Article: Big Shot Issue 23

Sure, they have the same name as a PJ Harvey album, but synthpop duo Uh Huh Her neither sounds like Harvey or is a tribute to her. Instead, Uh Huh Her blends an alt-folk confessional songwriting style with power pop synths and a touch of well-channelled angst.

Camila Grey and Leisha Hailey don’t have too much to say about their band’s name. ‘I don’t know why we put ourselves through choosing that name because that’s all we talk about, and it’s hard to say,’ Grey says. Hailey’s old band, the Murmurs, had a cult following in the ‘90s. While former Murmurs partner Heather Reid continued as a musician, Hailey took a break. She’s now most recognized for her role as Alice on TV show The L Word. Meanwhile, Grey, a native Texan and Berklee College of Music grad had been playing with LA electro-pop outfit Mellowdrone while doing session and composition work for film and TV projects.

‘I found myself missing it,’ says Hailey of her life as a musician once her TV gig became a full time job. She met Grey through a friend and the two started playing together. Last year they made a five-track EP and booked a few shows. ‘When we started out, we played with an iPod,’ Grey confesses, laughing. ‘We couldn’t afford to pay people so we put all the backing tracks on an iPod. We literally did a west coast tour with it. We had a name for him, Philippe. He fucked up all the time too!’

They ditched Philippe, signed to Nettwerk Records early this year, and recorded their full length Common Reaction, in a mere three weeks Grey and Hailey share instrument duties on record and in their live show. Grey is the primary bassist but Hailey has also picked up the bass for the first time. Both women sing and play guitar, and now they have a drummer and guitarist playing on tour with them.

Save for Hailey’s own voice and personality, there’s very little about Uh Huh Her that’s reminiscent of her previous band. ‘With the Murmurs it was really organic,’ Hailey says. ‘With Cam it’s much more of a production, starting your drum loop, your synth pads, then the melody.’

There’s also little in common between this band and Hailey’s TV project, even if it’s helped them land gigs at places like ‘Toronto’s Pride Festival. ‘The confusion happens when people come to my show expecting to see my character,’ says Hailey. ‘When they’re screaming out ‘Alice!’ I’m like, come on people,’ says Grey. She acknowledges that for a band that’s only been playing live together for less than a year, Hailey’s notoriety has absolutely been an advantage adding, ‘once we get a little more exposure, I think that will change.’

Their support of each other is evident. As much as Uh Huh Her is a way for Grey and Hailey to explore new musical territory, it’s also been a way to explore parts of their personalities. ‘That’s what I love about a band,’ Hailey says ‘it’s not all on your shoulders, not just musically but emotionally.’

(@Big Shot Issue 23)