Juliette Lewis might be the most versatile entertainer of her generation. The Academy, Golden Globe and Emmy Award-nominated actress has worked with entertainment industry sages Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen, Oliver Stone and Lasse Hallstr?m, yet still found time to pursue her passion for music with her garage/indie rock band, Juliette and The Licks.
"I've really been putting it off," Lewis said. "I had a wild need to explore myself and life through electric guitar, drum and bass and lyrical prose and a need to perform live and travel the world. Starting a career in music is the hardest and scariest thing I've ever done in my life, but I'm riding the train until the wheels come off."
After trying her hand at sitcoms in the 1980s, including "The Wonder Years" and "I Married Dora," Lewis finally made a name for herself in Scorsese's 1991 film "Cape Fear," for which she earned her first Oscar nomination. Afterward, Lewis appeared in several dramatic independent films, including "Natural Born Killers," "The Basketball Diaries" and "What's Eating Gilbert Grape?"
Consistency has not been always Lewis' forte, and her filmography serves as testament. In 1999, Lewis scored a worst supporting actress Golden Raspberry Award nomination for performance as a mentally handicapped woman in "The Other Sister" opposite Giovanni Ribisi, and in 2002, she played Jennifer Lopez's right-hand pal in the universally loathed "Enough." Seeking a remedy, Lewis turned to music.
"Mentally, film is draining, and at the same time, I felt like my film career was becoming complacent," Lewis said. "I am always seeking honesty and purity with my work, not a fucking cliché - an aura of richness. But film is only a temporary challenge, whereas with music, it's ongoing, especially juggling the roles of being a leader of the band, an artist, a live performer, a lyricist and a businesswoman."
In 2003, Lewis founded her band with guitarist Todd Morse, of H20 and The Operation M.D., bassist Jason Womack and drummer Ed Davis. The band issued its punk-driven EP, "... Like a Bolt of Lighting," the following year. Shortly thereafter in 2005, Juliette and The Licks released their first full-length album, "You're Speaking My Language," which boasted the band's popular single of the same title and quickly found its home on the higher tier of the U.K. Singles Chart.
Last year, Morse left The Licks before they began recording their second album, "Four on the Floor." To fill the void, the band recruited Foo Fighters lead vocalist Dave Grohl. In return, Grohl asked Juliette and The Licks to deliver a guest performance with the Foo Fighters at a sold-out show during the summer of 2006 at Hyde Park in London to 85,000 patrons. Through traveling and touring the world, Juliette and The Licks discovered a large fan base abroad, particularly in the U.K., which led the band to release "Four on the Floor" in England almost a year before the United States.
"We've been everywhere from Israel and China to Russia and Finland," Lewis said. "I love looking at the globe. It's such a pleasure to get out of your safety zone and broaden your view of the world."
This is only the beginning. "Four on the Floor" is a full-on flavored rock album, whereas Juliette and The Licks' next record is set to deal with extremes and explore the dynamics of percussion and vocal work. The band has been on tour since September - its first time - and will be stopping by D.C.'s Rock and Roll Hotel tonight at 8:30 with opening acts Scissors for Lefty and Suffrajett.
"Music is limitless," Lewis said. "You have to be willing to commit 110 percent, and that's both terrifying and exhilarating. But there is always more work to be done as long as you have something to say"
