Ike Reilly may sing a song called “I Will Let You Down,” but it’s unlikely anyone ever believed that sentiment leaving one of his live performances.

Reilly is a poet and protest singer with a rock ‘n’ roll swagger. He comes across equal parts scrappy and self-deprecating, the first one to make a joke — or write a lyric — at his own expense.

That might be one of the reasons Reilly feels at home in Youngstown, which has been a frequent tour stop over the years.

He’s not “a complete unknown,” to borrow the title of a biofilm about his biggest influence, but he’s criminally under-appreciated in the eyes of his ardent fan base, which includes peers such as Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello and Cracker’s David Lowery.

Like Bob Dylan, Reilly is the subject of a recent movie, the documentary “Don’t Turn Your Back on Friday Night.” No Timothee Chalamet needed; Reilly plays himself in the film, which explores his music (Morello and Lowery are among those who sing his praises) but also shows a man trying to balance the struggles of being a touring musician with the demands of being a husband and father.

One way he’s doing that is by melding the two. On his upcoming tour, which includes a show Feb. 23 at Westside Bowl, two of his three sons, Shane and Kevin, will be with him on stage as part of the Ike Reilly Assassination (Reilly, guitar and lead vocals; Phil Karnats, guitar; Dave Cottini, drums; Pete Cimbalo, bass; and Ed Tinley, guitar. Youngest son Mickey would have joined them, but he just signed a contract to play professional soccer.

“They’re fully part of the show now,” Reilly said during a phone interview from his home in Libertyville, Ill. “They each take a song. They’re part of the operation now. We’ve been playing shows together for almost two-and-a-half, three years now, and it’s the first tour since the film came out, and it’s the first month-long tour. They’re into the music now, and we’ve gotten a lot of joy out of it.”

He also said there’s something special when people who share blood make harmonies together.

“I’m not saying we’re the greatest singers, but there is a connection when you hear people singing together that are genetically related.”

Reilly admitted he was a reluctant movie subject when directors Michael O’Brien and Mike Schmiedeler approached him with the idea of doing a documentary.

Having known O’Brien for years helped, but it still took about six months before he said yes.

“They thought it would be a good film,” Reilly said. “I wasn’t so sure. I was wrong, because they made a good film. They pitched the idea that it was going to celebrate the songs, and that was what I was interested in. I had no idea that the film would end up being so personal.”

The film focus on Reilly’s relationship with his remarkably tolerant wife Kara Dean (the inspiration for the song “Kara Dean” and many others), the financial struggles that forced the family to move from its dream home and Reilly’s new-found sobriety, which may come as a surprise to those who remember some of his past, liquor-lubricated Youngstown shows.

“It’s one of the most surprising elements of my life that it (alcohol) is not part of it anymore,” Reilly said. “I can be around it. I like bars because I like talking to people, I like where people hang out. I used to have to use it to lower my inhibitions about performing. Now I appreciate so much the ability to sing and play and the communal moments with a crowd. They’re so much more meaningful to me now because I can remember them.

“I don’t judge anybody for drinking at all. I just realized I couldn’t do what I do if I kept drinking, I wouldn’t be fit enough or sharp enough. I gotta be really efficient, you know, I gotta write when I write in the morning. I gotta take care of the business … I’ve learned to adapt, and there’s nothing that I avoid because of it, because I just don’t. I got lucky. I didn’t go to the program or anything, but I was able to reprogram myself.”

The movie delves into the stories behind some of his most popular songs. “Put a Little Love in It” was inspired by his time as a gravedigger and having to place the headstone for a childhood friend. “Took It Lying Down” draws from his days as a doorman at a ritzy Chicago hotel and a famous customer who stiffed him on the tip for his penthouse suite (hint: that customer now calls 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. home).

It seems to be making an impact with those who see it. Reilly is noticing bigger crowds at his concerts. He’s getting offered bigger opportunities (he’ll play Summerfest in Milwaukee with Social Distortion on the 4th of July) and has both a new studio album and a live show he hopes to release before the end of the year.

“It seems to be opening doors for us,” Reilly said. “There seems to be a lot more yeses than nos now to things that are coming up.”

Expect to hear a couple of the new songs when the band plays Westside Bowl. And after playing a show in Chicago with the Zimmermans where he performed 17 Bob Dylan songs, don’t be surprised to hear a cover or two as well.

It’s a good thing he already had new material written and recorded. Reilly said he’s been stymied trying to figure out what to write about what’s happening in the world today.

“Every policy and every decision you see is combative and exclusive. I don’t know who these policies and decisions are benefiting, but it’s not the working class or the middle class, that’s for sure.”

But it has him looking forward to the upcoming tour.

“The thought of playing rock and roll in clubs in front of people is really, really appealing to me right now. In those environments, it might be an illusion to me, but there’s a communal vibe at the shows we do that I’m anxious to be stuck in the middle of again.”

If you go …

WHO: Ike Reilly Assassination

WHEN: 8 p.m. Feb. 23

WHERE: Westside Bowl, 2617 Mahoning Ave., Youngstown

HOW MUCH: Tickets are $15 in advance through Eventbrite and $20 at the door.

ALSO: Westside Bowl will screen “Don’t Turn Your Back on Friday Night,” a documentary about Ike Reilly, at 6 p.m. Feb. 16. Admission is free.