June 2026 • Volume 52, Number 0 • www. illinoisentertainer. com
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IKE REILLY WITH SHANE REILLY nnual Take Your Child to Work Day usually occurs on the third Thursday in April. But raspthroated, political-minded rocker Ike Reilly and his son Shane have inadvertently wound up celebrating it, every single day.
25 years ago, this scrappy Libertyville native found his musical calling rather late in life when he released his cultclassic debut disc, Salesmen and Racists, which was crackling with gruff urban vignettes like” Angels and Whores,”“ My Wasted Friends,” and an unusually-grim“ New Year’ s Eve,” its starkness underscored by a vintage black and white album-cover photograph by 20th century New York crime-scene shutterbug Wee Gee. So after punching the odd-job clock for decades as grave digger, hotel doorman, so many gigs he could barely remember them all, Reilly’ s long-foundering career in music caught fire, and his family grew accordingly, with three sons who would grow into roles in his backing band, Kevin and Mickey on vocals, and Shane stepping up as his right-hand man, as co-vocalist, co-guitarist and finally— on their new father / son duets album Blind and Surrounded— co-songwriter with dad, as well. Tom Lanham spoke to the
06 HELLO MY NAME IS MICHAEL...
Write what you know, goes the old Mark Twain-attributed creative imperative. It’ s wisdom not lost on singer-songwriter Michael Marcagi, who once felt that his humdrum hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio, was no great shakes in the inspiration department. So how could he possibly ever hope to compete with edgier streetwise artists from New York or Los Angeles? Now a seasoned 34, he managed to find a way— simply by singing about himself, in all his Midwest glory. And fans, who found his homespun candor and straightforward guitar melodies rather refreshing, came flocking. Tom Lanham spoke to the talented Mr. Maracagi.
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