Every now and then, a song, a voice, a lyric, splits your soul right in two and then proceeds to feed both sides. Raw yet refined, mournful yet optimistic, heartbroken yet inspiring... such is the dichotomy, the paradox, and the musical delivery of Joshua Reilly. Born, raised, and marinated on the cornfield-lined country roads of central Illinois, and then cultivated, ripened, and baked on the beaches and concrete swamps of Florida, Reilly understands hard times, he knows redemption, and this unfiltered honesty pours out through his music. It's a slice of life served clever and real.
Reilly has performed around the country, including a national tour in support of his 2017 album Mercy on the Strange. He has opened for acts such as Billy Joe Shaver, Robbie Fulks, and Slaid Cleaves. And while deepening his roots as a family man in Florida, Reilly has become one of the most respected and beloved musical acts in the Tampa Bay area. Maybe it's just Joshua and his guitar, or perhaps he is playing with any number of friends he refers to as “Corn-Fed Locals”... either way, his real, genuine, heartfelt energy is admired by young and old.
Reilly's style and message are all his own. "What I want people to get from listening to my music is, yes... there is hope in these hard times," says Reilly. His lyrics and music convey the poignant truth that life can be brutal or grand as we navigate the road ahead and face up to the road behind. As New York Times best selling author Tom Robbins wrote, “Vocally and instrumentally, Joshua Reilly has a delivery like the last train out of Real Town before the android invasion. Clear the tracks!”