By day, Ike Reilly is a 42-year-old family man from the Chicago suburbs; by night, he verbally scribbles edgy, funny screeds on pretty much whatever he can: social injustice, the music industry, empties, jokers and, occasionally, girls.
But for all the tangled lyricism within – “Take the vulgar boatmen and the drunken showmen and the Willy Lomans of rock ‘n’ roll, and put ‘em on a ship,” Reilly cackles in The Boat Song (We’re Getting Loaded) - there’s a tangible big-rock joy always floating around in there. “[Music is] my total lifestyle now,” Reilly said. “Six years ago, it was ‘Boy, it’d be cool to be able to do this.’ Well, now we’re doing it.”
