Tom Morello On The New Ike Reilly Documentary, Van Halen, Maiden & More - "Paltrocast" Exclusive

Photo byGravitas Ventures

The multi-award-winning, festival favorite documentary Don’t Turn Your Back On Friday Night -- released yesterday to all TVOD platforms, including iTunes, Amazon and YouTube via Gravitas Ventures -- is a film, from legendary Executive Producer Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine, Audioslave, Prophets Of Rage). Cowritten and codirected by Michael O’Brien (American Greed, The First 48: Missing Persons) and Mike Schmiedeler (Parole Diaries, Collector’s Call), Don’t Turn Your Back On Friday Night is a non-linear affair that goes beyond the land of typical rock documentaries. Five years in the making and with its impressionistic approach, the feature melds visual media, audio, and studio recordings to subtly take the viewer to a more profound and poignant place.

In short, Don’t Turn Your Back On Friday Night ingeniously explores the life and career of Ike Reilly by culling over 40 years of footage and masterfully weaving in Reilly’s songs and stories to reveal a complicated and formidable artist. From his explosive critically acclaimed major label debut album Salesmen And Racists, to the celebrated Born On Fire album -- whose title track was featured in Ike’s friend Chris Farley’s I Am Chris Farley biopic along with interviews from Ike himself -- Reilly has been creating rebellious punk/folk/country/blues-influenced rock ’n’ roll records that are poetic and cinematic. The film includes electrifying live performances, intimate personal moments and interviews with critics, fans, family, and legendary artists including David Lowery and Johnny Hickman of the band Cracker and Rock & Roll Hall Fame inductee Tom Morello. Per Morello: “Ike Reilly is kind of like a real-life version of Jimmy Stewart’s character in It’s A Wonderful Life. Ike’s path as an incredibly talented yet underappreciated heartland troubadour has taken many unexpected, hilarious, rocky, and ultimately redemptive twists and turns that are all beautifully captured in this great film.”

Don’t Turn Your Back On Friday Night is a Comandante Manifesto produced by Clean Blood Pictures LLC. In addition to Ike Reilly and his band The Ike Reilly Assassination – Phil Karnats, Dave Cottini, Pete Cimbalo, Adam Krier, Tommy O’Donnell, Ed Tinley, Shane Reilly, Kevin Reilly and Mickey Reill -- also featured in the film David Pasquesi (Veep, Book Of Boba Fett), Tony Fitzpatrick (Patriot) and Mars Williams (Psychedelic Furs). Additional crew includes Field Producer and Director of Photography Pete Schneider (Severance, The Squid And The Whale), Postproduction Supervisor, Editor & Colorist Joe Langenfeld (Osso Bucco, Waterwalk), Postproduction Sound Mixer Ryan Staples (Gangland, Inside The Iraq War) and Director of Photography Sean Fahey (For Kicks, Bailout).

I had the pleasure of speaking with the legendary Tom Morello via Zoom, as embedded above and set to air via the Long Beach, New York-based Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz television series. Meanwhile, a separate conversation with Ike Reilly and Mike Schmiedeler is embedded below. More on Ike Reilly and this new film can be found by clicking here.