By: Karla Ludzack
 |
|
Ike Reilly strikes a pose at the 7th Street Entry on the first night of his two night CD Release Party which would conclude at the Turf Club on Saturday. Photo by Karla Ludzack. (Click for full size version.)
|
It was appropriate therefore that Reilly chose the Twin Towns for two very special CD release shows last week. He played the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis on Friday, October 15th, and The Turf Club in St Paul on Saturday, October 16th. The new CD is called Sparkle In The Finish. It was produced by band member Ed Tinley who also produced the band’s 2001 full-length release Salesmen and Racists, and the 2002 EP Cars & Girls & Drinks & Songs. Reilly’s fans have waited a long time for this CD to come out, and it doesn't disappoint in the least. Sparkle In The Finish has all the hard-hitting energy and wry sarcasm of Salesmen and Racists.
Reilly’s band, which has been playing incessantly for the past three years, has only gotten better with time. I for one, am very glad Salesmen and Racists didn't become a one-off project. He kept making great music despite label troubles because he knows he has a strong fan base here in the Twin Cities.
Reilly's record label saga will sound familiar to a lot of bands. First comes critical acclaim, then a major label deal followed by a lack of label support and promotion, and finally, the major label drops you. Lucky for us, Reilly didn't call it quits just because his label quit on him. Cars & Girls & Drinks & Songs was self-released, and Sparkle In The Finish is on the indie label Rock Ridge Music with promotional assistance being provided by Alternative Distribution Alliance.
I planned to attend both CD release shows and combine this review into an overview and comparison of the differences between them, but unfortunately, when I got to The Turf Club at 9:25 p.m. on Saturday, the show was sold out. Call it poor planning on my part. I'm happy for the band and for the club, but disappointed that I didn't get to see both nights.
When we got to The Entry on Friday night, the first band of the evening was onstage. The Nice Outfit is a sort of power pop/punk band from Milwaukee. Their set was very energetic and at times quite loud. I recognized some of the covers, but I'm not familiar enough with the band to name them. I enjoyed their set very much and would definitely see them the next time they come to town.
Next up was Landing Gear, Jay Hurley's band which formed in 1998 after picking up the pieces from the demise of Hovercraft. Jay is a kindred spirit of Ike Reilly in that he is also familiar with those major label woes. Landing Gear played an enthusiastic power pop set that featured Hurley's signature vocals, Mykl Westbrooks' amazing guitar stylings (you should have seen his pedals!), Jon Hunt's spacey keyboards and backing vocals, Rob Robello's fluid bass lines (not too sure about the pink bass though), and Dave West's perfect drum rhythms. Landing Gear's new CD is called Break Up Songs For Relationships That Never Happened and their set heavily featured songs from the release, which came out a month ago.
The third band of the lineup was The Rakes. I'm fairly certain I've seen this band before. Their sound combines equal parts John Freeman (Magnolias & The Action Alert) and Jay Fararr (Uncle Tupelo, Son Volt). Given that those are two of my favorite musicians, I should have liked The Rakes. Unfortunately, I was unable to find anything in their music that stuck with me. I really wanted to like them and they were good, but like I said, nothing stuck. The vocals were great and the band was tight, but I doubt if I will seek out another of their shows.
Finally The Ike Reilly Assassination took the stage, and by this time the Entry was packed. I could tell that most of the people in the crowd were already fans. I enjoyed talking with friends and acquaintances between the sets and even got to meet Ike's sister Susan, who had driven from all the way from Chicago to attend the show.
The band opened with Duty Free, a big hit from Salesmen and Racists. It had the appropriate energy to start the set off with a bang. The enthusiasm level continued to accelerate throughout the show with an equal number of songs from the two full-length releases. This live show was packed with energy and great musicianship. There's not a better band out there if you want to see a fantastic rock show! We heard all the best Ike Reilly tunes, a Shane McGowan cover, a Hank Williams III cover, and Ed even tried to play Night Ranger's Sister Christian before the second encore.
Speaking of that second encore, it probably wasn't supposed to happen, but the crowd refused to leave. They kept up the applause and whistles for at least ten minutes until the band finally had no choice but to come back up and play some more. Reilly remarked that we apparently had nowhere better to go as he launched into My Wasted Friends.
One thing I want to comment on concerning the crowd is the "frat-boy factor." Ike has said in past interviews that his songs are not autobiographical and that he has a tendency to poke fun at the men who are characterized in his story-songs. Ironically, these guys don't seem to know they're being ridiculed and they show up in droves at his shows. I was reminded of this fact when one of these young men pushed his way up front and the first thing he did was pull out his cell phone and start dialing. He also seemed to think that his whistling was an integral part of the music, even though he wasn't a member of the band. I remarked to a couple friends nearby that The Boat Song (We're Getting Loaded) was all about him. He was completely unaware of the irony of the situation. I feel a little sorry for these people, but I also find their behavior annoying and distracting.
There were a few songs missing from the set list that I would have liked to hear. Perhaps someone who attended the Saturday show can verify whether they played Hip Hop Thighs, Our Lady of Arturo, Hail! Hail!, Put A Little Love In It, Crave, or God Damn Shame. I may get the chance to see them the next time they come through town on Thanksgiving Eve at the Triple Rock. In the meantime, I'll be listening to Sparkle In The Finish and watching the movies at www.ikereilly.com.
1. Duty Free
2. Cash Is King
3. The Assassination of Sweet Lou Diablo (fast version)
4. Garbage Day
5. Ex-Americans
6. Work Song?
7. St Joes Band
8. The Boat Song (We're Getting Loaded)
9. Last Time
10. Let Me Go Boys (Shane McGowan cover)
11. All Right To Die
12. I Don't Want What You Got (Goin' On)
13. Commie Drives a Nova
Encore:
14. Cunt Back Into Country (Hank III)
15. Blanket Over Me (cover of?)
16. Angels & Whores
17. Ed playing Sister Christian
18. My Wasted Friends
19. Whatever Happened To The Girl In Me?
Location Info:
7th Street Entry
Artist Info: Ike Reilly, Landing Gear, Nice Outfit, The Rakes
Share this story:
Article comments powered by Disqus