.

Reilly’s life itself is an interesting one, and thanks to executive producer Tom Morello (he of Rage Against the Machine and, like Reilly, another person from Libertyville), Reilly’s life is the subject of a new documentary, Don’t Turn Your Back on Friday Night, now streaming on Apple TV+ and Amazon Prime.

Looking ahead to this Wednesday’s show at First Avenue, Ike Reilly connected with The Current’s Jill Riley (no relation) to talk about what’s been going on. Use the audio player above to listen to the interview, and find a full transcript below.

Interview Transcript

Jill Riley: You're listening to The Current; I'm Jill Riley. You know there are a few sure things in life, a few truths, a couple of those — taxes, death — but another one of those sure things is Ike Reilly playing the night before Thanksgiving in the First Avenue Mainroom. That show has been a tradition for over 20 years now. I have Ike Reilly on the line with me this morning on The Current Morning Show, checking in ahead of that show. Ike, how you doing?

Ike Reilly: Good! How are you doing, Jill? It's been just a great, festive, annual event that has been great for the band. It's been great for our relationship with Minneapolis, and I don't even consider it, you know, like we're out of town. It's just, there's so many people that I've met through the music community and through, you know, that are fans that have become so intimate with me and my bandmates, and that night has been a place where we have sought refuge when things are dark in the world, things are dark in our career, when things are not so dark in our career, it's just a blast. You know? It's really a cathartic, exciting, communal event.

Jill Riley: Just fine. Hey, there are a couple new things to talk about, but before we get into the documentary that is now streaming on Apple TV and Prime Video, and a new song inspired by Minneapolis, hey, you want to talk about the upcoming show in the First Avenue Mainroom? I mean, this is, you know, this is a tradition for you, and you know, your blood family, but your family as your band as well, and your family in Minneapolis. Yeah, Ike, I moved to St. Paul in 2005, and I remember hearing your name and just thinking that you were a local musician, that you were Twin Cities musician, because you have just this great, you know, presence and and bond with the Twin Cities. But for anyone who doesn't know, you're from a town called Libertyville, Illinois, about 40 miles north of Chicago. Well, we got some insight into your hometown, and you know, your creative life, your day-to-day life, with this new documentary, which I mentioned, is streaming on Apple TV and Prime Video. Now it's called Don't Turn Your Back On Friday Night and Ike, the first thing that I learned right away in the documentary is I didn't realize that Tom Morello was from your hometown as well.

Ike Reilly: So is Marlon Brando, so is Adam Jones of Tool, so is Maureen Herman from Babes in Toyland. Yeah. We have a crazy, little, weird, fertile place that produces musicians, I guess.

Jill Riley: Yeah. So, what did you think of the documentary? What did you think when you watched it and it was going to be released out into the world? 

Ike Reilly: It was far more personal than I expected, that's for sure. I thought they made a great film. It's a raw and honest film that's, you know, I guess it celebrates my failure and flaws as much as my songs. The filmmakers really made an interesting film the way they kind of wove my songs into a story. And it's a little humiliating to have your whole life out there, but I should have thought of that before I played one song for anybody that wasn't me. I think when you see the film, I know people told me that they feel good after they watch it. It's about the journey. It's about commitment to something.

Jill Riley: So the documentary is called Don't Turn Your Back on Friday Night. It is streaming multiple places, Apple TV, Prime Video. I'm on the line with Ike Reilly. The Ike Reilly Assassination, leading up to the big show the night before Thanksgiving. It is a Minneapolis First Avenue tradition that has been going strong for over 20 years. Hey, Ike, you've got this new song called "At Least Another Day," And I wonder if you could talk about that song specifically, because it really is kind of an homage and a song for and inspired by Minneapolis.

Ike Reilly: Yeah, it is. I was ... It's kind of a fusion of things I had written down, kind of after the 2020 George Floyd murder and I have the freedom, you know, to kind of combine stories and thoughts. That's the beauty of, you know, writing and of, you know, making up songs. There are not really any rules. I combined some sorrow I had about the loss of a friend of mine named Trevor Engelbrektson, who was really a good buddy of mine, who was a fixture in the Minneapolis music community. And so the song is kind of impressionistic in its, you know, subject matter, about broad things, about specific things. But really it's about the desire to not take anybody for granted, and just to wish you had a little more time with the people you love. I mean, that's essentially what the songs about. It's unique, and it represents my band, who are as nimble as any musicians I've come across. And you know, it's got my children singing the chorus. And for me personally, it captures the importance of the people I lost, and the vibe I have for Minneapolis, which I guess is the flames are fanned every Thanksgiving, for sure at the First Avenue.

Jill Riley: So Ike Reilly Assassination at First Avenue Mainroom, the night before Thanksgiving. I understand that this song, did you debut it at last year's show?

Ike Reilly: I did an acoustic version of it, very different than the recording, and if my memory serves me well, in my mind, it was not my greatest performance.

Jill Riley: OK!

Ike Reilly: I shouldn't say, you know, I shouldn't be so self deprecating, but, you know, the truth is the truth.

Jill Riley: Right. Well, that's another relatable part. I think just taking a little poke at ourselves, I think that just makes us truly Midwestern. Ike, I appreciate talking with you. And you know, one more thing that I kind of took away from the documentary about you, you know, you said that when people watched it, you know, it made them feel good, especially that you really have this great rock in your life and family being your rock, and watching you perform music with your kids. I mean, that was absolutely heartwarming and touching. I just, I love that part of the story.

Ike Reilly: Yeah, I do too. And I think it's funny that in the film, the culmination of that is at the First Avenue. There are a lot of Minneapolis heads in this film, you know, from Conrad, the stage manager at the First Avenue, to Andrea—

Jill Riley: Yeah, Andrea Swenson! I just, I loved seeing her pop up in the documentary, and she is just such a huge booster of Minnesota music and Minnesota music history.

Ike Reilly: Yeah. Pat Dwyer from Grumpy’s. Steve McClellan, the former GM of First Avenue. Jim Walsh, the journalist. And again, Tom Morello is from Libertyville. He's the executive producer on the film, and he's in it a lot, so, but yes, my family is my rock, my band is my rock, and I'm really fortunate to have people that can't shake me.

Jill Riley: Mm-hmm. Ike Riley Assassination at First Avenue the night before Thanksgiving, and get there early; support from Christy Costello and the Delilahs. Ike, I appreciate talking with you. Thank you for checking in with The Current's Morning Show, and you told us about the new song at least another day. So I think we should take a listen to it.

Ike Reilly: Bye, Jill.

Jill Riley: You are listening to The Current.

External Links

Ike Reilly – official site

Don’t Turn Your Back on Friday Night – official film site

Ike Reilly Assassination at First Avenue – First Avenue website