“I grew up in Kyogle and I always felt I had to be someone who I didn’t really feel connected with a lot of my childhood.
I mean there is a lot of beauty but as a really sensitive human growing up was a bit daunting at times. I live in the hills now and I feel connected to the earth here.
My journey with music has been an interesting one. I came to Lismore when I was 13 and I went to Trinity and studied music there. I was top of the music class but decided to leave school because I didn’t really see how it would help me do anything musically out of school and I proceeded to write a lot of the songs on ‘Dead Arrows.’ I recorded the songs down in Melbourne with my friend Daniel Pinkerton and I fluctuate between here and Melbourne regularly.
A lot of stuff went down last year, I signed to a label, a lot of shit was happening, I went overseas to Europe and toured there and I came back and I was meant to release my record and the label kind of disintegrated before my eyes which lead me to leaving the label earlier this year and now I’m releasing the album independently.That made me question what I wanted in my life and led to period of questioning who I was. I sort of felt like I was having an identity crisis. I felt like I’d put so much of me into my music that I felt like I’d forgotten who I was. Everyone knew me as music and I kind of felt like I didn’t know who Reilly was anymore. Anyway I found myself again and released the album so now I feel good again. The album will be available on iTunes later in this coming week. I also have a show at The Great Northern in Byron on the 18th December to launch the album.”
(footnote – Reilly was invited to play Splendour in the Grass after being noticed while busking in Byron Bay. This exposure led to a massive year in 2013, playing at the Byron Bay Bluesfest, the Mullumbimby Music Festival and then Falls Festival in Byron Bay. In 2014 Reilly headed to Europe and played shows In Germany & the Uk surrounding an appearance at the renowned Barn In The Farm Festival, playing alongside the likes of Hozier, Dan Croll & James Bay. I listened to the songs on Dead Arrows and loved them all but I think Deadwood is my fave. Beautiful voice and very proud we can call Reilly ours