Ike Reilly, he rocked

Last night I went to Blueberry Hill to see a Chicago band called Ike Reilly. I'd only heard a handful of songs and was really trusting my friend Seans opinion. After telling me that Ike was the third coming of Christ (Jesus was #1, followed closely by Jack Bauer), I first heard him about 5 months ago. Needless to say, I wasn't impressed. I thought it sounded like a toned down version of Limp Buscuit, not my cup of gin. Sorry, I'd rather be listening to the Replacements or an old REM album. Heck, lately I've been hit with the Ricky Nelson bug, albeit 50 years too late.

Then a funny thing happened. A bunch of friends were in town for Thanksgiving and Sean had a get together before all of us caused mayhem on the St Louis nightlife. Sean had music playing in the background at his apartment, turning out tunes that I had never heard. When I asked Sean who he was playing, he bluntly stated "Ike Reilly."

So maybe Ike and I just got off to a bad start. I didn't hear much about them for the next few months, then I noticed they were playing at the Wayout Club on a Wednesday night, perhaps in January. Why I didn't go, I don't know, maybe I had to work. But Sean, along with what he claims were 4 other St Louis residents, witnessed Ike live. Sean spoke with Ike, apologized for the small showing and proceeded to consume whiskey, gin, Busch beer (just to name a few) with Ike. How he got home, he'd have to think about that one.

So I hopped on the Blueberry Hill site last week and noticed Ike was coming back, he'd be playing in the BH basement, which is a venue called the Duck Room. I touched base with Sean and told em about the upcoming show. He said "we're there, you wont be disappointed."

They came last night. Did they conquer? Not exactly, I think Joe Edwards still owns the bar. But one note into their set, I knew I'd be witnessing something special, they'd be blowing things up. No, not like the Who, the lead guitarist wouldn't be losing his hearing, but they were amazing. Ike is really talented, going from guitar to harmonica to straight up lead singer. Some songs were very poppy, some were sentimental, some songs rocked the I-beams of the Duck Room. They kept things uptempo, made fun of a drunk in the crowd and all around, I couldn't have asked for more. They put maximum effort into every song, and at one point, they deployed the triple guitar attack (Joe thought of that, credit must be given). The third guitarist even had the lightning bolt guitar (send me a message if you'e unfamiliar with that).

The most vivd moment for me occurred when I was heading to the bar for a drink. Ike started saying "the next song is by Shane Macgowan and the Pogues." As my eyes grew large and I ran back to the floor, the band played a lightning fast cover of If I Should Fall From Grace With God. My throat is still sore from my screaming.

So after Ike went off stage, the lights went up, I told Sean "you were right, they rock." But Ike wasn't done. He came out, talked with a few fans, then with acoustic guitar in hand, he motioned for a bunch of people to come back stage. Ike, with the help of his drunken bandmates, put on an all acoustic show for another half hour. It was funny, loose, a moment that just happens, you couldn't have planned it. About 20 people crammed into a tiny room, listening to a great songwriter showcase his talents. It was truly amazing.

Then Sean and I started walking to our car. Nope, the night wasn't over. Ike and friends told us to get in their bus, they was partying to be had. So we hoped on. Talked with him and his band for about a half hour, had a great time. Thankfully, the bus wasn't moving or we might have been in trouble.

Ike Reilly is an amazing musician. He should be coming back to St Louis. His show a month ago had maybe 5 people, but last night had closer to 50 fans, so his fan base is growing in Mound City. I hope he makes it back here soon, spare the $10 to check him out. A highly unknown rock star, I hope Ike is able to draw more fans and keep performing for years to come.