The band Juliette Lewis says are “like a religion from the future”
Debuting on the silver screen as the troubled teenage daughter in Martin Scorsese’s 1991 remake of Cape Fear, Juliette Lewis swiftly garnered acclaim. With notable roles in three pivotal films of the 1990s, such as What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, Natural Born Killers, and From Dusk Till Dawn, Lewis epitomised the burgeoning emergence of new talent, showcasing remarkable versatility that has endured across her career.
With a dedicated cult following, Lewis aimed to broaden her appeal to film and television producers by seeking legal emancipation from her parents, enabling greater flexibility in her work opportunities. In her own words: “I know that sounds all radical, but when you start acting when you’re younger, you talk to other actor kids and their moms, and they’re like, ‘Yeah, if you want to get a job, they like on your resume to say emancipated minor versus minor because you then can work over eight hours.’”
However, while the actor enjoyed numerous successes in her film career, she embarked on a new journey in music to satisfy her need for artistic expression. As a result, she created her band, Juliette and the Licks, in 2003. “I’d got complacent in the movie industry, and I needed to write songs,” Lewis explained. “I had to give up movies. That’s what I had to do. All I wanted was a future that allowed me to make records.”
Consisting of guitarists Craig Fairbaugh and Emilio Cueto, bassist Jason Womack, and drummer Ed Davis, the band has garnered acclaim with tracks such as ‘You’re Speaking My Language’ and ‘Hot Kiss’. Their second album, Four on the Floor, caught the attention of Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, who stepped in to record with them after their drummer withdrew just weeks before the recording sessions.
Regarding influences, Lewis always readily discusses her favourites, from The Cure to Pink Floyd. On the latter, Lewis has long considered the band one of the best, comparing their music to a gift from the gods. While discussing the impact of Miles Davis during a Pitchfork feature in 2022, the star likened his music to coming across Pink Floyd’s for the first time.
She explained: “Bitches Brew was everything under the sun, moon and stars to us. It’s almost like when you finally get Pink Floyd—well, you’re forever discovering Pink Floyd. They’re like a religion from the future. We would get all stoney and listen to that entire album. This was around the same time that I was watching Easy Rider every day. I was just branching out on my own, and the world felt wide open.”
Lewis has made her admiration for the band known in various ways over the years, including posting on X about their music and encouraging others to join in the conversation. She also quoted their popular song ‘Us and Them’ on the platform, singling out the poignant lyric: “Me, and you / God only knows it’s not what we would choose to do.”
