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Leisha Hailey Moves From Murmurs To The L Word To Uh Huh Her
Wednesday May 07, 2008 @ 05:00 PM
By: ChartAttack.com Staff
Uh Huh Her |
Los Angeles-based Uh Huh Her should turn a few heads when their Common Reaction debut hits stores on Aug. 19 via Nettwerk. Leisha Hailey and Camila Grey met by happenstance in early 2007 when they were introduced by mutual friends. The interconnectedness of the duo, named after PJ Harvey's 2004 album, is already very evident. They constantly interrupt and finish each other's sentences throughout a three-way phone call. As Hailey aptly puts it, "This is like teen chat." The bright-eyed, bubbly character (Alice Pieszecki) that Hailey portrays on The L Word television series befits her off-screen animated demeanor. Hailey, who was on the arm of K.D. Lang for many years, gained her musical following with her now-defunct '90s alternative pop band The Murmurs. She teamed up with Grey, formerly with lo-fi rock band Mellowdrone, and the stars shifted. Grey and Hailey come across as life-long best friends on and off stage. "I'm just kind of going with it," says Hailey. "I'm not making any giant decisions that my life will lean one way or another.
"It gives me a lot of relief to think that way. I'm putting my heart and soul into this band and when I am on whatever acting job I'm on, I put my heart and soul into that. And the last thing I ever want to be is one of those cheesy TV actor/musicians. It's just sort of all kinda how it played out. I started out as a musician. It's not like it's something I just decided to do." Uh Huh Her released a six-track digital EP called I See Red last summer. Grey — who's done session work with Melissa Auf Der Maur, Kelly Osbourne, Busta Rhymes and Dr. Dre — and Hailey revelled in their dream-like, atmospheric dance beats. Their seductive synth sounds are reminiscent of Luscious Jackson with hints of The Cure. Common Reaction was produced and mixed by Al Clay (Blur, Pink), who also worked on the EP. The full-length dabbles in the artful underbelly of atmospheric pop, and "Not A Love Song," "Say So" and "Explode" are sure to spread throughout clubs like wildfire. "I've always been doing my own thing on the side when I've been doing session work," says Grey. "And it was always something I'd be working whenever I was done doing whatever session I was working on. I'd go home and be like a mad scientist and make these little things." With merely 20 live performances under their belt, Uh Huh Her are about to begin a crash course in touring. They'll stop everywhere from Nashville to Montreal this month while decked out in glittery gowns and high heels. But their provocative vocal melodies and sweeping keyboard arrangements should help them find their footing. "I feel like what's great about this is this feels original for both of us," says Hailey. "And that's what feels fresh about it.
"In fact, this band is so different for me, that's kind of the high for me. It's all a bit new and scary. I'm playing instruments that are sort of foreign to me — I mean, now I'm very used to them — but it inspires me in a whole new way. I'm writing on the synthesizer, which I've never done before. I'm playing the bass, which I am completely obsessed with. I feel like I have a whole new outlet of musical inspiration in this band." Catch Uh Huh Her at Montreal's Petit Campus on May 21 and Toronto's Mod Club on May 23. —Shannon Webb-Campbell
 
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