Ike Reilly is a true musician. A rough-around-the-edges Americana troubadour, he doesn’t hesitate to wave off boring questions concerning his record label, more interested in discussing the realities behind his latest batch of songs than the minutiae of being an artist in the 21st century.

The latest release is the aptly titled Hard Luck Stories, one that finds Reilly presenting himself as a storyteller in more obvious ways than before. The songs remain gritty and full of that bluesy punk spirit, but these are characters we can latch onto, and, for those of us like Ike, are people we already know.

From home in Chicago, Reilly answered a few questions for SSv about the tales behind Hard Luck Stories.

SSv: Now, the new album, Hard Luck Stories. Is it safe to say that the title is an allusion to the times, where a lot of us are kind of having hard luck?

Ike Reilly: Well, you know, I thought it was appropriate, but I didn’t come up with it. One of the guys who was working on the record said, well, the first song on the album used to be called “Hard Luck Stories,” now it’s called “Morning Glory” and he said ‘You should call that song “Morning Glory” and call the album “Hard Luck Stories”‘ and I said, ‘Yeah, that’s a good idea.’

It’s the most literal name I’ve ever had, the most, you know, direct. It’s easy to understand. So, to answer your question, I guess it is fair to say that, but I didn’t think about that originally. It was just a lyric from my song, but then I saw that all the songs, more than any of my other records, were linear stories.

SSv: Why do you think this time that your songs turned out as more linear stories than they have in the past?

Ike: Because I used to avoid doing that. I used to think that… I would try to be more impressionistic, I guess. And I think I just take myself less seriously now maybe. And if I want to tell a story, I’ll tell a story. And not that the stories aren’t serious, but I guess that’s the wrong bent. I would edit myself more, maybe try to make it too inside. But then I started thinking about all of the songs that I’ve loved over my life and they were songs that were easy to grasp.

But I think the songs for the most part, you can say, ‘Hey, this is a song about a guy going broke. This song is about a guy who loses his daughter because he’s selling dope out of his house. This is about a war veteran.’ You know what I mean? So I’m not really sure exactly why, but I had recorded more songs that weren’t in that vein and whittled the record down to these 10 for that reason.

SSv: So where do those stories and characters come from then? Where do you find the inspiration for that?

Ike: Oh, they’re taken from real life, and then, I mean… you can make anything up. I mean, I don’t know what character you mean, but…

SSv: Well, let’s say… Okay, one of my favorite tracks on the album is “The Ballad of Jack and Haley,” which you just referenced, but what inspired those characters?

Ike: Umm, a guy growing weed in his basement that’s a friend of mine, you know? I mean, I didn’t really think about…I think I read some highfalutin review of it yesterday or something that was talking about how it’s a comment on how we deal with drugs in America and all that, and that’s not really how I think. You know what I mean? [In a mocking voice] I’m gonna write a song that deals with legislation and the legalization of marijuana.

It’s about a father and daughter in this compromised situation. That’s what all these songs are about, people’s compromises. And they’re dressed up in stories that are familiar to me. I’m not at liberty to write about, I suppose I could, but there’s some things that I’m not familiar with. I can’t write about the compromises of a…I’m not going to make some shit up. Like something about a coal miner. I don’t know shit about coal mining. Or make up some mythological shit like some of these balladeers do.

I know drug dealers. I know single fathers. I know war veterans. I know single moms. I know the guy who’s in a band not making enough money. You know? I mean, I know those people, so, that’s what you write about. The characters come from my world, although some of them are historical in my world, or shall I say non fictional, and some of them aren’t. But there’s a little bit of somebody that I know in all of ‘em.

SSv: That’s probably why they sound so honest and real. Because they do come from people you know.

Ike: Thank you. Yes they do.

SSv: Now, I read where this album has been said to be your most accessible release to date. Do you find that to be true?

Ike: Accessible for me, what would that mean? [Laughs] Is it a Taylor Swift record? I don’t think so. I don’t know. If I listen to my records, I’m not delusional and I’m not an ego maniac, but I’ve had songs on every record that probably could have been successful on radio in some form. I don’t know what makes it work. I don’t know if this is more accessible or inaccessible. I know these songs sound more like me.

These are songs that you can grasp without being totally invested in what I’m doing. If you don’t want to know about Jack and Haley, you can still sing “Let it grow/ Let it grow” if you are a fan of the marijuana. Of if you’re a fan of any kind of agricultural success, be it marijuana or I’m looking at an egg plant right now that needs to be smashed. So if you didn’t really want to get invested in the tale behind “The Girls in the Back Room” you can sure sing, you know, “Good luck leaving town/ I hear the girls in the back room” know what I mean?

I think in that regard they may be accessible. And again, what is accessible? What people consider pop music now is so different from what I consider it. There’s not much defiance. It’s a celebration of wealth, usually. All these new pop stars. You have fucking “Cribs” and all the shit people are interested in, you know. But those things, I don’t know if people relate to that. I think they look at it from a voyeuristic standpoint. “Look how rich that fucker is!”

And, I think what I’m singing about is relatable to everybody. If you break it down, there’s a guy looking for a job, or this guy’s raising a kid, or get out of college, can’t get a job, or the high school kid who’s looking for a job and competing for chicks with his coach.