Rain Phoenix

Rain Phoenix
Born	Rain Joan of Arc Bottom (1972-11-21)November 21, 1972 Crockett, Texas,U.S.
Occupation(s)	Actress, musician
Years active	1991–present
Parents	Arlyn Phoenix John Lee Bottom
Relatives	River Phoenix(brother) Joaquin Phoenix(brother) Liberty Phoenix(sister) Summer Phoenix(sister)

Rain Joan of Arc Phoenix(néeBottom;born November 21, 1972) is an American actress, musician, and singer. She is the older sister ofJoaquin,LibertyandSummer Phoenixand younger sister ofRiver Phoenix.

Early life

Phoenix was born Rain Joan of Arc Bottom inCrockett, Texas,the second child of John Lee Bottom andArlyn Sharon(née Dunetz). Her mother was born in New York toJewishparents from Russia.Her father was fromCalifornia.Before Phoenix was born, her mother moved to California, meeting Phoenix's father while hitch-hiking. They married in 1969 and joinedThe Children of Godcult working as missionaries in South America. It was there, at the age of three, that Phoenix (accompanied by elder brother River on guitar) first began to sing. They would perform on the streets ofCaracas,Venezuela,while handing out Children of God flyers to passers by. The family set out for California in order for the children to enter the entertainment industry. In West Los Angeles, Phoenix and her siblings would perform on the streets for crowds of people. Arlyn took a job atNBCand eventually secured all five Phoenix children with an agent.

Phoenix sang with brother River as an audience warm up act on the showReal Kids(1982). Various bit parts followed in TV shows, including an episode ofAmazing Storiesin 1986 (billed sometimes as Rainbow Phoenix) andFamily Tiesin 1987. Also in 1987, Phoenix landed a part in the feature filmMaid to OrderalongsideAlly Sheedy.

At 15, Phoenix returned to her roots in music and formed the bandAleka's Atticwith her then 17-year-old brother River. River, along with bass player Josh McKay, wrote music and lyrics while Rain sang backup. The band secured gigs in and around their home town ofGainesville, Florida.By this time, River's career had taken off and so the band was often put on hold for River's demanding schedule. In 1988, Aleka's Attic were signed to a development deal with Island Records and in 1989 released the track "Across The Way" on a benefit album for the animal rights groupPETA.In 1991, they made a tour of east coast clubs and colleges. At this time, Phoenix joined her brother River on the set of his tenth movie,My Own Private Idaho.She met directorGus Van Sant,to whom River suggested she would be perfect for a role in his upcoming project, afilm adaptationofTom Robbins's cult novelEven Cowgirls Get the Blues.She was cast as head cowgirl Bonanza Jellybean, alongsideUma Thurman.

River Phoenix's death

A few months after the completion ofEven Cowgirls Get the Blues,Phoenix flew to Los Angeles with her brotherJoaquinto meet River during a break fromDark Blood.On the evening of October 30, 1993, they set out, joined by River's girlfriendSamantha Mathis,for a night at the Los Angeles clubThe Viper Room.It would be the last evening Phoenix would spend with her brother; he died later that night from, according to the coroner's report, "acute multiple drug intoxication", namely an overdose of heroin andcocaine,a concoction called a "speedball".

Phoenix dealt simultaneously with the loss of her older brother and the media circus that followed. Aleka's Attic, by that time consisting of a different line-up, had been working on an album that River had been funding himself. The album was near completion so Phoenix began the long process of mi xing and producing the scraps of recordings. The album has never been released.

Late 90s and 2000s

In 1994, Phoenix joinedR.E.M.in the studio to record backup vocals on the song "Bang and Blame", to be released on the 1994 albumMonster,an album dedicated to River. In 1995 Phoenix joined theRed Hot Chili Peppersas a backup singer on theirOne Hot Minutetour. Chili Peppers bassistFlea,who appeared inMy Own Private Idaho,was close friends with River, and was there the night he died. The band wrote their song "Transcending"as a tribute to River. She also features in the video for R.E.M.'s"At My Most Beautiful".

In 1997, Phoenix joined thepunk/new wavebandThe Causey Way,which also included her younger sistersSummerand Liberty. They disbanded in 2001 after the release of two albums and two EPs.

Phoenix returned to acting in 1998 with parts inI Woke Up Early the Day I Died(1998),O(2001),Harry and Max(2004) andHitch(2005).

Music

Papercranes

Phoenix formed the bandPapercranesin 2003 as lead singer and lyricist. Their self-titled EP was released in 2004 and their first album,Vidalia,in 2006. In 2010, Papercranes signed withManimal Vinyland in 2011 they released their second albumLet's Make Babies in the Woods.In 2012 came their third and final release – a concept recordTHREEfollowed by a multi-platform artist residency entitledI.You.We.THREE.Guest musicians include Phoenix's younger sisters Summer and Liberty, as well as actorDermot Mulroney,Libby Lavella,Norm Block,Jenny O,Kirk HellieandFleaof theRed Hot Chili Peppers,who also was a guest musician on tracks forAleka's Atticin the '90s.

Venus and the Moon

In 2013, Phoenix along with Frally Hynes formed the 'galactic country' band Venus and the Moon which included Chris Stills. They released a self titled 7inch double A side vinyl in 2014 and in 2015 a record entitled Brother, Son recorded on her late brother River's 4 track, mixed byDave Wayand produced by Phoenix.

Rain Phoenix

In February 2019,Time Gonemarked Phoenix's first release as a solo artist, with the single "Time is the Killer" featuring R.E.M.'sMichael Stipe.The vinyl also contained two previously unreleased tracks by Aleka's Attic, "Where I'd Gone" and "Scales & Fishnails". It was released on Kro Records in collaboration with Phoenix's own LaunchLeft imprint.

Her first solo record, entitledRIVER,was slated for release on Halloween 2019 via LaunchLeft. The first single "Immolate" was released on what would have been River's 49th birthday, August 23, 2019.The record boasts eight tracks and includes a new piano version of "Time is the Killer" featuring Michael Stipe as well as a song entitled "Lost in Motion" co-written by Kirk Hellie and Phoenix's late brother River. The record was produced by Kirk Hellie, mixed by Dave Way and mastered by Dave McNair.

Social initiatives

Phoenix, together with her brotherJoaquin Phoenix,is on the board of directors for The Lunchbox Fund, a non-profit organization which provides a daily meal to students of township schools inSoweto,South Africa. Phoenix also serves on the board of River Phoenix Center for Peacebuilding founded by her mother and stepfather. Phoenix also works closely with the artists charity The Art of Elysium.

Gift Horse Project

In 2010 Rain created the non-profit Gift Horse Project which brought together well-known and emerging artists in the service of charity. In 2011 Gift Horse Project released a compilation record to benefit the Lunchbox Fund with artists like Bright Eyes, Albert Hammond JR, Cobra Starship, Joseph Arthur, Jenny O, Jonathan Wilson and many more.

LaunchLeft

LaunchLeft evolved out of Gift Horse Project taking the ethos of "artists helping artists"to the for-profit sector. LaunchLeft has produced large events for various non-profit organizations namely,The Art of Elysium(Genesis 2014) and theBernie Sanders Campaign( "Feel the Bern"The Red Hot Chili Peppers +"Berniechella"2016).

LaunchLeftis now a podcast hosted by Rain & Summer Phoenix where "famed creatives launch the next wave of music rebels".

Filmography

Year	Film	Role	Notes
1986	Amazing Stories	Doris	Episode: "The Doll"
1987	Family Ties	Ashley Berkhart	Episode: "Band on the Run"
	Maid to Order	Brie Starkey
1993	Even Cowgirls Get the Blues	Bonanza Jellybean
1995	To Die For	Tambourine player in band	Uncredited
1998	I Woke Up Early the Day I Died	Bartender #1
1999	R.E.M.: At My Most Beautiful	Cellist	Video short
	$pent	Kimberly
	Façade	Terra
2001	The Sleepy Time Gal	WROD Receptionist
	O	Emily
	Stranger Inside	Kit	TV movie
2004	Harry + Max	Nikki
	The Disappearance of Andy Waxman	Holly	Short
2005	Hitch	Kate
2005	Kids in America	Singer
2010	Three Thousand Six Hundred and Fifty Days	Cora	Short
2014	Low Down	Kitty
2015	Always Worthy	Vicki
2015	Forever	Julie
2016	Water Colors	Ditsa	Short
2021	Violet	Rita
2023	Fuzzy Head	The Whistler

Discography

River(2019)

External links

• Official website
• Rain PhoenixatIMDb