I became initially interested in The Holograms when I heard that their record, Night of 1000 Ex-Boyfriends, was produced by musical genius Blag Dahlia of Dwarves fame. After hearing the album, my initial interest quickly bloomed into full-blown obsession. The Holograms are four super fly-ass bitches from Los Angeles. Just as the sunlight in L.A. cuts through the smog, The Holograms have cut through all the modern rock pretensions and made my favorite record of the year (note to other bands: try harder next year).

If it wasn’t for the lyrics revolving around drugs, dysfunctional relationships, & catty beef, Night of 1000 Ex-Boyfriends would be the sleepover jam of the decade. Maybe it will be anyway - kids are growing up faster all the time. They’ve got to learn about weekend benders & domestic abuse sooner or later - so why not through the ultra peppy sounds of The Holograms?

You gals are all pretty cute. Do you get love letters from your fans?

Jen: Are you kidding? We’re so cute we get hate mail! There was this one time this girl wrote to Sammi’s personal MySpace page when she saw a picture of the previous band lineup, saying something like, “I’m not in the band anymore because I’m not cute, so please take my ugly mug off your MySpace page!” Something like that - but let’s talk about something else.
Yumi Japanda: I’ve been offered to be bathed. Does that count as love letter?
Sammi: We do sometimes garner some pretty unsettling correspondence from our MySpace friends. Here’s an excerpt from a recent e-mail sent to me from an older fellow who goes by the name ‘Huge Bear’: “I haven’t registered yet [as a sex offender], but I’m a necrophiliac. So how are you at playing dead? You have a great band. I hope to catch your show next week. – Bear” Yup, nothing quite like an old necrophiliac with a profuse beard RSVP’ing to your show.

The band’s name is a clear reference to Jem. Did Jem have a big impact on you when you were little?

Jen: I can only speak for myself when I say that Jem is truly fucking outrageous. I have a Jem doll. She’s freakishly large compared to Barbie, so she looks weird in Barbie’s clothes. That’s something I keep in mind - I can still be truly fucking outrageous while wearing Sisely’s or Yumi’s clothes. In other words, it’s okay to be the freakishly large one in a group, comparatively speaking. At a whopping 5’3”, I tower above the other Holos. Um, so yeah, Jem had an influence.
Yumi Japanda: Me no Americano. Not sure if I’ve seen Jem on TV?
Sammi: Definitely!! I was a huge Jem & the Holograms fan! I had lots of air-guitar bands all throughout elementary school. We would rehearse in a giant hollowed-out shrub in my parent’s backyard and put on shows for our My Little Ponies. Not much has changed since then, except for using real instruments.