Message-driven music from Joe Reilly

By Kelly Bacon
Western Herald

(Photo courtesy of Phyllis Perry) Joe Reilly

Musician and Kalamazoo native Joe Reilly doesn’t have typical lyrics.

He doesn’t sing about the  consuming nature of being in love, struggling through heartbreak or being a rock star.

Instead, he focuses his attention to the greater world issues. Like the environment.

“I feel like we’re at a crucial time in our human existence. This economic crisis is a really great opportunity for us to see how we can live in a sustainable way,” Reilly said.

On Nov. 23, Joe Reilly will perform his message-driven music at Dino’s Coffee Lounge from 8 to 10 p.m.
Reilly will be performing songs from the “Planting Gardens” CD as well as some new pieces from the up and coming CD, “Touched the Earth,” to be released this spring.

Growing up in Kalamazoo for the first 18 years of his life, Reilly’s music compliments his hometown. “It’s humble, yet it’s full of really amazing people doing very creative things,” Reilly said.

Reilly’s performances have been concentrated throughout the west coast and the whole state of Michigan, but he has stirred activism among residents on his tours throughout the entire country and also in a few European countries.

“I’m excited because the type of music that Joe brings to Kalamazoo is something that is not often brought here,” said event coordinator and Kalamazoo Collective Housing employee Michael Gregor.

Reilly’s music contains a mixture of folk, hip-hop, and spiritual. Among his lyrics are the memorable lines “the suburbs are messing up the minds of the children,” “these are my truths so I will seek them,” and “my head used to be a toaster.” “I want my music to be a voice of hope in the world,” Reilly said.

Ann Judge and Tracy Komarmy are the female vocalists of the performance, and Joe Reilly’s father, David Reilly, will play the bass alongside Joe.

Gregor further explained the activism-inspiring aspect of Reilly’s music, “Joe Reilly’s music invites listeners to take a critical look at the world around them; to see various struggles faced in Michigan and throughout the world.”

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Posted by HeraldAdmin on Nov 19 2008. Filed under Weekend Scene. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

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