Hockey and a side order of Mac N Cheeze? That is most definitely music to the ears of Ryan O’Reilly.
When he walked through the locker room doors in the aftermath of a recent win, O’Reilly, the 17-year NHL veteran who has played the last three campaigns with the Nashville Predators, was struck by a thought – two, actually.
“I never thought in a million years I would play in the NHL or that my teammates would be playing a song that I came up with for my kids,” the forward told NHLPA.com.
Both, however, are a reality in O’Reilly’s orbit.
Aside from an NHL career that is still going strong, the 35-year-old, along with his former Erie Otters junior hockey teammate and good friend Kelly James, have conjured up a kids-themed music project under the name Mac N Cheeze, the duo’s alter egos (O’Reilly is Mac and James is Cheeze).
“Kelly and I ended up going to a Raffi concert – we took my son with us – two summers ago and after that, we had this idea of two guys making kids music, thinking they’re rock stars and making silly little songs,” said O’Reilly.
They also played the name game when it came to their band.
“We were sitting around talking about names and trying to land on something that every kid loves. I don’t remember which one of us said mac and cheese, but we both looked at one another and said, ‘That’s it.’
“But it wasn’t until I got started playing in Nashville when my wife, Dayna, said that I should record these songs and share them with our friends and family. The kids love them, so we thought we could do that and put them on in the car so we could listen to them together when we were out.”
And that’s when O’Reilly and James started thinking bigger.
Eventually, they found themselves in a Nashville music studio, recording songs for the album that would become known as Pizza Party.
“Through connections with the team, we met Chris Kimmerer, who is from Oshawa [Ontario] and has been down here in Nashville for a few years – he is also the drummer for Thomas Rhett,” noted O’Reilly. “He has his own studio in Nashville and we connected with him. Kelly and I ended up getting serious about making some silly songs and making them as polished as we could.
“We had 10 songs, went into the studio and Chris loved it – he thought it was hilarious. He came on as our producer, and we started building more songs. This is two summers ago. He built this whole album, and it is going to be released on April 10.
“We wanted to put it out the right way and the right time, so that’s why it took a little bit to release the album. So, it’s gone from making our kids and friends laugh into this album, and this world we’ve created – it just keeps snowballing.”
The setlist includes “Bye Bye Mr. Poo”, a cheeky reminder to flush, featuring City and Colour, “Greg and the Weasel”, “Coconut,” along with songs about a country Santa and his elf, Elvis the chicken, a shy porcupine and even an Irish pirate with a wooden hockey-stick peg leg.
“It is cool to see what it’s all about in a music studio, what you have to do to make the music as good as you can. All the songs started with Kelly and I just messing around and we realized we might have something when we saw them singing and dancing. Getting into the studio and working with someone who knows the industry well and can elevate it – that helped us make something that I feel sounds professionally done. Getting to see that and learn about that side of music has been such a fun process.”
There are also animated music videos, live mini-shows, behind-the-scenes content, toys, merch, a TV show, musicals and even a boxed macaroni and cheese in the works.
The project also has a philanthropic component, allocating a portion of its proceeds to foster care initiatives, music-focused charities and youth sports programs.
O’Reilly still has a hard time wrapping his head around the music journey that started in his mid-teens.
“I have always been into music,” O’Reilly told NHLPA.com. “I got a guitar for my birthday when I was around 15 or 16 and started playing, just messing around. I’m by no means a great guitar player, but I do enough to get by. Once I had kids, I would play the guitar, just to make them laugh and smile, being silly in front of them. Over the years, the songs I was doing got a little more polished and catchier.
“And now here we are with this album for kids – it’s kind of funny how it has all turned out.”
Reviews of Mac N Cheeze’s debut album have been overwhelmingly positive.
“My older two kids, who are eight and six, are kind of a little sick of hearing the songs, but my two youngest are my biggest fans and request songs. It’s hilarious. The goal is to make them be silly and rock out.”
Although it was unintended, O’Reilly has achieved the same with his teammates.
“Pizza Party has turned into our win song at the rink. The boys have given me a ton of support. When we released the first song, we didn’t really announce it, but all the boys on the team knew it. I thought they were joking, but they said, ‘We’re playing that.’
“We squeaked out a win, and I walked into the dressing room and Pizza Party is blaring. Seeing the guys jam out to it in the locker room is awesome.”
Support has also come from within the music industry.
Collaborators include Dallas Green of City and Colour, Thumpasaurus, Alle Bernardi and Jig Jam.
“The song Bye Bye Mr. Poo, which came out on March 6, features Dallas Green,” O’Reilly noted of the Canadian musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. “We’re good friends and he was so kind to sing a little bit on it.
“All of it, including working with Dallas, is so funny to us because it started out as trying to make my kids laugh and do something for the people we are closest with, and it ended up steamrolling into having more people involved. Through our connections with other musicians, we ended up signing a record deal with Dine Alone Records. It’s kind of hilarious how this thing keeps getting bigger and bigger along the way.”
Hockey, however, still easily tops the charts on O’Reilly’s priority list.
“I’m not going to the studio every day I am off. It’s just a fun hobby I enjoy. Hockey is absolutely my full-time focus but doing this when time permits – I’m so grateful to get to do two things that mean a lot to me.”
Visit the Mac N Cheeze YouTube channel for more songs from the duo.
(Feature photo courtesy of Getty Images)