Leisha
Hailey (L) and Camila Grey of Uh Huh Her (Credit: Nettwerk)
It was a typical night in Los Angeles, other than the fact that Leisha
Hailey and Camila Grey of the band Uh Huh Her were walking down a busy Downtown
street with a unicorn.
"People were almost crashing their cars when they saw us," chuckles
Hailey when recalling the video shoot for "Not a Love Song," the
first single from Uh Huh Her's debut album, Common Reaction. "The
concept of that video was all about eye candy. The fact that we were walking
the streets of Los Angeles with a unicorn pretty much says it all."
It's an apt metaphor for Uh Huh Her, who combine melancholy, minor-key melodies
with solid songwriting abilities to create something akin to Sarah McLachlan
making an album with the Cure in the mid-’80s. Buzzy electro bass lines and
danceable beats abound.
The band comes with a built-in audience, thanks to Hailey's role as Alice
Pieszecki on the popular Showtime series The L Word, based around a
group of chic L.A. lesbians. With the show about to enter its sixth and final
season, Hailey's character looks to live on as the centerpiece of a planned
spinoff series.
Band mate Grey is a Berklee College of Music grad who moved to L.A. and became
an in-demand session bass player, working with such diverse artists as Kelly
Osbourne and Dr. Dre.
The ladies took time to talk to Metromix about musical obsessions, fans of The
L Word and what it's like to start a band with a complete stranger.
What have the shows been like now that the record is out?
Leisha Hailey: It's been a lot different than our last tour. Our
record got pushed, so the audiences really didn't know the songs. It's been fun
to see their reaction now that they know what we're doing.
Camila Grey: People have been singing along, which is always
fun. And weird!
Is there a typical Uh Huh Her fan yet?
LH: There is a wide range, but we definitely lean toward a
female crowd [laughs]. We're trying to get some boys in there. We're
calling it the Bring Your Brother tour.
Your fans are known for being rabid. Who are some artists you obsess
over?
LH: Björk would be my No. 1. Radiohead. A while back I'd have
to say 10,000 Maniacs. I remember having big feelings over them [laughs].
CG: I'm such a Radiohead nerd. And Björk. Those are my two
really big ones.
A lot of people probably don't know that you've been in bands for
years, like the Murmurs, who were on the last Lilith Fair tour.
LH: We were so lucky to have been a part of that. We were out
when it was Sheryl Crow, Dixie Chicks and Beth Orton. It was just amazing. It
really was a different feeling being surrounded by so many women artists. Sarah
McLachlan was so supportive of everybody, even the smallest local acts. She was
so clever to have thought of that. I do think it should come back around.
You and Camila really weren't that close when you started the band.
LH: We were actually complete strangers. I had met her twice
before over a two-year span of time. I was looking for someone to write music
with, and I'd tried with a couple of other people and it didn't really work
out. I'd heard about Cam's musical background, and I went to see her play in
her band at the time, called Mellowdrone. I was really impressed, so I just
called her out of the blue one day to see if she wanted to start a band.
Camila, it sounds like Leisha was stalking you.
CG: Totally! As we do more interviews and talk about it, the
more I feel that way.
Leisha, you were already working on The L Word
at that point, right?
LH: Oh yeah, we were years into the show at that point.
Camila, how did you get into such high-profile session work?
CG: My first job out of college was touring with Kelly
Osbourne, which was really interesting. I spent a lot of time talking with her
dad, which was so great. He's such an amazing person. I met lots of people that
way, and it just kind of took off from there.
How were the two of you able to find the time to get to know each
other, let alone write songs and record an album?
LH: It was hard. She would fly up to Vancouver a lot [where The
L Word is filmed], and I would fly down to L.A. whenever I could, and
during those times we would force ourselves to write as much as we possibly
could. The record was written sporadically over about a year.
Music was always a large part of The L Word,
with appearances from a range of artists from Heart to Peaches. Was that
influential on your music at all?
LH: The L Word was clever in that way, showcasing
female musical artists, especially in the beginning. We had Sleater-Kinney on,
which was my favorite one. It didn't stick for some reason, but it was a good
idea while it was happening.
There are a lot of ’80s references in your music. Where does that come
from?
LH: We're definitely synthesizer-heavy, and that's always
reminiscent of the ’80s. Maybe it's the harmonies, but I'm not really sure
where that comes from.
CG: I had really strong ideas of how I wanted it all to sound.
I wanted it to be synth-based. I'm a keyboard player by heart and totally
geeked out over bands like New Order, Depeche Mode and Tears For Fears. I guess
I kind of forced that sound on the band.
On behalf of the countless fans of The L Word and
Alice Pieszecki, is there anything at all you can say about the proposed
spin-off show?
LH: Well…It hasn't been picked up yet; it's still just a
pilot. It's definitely not going to be what people are expecting—let's put it
that way. We have the most loyal fans to ever walk the earth, so I really hope
they aren't too upset with the direction of the character on the new show. We'll
see.