A
two-member band hailing from the
Chicago area (
Zion, Illinois, to be specific), Local H has spent most of its life straddling that ever-populated line between fame and obscurity. Consisting of frontman
Scott Lucas (
vocals,
guitar) and
drummer Brian St. Clair (who replaced former drummer
Joe Daniels), Local H has been releasing albums for more than ten years. Though they often have guests playing during their live shows, they accomplish their two-man sound in the studios through the use of a special guitar, the bottom two strings of which are wired to a
bass amp, so that Lucas can effectively play the
guitar and the
electric bass at the same time.
Pinning down their sound, however, isn't an easy task, as their albums have widely varied throughout their career. Beginning with their '92 Demos in 1992 and the inception of their first album, "Ham Fisted", in 1995, their sound was harsh and lo-fi. It was only after the release of their sophomore album, "As Good As Dead", that Local H began to achieve any sort of fame. This album contains their only really popular single, "Bound for the Floor", also sometimes known as the copasetic song, which hit the air waves in 1996. Critics of this album argued that Local H was too Nirvanaesque in their sound, that they were riding the wave of grunge music that was so popular at that time. This was Local H's first album with a conceptual story running throughout it, that of someone trying to escape their small-town roots and move to the big city.
In 1998, Local H released their third album, "Pack Up the Cats". This album presented a radical change in the sound of Local H's previous works, mainly in that it was cleaner sounding more produced. This album too had a concept running through it, the rise and fall of a band as it leaves its small-town roots, moves into the realm of cool, and finally sells out before ultimately falling apart. This was the album that Local H believed would finally skyrocked them into mainstream popularity, however things didn't work out that way. At the exact moment that PUTC was to be released, Local H's then label, Island Records, underwent a large merger with rival label Universal. The massive employee turnover and chaos within the label effectively killed all promotion for PUTC, which buried the album before it could even take hold. It was during the aftermath of this that Local H's original drummer, Joe Daniels, left the band.
Since this time, Local H has been moving from label to label to produce its albums. They first moved to Palm Pictures, a small label created out of some of the Island employees who were downsized or left during the merger. It was here that they released their fourth album, "Here Comes the Zoo". Released in 2002, HCtZ was designed to be a straight rock album, eschewing the continuity and concept that had been a part of the previous two albums.
Since this time, Local H has also released an EP entitled "No Fun" on Thick Records, as well as a new full length album entitled "Whatever Happened to P.J. Soles?" on the label Studio E. Records in 2004. They show no signs of slowing down.
Members
Brian St. Clair -
drums
Scott Lucas - everything else
Discography
Ham Fisted, 1995
1. Feed
2.
Cynic
3. Mayonnaise and
Malaise
4. User
5. Manipulator
6. Bag of Hammers
7. Scott-Rock
8.
Sports Bar
9. Chicago Fanphair '93
10.
Strict-9
11.
Skid Marks
12. Grrrlfriend
As Good As Dead, 1996
1. Manifest Density, Pt. 1
2. High-Fiving MF
3. Bound for the Floor
4. Lovey Dovey
5. I Saw What You Did and I Know Who You Are
6. No Problem
7. Nothing Special
8. Eddie Vedder
9. Back in the Day
10. Freeze-Dried (F)lies
12. O.K.
13. Manifest Density Pt. 2
Pack up the Cats, 1998
1. All-Right (Oh, Yeah)
2. "Cha!" Said the Kitty
3. Lucky
4. Hit the Skids or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Rock
5. 500,000 Scovilles
6. What Can I Tell You?
7. Fine and Good
8. Lead Pipe Cinch
9. Cool Magnet
10. She Hates my Job
11. Stoney
12. Laminate Man
13. All the Kids Are Right
14. Deep Cut
15. Lucky Time
Here Comes the Zoo, 2002
1. Hands on the Bible
2. Half-Life
3. Son of "Cha!"
4. 5th ave. Crazy
5. (Baby Wants to) Tame Me
6. Rock & Roll Professionals
7. Keep Your Girlfriend
8. Creature Comforted
9. Bryn-Mawr Stomp
10. What Would You Have Me Do?
No Fun EP, 2003
1. No Fun
2. President Forever
3. Birth, School, Work, Death
4. Cooler Heads
5. I Just Want Something to Do
6. Fuck Yeah, That Wide
Whatever Happened to P.J. Soles?, 2004
1. Where Are They Now?
2. Everyone Alive
3. California Songs
4. Dick Jones
5. Money on the Dresser
6. P.J. Soles
7. How's the Weather Down There?
8. Buffalo Trace
9. Heaven on the Way Down
10. Hey, Rita
11. Heavy Metal Bakesale
12. Mellowed
13. That's What They All Say
14. Halcyon Days (Where Were You Then?)
Sources/Links:
Local H's official website - <http://localh.com>
H Corner, a Local H fansite - <http://www.thehcorner.com>
Amazon's Local H Page - <http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/stores/artist/glance/-/ 54448/ref=pd_ap_sr/104-0267598-1252704>