Jenny Lewis

Infobox musical artist 2
Name = Jenny Lewis
Birth_name = Jennifer Diane Lewis


Img_capt = Live at The Joint, Las Vegas, NV
Background = group_or_band
Genre = indie rock
Born = birth date and age|mf=yes|1976|1|8 [ [http://www.tv.com/jenny-lewis/person/4817/summary.html?q=Jenny+Lewis Jenny Lewis - TV.com ] ]
flagicon|USA Las Vegas, Nevada
Origin = California, U.S.
Instrument = Vocals, Keyboards, Guitar, Bass
Years_active = 1998 - present (Rilo Kiley)
Label = Team Love, Warner Bros., Brute/Beaute, Saddle Creek, Barsuk
Associated_acts = Rilo Kiley
The Postal Service
The Watson Twins
Current_members = :"For the "Primeval" character, see Jenny Lewis (Primeval)."

Jenny Lewis (born Jennifer Diane Lewis on January 8, 1976 [ [http://www.tv.com/jenny-lewis/person/4817/summary.html?q=Jenny+Lewis Jenny Lewis - TV.com ] ] in Las Vegas, Nevada) is an American singer, musician, and actress.

Lewis is a founding member and co-lead singer of the indie rock band Rilo Kiley, and has also released two solo albums. She is a former child actress.

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. She also had small roles on such TV shows as "Baywatch", "Golden Girls", "Growing Pains", "Roseanne", "Mr. Belvedere", and "Brooklyn Bridge".

Lewis went on to appear in over a dozen movies, mostly teen-themed movies like "Troop Beverly Hills", in the late 1980s and early 1990s.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", "The Wizard", and "Pleasantville". She also played the part of Evangeline "Eva" Saint Claire in the 1987 film version of Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel "Uncle Tom's Cabin". She continued acting until 2001.

Music

Rilo Kiley

In 1998, she and friends Pierre De Reeder, Blake Sennett and Dave Rock formed the band Rilo Kiley. (Rock was later 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." [ [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6254742 NPR Music: The Blue-Eyed Soul of Jenny Lewis ] ]

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 front Lewis on most of the songs (on earlier albums, Sennett contributed about half the vocals). 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 major label Warner Bros.

Other musical projects

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

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," "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" and "Rolling Stone" commenting that "her girlishly seductive vocals are more versatile than ever." The Onion AV Club, "Spin", and NPR music critic Meredith Ochs named it among the best albums of the year. [ [http://www.avclub.com/content/node/56476 Best Music Of 2006 | The A.V. Club ] ] [ [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6567709 NPR Music: Meredith Ochs: Top Ten CDs of 2006 ] ]

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 also 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". On February 8, 2008, Pitchfork reported that Lewis was returning to the studio to begin work on the follow-up to her 2006 solo LP with the Watson Twins, titled "Acid Tongue". [ [http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/page/news/48566-jenny-lewis-working-on-new-album Pitchfork: Jenny Lewis Working on New Album ] ]

Musical influences

In several interviews, Lewis has also credited influences such as Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, and Laura Nyro, particularly her album Gonna Take a Miracle. Lewis has been spotted at concerts by some of these performers as well as indie singer-songwriter Leslie Feist.Influenced by her mother’s country music collection, Lewis claims she has always identified with artists like Patsy Cline, Tammy Wynette, and later Lucinda Williams because of their strong female perspective.

Trivia

* Lewis was given an "Esky" for Best Temperature Raiser in "Esquire"'s 2006 Esky Music Awards in the April issue.
* Actress Anne Hathaway was quoted in "People Magazine" as calling Lewis' solo album "beautiful, funny, and very subversive". [ [http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20005298,00.html Celebs Give Their Top Picks of 2006 - Ashlee Simpson : People.com ] ]
* Drew Barrymore featured a Jenny Lewis song in her iTunes Celebrity Playlist, saying that "Rabbit Fur Coat" was "just my favorite album of 2006." Barrymore says it inspired her to write a song, which she plans to present to Lewis. [ [http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/barrymore%20pens%20new%20tune%20for%20jenny%20lewis_1020173 Drew Barrymore - Barrymore Pens New Tune For Jenny Lewis ] ]
* Comedian Sarah Silverman is a fan of both Rilo Kiley and Jenny Lewis, and appeared in the music video for "Rise Up With Fists!!"
* In July 2007, Lewis was named #4 on Spinner.com's list of "Women Who Rock Right Now". [ [http://www.spinner.com/2007/07/15/women-who-rock-right-now-no-4/ Women Who Rock Right Now: No. 4 - Spinner.com ] ]

Filmography

* "Don's Plum" (2001)
* "Pleasantville" (1998)
* "Little Boy Blue" (1997)
* "Talk to Me" (1996/I) (TV)
* "Foxfire" (1996)
* "Sweet Temptation" (1996) (TV)
* "Runaway Daughters" (1994) (TV)
* "Big Girls Don't Cry... They Get Even" (1992)
* "Daddy" (1991) (TV)
* "Runaway Father" (1991) (TV)
* "Brooklyn Bridge" (1991) TV Series
* "" (1991) (TV)
* "" (1990) (TV)
* "The Wizard" (1989)
* "Shannon's Deal" (1989) (TV)
* "Troop Beverly Hills" (1989)
* "Friendship in Vienna, A" (1988) (TV)
* "Baby M" (1988) (TV)
* "My Father, My Son" (1988) (TV)
* "Who Gets the Friends?" (1988) (TV)
* "Trading Hearts" (1987)
* "Uncle Tom's Cabin" (1987) (TV)
* "Life with Lucy" (1986) TV Series
* "Convicted" (1986) (TV)

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)

olo

* "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)
*Dntel - "Dumb Luck" (2007, Sub Pop)
*Elvis Costello and the Imposters - "Momofuku" (2008, Lost Highway Records)
*The Good Life - "Album of the Year" (2004, Saddle Creek)

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)

ee also

* The Watson Twins

References

External links

* [http://www.jennylewis.com/ Official site]
* [http://www.myspace.com/jennylewismusic Official MySpace]
* [http://www.rilokiley.com/ Rilo Kiley official site]
*
* [http://www.tv.com/jenny-lewis/person/4817/summary.html?q=Jenny%20Lewis&tag=search_results;title;0 Jenny Lewis] at Tv.com
* [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15453251/ Jenny Lewis at NPR Music]