I originally recorded [the latter] for the solo record, and I wasn't really confident with the way it turned out and I thought that the Kiley — as we refer to our band — would service it a lot better.

When you make a solo record, it's you. It's your name. It has to be the right songs for how you feel.

I never envisioned myself as a solo artist; I was always part of a band.

When I'm sick of myself, and when I don't know what to say as a solo artist, I can write a song for a movie. When I don't know where to turn musically, being in a band - Rilo Kiley or Jenny & Johnny - the collaborative nature is really exciting.

That is the true joy of being a solo artist. I can do whatever I want. I can go wherever I want. I can show up with my guitar and my song, and it can sound a hundred different ways. That's the freedom of being on your own. The flipside is: That's you on the cover. If it sucks, it's your fault.

I recorded my first jazz record in the '70s.