Hunter Valentine got a lot of exposure on the Showtime summer reality series "The Real L Word."

"We are doing really well – nearly every show is sold out," Hunter Valentine drummer Laura Petracca said by phone from the road. "People are into the music, and they seem to have a lot more insight into our personal lives … a lot of people have remembered that I got naked on the street."

Petracca's impromptu Brooklyn striptease ranked among the more memorable moments of the third season of "Real L Word," which followed the sometimes intersecting lives of several lesbians in New York and Los Angeles.

Hunter Valentine formed eight years ago in Toronto. On Tuesday, the rock band will release its new album, "Collide and Conquer," and will appear at the Blue Lamp in Sacramento.

On "The Real L Word," the band did not just provide music to accompany others' shenanigans. The show delved deep into band infighting and into lead singer Kiyomi McCloskey's relationships with a casual girlfriend in New York City and later, with her fellow "Real L Word" cast member Lauren Russell.

While Petracca, striptease and all, came across as good-natured and likable, McCloskey sometimes appeared bossy toward bandmates and callous toward the New York girlfriend.

The show's portrait of McCloskey, especially at the start of the season, made you wonder whether all publicity really is good publicity. But McCloskey said the experience was worth it.

"You know what? You sign up for something like that, and it is not always going to be what you expected," she said of appearing on the show. "You have to put characters down to put them back up again and see them rise. … I felt like by the end of it, it showed who I really was."

McCloskey still is with Russell – "this is our six-month anniversary," she said – and her band is stable and touring constantly.

"The Real L Word" highlighted tensions between McCloskey and then-Hunter Valentine keyboard player Somer Bingham. Bingham, who appeared to be extremely mellow and have a somewhat loose relationship with time, frustrated McCloskey on a few occasions.

Or at least that is how the show was edited.

"People can look at the first episodes and think, 'Oh, what a (jerk),' " McCloskey said. "But all I was doing was focusing on my career and the music. Musicians are an interesting group of people to try to keep organized. There has to be that one person who lays down the law."

Bingham was in the band on a trial basis and has parted ways with Hunter Valentine. But Bingham did play on "Collide and Conquer," and her keyboards add texture to the band's more aggressive rock sound.

"This one really has a wide range of different kinds of songs," McCloskey said of the record.

Bass player Vero Sanchez, who appeared on "Real L Word," remains with the band. Guitarist Aimee Bessada is touring as Hunter Valentine's fourth member.

Fans showing up these days have seen the Showtime series and have researched Hunter Valentine's music, Petracca said.

"They are getting the albums and learning the lyrics," Petracca said. "In the last few cities, Kiyomi had the crowds sing the chorus.

"Those things are happening for us now."

Petracca said she is not sure if there will be a fourth season of "The Real L Word," but the band would be game for one.

"I love cameras and I love attention, so for me it was awesome," she said.

HUNTER VALENTINE

What: 21-and-older show, with Queen Caveat opening

When: 8 p.m. Tuesday

Where: Blue Lamp, 1400 Alhambra Blvd., Sacramento

Cost: $10 advance/$12 door

Information: www.bluelamp.com, www.huntervalentine.com

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