Rilo Kiley

Rilo Kiley (l-r): Jason Boesel, Jenny Lewis, Pierre de Reeder and Blake Sennet

Described by Radio 2’s Mark Radcliffe as his favourite band of Glastonbury 2005 Rilo Kiley are one the most artistic bands to come out of LA in a long time. Priding themselves on fighting predictability they are a band which combine country, pop and other genres to create a sound, even though different, is characteristically theirs.

Rilo Kiley are Jenny Lewis (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Blake Sennet (guitar, vocals), Pierre de Reeder (bass) and Jason Boesel (drums). I caught up with Jason Boesel of Rilo Kiley for a chat about music, LA, geography and playing at The Social:

First things first, what was it like to play at Glastonbury 2005?
"Glastonbury was great. We didn't get to see many bands though as we left because it was so muddy. It was pretty scary at times with toilets tipping over, but we had a lot of fun. We played Glastonbury last year as well. I played for one day with Bright Eyes and the next with Rilo Kiley."

Radio 2’s Mark Radcliff said Rilo Kiley were his favourite band at Glastonbury this year. What do you think to that?
“Wow! I didn’t know that but that statement is very flattering indeed.”

Who would you say influences your drum playing?
"Stuart Copeland from The Police, the drummer from Jane's Addiction. Bob Dylan's aura also had a huge influence on me."

Where exactly in L.A are you from?
"We all live on the east side of LA. I live in Glendale. It's about 20 mins from the ocean."

Where did you all meet?
"I was the last person to join the band. I first met them at a place called Space Land while they were playing a gig. We got talking afterwards and things naturally progressed from there."

Rilo Kiley! Where’s that name from?
"Blake came up with the name, I think. They needed a name so he came up with some gibberish words that he liked the sound of and they decided to use it."

How would you describe your sound?
"I would say it was primarily Rock and Roll with some country, folk infused into it. We are Indie Rock, primarily."

Who are the band's musical influences?
Wow, so many people have influenced us. Early Modest Mouse, Bob Dylan, Neil Young. There's a lot of bands such as Patsy Kline and Loretta Lynn as well.”

You played The Social in Nottingham on June 30. What did you think of the Nottingham crowd?
"They were enthusiastic. We played a gig in Sheffield a while ago and the crowd were zombie like. There was a strange feeling about that gig! But the Nottingham crowd were great though."

Have you been to Nottingham before?
"We came here about two years ago. I don't remember where it was we played, but it was in a quaint area of town. There was almost no one there, but it was a good gig though."

What's your most memorable experience with Rilo Kiley, so far?
"We got stuck in a blizzard in Wyoming on the way to a gig. We had to sleep in our car and almost froze to death. That was pretty memorable."

Okay, it's time for the quick, or not so quick, fire round! What's your favourite fact?
"The poppy, I think, has a crazy design on the petal, only visible to bees and certain insects. That's pretty cool."

Who were your favourite bands growing up?
"The Monkees, Guns "N" Roses, Nirvana, Jane's Addiction, Pearl Jam."

If you could have a dream come true what would it be?
"To live the mountains of Switzerland in a small house with a dog. Maybe have kids some day as well."

Who's your favourite film star?
"I don't know man! Maybe Christian Bale. I enjoyed him in the new Batman movie."

What's your favourite state?
"California for sure! The weather's beautiful. It just has a great feel."

www.rilokiley.com

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