Ike Reilly Doc ‘Don’t Turn Your Back on Friday Night’ Ready to Rock Metro Chicago Aug 15

Metro Chicago will be rockin’ this Thursday, August 15th… in more ways than one. Both stage and screen will be on full blast as Metro will be hosting a Premiere Screening of the award-winning music doc Don’t Turn Your Back on Friday Night. The film premiere will be followed by a live performance from the band at the heart of the film, The Ike Reilly Assassination, with a special appearance from Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello. The team behind the powerful documentary stopped by SCREEN to bring you a preview of what’s coming up this Thursday.

First things first, snag your tickets to this one-of-a-kind show right here.

The singer-songwriter at the eye of the storm that is Don’t Turn Your Back on Friday Night is Ike Reilly. “Ike isn’t just a truly unique artist he’s a one-of-a-kind character,” co-director Mike Schmiedeler shared with SCREEN. “A former gravedigger turned high hotel doorman turned frontman to a band that was signed to Universal when Ike turned 40. In this documentary we were able to capture how his music, his band and his career intersect and are influenced by his amazing family. Ike is the songwriter musicians wish they were with a close-knit family everyone wishes was theirs. He has created his own world where his band, his fans, his family, and his assorted supporting players are all part of the same tribe. And he’s survived some turbulence along the way between losing his family home and quitting drinking it’s not been an easy road for Ike but one he’s navigated impressively, all while never compromising artistically.”

Co-director Michael O’Brien added, “As [Rage Against the Machine’s] Tom Morello says, ‘Ike’s an artist that deserves to be heard’ and who am I to disagree? A messy tale of music-making, family, success and failure that unfolds in a bucolic northern suburb of Chicago and winds its way through cheap gin joints, cemeteries and cities great and small into the corners of your mind. Not your typical musico-doc which trades in worshipful hagiography or taudry exposé (though it leans toward the latter). The truth peeks through the veil of lies, half/truths, depravity, apologies and love. If you’re interested in music that defies category, family dynamics, the proper way to dig a grave, solicit a tip from an ex-president or handle an unruly audience in Nashville, this doc is for you!”

With that in mind, here is your first look at the film…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDuCzBHP0CI

In this documentary, you’ll 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 documentary 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 Pasquesi (Veep, Book Of Boba Fett); Johnny Hickman (Cracker – band); David Lowery (Cracker – band); Tony Fitzpatrick (Artist, Actor – Patriot); Mars Williams (Psychedelic Furs – band); and many more.

Ike was hesitant at first but eventually warmed up to the idea of the documentary. “Mike (Schmiedeler) was certainly persistent,” Reilly shared with SCREEN. “As I got know him, I knew that he understood what we were all about and that he would tell an honest and raw story. I had no interest in a music doc that delved into the boring details of the recording process or inside nonsense. He and Michael O’Brien’s made a poetic film – it’s deceivingly profound and although its honesty is at times humiliating, I’m happy that more people will get to hear our songs, see the greatness of my band and the support of my family.”

One more time… you can snag your tickets to this one-of-a-kind show right here.

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