Jenny Lewis

Jenny Lewis
Live at The Joint, Las Vegas, Nevada
Background information
Birth name	Jennifer Diane Lewis
Born	January 8, 1976 (1976-01-08) (age 33)[1] Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
Origin	California, U.S.
Genres	Indie rock, alternative country, indie folk
Instruments	Vocals, Keyboards, Guitar, Bass, Harmonica
Years active	1998 - present (Rilo Kiley)
Labels	Team Love, Warner Bros., Brute/Beaute, Saddle Creek, Barsuk
Associated acts	Rilo Kiley The Postal Service The Watson Twins

For the Primeval character, see Jenny Lewis (Primeval).

Jennifer Diane Lewis (born on January 8, 1976^[1] in Las Vegas, Nevada) is an American singer, musician, and actress. She is a member and primary vocalist of the indie rock band Rilo Kiley, and has released two solo albums.

Acting career

Lewis made her professional debut in a Jell-O commercial. She was featured in the short-lived 1986 Lucille Ball sitcom Life With Lucy, where she was cast as one of Lucy's grandchildren.^[2] She also had small roles on such TV shows as The Twilight Zone, Baywatch, Golden Girls, Growing Pains, Just the Ten of Us, Roseanne, Mr. Belvedere, and Brooklyn Bridge.^[2]

Lewis appeared in over a dozen teen-themed movies, such as Troop Beverly Hills, in the late 1980s and in 1989 starred in The Wizard. She was featured in the 1996 made-for-TV movie Talk to Me with Yasmine Bleeth, as well as the films Foxfire, Big Girls Don't Cry... They Get Even, and Pleasantville.^[2] She played the part of Evangeline "Eva" Saint Claire in the 1987 film version of Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel Uncle Tom's Cabin.^[2] She continued acting until 1998, although the last released (Don's Plum, filmed 1995-6) wasn't released until 2001.^[2]

Music

Rilo Kiley

In 1998, she and friends Pierre De Reeder, Blake Sennett and Dave Rock formed the band Rilo Kiley. (Rock was replaced by Jason Boesel.) In an interview with NPR's All Songs Considered, Lewis remarked that she wanted to name the group Love's Way (after her parents' lounge act in Las Vegas), but Sennett "didn't go for it."^[3]

Beginning with a country sound, Rilo Kiley gravitated toward a downbeat indie rock sound, and with its 2004 album More Adventurous found widespread success. Critics such as Pitchfork Media attributed this to the "wise" decision to emphasize Lewis's voice and presence more so than in previous albums. The song "Portions for Foxes" was a hit, and in 2005 the band was picked up by Warner Bros. (via its own imprint, Brute/Beaute Records), putting them on a major label for the first time. The band opened for Coldplay on its U.S. tour in 2005. Rilo Kiley's 2007 album Under the Blacklight was released directly by Warner Bros.

Solo career

In 2004, Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes invited Lewis to record a solo record for record label Team Love. Described by Lewis as "a kind of soul record"^{[citation needed]}, Rabbit Fur Coat (released January 24, 2006) features contributions from Oberst, M. Ward, and Maroon 5 guitarist James Valentine. Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie (and Lewis's bandmate in The Postal Service) guests on a cover of The Traveling Wilburys' "Handle With Care." The Watson Twins provide accompaniment on the album, billed as Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins. Lewis toured with the Watson Twins in support of the album three times in 2006 and appeared with her band on The Late Show With David Letterman, The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson, Late Night With Conan O'Brien and Later with Jools Holland. They also appeared on a Washington, D.C.-based children's music program called Pancake Mountain, performing the song "Fernando". The album received positive reviews, with Entertainment Weekly writing, "Consider Lewis the Emmylou Harris of the Silverlake set"^{[citation needed]} and Rolling Stone commenting that "her girlishly seductive vocals are more versatile than ever"^{[citation needed]}. The Onion AV Club, Spin^{[citation needed]}, and NPR music critic Meredith Ochs named it among the best albums of the year.^[4][5]

In 2008, Lewis released a second solo album, this time without the Watson Twins, titled Acid Tongue.

Other musical projects

In 2002, Lewis was asked to contribute vocals for The Postal Service. Lewis performed in the video for the hit "We Will Become Silhouettes", and toured with the band in 2003. Lewis contributed vocals to several tracks on the 2004 Cursive album The Ugly Organ.

In 2005, Lewis contributed to the UNICEF benefit song "Do They Know It's Hallowe'en?", along with Sennett and Jimmy Tamborello.

In 2007, Jenny Lewis contributed vocals to various songs on Johnathan Rice's album Further North, and she appeared in the music video for "We're All Stuck Out In The Desert (And We're Gonna Die)". She provided vocals for a track on Dntel's Dumb Luck LP.

In 2008, she contributed backing vocals to several songs on the Elvis Costello and the Imposters album Momofuku.

In 2008, Lewis provided the song "Barking at the Moon" to Walt Disney Pictures's Bolt.^[6]

In March and April 2009, Jenny did her first trip to Australia, as an act for the V Festival, as well as a support act for Snow Patrol and performing one solo Sydney show.

On April 18, 2009, Jenny performed at the Coachella music festival in Indio, CA.

On May 5, 2009, Jenny performed on The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson.^[7]

Filmography

Discography

Rilo Kiley

• The Initial Friend (1999)
• Take-Offs and Landings (2001)
• The Execution of All Things (2002)
• More Adventurous (2004)
• Under the Blacklight (2007)

Solo

• Rabbit Fur Coat (2006) (with The Watson Twins)
• Acid Tongue (2008)

Other appearances

• Bright Eyes - Lifted or The Story is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground (2002 · Saddle Creek)
• Cursive - The Ugly Organ (2003, Saddle Creek)
• The Postal Service - Give Up (2003, Sub Pop)
• The Good Life - Album of the Year (2004, Saddle Creek)
• Dntel - Dumb Luck (2007, Sub Pop)
• Whispertown 2000 - "Livin' In A Dream" (2007)
• Elvis Costello and the Imposters - Momofuku (2008, Lost Highway Records)
• Whispertown 2000 - "Swim" (2009)

Videography

• Rilo Kiley - "The Frug" (1999)
• Rilo Kiley - "Wires and Waves" (2002, unreleased)
• Rilo Kiley - "Portions for Foxes" (2003)
• The Postal Service - We Will Become Silhouettes (2005, directed by Jared Hess)
• Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins - "Rise Up with Fists" (2006)
• Rilo Kiley - "The Moneymaker" (2007)
• Rilo Kiley - "Silver Lining" (2007)
• Jenny Lewis - "Blacksand" (2009)
• Jenny Lewis - "See Fernando" (2009)

See also

• The Watson Twins

References

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Jenny Lewis

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jenny Lewis

• Official website
• Jenny Lewis at the Internet Movie Database
• Jenny Lewis at TV.com
• Jenny Lewis at NPR Music
• Strangers Almanac Column on Glide Magazine
• October 2008 interview on Bob Edwards Weekend
• "The Magic of the Moment", April 2009 interview in Submerge Magazine