Jeffrey Lewis
Encyclopedia
Jeffrey Lewis is an American singer/songwriter and comic book
artist.
and graduated in 1997 with a degree in Literature. His Senior Literary Thesis was on the comic book Watchmen
.
Lewis also lectured on the topic of Watchmen at the Institute For Cultural Studies at the University of Leuven, Belgium, in 2000, and the text of his lecture ("The Dual Nature of Apocalypse in Watchmen") was published in the book The Graphic Novel, edited by Jan Baetens, in 2001.
Starting in 2000, he spent about 2 years living in Austin, Texas
, playing open mic nights, working odd jobs and distributing his autobiographical comics to local coffee shops.
Horror", "The History of The Fall" and "The Chelsea Hotel
Oral Sex Song", concerning the song by Leonard Cohen
. Lewis' lyrics are complex and literate, often combining a nihilistic world-view with a hopeful message and sharp wit. Growing up on the Lower East Side
of Manhattan Island his songs are also highly informed by his home surroundings, with songs name-dropping places such as Williamsburg
, the FDR Drive and the East River
.
Lewis is often regarded as part of the antifolk movement, first and foremost because he was one of the many bands and performers (including The Moldy Peaches
, Major Matt Mason USA
and Lach
) who played in the 1990s at New York's Sidewalk Cafe and its biannual antifolk festivals and open mic events. His music also possesses certain traits of a perceived antifolk style - a downbeat self-deprecating humor, an off-kilter singing style, a mixture of acoustic and 'punk' songs which feature themes of everyday occurrences and feelings. Lewis himself does not mind the 'antifolk' tag: "I think it's a cool title. The fact that no one knows what it means, including me, makes it kind of mysterious and more interesting than saying that you’re a singer/songwriter or that you play indie rock."
After being signed by the British record label Rough Trade
in 2001, Jeffrey Lewis released his first official album The Last Time I Did Acid I Went Insane
.
In 2003 he released the album It's the Ones Who've Cracked That the Light Shines Through
, with drummer Anders Griffen
. His third record, City and Eastern Songs
, was released in the UK in November 2005 and in the US in September 2006. All three of these albums also include his brother, Jack Lewis
, who wrote and sang a number of the songs. In October 2007, Jeffrey released 12 Crass Songs
, an album consisting entirely of songs written by the anarcho-pacifist British punk band Crass
, reworked to match Jeffrey's antifolk style.
He has also performed and collaborated with Kimya Dawson
of The Moldy Peaches
as well as Diane Cluck
. Some of his hand-drawn comics appear in the cover art of his CD releases.
In June 2008 Jeffrey Lewis with his brother Jack were the support act for Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks
in Europe. Other well-known acts that Jeffrey has performed shows or whole tours with include Devendra Banhart
, Jarvis Cocker
, Black Dice, Adam Green, Thurston Moore, the Fall, Kimya Dawson, Beth Orton, Frank Black, the Fiery Furnaces, Daniel Johnston, Scout Niblett, the Mountain Goats
, Dr. Dog
, the Moldy Peaches
, Cornershop, Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players
, Wooden Wand, the Cribs, Danielson, Herman Dune, Los Campesinos, and Super Furry Animals.
The New York Times online Op-Ed page "Measure For Measure" hired Jeffrey Lewis to write four short essays on the topic of songwriting, which were published at intervals in Fall/Winter 2008.
In March 2009, he designed the cover to the sixth issue of Bearded
magazine.
Comics
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
artist.
Early life
Lewis attended State University of New York at PurchaseState University of New York at Purchase
Purchase College, State University of New York, is a public four-year college located in Purchase, New York, United States. It is one of 13 comprehensive colleges in the State University of New York system...
and graduated in 1997 with a degree in Literature. His Senior Literary Thesis was on the comic book Watchmen
Watchmen
Watchmen is a twelve-issue comic book limited series created by writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons, and colourist John Higgins. The series was published by DC Comics during 1986 and 1987, and has been subsequently reprinted in collected form...
.
Lewis also lectured on the topic of Watchmen at the Institute For Cultural Studies at the University of Leuven, Belgium, in 2000, and the text of his lecture ("The Dual Nature of Apocalypse in Watchmen") was published in the book The Graphic Novel, edited by Jan Baetens, in 2001.
Starting in 2000, he spent about 2 years living in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, playing open mic nights, working odd jobs and distributing his autobiographical comics to local coffee shops.
Music
Several of his musical influences have been acknowledged in his songs such as "Williamsburg Will OldhamWill Oldham
Will Oldham , better known by the stage name Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, is an American singer-songwriter and actor. From 1993 to 1997, he performed and recorded under variations of the Palace name, including the Palace Brothers, Palace Songs, and Palace Music...
Horror", "The History of The Fall" and "The Chelsea Hotel
Hotel Chelsea
The Hotel Chelsea, also known as the Chelsea Hotel, or simply the Chelsea, is a historic New York City hotel and landmark, known primarily for its history of notable residents...
Oral Sex Song", concerning the song by Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen
Leonard Norman Cohen, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet and novelist. Cohen published his first book of poetry in Montreal in 1956 and his first novel in 1963. His work often explores religion, isolation, sexuality and interpersonal relationships...
. Lewis' lyrics are complex and literate, often combining a nihilistic world-view with a hopeful message and sharp wit. Growing up on the Lower East Side
Lower East Side
The Lower East Side, LES, is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street....
of Manhattan Island his songs are also highly informed by his home surroundings, with songs name-dropping places such as Williamsburg
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Williamsburg is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bordering Greenpoint to the north, Bedford-Stuyvesant to the south, Bushwick to the east and the East River to the west. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 1. The neighborhood is served by the NYPD's 90th ...
, the FDR Drive and the East River
East River
The East River is a tidal strait in New York City. It connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island from the island of Manhattan and the Bronx on the North American mainland...
.
Lewis is often regarded as part of the antifolk movement, first and foremost because he was one of the many bands and performers (including The Moldy Peaches
The Moldy Peaches
The Moldy Peaches was an indie group founded by Adam Green and Kimya Dawson. Leading proponents of the anti-folk scene, the band has been on hiatus since 2004...
, Major Matt Mason USA
Major Matt Mason USA
Major Matt Mason USA is the performing name of Matt Roth, a New York City-based musician and record producer, is active in the Anti-folk and DIY music scene of New York's East Village....
and Lach
Lach
Lach is a musician associated with the anti-folk movement. Born in Brooklyn, New York, he was trained as a classical pianist from an early age only to abandon it once he heard The Sex Pistols, The Jam and The Clash for the first time. Realizing he was a songwriter, Lach backtracked and explored...
) who played in the 1990s at New York's Sidewalk Cafe and its biannual antifolk festivals and open mic events. His music also possesses certain traits of a perceived antifolk style - a downbeat self-deprecating humor, an off-kilter singing style, a mixture of acoustic and 'punk' songs which feature themes of everyday occurrences and feelings. Lewis himself does not mind the 'antifolk' tag: "I think it's a cool title. The fact that no one knows what it means, including me, makes it kind of mysterious and more interesting than saying that you’re a singer/songwriter or that you play indie rock."
After being signed by the British record label Rough Trade
Rough Trade Records
Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London. It was formed in 1978 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove...
in 2001, Jeffrey Lewis released his first official album The Last Time I Did Acid I Went Insane
The Last Time I Did Acid I Went Insane
The Last Time I Did Acid I Went Insane and Other Favorites is the first album by anti-folk artist Jeffrey Lewis. It was released in 2001 on Rough Trade Records.-Track listing:#"The East River"#"Another Girl"#"Seattle"#"The Chelsea Hotel Oral Sex Song"...
.
In 2003 he released the album It's the Ones Who've Cracked That the Light Shines Through
It's The Ones Who've Cracked That The Light Shines Through
It's the Ones Who've Cracked That the Light Shines Through is the second album by anti-folk artist Jeffrey Lewis. It was released in 2003 on Rough Trade Records.Reviews:...
, with drummer Anders Griffen
Anders Griffen
Anders Griffen is a drummer, composer, and trumpet player from Brooklyn, New York. Griffen works in a range of contexts including folk, jazz, pop, improvised music, and modern dance theater.-Career:...
. His third record, City and Eastern Songs
City and Eastern Songs
City and Eastern Songs is the third album by anti-folk artist Jeffrey Lewis, though is credited to Jeffrey & Jack Lewis, Jeffrey's brother. Though Jack Lewis had contributed vocals, bass and songwriting to Jeffrey's two previous albums, this is the first instance in which he was given equal billing...
, was released in the UK in November 2005 and in the US in September 2006. All three of these albums also include his brother, Jack Lewis
Jack Lewis (musician)
Jack Lewis is an American musician, beat poet and artist. He was born and raised on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. He is the younger brother of Jeffrey Lewis, whom he often performs and records with...
, who wrote and sang a number of the songs. In October 2007, Jeffrey released 12 Crass Songs
12 Crass Songs
12 Crass Songs is the fourth album by anti-folk artist Jeffrey Lewis. It was released on October 1, 2007 on Rough Trade Records. The title is literal, as all 12 songs on the album were written and first recorded by the band Crass.- Track listing :...
, an album consisting entirely of songs written by the anarcho-pacifist British punk band Crass
Crass
Crass are an English punk rock band that was formed in 1977, which promoted anarchism as a political ideology, way of living, and as a resistance movement. Crass popularised the seminal anarcho-punk movement of the punk subculture, and advocated direct action, animal rights, and environmentalism...
, reworked to match Jeffrey's antifolk style.
He has also performed and collaborated with Kimya Dawson
Kimya Dawson
Kimya Dawson is an American singer-songwriter, best known as a solo performer and as one half of The Moldy Peaches. In Swahili, "Kimya" means "silence" or "silent".-Career:...
of The Moldy Peaches
The Moldy Peaches
The Moldy Peaches was an indie group founded by Adam Green and Kimya Dawson. Leading proponents of the anti-folk scene, the band has been on hiatus since 2004...
as well as Diane Cluck
Diane Cluck
Diane Cluck is an American singer and songwriter of intuitive folk. Although known as a solo performer, she has often collaborated with others, including a recent association with drummer Anders Griffen on tours in the US and UK....
. Some of his hand-drawn comics appear in the cover art of his CD releases.
In June 2008 Jeffrey Lewis with his brother Jack were the support act for Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks
Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks
Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks is a rock band consisting of Stephen Malkmus, Mike Clark, Joanna Bolme, and Jake Morris. Malkmus was the main singer and songwriter behind the influential 1990s indie rock band Pavement.-History:...
in Europe. Other well-known acts that Jeffrey has performed shows or whole tours with include Devendra Banhart
Devendra Banhart
Devendra Obi Banhart is a singer-songwriter and visual artist. Banhart was born in Houston, Texas and was raised by his mother in Venezuela, until he moved to California as a teenager. He began to study at the San Francisco Art Institute in 1998, but dropped out to perform music in Europe, San...
, Jarvis Cocker
Jarvis Cocker
Jarvis Branson Cocker is an English musician and frontman for the band Pulp. Through his work with the band, Cocker became a figurehead of the Britpop movement of the mid-1990s. Following Pulp's hiatus Cocker has led a successful solo career...
, Black Dice, Adam Green, Thurston Moore, the Fall, Kimya Dawson, Beth Orton, Frank Black, the Fiery Furnaces, Daniel Johnston, Scout Niblett, the Mountain Goats
The Mountain Goats
The Mountain Goats is an American indie rock band formed in Claremont, CA by singer-songwriter John Darnielle. For many years, the sole member of the Mountain Goats was Darnielle himself, despite the plural moniker....
, Dr. Dog
Dr. Dog
Dr. Dog is a psychedelic rock band from West Grove, Pennsylvania. Its lineup currently consists of Toby Leaman , Scott McMicken , Frank McElroy , Zach Miller , and Eric Slick . Lead vocal duties are shared between Leaman and McMicken, with all members contributing harmonies...
, the Moldy Peaches
The Moldy Peaches
The Moldy Peaches was an indie group founded by Adam Green and Kimya Dawson. Leading proponents of the anti-folk scene, the band has been on hiatus since 2004...
, Cornershop, Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players
Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players
The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players describe themselves as an "indie-vaudeville conceptual art-rock pop band", from the United States. Originally from Seattle, Washington, they are now based in New York, New York.-Overview:...
, Wooden Wand, the Cribs, Danielson, Herman Dune, Los Campesinos, and Super Furry Animals.
The New York Times online Op-Ed page "Measure For Measure" hired Jeffrey Lewis to write four short essays on the topic of songwriting, which were published at intervals in Fall/Winter 2008.
Artwork
Jeffrey has his own comic book series titled 'Fuff' (formerly called 'Guff') available via Olive Juice Music.In March 2009, he designed the cover to the sixth issue of Bearded
Bearded (magazine)
Bearded is a bi-monthly music magazine that distributes nationwide through WHSmith, Borders, independent record shops and newsagents. The magazine covers the independent music industry and only reviews artists who are either unsigned or signed to independent record labels.Bearded is known for its...
magazine.
Comics
- Reflections on Tomorrow thus a yesterday Flower Shall Doom (1998)
- The Worldwide Comix Scavenger Hunt vol 1 (1998–2003)
- Reflections #2 (1998–2003)
- Trip to Key West (1999)
- 1999 European Travel Diary (1999)
- Jeff's Austin Diary (2001)
- Come to My Show (2004)
- Fuff # 1
- Guff # 2
- Guff # 3
- Fuff # 4
- Fuff # 5
- Fuff # 6
- Fuff # 7
- Fuff # 8
- The Art of Touring (2007)
- Comic book press kit for Mountain Goats' album 'Heretic Pride (2008)
Albums/EPs
- When Madman Was Good - Version One (1997)
- When Madman Was Good - Version Two (1998)
- Indie-Rock Fortune Cookie (1998)
- Journey to the Center of the Earth (1999)
- The Only Time I Feel Right Is When I'm Drawing Comic Books (2000)
- I Am, Of Course, Glad (2000)
- Kimya Dawson And Jeff Lewis (2001)
- Songs From Austin (2001)
- Diane Cluck And Jeffrey Lewis (2001)
- The Last Time I Did Acid I Went InsaneThe Last Time I Did Acid I Went InsaneThe Last Time I Did Acid I Went Insane and Other Favorites is the first album by anti-folk artist Jeffrey Lewis. It was released in 2001 on Rough Trade Records.-Track listing:#"The East River"#"Another Girl"#"Seattle"#"The Chelsea Hotel Oral Sex Song"...
(2001) - Guitar Situations: Musical Conduct (2002)
- AntiFolk Collaborations Volume 1 (2002)
- It's the Ones Who've Cracked That the Light Shines ThroughIt's The Ones Who've Cracked That The Light Shines ThroughIt's the Ones Who've Cracked That the Light Shines Through is the second album by anti-folk artist Jeffrey Lewis. It was released in 2003 on Rough Trade Records.Reviews:...
(2003) - Jeffrey Lewis "Four Seasons" Box Set (2004)
- City and Eastern SongsCity and Eastern SongsCity and Eastern Songs is the third album by anti-folk artist Jeffrey Lewis, though is credited to Jeffrey & Jack Lewis, Jeffrey's brother. Though Jack Lewis had contributed vocals, bass and songwriting to Jeffrey's two previous albums, this is the first instance in which he was given equal billing...
(Jeffrey & Jack Lewis) (2005) - Gas Money EP (2005) (split with Schwervon!Schwervon!Schwervon! is a two-piece American rock music band based in New York City. The band members are Major Matt Mason USA on electric guitar and Nan Turner on drums; the pair share singing duties. They started the band in 1999, shortly after they began their ongoing romantic relationship. They have...
) - Tapes From The Crypt (2006)
- 12 Crass Songs12 Crass Songs12 Crass Songs is the fourth album by anti-folk artist Jeffrey Lewis. It was released on October 1, 2007 on Rough Trade Records. The title is literal, as all 12 songs on the album were written and first recorded by the band Crass.- Track listing :...
(2007) - City and Eastern Tapes (2008)
- 'Em Are I'Em Are I'Em Are I is the fifth album by anti-folk artist Jeffrey Lewis, and the first credited to Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard .- Track listing :* CD RTRADCD514, LP RTRADLP514# "Slogans"# "Roll Bus Roll"# "If Life Exists"...
(Jeffrey Lewis & the Junkyard) (2009) - Come On BoardCome On BoardCome On Board is the sixth album by anti-folk artist Jeffrey Lewis, and the first credited to Peter Stampfel and Jeffrey Lewis. Peter Stampfel was a founding member of American folk music band The Holy Modal Rounders.- Track listing :* CD OJD-0307...
(Peter Stampfel & Jeffrey Lewis) (2011) - A Turn In The Dream-Songs (2011)
Singles
- The Chelsea Hotel Oral Sex Song (2001)
- Back When I Was Four (2002)
- Graveyard/Spirit of Love (2002)
- No LSD Tonight/Don't Let The Record Label Take You Out To Lunch (2003)
- Williamsburg Will Oldham Horror (2005)
- Had It All (2005)
- To Be Objectified (2009)
- Roll Bus, Roll (2010)
- Cult Boyfriend (2011)
Compilation Appearances
- Antifolk Vol. 1 (2002) - "You Don't Have To Be A Scientist To Do Experiments on Your Own Heart
- Call It What You Want This Is Antifolk (2002) - So Long (I'm Gonna Go Draw All Alone In My Shack)
- Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before (2003) - "Part-Time Punks"
- The Art Star Sounds Compilation (2005) - "Williamsburg Will Oldham Horror"
- Still UnravishedStill UnravishedStill Unravished - A Tribute To The June Brides is a tribute album to the English indie pop band The June Brides, consisting of cover versions of their songs. The liner notes were written by Dave Eggers and Everett True...
- A Tribute to June Brides (2006) - Waiting For A Change - Anticomp FolkilationAnticomp FolkilationAnticomp Folkilation is a 2-CD compilation album featuring a variety of artists from New York's antifolk scene.-CD 1:# Major Matt Mason USA-Tripping Yourself# Brook Pridemore-Sugar Coma # Soft Black-The Earth is Black...
(2007) - "The River" (with Diane CluckDiane CluckDiane Cluck is an American singer and songwriter of intuitive folk. Although known as a solo performer, she has often collaborated with others, including a recent association with drummer Anders Griffen on tours in the US and UK....
)