21 February 22 - 28, 2024 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents ▼ INTERVIEW SITCH IN TIME HOW JENNY LEWIS LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE SITUATIONSHIP. BY CARLY MAY GRAVLEY S inger-songwriter Jenny Lewis has spent her career documenting love and loss. Her breakout band, Rilo Kiley, gifted multiple generations of messy 20-some- things with brutally honest accounts of toxic relationships on “Glendora” and “Portions for Foxes.” Indie supergroup The Postal Ser- vice’s concept album, Give Up, chronicles the decay of a relationship, with Lewis cast as the female lead opposite Ben Gibbard’s heartsick protagonist. Her solo work covers struggles ranging from growing up as a child actor to being a woman in the male-domi- nated indie rock scene. These days, however, she has found un- conditional love and joy in the form of a little black dog named Bobby Rhubarb. “She is the love of my life, my best friend and companion,” Lewis gushes. Lewis, who performs at South Side Music Hall on March 2, released Joy’All last year. The record represents a more optimistic and con- tent phase in her life. Bobby Rhubarb is the embodiment of this perspective. “Being on the road for so many years ... there are a lot of sacrifices. There are a lot of amazing things, but [...] you can’t really keep plants alive and you can’t have a dog. So I’m grateful for that period to now kind of un- derstand what true love is.” New songs like “Puppy and a Truck” ex- press appreciation and gratitude for the joy- ful parts of her life with lyrics such as, “If you ever feel like giving up / Shut up and get a puppy and a truck.” A change of scenery contributed to this openness. Lewis, a California native, relo- cated to Nashville to work on Joy’All with le- viathan country producer Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton, Lady Gaga, Brandi Carlile) and found the music-centered city inspiring. “When you grow up in LA, it’s like, Hol- lywood is the business. But in Nashville, it’s music,” she says. “You feel it, you know? Driving to work every day. You’re like, ‘Wow, I’m gonna work on Music Row.’” Country, folk and Americana influences have been present in Lewis’ music going back to her days with Rilo Kiley. From a vi- sual perspective, Joy’All appears to be her most country album yet, with promo photos depicting her in flamboyant rodeo attire. “The songs reflected my environment,” she says, referring to Nashville. “I think I’ve always, you know, written in different genres to kind of express the narrative.” Lewis’ sonic influences, however, are more diverse than the strong presence of cowboy hats might imply. “I think it actually has kind of some R&B influences,” she says. “When I went to the studio, my only reference for Dave Cobb was that I wanted to make something kind of like Tracy Chapman or Sade.” Lewis’ optimistic and carefree attitude on Joy’All extends to sex and relationships, which she approaches with a wry, almost unbothered sense of humor. In a world fraught with discourse on situationships and ghosting, Lewis has adopted a kind of “it is what it is” mindset toward relationships. “I was actually working on a song with that term in it,” she says of situationships. “And then I scrapped it because it was a little bit on the nose. But I’m in a situationship right now.” Lewis isn’t fazed by a romantic relation- ship being undefined. “I think it’s like how you accept your cur- rent reality, you know?” she says. “I think there’s pressure to be, you know, in a relation- ship or with someone and sometimes you just have to meet someone where they’re at.” She pauses, considering her words, and then chuckles — “That was bullshit.” In addition to her current Joy’All Ball Tour, she’s been on the Postal Service re- union tour and recently opened for Harry Styles on his Love On Tour. While she received some backlash from Styles’ fans on Twitter for the crime of being someone they hadn’t heard of, Lewis says none of that negativity was present in the real world. “It was a pretty loving, joyful experi- ence,” she says. The loving and supportive vibe onstage is present behind the scenes. Lewis has made it a priority to have as many women on her touring crew as possible, and her entire band is female. She says this decision has brought about more productivity and less drama. But the most beloved member of her tour by far is, of course, Bobby Rhubarb. “She’s a road dog,” Lewis says. “It’s heart- breaking leaving her behind.” Jenny Lewis will bring her Joy’all Ball Tour to South Side Music Hall on March 2. Tickets start at $37 and can be purchased on AXS. Jenny Lewis is coming to South Side Music Hall on March 2. | B-SIDES | ▼ Music Bobbi Rich •WELCOME DRINK UPON ENTRY •ACCESS TO VIP LOUNGE WITH EXCLUSIVE VIP ONLY RESTAURANTS •VIP PRIVATE BAR & VIP RESTROOMS BE VIP BE VIP Saturday, MARCH 2nd DALLAS CITY HALL PLAZA A D BRUNCH EVENT UNLIMITED BRUNCH BITES & SIPS FROM THE HOTTEST BRUNCH SPOTS