Words: Aubrey Bramble

Photo: Lisa Eisner

The "green room" at the Orpheum is ridiculously small. And disturbingly air-conditioning-free. There's some original artwork on the walls, thanks to Sharpie markers, and a couple of haphazardly placed stools, should one tire of standing. In short, it's nothing fancy. Leisha Hailey and Camila Grey, whose band Uh Huh Her is set to appear before a sold-out Tampa crowd less than 45 minutes from now, seem unfazed by the less-than-posh conditions as they crowd one corner of the box, shoulders hunched and sharing an open bottle of Jack Daniels.

Uh Huh Her has been around for just over a year, but is already seeing a substantial amount of success.

"Our audiences are amazing,” says Leisha. “I feel so grateful that people are coming out to hear us. I never expected this reaction; I thought it would be a really underground thing. It's completely crazy!"

And it's not only the music that's still in the growing stages.

"We were strangers when we started this band, so we've not only been getting to know each other musically, but as people," she says. "We're both really quiet people! We can go hours with no talking."

Adds Camila, "I think it's a beautiful thing, though. That's when you know you've found someone special, when you can share a silence with them."

Uh Huh Her proves to be a shining example of the girls' respective experience. Leisha cut her teeth in late-'90s neo-folk duo The Murmurs, which later morphed into the more indie-rock-sounding Gush. She is also well known for her acting, which includes her role as quirky journalist Alice Pieszecki on Showtime's lesbian drama The L Word. Camila garnered success playing keys and bass in California rock outfit Mellowdrone, in addition to various studio gigs with Kelly Osbourne, Busta Rhymes and Dr. Dre.

"Dre was actually going to sign me as a solo artist,” Camila says. “I did a lot of session vocal work with him."

The end result of such dissimilar backgrounds is a sound that is almost entirely new; although littered with influences from lo-fi, electro, folk and pop, there's a distinct originality and freshness to the material. The tracks off of Uh Huh Her's forthcoming LP Common Reaction exhibit a heightened level of maturity and depth for the duo, both lyrically and dynamically.

The new album is "a lot more polished," explains Camila. "We took it out of the bedroom and into a real studio. I think it sounds pretty awesome."

With a whirlwind tour just wrapping up, a late-summer release to look forward to, and numerous personal creative projects in the works, the ladies of Uh Huh Her are definitely keeping things moving. Despite the hectic schedule, "it's difficult in the best way possible," stresses Leisha. "I'm doing two things that I absolutely love doing so it's important to me that I keep up with it all."

Common Reaction comes out August 19.

myspace.com/uhhuhhermusic