Joliet Mayor Keeps Love of Playing Music Alive

JOLIET, IL — Now and then Joliet Mayor Bob O’Dekirk likes to hang up his gavel and trade it for a pair of drumsticks.

While many may not know that O’Dekirk plays drums, he’s been doing so since he was a little kid.

O’Dekirk says his drumming skills, which he rates as a 6 out of 10, are mostly self-taught.

“There’s a lot of guys better,” he said.

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His band, Hot Mess, which features two other Joliet residents, will be playing at 4 p.m. at the Taste of Joliet June 24. On July 3, the band will play at The Tree of Joliet with No eXscape and Elisium. Hot Mess will close the show as the headliner.

But Hot Mess isn’t the first band O’Dekirk’s played in. Years before he played with a few Joliet police officers.

Being the mayor of the fourth largest city in Illinois doesn’t leave him a lot of time to play. Still, O’Dekirk said he tries to practice at least once a week.

“It’s one of the few fun things I still do,” he said.

Growing up, O’Dekirk’s family put more of an emphasis on athletics, but playing music developed as a fun hobby.

“I don’t do any of the things I used to do as a kid, I don’t play ball anymore, but you can still play the drums,” he said.

Musically, O’Dekirk likes Led Zeppelin and its drummer John Bonham. He’s also a fan of hard rock.

If you’re feeling surprise at O’Dekirk’s passion for music, you’re not alone. A lot of people are unaware of his moonlighting as a musician.

“A lot of people are surprised when they hear it,” he said. “They know me as the mayor and then they hear (I’m) in a band and they’re like, ‘Really?’”

During a past performance at The Tree, a musician from another band even commented that they’ve never played with the mayor of a city before.

And the reaction from his fellow council members?

“I don’t know. I’ve never really talked to them about it,” he said.

The first time City of Joliet Councilman John Gerl heard him play was at The Taste of Joliet four years ago.

"I was very impressed when I first heard Bob play the drums," Gerl said.

He also doesn't know how he finds the time, but it's obvious he has a passion for it.

"You can tell he really enjoys playing with his band," Gerl said.

See Mayor O'Dekirk and others play at 4 p.m. June 24 at The Taste of Joliet. You can also catch Hot Mess as the July 3 headliner at The Tree. A portion of the proceeds from The Tree event will go back to Joliet's Cantigny VFW post. The show starts at 7 p.m., but Hot Mess will close it out.