Rilo Kiley
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Rilo Kiley
| For The Record... |
| Members include Jason Boesel, drums; Pierre de Reeder, bass; Jenny Lewis (born on January 8, 1977, in Las Vegas, NV), vocals; Dave Rock, drums; Blake Sennett (also known as Blake Soper and Blake Swendenson), guitar, vocals. Lewis and Sennett formed group in Los Angeles, CA, mid-1990s; other members joined band, late 1990s; released debut full lenth Take-Offs and Landings on Barsuk Records, 2001; released The Execution of All Things on Saddle Creek Records, 2002; released More Adventurous on Brute/Beaute, 2004. Addresses: Publicist—Girlie Action, 59 W. 19th St., New York, NY 10011, website: http://www.girlieaction.com. Website—Rilo Kiley Official Website: http://www.rilokiley.com. |
Rock group
With a sound that coasts through the genres of country, power-pop, and everything in between, the Los Angeles four piece band Rilo Kiley has managed to make the kind of records that overshadow vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Jenny Lewis and guitarist and vocalist Blake Sennett's pasts as child actors. With wry hooks, observant and sometimes terse lyrics, and a relationship with labels like Barsuk Records and Saddle Creek Records, Rilo Kiley has chiseled out a niche in indie rock as a band that All Music Guide said "writes melodies so damn catchy, you might almost think you've heard them before."
Born on January 8, 1977, in Las Vegas, Nevada, Jenny Lewis began her career as a child actor when she appeared in a commercial for Jell-O. After a move to Los Angeles following the divorce of her parents, Lewis started to take acting more seriously, appearing first in the television movie Convicted alongside John Larroquette and Carroll O'Connor. Since, she has been cast in numerous feature films, including Troop Beverly Hills, Big Girls Don't Cry…They Get Even, Foxfire, Don's Plum (alongside Toby Maguire and Leonardo DiCaprio), and Pleasantville (starring Maguire and Reese Witherspoon). Perhaps most notably, though, Lewis played alongside Fred Savage and Christian Slater in the video-game inspired The Wizard, which premiered in 1989. Though the film didn't do very well in the press (the Washigton Post 's Rita Kempley called it "tacky and moribund"), Phil Villarreal of the Arizona Daily Star called the $14-million box-office earner "a near forgotten classic." But although acting was something that took up much of Lewis' time, music also played a role in her childhood. In an interview with Twenty Forty Zine, Lewis stated that, "I grew up in the San Fernando Valley in LA, but I went to public school and was into hip-hop and the Cure. They were mostly big bands, pretty much on major labels, with the exception of hip-hop groups that were on the smaller labels. But then in my late teens I started discovering bands like Modest Mouse and Built to Spill."
Rilo Kiley started as an acoustic songwriting collaboration between Lewis and Sennett in 1994. Sennett, who has also been known to go by the names of Blake Soper and Blake Swendson, has appeared in numerous television shows, including Highway to Heaven, Family Ties, the Wonder Years, 3rd Rock from the Sun, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Most notably, however, is Sennett's casting as Pinsky in the Nickelodeon series Salute Your Shorts. He also had a four-year run, from 1994 to 1998, playing Joey on the sitcom Boy Meets World, starring Ben Savage.
Between acting commitments, Lewis and Sennett, who were romantically involved at the time, worked on material and gigged around the Los Angeles area. Wanting to expand on their skeletal arrangements, Lewis and Sennett decided to form an actual band. In 1998, bassist Pierre de Reeder, a high school friend of Sennett's, and drummer Dave Rock were drafted in, becoming the first version of what would be known to a wider audience as Rilo Kiley.
After spending a few years playing around Los Angeles, a small amount of touring, as well as songwriting and recording, Rilo Kiley released its first full-length, Take-Offs and Landings, in 2001 for the Barsuk Label. Home to bands such as Death Cab for Cutie and The Revolutionary Hydra, Rilo Kiley's straightforward indie-pop sound seemed totally at home with the Northwestern label. All Music Guide said, "Songs like 'Go Ahead' and 'Bulletproof' showcase the band's most distinctive asset—the sweet vocals and bittersweet lyrics of Jenny Lewis—while the breezy hooks and driving beats of tunes like 'Wires and Waves' and 'Always' show surprising commercial potential." In Music We Trust called it "a delicious collection of all the positives indie pop has to offer. The songs have feeling, the vocals inviting, the music tight and enjoyable, and the overall song always manages to make you smile, no matter what you're feeling."
A year later, Rilo Kiley returned to the release world with its sophomore stab, The Execution of All Things, released in 2002 for the Omaha-based Saddle Creek Records (home to Bright Eyes, the Faint, and Cursive). This was a record of firsts, as it was the first record to feature new drummer and ex-Lassie Foundation member Jason Boesel. It was also the first record Saddle Creek had released by a band not originally from Omaha. In Music We Trust said that the album takes a "darker, more sullen approach, giving the songs, and the band, more than one dimension to play in. Mostly due to the band's growth in songwriting—both musically and lyrically—they seem more apt to take chances…. Elements of country and folk, though not blatantly obvious, are there, and the pop and indie rock, which dominate the album, seem to appreciate it…." Pitchforkmedia.com said, "The words here are descriptive and articulate, but gracefully rendered. Perfect images and phrases litter the verses, some of them upbeat but more of them conflicted…. Around these frequently bleak lyrics, Lewis and Sennett wrote catchy and energetic music, with perfect hooks and choruses that knock down the walls."
Before commencing work on their next album following an extensive tour supporting Execution…, both Lewis and Sennett attended to their respective side projects. Lewis was tapped by Death Cab for Cutie's Ben Gibbard to work on an electronic collaboration between he and Dntel's Jimmy Tamborello called the Postal Service. Lewis offered her vocals to a number of the songs on Give Up, and the record was released on Sub Pop in 2003. While Lewis toured with the Postal Service, Sennett, along with Boesel, released Me First, the debut by a band they called the Elected, on Sub Pop in early 2004.
The time came, however, for Rilo Kiley to reconvene, write, and record More Adventurous in the winter months of Omaha in 2004. Released on their own imprint, Brute/Beaute, online music outlet Neumu.net praised the album as "Basic but gorgeously textured pop-rock with a country tinge, Rilo Kiley's music is led by vocals that'll stop you in your tracks."
Selected discography
Take-Offs and Landings, Barsuk, 2001.
The Execution of All Things, Saddle Creek, 2002.
More Adventurous, Brute/Beaute, 2004.
Sources
Periodicals
Billboard, October 12, 2002.
Entertainment Weekly, August 20, 2004; September 3, 2004.
Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service, August 28, 2004.
Vanity Fair, June 2004.
Online
"Lazy-I Interview: Rilo Kiley," Lazy-I, http://www.timmcmahan.com/rilo.htm (November 11, 2004).
"Rilo Kiley," All Music Guide, http://www.allmusic.com (November 11, 2004).
"Rilo Kiley: The Execution of All Things," Pitchforkmedia, http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/record-reviews/r/rilo-kiley/execution-of-all-things.shtml (November 11, 2004).
"Rilo Kiley: More Adventurous," Neumu.net, http://neumu.net/fortyfour/2004/2004-00178/2004-00178_fortyfour.shtml (November 11, 2004).
"Venus: Jenny Lewis Interview," Venus, http://www.venuszine.com/stories/music_interviews/434 (November 11, 2004).
AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Artists:
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Rilo Kiley
- Genres: Rock
Biography
Like their West Coast contemporaries in Death Cab for Cutie, Rilo Kiley steadily gained traction in indie pop circles throughout the late '90s and early 2000s before the record industry (and public at large) officially took note. Led by former child actors Jenny Lewis (vocals, guitar, keyboards) and Blake Sennett (guitar, vocals), the L.A.-based quartet held its first practice in 1998. Bassist Pierre de Reeder and drummer Dave Brock (later replaced by ex-Foundation Lassie member Jason Boesel) completed the lineup, and a weekly residency at the Spaceland nightclub in Silverlake allowed Rilo Kiley to hone its mix of classic pop, country, torch song, and folk.The debut album Take Offs and Landings was released in 2001 by the Seattle-based Barsuk Records, also home to Death Cab for Cutie (whose lead singer, Ben Gibbard, would later enlist Lewis' help on the Postal Service's gold-selling debut). Although Lewis' side projects and star appeal would eventually make her the focal point of Rilo Kiley, Take Offs was the work of a dually fronted band, with Sennet contributing lead vocals on four tracks. The band supported the album by hitting the road, during which they were introduced to Omaha native Tim Kasher (Cursive, the Good Life) at San Francisco's Great American Music Hall. Both of Kasher's bands were signed to Omaha's Saddle Creek Records, whose solid roster and promise of creative freedom attracted Rilo Kiley's interest. Although the exclusive label had rarely opened its doors to bands outside of Omaha's city limits, they nevertheless signed Rilo Kiley and released the band's twangy sophomore effort, The Execution of All Things, in October 2002.
After touring with the likes of the Breeders, Pedro the Lion, and Superchunk, the band took some time off to pursue separate projects. Lewis contributed backing vocals to the Postal Service's Give Up, later touring with the band as well, while Sennett and Boesel released their debut album with the Elected. Rilo Kiley reconvened to record 2004's More Adventurous, but creative differences with Saddle Creek convinced the band to create their own label, Brute/Beaute Records (an imprint under the Warner umbrella), for the record's official release. Buoyed by a cohesive sound, several singles, and big-time distribution from Warner Bros., More Adventurous greatly heightened the band's profile. Tours with Coldplay and Bright Eyes followed, and the popular song "Portions for Foxes" was featured on the TV drama Grey's Anatomy.
Following the success of their third album, Rilo Kiley took yet another break to focus on personal projects. Boesel toured the world as Bright Eyes' drummer and worked with Sennet to record the Elected's sophomore release, Sun, Sun, Sun, but all efforts paled in comparison to the critical success of Jenny Lewis' solo debut, Rabbit Fur Coat. Released by Team Love Records (co-founded by Lewis' onetime labelmate, Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst) and featuring vocal duo the Watson Twins, Rabbit Fur Coat charted higher than any Rilo Kiley album to date. Lewis supported the album by touring three times in 2006, earning accolades from such media sources as Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, and NPR. Nevertheless, Warner Bros. had previously signed Rilo Kiley in the wake of More Adventurous' success, and the group reconvened once again to enjoy the major-label backing they'd worked so hard to achieve. Under the Blacklight, the band's first album on a majors' tab (and fourth full-length record overall), was released in August 2007. Jenny Lewis quickly released a second solo album, though, leading the band's future in doubt. ~ Andrew Leahey, Rovi
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
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Rilo Kiley
This article is about the American band. For their self-titled EP, see The Initial Friend E.P..
| Rilo Kiley | |
|---|---|
 Rilo Kiley performing live |
|
| Background information | |
| Origin | Los Angeles |
| Genres | Indie rock, indie pop |
| Years active | 1998–2011 |
| Labels | Warner Bros., Brute/Beaute, Saddle Creek, Barsuk |
| Associated acts | The Elected, The Watson Twins, The Postal Service, The Young Veins, Jenny Lewis, Jenny and Johnny |
| Website | www.rilokiley.com |
| Members | |
| Jenny Lewis Blake Sennett Pierre de Reeder Jason Boesel |
|
| Past members | |
| Dave Rock | |
Rilo Kiley (pronounced /ˈraɪloʊ ˈkaɪliː/ RY-loh KY-lee) was an American indie rock band based in Los Angeles. Formed in 1998, the band consisted of Jenny Lewis, Blake Sennett, Pierre de Reeder, and Jason Boesel.
The group released their debut album Take-Offs and Landings under Seattle-based independent label Barsuk Records in 2001.[1] Since then, they have released three additional studio albums and several EPs. In 2007, they were signed with major record label Warner Bros., and consequently made their major record label debut Under the Blacklight.[1]
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Contents
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History
Fronted by former child actors Jenny Lewis (Troop Beverly Hills, The Wizard) and Blake Sennett (Salute Your Shorts, Boy Meets World), the band signed with independent label Barsuk Records for its first full-length album, Take-Offs and Landings, in 2001. The band later signed with Omaha's Saddle Creek Records and released The Execution of All Things in 2002. In 2004, it released More Adventurous on its own imprint, Brute/Beaute Records, which was distributed by major label Warner Bros. Records. The band later signed directly with Warner Bros.
2004 saw a great increase in recognition for the band, as Sennett and Boesel released an album with their band The Elected and Lewis sang backup on The Postal Service's Give Up. Lewis toured with The Postal Service before heading out on two tours in support of Rilo Kiley's More Adventurous in the summer and fall of 2004. The album spent late 2004 high on Billboard's Heatseekers Chart, and was promoted with appearances on the Late Night with Conan O'Brien and Jimmy Kimmel Live. The band opened for Bright Eyes on the international leg of Conor Oberst's tour for 2005's I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning and was the opening act for the North American dates of Coldplay's Twisted Logic Tour in Fall 2005. "I Never" and "Ripchord" (from More Adventurous) have been featured in several feature films, including Must Love Dogs, Conversations with Other Women, and John Tucker Must Die.
The group is also known for its charitable contributions, particularly to the Elliott Smith Memorial Fund, in honor of the late singer and friend of the band. Sennett and Lewis participated in a memorial concert for the singer shortly after his death in 2003. Sennett and Lewis also contributed to the 2005 UNICEF benefit song, "Do They Know It's Hallowe'en?".
The band's fourth album Under the Blacklight was released August 20, 2007 in the United Kingdom[2] and the following day in the United States.[3] Its first single is "The Moneymaker". For the video, the band cast "real-life porn stars", who Lewis says were told they were auditioning for "soft core porn".[4] The second single is "Silver Lining".
On September 6, 2007, the band began a North American tour in support of Under the Blacklight. On this tour, it was joined by Orenda Fink (of Azure Ray) and Kristin Gundred (of Grand Ole Party).
In April 2009 Blender named "Portions for Foxes" number 376 in their list of "500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born".[5]
Hiatus and breakup
In a 2010 interview with Paste, Jason Boesel stated that the band is on hiatus but are currently working a compilation of unreleased songs. He also stated that there are no plans to release a new album within the near future.[6]
In an April 2011 interview, Blake Sennett stated that, "I would say that if Rilo Kiley were... hmmm... a human being... hmmm... he's probably laying on his back in a morgue with a tag on his toe. Now, I see movies where the dead get up and walk. And when they do that, rarely do good things happen."[7]
In June 2011, when asked about his "corpse" comment and whether Rilo Kiley was indeed dead, Sennett said "I never say never. I loved Rilo Kiley—I loved writing with Jenny. I think she's a great artist and great to write with. I think we're not there yet. Maybe one day we'll dust it off and give it a go; I'd be open to it. I think it was fun—for all of the pitfalls, it was great. I had a great time in Rilo Kiley. I always did."[8]
One month later, however, Blake Sennett announced in an interview with Spinner that the band will not be returning after hiatus and said, "I just felt like there was a lot of deception, disloyalty, greed and things I don't really want to submit myself to." As he officially announced the end of the band, he also said, "I had related that frustration to music but I just thought, 'I'm not going to put myself in that position again,' so I said, 'Fuck that, I can't do this anymore.' That being said, it was probably immature and that came from a place of ego. I think that stuff will rear its head in anything you do, depending on the personnel you surround yourself with; things change overtime [sic] and people change and relationships change."[9]
Television appearances
The band's songs have frequently been used on television programs, such as The O.C. and Dawson's Creek. The apparent first use of Rilo Kiley music on a television show was also the last time that Blake Sennett and Jenny Lewis acted on television. In 2000, they played fictionalized versions of themselves (and the band performed "The Frug") on ABC's short-lived drama Once & Again. Both "The Frug" and "85" were used during a third season episode of Dawson's Creek (#46, "Barefoot At Capefest"). Commenting on this, Lewis said, "We felt honored and grateful to have our music on a show with the integrity and credibility that Dawson's Creek has so rightly earned. We feel proud also that they chose to play our songs during such poignant points in the episode."[10] "Pictures of Success" was used in episode #114 of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, entitled "Older and Far Away". In 2005, "Portions For Foxes" was used in the pilot of Grey's Anatomy and "With Arms Outstretched" was used in the pilot of Weeds. For a second-season episode of Weeds, Lewis sang the theme song ("Little Boxes") with Johnathan Rice who was touring with the band. "Silver Lining" was featured in the pilot of Women's Murder Club. The song "Breakin' Up" was featured in a fourth season episode of Grey's Anatomy. "The Moneymaker" was used on an episode of Nip/Tuck that aired on December 11, 2007 and on an episode of Samantha Who? that aired on April 16, 2009. "The Good That Won't Come Out" was featured quietly in the background of the Season 4 Episode 4 episode of Heroes "Hysterical Blindness" on 10/12/2009.
Origin of the band's name
On the syndicated radio show Loveline in August 2005, Sennett explained that he had a dream in which he was being chased by a sports almanac: "when it got me, I leafed through it...and I came upon an Australian-rules football player from the 19th century named Rilo Kiley. It's kind of embarrassing." When asked by co-host Drew Pinsky if he had ever seen this name in reality, Sennett said, "I don't think so, I don't think that character exists...If you Google 'Rilo Kiley' you just come back with a lot of pictures of us." On how this imaginary name became the name for the band: "I wrote it down on a blotter, an office desk when I woke up, and, I don't know, I came back to it when we were trying to think of a name and we thought we'd use that for one show then change it, 'cause who'd want that name? Who can remember that anyway?"[11]
In 2005, Sennett told Planet Sound Teletext Magazine that the name came from a Scottish athlete. On a 2005 episode of the MSNBC entertainment show MSNBC Entertainment Hot List, the female host stated that the name came from "old Scottish sports almanacs". In the interview segment that followed, Sennett stated, "We just looked in there and the name of one of the star players from the turn of the century was Rilo Kiley."
In an interview published in Q magazine in September 2007, Sennett offered this explanation: "Rilo Kiley is named after a character he'd met in a dream who had predicted the date of Jenny Lewis' death."
Band members
- Jenny Lewis – vocals, keyboards, guitar, bass guitar
- Blake Sennett – guitar, keyboards, vocals
- Pierre de Reeder – bass guitar, guitar, backing vocals
- Jason Boesel – drums, percussion (2001–2011)
- Dave Rock – drums, percussion (1998–2001)
Discography
Main article: Rilo Kiley discography
- Rilo Kiley (1999) (Also known as The Initial Friend EP)
- Take Offs and Landings (2001)
- The Execution of All Things (2002)
- More Adventurous (2004)
- Under the Blacklight (2007)
See also
References
- ^ a b Rilo Kiley Biography, MTV, http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/rilo_kiley/artist.jhtml, retrieved 13 March 2010
- ^ "Rilo Kiley return with new record | News". Nme.Com. 2007-05-10. http://www.nme.com/news/rilo-kiley/28267. Retrieved 2012-02-19.
- ^ Pitchfork: Rilo Kiley Reveal Blacklight Tracklist, U.S. Release Date[dead link]
- ^ "Rilo Kiley say new album is their 'sexiest ever' | News". Nme.Com. 2007-07-16. http://www.nme.com/news/rilo-kiley/29719. Retrieved 2012-02-19.
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ "New Jenny Lewis and Rilo Kiley Albums in the Works, Says Jason Boesel :: Music :: News :: Paste". Pastemagazine.com. 2010-02-05. http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2010/02/new-jenny-lewis-and-rilo-kiley-albums-in-the-works.html. Retrieved 2012-02-19.
- ^ "Blake Sennett discusses The Elected, the possible end of Rilo Kiley, and more « Consequence of Sound". Consequenceofsound.net. 2011-04-14. http://consequenceofsound.net/2011/04/blake-sennett-discusses-the-elected-the-possible-end-of-rilo-kiley-and-more/2/. Retrieved 2012-02-19.
- ^ District, The (2011-06-17). "Catching Up With Blake Sennett :: Music :: Features :: Paste". Pastemagazine.com. http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2011/06/catching-up-with-blake-sennett.html. Retrieved 2012-02-19.
- ^ "Rilo Kiley's Blake Sennett Says Band Broke Up, Blames 'Deception, Disloyalty, Greed'". Spinner. 2011-07-13. http://www.spinner.com/2011/07/13/rilo-kiley-blake-sennett-band-broken-up/. Retrieved 2012-02-19.
- ^ Rilo Kiley discography
- ^ http://www.whysanity.net/wikipedia/loveline_rilo_kiley.mp3
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Rilo Kiley |
- Official site
- http://www.scenepointblank.com/news/splits/rilo-kiley-no-longer-on-hiatus-but-broken-up
- Rilo Kiley discography at Discogs
- Rilo Kiley discography at MusicBrainz
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Mentioned in
The Elected
(Rock Band, 2000s)
Me First
(2004 Album by The Elected)
Rilo Kiley
(Rock Band, '90s, 2000s)
The Execution of All Things
(2002 Album by Rilo Kiley)
Jenny Lewis
(Rock Artist, '90s, 2000s)
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