Watson Twins: ready for their close-up

The Watson Twins have a story that could knock Hollywood on its ass. Beautiful identical twins grow up on a steady diet of country, church hymns and hardcore in Kentucky, before moving to Los Angeles' fertile Silver Lake music scene right as it's about to go supernova. Backing up Rilo Kiley's Jenny Lewis on her acclaimed “Rabbit Fur Coat” album leads to world tours and critical acclaim. A debut EP called (what else?) "Southern Manners" sweetens the pot, and landing a tune on "Grey's Anatomy" whets the public appetite for a debut full-length, this year’s highly anticipated “Fire Songs.”

But Hollywood will have to wait. Leigh and Chandra Watson are happy to stay in Silver Lake with their friends, who include fellow rising indie stars like Earlimart and Silversun Pickups. "I try to keep myself as far east from Hollywood as possible," a sweet-voiced Leigh Watson explains by phone. "The first time we came out here, I wanted to cry."

Things have gotten much better since then, Watson explains. In fact, the sequel is already in the works.

You backed up Jenny Lewis but you two are in front now. Are you getting used to the personal questions?
I haven’t been made uncomfortable, by any means. But we're pretty straightforward. It's probably different when you get to a certain level. Right now, they're still asking the first-date questions: Do you have a history of depression in your family? Have you ever been tested for manic bipolar disorder? But seriously, I'm happy to talk to anybody who cares.

So the line on the Watson Twins is that you grew up country in Kentucky, but Louisville has a pretty diverse music scene.
Right. Growing up, we sang in church, but once we were old enough, we started going to indie shows. We'd check out Rachel's or Palace Brothers or Evergreen and other bands, and that started us thinking outside the box. Before that, we were listening to our family's record collection: the Rolling Stones, Emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson. But it wasn't long until we were immersed in the Chicago music scene. I can listen to a Tortoise or Linda Ronstadt record and be fine.

Why do you think Louisville has bred so many interesting bands?
There's nothing to do there, besides go to a bar or try to be creative. I feel its sister city is Portland [Oregon], my home away from home. Both are river cities; people got stuck there because they couldn’t get past the waterfalls. Settlements happened because travelers would have to pull their boats out of the water and carry them to a safer place. When I go back, I have a new appreciation for it. Southern hospitality; amazing music scene. The art scene is getting better and better.

You've been in Los Angeles for a decade now.
I am so lucky. I have a community of friends that's not all musicians, which is good for perspective. We talk about other things besides music. Ten years ago, no one knew what Silver Lake was; now everyone wants to live or play here.

So what's next for you and Chandra? Are you going Hollywood?
My sister and I were talking about this last night. It's been about six months since "Fire Songs" wrapped, and we've both been writing again, which is exciting. We have an idea for our next adventure, but our manager keeps saying, "Can we just focus on this record right now?"

So that’s a “no” on Hollywood?
We shot our first music video and I was like, "Never again." We both worked in the industry, and while I love that avenue of expression and film is beautiful, I also feel like there are so many bad things out there. No one wants to watch me and my sister tell bad jokes or stories that go nowhere. But then again, we live in the Hollywood area, where the streets are paved with gold.

They're paved with something, all right. I'm just not sure it's gold.
Dude, the first time we came out here, I wanted to cry. [But] we moved to L.A. because a door opened, and when a door opens, you go because something is calling you. It's been hard to be away from our family in Kentucky and Tennessee, but you have go when you're number is called.