Many Hollywood celebrities have assembled rock bands that seem more like ego trips, bad ideas or worse ('sup, Russell Crowe, Keanu Reeves?), yet few show the devotion of Juliette Lewis.
Juliette and the Licks started in 2003 and has since played with groups ranging from The Who to Muse, rocked major music festivals like Lollapalooza and toured Europe extensively, despite being on an indie label (Militia Group) and having no major managing firm.
While Lewis acknowledges her group may catch more instant attention because of who she is, that also makes listeners more critical.
"I could probably get an interview with any radio DJ, but does that mean they'll play my music and they're going to like it?" she asked. "No! It means at first, they'll think the music's a joke and it's up to us to prove people wrong."
The eccentric and energetic Lewis, who earned a best- supporting-actress Oscar nomination for her work in "Cape Fear" (1991), was at home in Los Angeles recently on a rare break from touring, discussing her evolution from quirky actress to electric frontwoman.
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A conversation with the 34-year-old Lewis is every bit the casual, stream-of-consciousness roller coaster you might expect, with her breathless voice fluctuating from calm to yell, based on enthusiasm for a given topic.
"People have these assumptions that are so hilarious. Like I have a team of stylists, that I'm in a separate bus than my band, riding first class," she said. "Where do you think this money comes from? We're in the music industry — you have to work your (expletive) ass off!"
Prior to the beginning of her musical voyage, Lewis was one of the few Oscar-nominated actresses you'd half expect to form a rock band.
Her out-there and unsettling characters in films like 1993's "Kalifornia" and 1994's "Natural Born Killers" pegged her as a wild 20-something, while perhaps overshadowing her immense talent.
Yet the decision to turn full-time musician while acting on the side was the culmination of years of Lewis' desire to rock.
"I started an entirely new career in an industry that's no easier than film, at all, at 30," she said. "This is why at once it was terrifying and electrifying at the same time."
Lewis' goal was to develop her band's live show first, playing around Los Angeles and on the Warped Tour in the early part of the decade before working with super-songwriter and producer Linda Perry (Gwen Stefani, Christina Aguilera) for an EP.
Four years on, the music for the band's second album, 2007's "Four on the Floor," features bluesy guitars, equal parts crunch and jangle, thick bass, Lewis' soulful, raspy vocals, and some guy named Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters) sitting in on drums (Grohl is not touring with the band).
At times, it's still difficult to separate yourself from the Lewis you've come to know onscreen from the one you're becoming familiar with onstage; to make the distinction between novelty and ambition.
But if Ronald Reagan and Arnold Schwarzenegger successfully made the switch from actors to political leaders, there's certainly room for Juliette Lewis to be a rock star.
"I'm hungry as hell, and there's no stopping," she said.
If you go
• Who: Juliette and the Licks, Scissors for Lefty, and Suffrajett.
• Where: Plush, 340 E. Sixth St.
• When: 9:30 p.m. Friday.
• Cost: $12 advance, $14 day of show.
• Hear it online: myspace.com/ julietteandthelicks.
