Be There: Juliette and the Licks

Juliette and the Licks
Scissors for Lefty, Suffrajett
Middle East Downstairs
Tonight, 8 p.m., $15 (18+)
MySpace

She's a J. Lewis making a name for herself in music after an acting career, the frontwoman of an otherwise all-male band, someone known for keeping audiences guessing about how she's going to look, what she's going to wear, what she's going to do.

But whereas Rilo Kiley's Jenny Lewis takes the demure route (as much as one can wearing short skirts or hot pants, admittedly), Juliette and the Licks' Juliette Lewis goes for brash, shocking, and to the jugular rock. The actress-turned-rocker-turned-bonafide-critical-darling and her band will take to the Middle East Downstairs stage tonight for a show that also features Scissors for Lefty and Suffrajett.

If our recollection serves us correctly, we're predicting pink blocks painted across her cheeks, an almost-disturbing physical similarity to old-school Axel Rose, and people still surprised that the actress from "Natural Born Killers" and "What's Eating Gilbert Grape?" is fronting a driving rock band. Response to the band's brand of music tends to be a mixed bag as was the case this summer, when we took in an opening slot at the Bank of America Pavilion this summer and found our opinion changing wildly from song to song. It seems the band encounters that regularly: the full spectrum of opinion is almost as guaranteed as critical references to Iggy Pop.

Bostonist staunchly believes, however, that everyone should have the experience of watching Lewis work a stage. With all of her prowling, gesturing, and facial expressions, Lewis has shown that you can take the girl out of acting, but sure as hell can't take the acting out of the girl.

Photo of Juliette Lewis by flickr user rocktographer.