Jenny Lewis

Jenny Lewis

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Rilo Kiley's Jenny Lewis Spins Her Own Yarn on Rabbit Fur Coat
Rilo Kiley frontwoman Jenny Lewis knows a thing or two about paying her dues. First, she had to knock the chips off the shoulders of music snobs who didn't think a onetime child actor could deliver the goods as singer for an artful rock band -- then she had to deal with folks who wanted to play the "let's hate her because she's beautiful" game. With those tasks accomplished -- and Rilo Kiley albums nesting in the collections hipsters, regular Joes, and even a few soccer moms from coast to coast -- Lewis has taken on a new challenge by testing the waters as a solo artist. The first evidence of that, Rabbit Fur Coat, takes some surprising turns, crossing gospel waters and even making a pit stop in the land of the Traveling Wilburys. There's a homespun charm to the disc, an openness that doesn't always come across on her "day job," which makes Rabbit Fur Coat such a pleasure to slip into. Lewis took time to size up the disc with Barnes & Noble.com's David Sprague.

Barnes & Noble.com: What made this the right time to do a solo album?

Jenny Lewis: I think the songs came as they have in the past, but it seemed like the time between Rilo Kiley records was going to be a long one in that we recorded More Adventurous, and then I wrote all these songs. Conor [Oberst, of Bright Eyes and Rilo Kiley's indie label, Saddle Creek] asked me to make a solo record a couple of years ago, and at the time, I thought that was absurd, since I'd never considered that because Rilo Kiley is such a wonderful outlet for my songs.

B&N.com: So you wrote these songs, consciously knowing they were going to be for a solo album?

JL: No, I just wrote them, then decided to make the record. The whole thing was just so no pressure at all. I didn't have a band, didn't have a release date, didn't officially have a label except that friends were talking about putting a record out. It was like if I made it and didn't feel like putting it out, I wouldn't have. I paid for it myself, so it was a different kind of process. Now it's a little nerve-racking. It's entirely mine, and if it sucks, it's my fault.

B&N.com: Did you bounce it off the other people in Rilo Kiley at all?

JL: I know Blake [Sennet, guitarist/vocalist] had heard some of the songs because I wrote a lot of them on the road and I might play one at a soundcheck, and he'd ask, "What's that?" And Jason [Boesel] played drums on the record -- we have a very close relationship within Rilo Kiley, and he was really supportive. He said, "I'd like to be a part of your songs wherever they go." But it was initially a scary experience to go in without my partner Blake.

B&N.com: Did you know going into recording what you were hoping to come out with?

JL: I think the whole process was pretty spontaneous, aside from singing with the Watson Twins. I knew how the songs with them would sound, just the voices. We went in, my friends came in once or twice to run through songs, and that was it. It was an exciting experience to see how things turned out because it happened so quickly.

B&N.com: How did you end up collaborating with the Watson Twins?

JL: They are from Louisville, and I met them through Blake years ago. They sang on a Rilo Kiley song once, and I always remembered how powerful they were -- just the force of their voices. And they're lovely, lovely women. So, I was asked to do a solo show, like a hootenanny, in Los Angeles, and I was terrified to do it alone, so I thought, I'll invite the Watson Twins! And it turned out we really meshed well and got along so great, and I was thrilled to work with them.

B&N.com: In terms of sound, especially with the Watsons, there's something of a spiritual feel that extends to some of the lyrics. Were you aware of that as it was coming together?

JL: Yeah, I think that's something I consider. This is a secular record and most of the gospel references are questioning the existence of such, and wondering where we'll end up. So I don't think I intended to make a religious record. I drew a lot from the gospel records I loved growing up, and the sound of three voices singing something makes it a little more pointed and powerful. But it kind of shaped up to be a gospel record, which I didn't intend at all.

B&N.com: Did that questioning lead to any answers?

JL: Not yet, but in being willing to question, I feel just a tiny bit closer to understanding something. It's a difficult subject in song and in life and I think in a lot of ways, it might be easier to choose to believe in something.

B&N.com: Is there a lot of autobiography in these lyrics, thinking particularly of the title track?

JL: I think if you were to Google my name, you might find some hints to some of the verses in the song. Songs are songs, and they perhaps start in a place of honesty and take on a different life. I avoided that one well, didn't I?

B&N.com: Has the increased interest in what you're doing musically affected how you approach the music or the whole of what you do?

JL: I certainly feel more and more like I'm doing what I should be doing -- not that I don't exist in self-doubt most of the time. But I feel this is really why I'm here now. It makes me happy and it seems like some people like it, so it makes sense to keep doing it, whereas in the beginning, I was like, What am I doing? No one's here!

B&N.com: How did you choose to cover the Traveling Wilburys "Handle with Care"?

JL: I've always wanted to cover a Traveling Wilburys song. I just think those are such amazing songs...well, of course, because of all the people who wrote them. But that one -- one day, I thought it would be awesome to do that song and then I thought, Hey, I've got some friends who could play the parts. It's just the spirit of collaboration, of people working together that respect each other's work. I'm a huge fan, first and foremost, of Ben [Gibbard, of Death Cab for Cutie and Postal Service] and Conor and Matt [Ward, a.k.a. M. Ward] and [producer Mike] Mogis, so it was awesome to work with them and do it in a way that was light-hearted and fun.

B&N.com: And where does Rilo Kiley stand at this point?

JL: Well, Blake has an Elected record, and I have this, so I think we'll allow ourselves to do what we need to do before we go back to Rilo Kiley. If we sold ourselves short on our solo records, we'd start to get resentful, so we don't want to do that. We'll be back working on songs together before too long.

January 2006