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Rilo Kiley
Biography
Like their West Coast contemporaries Death Cab for Cutie, Rilo Kiley steadily gained traction in indie pop circles throughout the late '90s and early 2000s before the record industry (and public at large) officially took note. Led by former child actors Jenny Lewis (vocals, guitar, keyboards) and Blake Sennett (guitar, vocals), the L.A.-based quartet held its first practices in 1998. Bassist Pierre de Reeder and drummer Dave Brock (later replaced by ex-Foundation Lassie member Jason Boesel) completed the lineup, and a weekly residency at the Spaceland nightclub in Silverlake allowed Rilo Kiley to hone its mix of classic pop, country, torch song, and folk.

Debut album Take Offs and Landings was released in 2001 by the Seattle-based Barsuk Records, also home to Death Cab for Cutie (whose lead singer, Ben Gibbard, would later enlist Lewis' help on the Postal Service's gold-selling debut). Although Lewis' side projects and star appeal would later make her the focal point of Rilo Kiley, Take Offs is the work of a dually fronted band, with Sennet contributing lead vocals on four tracks. The band supported their debut by hitting the road, during which they were introduced to Omaha native Tim Kasher (Cursive, the Good Life) at San Francisco's Great American Music Hall.
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