Uh Huh Her Get into Theatrics

Excerpt from my write-up originally published November 11th, 2008 on pinkmafia.ca/blog. Full interview below!

I am not not singing a love song for Camila Grey and Leisha Hailey, the duo behind LA-based synthy sensation Uh Huh Her. The girls were at The Phoenix in Toronto Saturday night, and I got the chance to catch up with them before the show.

I was pretty much a nervous wreck, trying not to show it as I was escorted onto their tour bus to conduct my first interview ever. I had never met them before, or even seen them live, so I didn’t know what to expect. I had briefly walked past them on the street a few months back, but that doesn’t count, does it?

Officially meeting, Leisha and Cam were really nice, down to earth, and graciously answered my questions. There’s a strong dynamic between them, and I could tell right away that they get along well, and are genuinely good people.

So how did you guys first meet and decide you wanted to start a band?

Leisha: Well, we didn’t know each other at all, we had met a couple of times, and then I called Cam out of the blue. I went to see her band play, actually—Mellowdrone.

Cam: But how did you hear about me though, I never asked you that question, who told you about me?

L: No, I just… heard around.

C: Around?

L: Like that you were a musician…. you know, that’s a really good question!

C: That’s a good question, right, who told you about me?

L: I have no idea!

C: I’ve always wondered that.

L: I don’t know, I have to remember. I’m stumped. Anyway, I called her.

Did you always know you wanted to make music—when you were young?

L: Yeah, but I was a musical theater geek, like that was my form of music. The acting/music combo, so I didn’t ever plan on being in bands or anything like that, but Cam—

C: I was like, since I was in the womb kinda thing. I came out playing music, that’s what my parents like to say. Yeah, I started when I was very young and I kind of always dreamt of doing this, so. I used to draw tour buses for fun as a child.

Who or what inspires you and what’s the best advice that someone has given you?

C: Oh, um. I mean, I think the biggest inspiration for me is seeing other people I admire, other artists, like Bjork, or people who are truly unique, kind of stay their ground and keep being unique and don’t pay attention to what the mainstream does. I really admire that and hope to have a career that’s like that or as long as that, that’s the goal, anyway. It’s really hard to do, but I think that’s been the most inspiring thing, to see other people do it and succeed at it. It’s just such a tough industry, you have to just kind of always be really, really, um, I don’t even know what the word is, you have to be kind of, um, what’s the word… You have to have blinders on and just keep doing your thing and never give up.

L: Uh, let’s see. The best advice anyone ever gave me was to move to New York. I went there when I was 17, I begged my parents to go but first I had to go to school, they wouldn’t just let me go. I got into this really good acting school and then got to go. The thing that inspires me the most are those artists that you can tell were born to do what they’re doing, and that there’s absolutely nothing else on the planet they should be doing except….  I just love that, I just love when people are born with a gift and just spend their whole life focusing on this one thing. I think it’s just, like, pretty extraordinary to watch.

What were your expectations for the album?

C: Oh wow, I mean, it was hard to have any cause it was our first full-length together so we really didn’t know what to expect out of it—and because she was gone a lot of the time, we were having to kind of travel back and forth from Vancouver to LA and it was all really kind of disconnected and chaotic, and we managed to kind of find the time to write amidst all that. I guess it was about a period of six months or so, and then we came back, the minute she had like a break, we immediately went into the studio with Al Clay and got it done in about four weeks. I mean, I think it met my expectations; it turned out a lot poppier than I expected it to. I think a lot of people were expecting the EP again, like kinda dark and melancholy, and lo-fi, and we got quite the opposite. So that kinda shocked me a little bit, that it came out so “poppy”… don’t you think?

L: Yeah, I like that about it, though, I like that it drives more. It has a lot of drums on it which we didn’t have on the EP.

C: It does have a lot of drums, we programmed the EP so, it was a big difference.

Do you have a favourite song?

C: Mhm! ‘Wait Another Day’.

L: We both share that in common.

C: But ironically, it’s my least favourite song to play live. Which is weird.

L: Yeah, it’s hard to play live, I agree.

C: It’s hard, it’s a tough one. It’s hit or miss.

L: It’s a listening song more than a live song.

What has been your biggest obstacle as a band?

C: Hm… her schedule!

L: [Laughs] You’re funny! No, I mean I think more than my schedule… well, okay I get that, yeah, it’s just being apart, has been the hardest, I think, obstacle.

C: Usually when you start a band you’re like, okay, I want to get in the same room and rehearse and write, and it was like “Let’s start a band!”, and then she was like “Bye!”. So, that was a little bit tricky but we made it work, I guess, we’re making it work right now.

L: Uh huh, yeah!

What other artists are you into right now?

C: We’ve been listening to a lot of DJ Shadow stuff, LCD Soundsystem, MGMT…

L: I like that girl Adele, I think she’s got a great voice.

C: I’ve been listening to this girl Holly Miranda, who’s coming out with a record soon, it’s really, really good. She’s in this band called The Jealous Girlfriends in New York, it’s really good. Um, what else do we listen to?

L: That’s pretty much our stuff.

C: Unkle, Radiohead, the usual.

So what do you want to do in the future? Where do you see yourselves in five years?

C: Better tour bus! No, I’m kidding.

L: You mean as a band?

Yeah.

L: As a band, um…

C: Tour bus with a Jacuzzi on it.

L: Eww!

C: No, that’d be so gross, that’s disgusting.

L: I think that’d be so skanky! I would never get in that. Um, honestly, what I hope for this band is that we are having a really good time doing it in five years, and if we’re not, then, that would be bad.

C: It’s definitely a job but it doesn’t feel like work.

L: It’s a labour of love, it’s not work in the bad sense, it’s work in the good sense. Yeah, I just hope to be having fun still, ’cause that’s what it’s all about, really, you know?

C: That’s what it’s all about, because if you’re not then there’s no point. Yeah, so just keep makin’ records!

What are three reasons why people should come see your shows?

L: So, we have a really good light show now… yeah.

C: We’ve been a band for about a year and playing live for about a year now, so we finally got into the theatrics of it and added lights and kind of added some elements that are really necessary for when you play live. ‘Cause we’ve been playing like under full, bright spotlights with no fuckin’ vibe whatsoever and that was killing me. So that’s different, and we have an amazing band now, the drummer is, like, to die for, and likewise with guitar, so I just feel like it’s more cohesive now. But that only comes with growth and repetition.

L: But why to come?

C: Why to come, it’s fun!

Haha yeah, why are you guys good?

C: I dunno, tell us after the show!

L: Um, I don’t know, I mean I guess if you like the record the reason to come would be just to hear them live. We’ve worked really hard to emulate all the sounds that are on the record… I don’t know, I think it’s just a fun night, there’s always such great energy, you know, I attribute that to the audience, mostly. I mean we do what we do but for energy, even from city to city, it can totally change, so. I don’t know, I think it’s just a fun night out.

Do you have anything you’d like to say to your fans?

L: Yeah, I mean, “thank you” would be the biggest one because I feel like we have the most loyal fans, the most forgiving, and I think a lot of people have seen us through some crazy performances, I just wanna thank them for coming back. And, you know, just giving us a chance, and watching us grow and sticking by us.