Rilo Kiley

Jenny Lewis, the centerpiece of Rilo Kiley (right), has a most uncommon resumé. She first earned attention as an actress who worked steadily between 1985, when she was just eight years old, and 2001. According to the Internet Movie Database, her credits include high-profile film appearances (she got seventh billing...

By Michael Roberts

June 9, 2005

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Jenny Lewis, the centerpiece of Rilo Kiley (right), has a most uncommon resumé. She first earned attention as an actress who worked steadily between 1985, when she was just eight years old, and 2001. According to the Internet Movie Database, her credits include high-profile film appearances (she got seventh billing in the Tobey Maguire/Reese Witherspoon vehicle Pleasantville), regular roles on television series (Brooklyn Bridge and Lucille Ball's last gasp, Life With Lucy) and lots of TV guest spots (she turned up on Growing Pains, Mr. Belvedere, The Golden Girls and even Baywatch). This track record conjures negative expectations, to put it mildly, yet Rilo Kiley is a lot better than Troop Beverly Hills, another of her cinematic "achievements." Last year's More Adventurous, the most recent effort by the quartet of Lewis, Blake Sennett, Jason Boesel and Pierre de Reeder, doesn't really qualify as indie rock -- the edges are way too smooth -- yet Lewis is a poised performer who's comfortable essaying both moody pop like "It Just Is" and up-tempo retro-bouncers such as "Love and War (11/11/46)." Clearly, Lewis, who's visiting the Gothic in the company of Feist and the Brunettes, is ready for her closeup.

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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