An Evening with Ike Reilly Assassination ft screening of “Don’t Turn Your Back on Friday Night”

About the event

Ike Reilly

Ike Reilly is a punk-poet-troubadour and the leader of the ferocious musical outfit The Ike Reilly Assassination. The former doorman and gravedigger hailing from the seemingly idyllic town of Libertyville, Illinois is the subject of the award-winning documentary Don’t Turn Your Back On Friday Night. The film, from Executive Producer Tom Morello, chronicles the songs, career and proverbial life of Reilly. Like the subject matter of his music, the film deals with booze, drugs, religion, family, financial calamity and culls over 30 years of footage to reveal a complicated and formidable artist in his pursuit of both greatness and authenticity. The film is both profound and personal.

Since his 2001 major label debut, Salesmen and Racists, Reilly has been creating rebellious punk/folk/country/blues-influenced rock ’n’ roll records that are both poetic and cinematic. He’s written songs for and collaborated with artists like Johnny Hickman and David Lowery of the band Cracker, Shooter Jennings and Tom Morello. Critical praise for his work has been plentiful. David Carr of the New York Times said, ”Ike Reilly is a kind of natural resource mined from the bedrock of music, all the values that make Rock important to people-storytelling, melody, rage, laughter are part and parcel of every Ike Reilly show I’ve ever seen.” The Washington Post called The Ike Reilly Assassination one of the best live bands in America and author Stephen King recently said “Ike Reilly is the Rock God not enough people have heard of.”

Screening of Don’t Turn Your Back on Friday Night

Meet former gravedigger and doorman Ike Reilly. At 40 years old, he landed a major label recording contract, and in true rock & roll fashion, he bought his family a dream home. He took his band out on the road where they became what The New York Times called “one of the best live bands in America.” Despite 9 albums, a cult following, and immense critical acclaim, Reilly has failed to achieve commercial success. Academy Award winning director James Marsh says, “Ike’s stuff sounds like it should be enormously successful, and it just isn’t, and I have no idea why.” Exploring Ike’s career, the film culls over 40 years of footage, masterfully weaving in songs that reveal a complicated and formidable artist with an incredibly charismatic family. Struggling with booze and in the face of financial calamity, Ike finds redemption in music, art & family, as his 3 sons begin performing with his band.
In addition to Ike, his band, his wife Kara Dean, his mother Roz Reilly, his daughter Hannah Stone, and three sons Shane Reilly, Kevin Reilly and Mickey Reilly featured in the film are: Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine – band); David Pasquasi (Veep, Book Of Boba Fett); Johnny Hickman (Cracker – band); David Lowery (Cracker – band); Tony Fitzgerald (Artist, Actor – Patriot); Mars Williams (Psychadelic Furs – band); and many more.