With Rilo Kiley member Blake Sennet chanting “you can do
it, Jenny” to his decidedly taciturn band mate Jenny Lewis,
the soft-spoken vocalist and guitarist Lewis created a distinctly
informal atmosphere for a phone interview.
Lewis and her band mates are careful not to take their roles as
musicians more seriously than required. The L.A.-based band creates
a lighthearted musical mix of jazzy bass and percussion, persistent
guitar rhythms and Lewis’ soft, melancholy voice.
Rilo Kiley begins a national tour this month and is eager to
return home to Los Angeles, where its members always find the crowd
particularly welcoming. They have a pair of concerts this Sunday
and Monday. The band will be headlining a tour for the first
time.
“I think that because we’re headlining, we’ll
play a little longer, so it’s scary and exciting” Lewis
said, “This is our tour, in a sense, so the responsibility is
greater.”
When Rilo Kiley performs, the band tends to have a more intense
and rock-oriented drive than its recorded material might suggest.
Their newest record, released in October 2002, tries to capture
more of the feeling of a live performance.
Lewis says she often falls victim to shaky hands during
performances, so she appreciates the encouragement of her fellow
band members.
“That’s the great thing about being in a band.
You’ve got three other people saying, “˜You can do it!
Let’s go!” Lewis said.
The band hopes to come out with another album later this year,
and it has four new songs ready for this tour. One of these, under
the current title, “Party Atmosphere,” discusses the
tragic tale of U.S. veterans who go away to war and return home,
only to find themselves treated poorly.
“It’s interesting to see what that does to a person,
what with the political climate right now. It makes you think about
the future and how it will affect our fathers and sisters,”
Lewis said.
Rilo Kiley believes that their ability to tell a story in their
lyrics sets them apart from other bands.
“We have always tried to tell a story,” Lewis said.
“A lot of our favorite bands come from a strong lyrical
background. Being on a label like Saddle Creek pushes us to want to
tell more complete stories. I think we strive to do
that.”
While growing up, Lewis immersed herself in various styles of
music from gothic to hip hop in a quest to find herself. Lewis, who
is particularly impressed with the ability of hip hop artists to
communicate complex ideas in their lyrics, began looking for ways
to create more lyrically-based music of her own.
“(I write about) all of the things that confuse me most in
my life ““ love, relationships, family, depression, and hope
““ all of the things that seem invincible, but aren’t. I
want to take all the bad things in life and transform them into
something positive,” Lewis said.
Yet sharing these complex lyrics that she works so hard to
create often proves to be stressful for Lewis as she wonders what
the audience’s reaction will be.
“Performing is scary because you’re presenting these
things you made up in your bedroom to complete strangers and close
friends “¦ (But) the ability to go through the feelings again
and purge the stuff that makes you sad is a nice relief,”
Lewis said.
Rilo Kiley performs at the Troubadour this Sunday and at the
Echo in Silverlake this Monday. Visit www.ticketmaster.com for more
information.