It’s fair to say that Oak Parker Mike Schmiedeler has never known a stranger. His ability to make connections has brought him a wide array friends in Oak Park and across the country. (Full disclosure, I count myself as one of those friends.)
During his career as a producer and director, his ability to combine work and friendships has paid some surprising dividends, including in his latest endeavor, a documentary on Illinois rock-and-roll frontman, Ike Reilly.
As an executive producer for Weigel Productions in Chicago, Schmiedeler produces shows for MeTv and MeTv Toons, and in the past has worked on cable series such as Biography for A&E, Gangland for History, Inside 9/11 for National Geographic, Sports Action Team for NBC Stations Group and the DIY network.
He first met musician Ike Reilly as a fan of the Libertyville-based rocker’s band, The Ike Reilly Assassination. Before too long, Schmiedeler was hanging out with Reilly, his band and his family and pitching Reilly on a documentary that covers his life and music.
Schmiedeler co-produced and co-directed the documentary film, Don’t Turn Your Back on Friday Night, which he hopes will introduce the musician to a wider audience.
At the Parkway Theater in Minneapolis for the screening of ‘Don’t Turn Your Back On Friday Night.’ Left to Right: Ike Reilly, Mike Schmiedeler (producer/co-director/co-writer), Mickey Reilly (vocals, youngest son), Kevin Reilly (vocals, middle son) and Shane Reilly (guitar & vocals, oldest son). | Courtesy of Mike Schmiedeler 
Mike Schmiedeler interviews Ike Reilly’s mother, Roz Reilly, in Libertyville for the documentary ‘Don’t Turn Your Back On Friday Night.’ | Courtesy of Mike Schmiedeler
“At 40 years old, Reilly landed a major label recording contract and bought his family a dream home,” he said. “On the road, his band became what The New York Times called ‘one of the best live bands in America.’ Despite nine albums, a cult following, and immense critical acclaim, Reilly failed to achieve commercial success.”
The film is already racking up awards including winning Best Documentary at the 2023 South African Film Festival Sound on Screen, Best Feature Film in the Toronto Documentary Feature & Short Film Festival and Best Feature Documentary from the Hollywood Gold Awards.
In advance of the film’s widespread release on Aug. 27, Schmiedeler sat down for some questions with the Wednesday Journal.
The interview has been edited lightly for clarity and length.
Q: How did you first meet Ike Reilly?
A: I met Ike Reilly in 2013 through my friend [and co-writer and co-director] Michael O’Brien. O’Brien thought I’d like Ike and his music, and he was right. I was amazed by Ike and his music, and confused as to why he wasn’t more popular nationally. I got to know Ike, pitched him as talent for a series I was developing that ultimately didn’t get picked up. I stayed a fan and in touch as the years went by attending many of his shows.
Q: What was Reilly’s path to becoming a rock-and-roll artist?
A: As you’ll see in the documentary, it was pretty unconventional. He learned to play harmonica and guitar early. Ike attended Marquette for college, considered law school and the Marines, but decided to pursue music. He worked at a Libertyville cemetery throughout high school and college, then became a doorman at the Park Hyatt downtown Chicago after college. All the while, he was writing and performing music. He got his first record deal from Universal when he was 40
Q: What’s Reilly’s music like? What kind of venues were you seeing him in?
A: I saw Ike first perform at [Chicago’s] Schuba’s in 2013 with his full band, The Ike Reilly Assassination. Ike’s music is tricky to put a label onto which may explain why he hasn’t had more commercial success. Some have called it post-punk blues, others Americana, and others simply rock n’ roll. One of my favorite places to see Ike play was his former residence in Libertyville, which was at one point a social hunting lodge before it was converted to a residence. His living room comfortably held over 200 people and a small stage.
Q: What led you to start recording Reilly’s shows?
A: I knew from O’Brien and Ike himself that he had a very deep archive of shows filmed dating quite a way back. Having a deep archive is a dream for any documentarian, and it was one reason I wanted to do the film.
Q: When did you begin to think that you might be able to make a film about Reilly?
A: I was at a show of his at Fitzgerald’s in between Christmas and New Year’s of 2018, and Ike was telling stories and playing his music and was so entertaining and charismatic. I remember sitting there and I was almost angry that it had been over five years since I had been watching him perform and he didn’t have a bigger following. … I thought, “someone should make a documentary about Ike to show the world as a whole who he is as an artist, a family man and a storyteller.” I then thought, “I would love to make this film.”
Q: Did it take any convincing to get Reilly to agree to being the subject of a documentary?
A: Yes! I wrote a treatment for the documentary, including my thoughts on the narrative, the structure and the goal and potential marketing ideas for the film. Ike was complimentary of my work but said “I’m not that interesting. Who’s going to watch a movie about me?” I disagreed … Ike still wasn’t convinced, but I kept after him and wore him down after 9 months.
Q: Once he was on board, what was the process like?
A: The hardest part of any film, documentary or otherwise is usually securing the funding. In this case, I reached out to our investors, who are all fans of Ike and secured funding in under two months. So, I spent about four times more the amount of time convincing Ike to let me make a movie about him than it took to get the money. We entered film festivals in 2023 and that led to our distribution deal here in 2024.
Q: It sounds like Reilly’s family plays a large role in his life. What role did they play in the film?
A: Ike’s family plays a very, very significant role in both his life and the film. Ike married his high school sweetheart Kara Dean. They have four children — Hannah (Stone), Shane, Kevin and Mickey. Ike’s 97-year-old mother is also in the film and a very important part of his life. And Ike’s grandson, Riley Stone, has the last line of the documentary. Ike is incredibly close to his family, and we chronicle as his three boys joined his band The Ike Reilly Assassination. We also captured when Ike lost his house where the kids grew up in, and where he played so many of the famous home shows, to the bank. So, there are some real stakes to Ike’s artistic pursuits for him and his family.
How to watch
Film Trailer:
Streaming begins Aug. 27 on Apple TV+, Amazon Prime Video, Fandango at Home, Google Play, Microsoft, YouTube and Vimeo.
Find it on demand: Comcast Xfinity, Dish, Spectrum, Alltice, Cox, Fios By Verizon, Frontier, SuddenLink, Mediacom, and Armstrong.