"Joe Reilly writes music with his eyes and heart. He sees goodness and possibility where others see evil and gloom. He feels the plight of the poor and downtrodden in his gut and values their humanity. And in some talented and magical way, Joe puts these feelings, hopes and observations to music which connects us not only to the musician but to the subjects of his music. May we be open to the connections, and in the seeing and feeling may we all be better people." ~Bishop Tom Gumbleton, Archdiocese of Detroit, co-founder of Pax Christi USA Joe Reilly is excited to release into the world the Hello Ocean EP, a collection of five songs recorded in 2005 during the sessions that would become his 2006 album Planting Gardens. Since they were recorded, these songs have been waiting to be born into the world, and now in 2012 the conditions have become sufficient for this EP to manifest. Please enjoy this Hello Ocean EP, which features many friends and family members, including Joe's sister and brother-in-law's Teresa Reilly and John Bruce Yeh on clarinets, Joe's mother Mary Jo Reilly on voice, and his father David Reilly on bowed bass. The other musicians include Joe's Chicago band the Faith Project (Jon Faro, Alejandro Cornejo, and Camelo Romelus), singers Sue Demel and Michaela Marchi, the bass skills of Jeff Guevin (who also played on Joe's 2009 Touch the Earth album), and Joe's great friend and rapper William Copeland, aka Will See. The photographs for the Hello Ocean EP were taken by Nathan Meadows during Joe's 2012 West Coast Tour, during an afternoon visit to Muir Beach in northern California. Within this collection of five songs you will find humor, love, inspiration, spiritual seeking and insights, as well as intricate layers of melody and rhythm. Enjoy next to your favorite body of water!