Joe Reilly has been a big hit with the Ann Arbor-area kids for nearly two decades. They know him from his many performances at local schools, libraries, and music workshops, and they love him for his songs celebrating awesome animals, the wonders of nature, and the importance of our connection to the earth and each other.

On Saturday, May 17, he’s throwing a free family concert at The Ark that will pair his big-hearted, interactive show with a celebration of Indigenous culture. Joe Reilly and his band, the Community Gardeners, will perform alongside the All Nations Dancers, a group of Anishinaabe pow-wow dancers from Mount Pleasant.

The University of Michigan grad's music is gentle and generous in spirit, drawn from traditional folk and blues to encourage sing-alongs, and spiked with the lyrical flow of hip-hop to keep it real. His easy rapport with his tiny audience members leads them to learn while they play, like a Buddhist Mister Rogers whose essence is his greatest lesson.

Sponsored by Ann Arbor Public Schools, The Ark event launches at 11:30 am with a catered lunch provided by local Indigenous vendor Anishinaabe Meejim, followed an hour later by music and dance. Per The Ark, pre-registration is “strongly encouraged.”

I asked Reilly a few questions about "There’s a Place for You in the Circle" featuring Joe Reilly and The Community Gardeners with the All Nations Dancers.

Q: How did you connect with this group of Anishinaabe pow-wow dancers?
A: I have been performing with the All Nations Dancers for the past 10 years. We first met at an event at the Ziibiiwing Center in Mount Pleasant, where I was performing. Ray Cadotte, the head dancer, introduced himself and expressed interest in dancing at my future performances. From there, a mutually supportive and inspiring relationship began.

Q: Will the dancers be performing alongside your band or will they be doing their own set?
A: The dancers combine contemporary and traditional pow-wow dancing with our musical set. We will offer a traditional grand entry song on the hand drum and then go into more contemporary songs with the whole band. It is a dynamic expression of living Indigenous cultures in the present.

Q: Are you a Michigan native?
A: I was born and raised in Kalamazoo, Potowatomi country. I came to Ann Arbor when I was 18 to attend school at the University of Michigan. After graduating in 2001, I moved to Detroit and then Chicago for a few years, before eventually making my way back to Ann Arbor, where I was a resident for another decade-plus. I went back to U of M for my Master of Social Work in 2010, which I completed in 2013, and later moved to Auburn Hills and then back to Detroit, where I have lived since 2021.

Q: Your music is primarily acoustic, but I hear a lot of hip-hop influence in your vocal phrasing. What were some of the songs or artists that got you excited about music as a young person?
A: I have been inspired by hip-hop for many years, and my first band in high school was a live hip-hop band. After college, I performed for many years with the Long Hairz Collective, a music and poetry group that combined elements of folk, spoken word, and hip-hop. Some of my other hip-hop influences include A Tribe Called Quest and Blackalicious.

On my forthcoming album release, Learn to Love Again, due out in June 2025, I collaborate with two hip-hop artists: Born I and Peace Be Free. This will be my first non-children's album released since 2013, and we will have an album release concert at The Ark on June 27. I was also influenced by The Pixies, Black Sabbath, Simon and Garfunkel, and Joni Mitchell growing up.

Q: The topics of your songs concern conservation, living in harmony with the Earth, and simple respect for people and animals. There are active threats to progress on these fronts from many with power and persuasion in our culture. How do you maintain hope for the future, and how can concerned parents stay strong for their children?
A: No matter what the government or those in power do or don't do, they cannot erase our interbeing. The fact that we are deeply related and connected with all of our human and nonhuman relatives is indestructible. My music has always been about helping us wake up to and remember our interdependence. I maintain hope by actively engaging in the practices that help me experience our interbeing, including sharing music in community. I encourage everyone to embrace, express, and deepen our humanity by engaging in and sharing the practices that are meaningful and connecting to you.

A JOE REILLY PLAYLIST

In concert at AADL
Here’s a recent Reilly performance at the Downtown branch of the Ann Arbor District Library. Shot for a livestream, the camera vantage is fixed on Reilly for most of the set, but you’ll be able to see the enthusiastic hands and heads of youngsters occasionally popping into frame to dance, interact, or flap their arms like turkey vultures.

"Decomposers' Poop"
He even has something for the kids with ruder senses of humor—and there’s at least one in every audience. This earthy ode to the Earth at its grossest is as blue as Reilly goes.

"Wishless"
Reilly’s adult-oriented material doesn’t stray from the concerns of his children’s fare, he just approaches bigger ideas with more sophisticated tools. This lovely ballad communicates the Buddhist concept of apranihita with quiet clarity, both lyrically and in its meditative tone.

Fred Beldin is a writer and musician living in Ann Arbor. His work can be found at thesearetheendtimes.com. 

Joe Reilly and The Community Gardeners with the All Nations Dancers perform a free all-ages concert at The Ark, 316 South Main, Ann Arbor, on Saturday, May 17. The lunch kicks off at 11:30 am; the performance is at 12:30 pm. Visit theark.org to pre-reserve your spot, which is strongly encouraged.