Local H - WikiHQ

Local H is an American rock band co-founded in 1990 in Zion, Illinois by guitarist and vocalist Scott Lucas, who has remained the band's sole consistent member. Following the departures of the early line-up's bassist and lead guitarist, Lucas and co-founding drummer Joe Daniels continued as an unorthodox two-piece setup.

Local H signed a record contract with Island Records in 1994, where they would go on to release three albums. The band's debut album, Ham Fisted (1995), was not a success and the band was nearly dropped, but the band remained on the label long enough to release their second album, As Good as Dead (1996). The album was a success, selling over 320,000 copies and spawned a radio hit with "Bound for the Floor", which peaked at No. 5 on the US Alternative Billboard Chart and became the band's best known song. Local H's third album, Pack Up the Cats (1998), was a critical success and appeared on several best-of end of year lists, but did not perform as well commercially due to its promotion being negatively affected by a corporate merger involving Island's parent company, PolyGram. The following year, the band left Island, and Daniels was replaced by Brian St. Clair. By March 2002, Local H's first three albums had sold a combined total of 600,000 copies. They have been based in Chicago since 1992.

Local H's first album with St. Clair, Here Comes the Zoo (2002), was released through Palm Pictures. The band recorded three more albums, Whatever Happened to P.J. Soles? (2004), Twelve Angry Months (2008) and Hallelujah! I'm a Bum (2012), and four EPs with St. Clair, prior to his amicable departure in 2013. In November 2013, Ryan Harding was announced as the new drummer, and the band have since released two albums, Hey, Killer in 2015 and Lifers in 2020.

In 2025, Chad Childers of Loudwire included the band in his list of "10 '90s Post-Grunge Bands That Should Have Been Bigger".

History

Joe Daniels era (1987–1999)

Local H formed as a result of a high school band that Scott Lucas and Matt Garcia were in called Rude Awakening, in 1987. That year, while attending high school in Zion, Scott Lucas and Joe Daniels began jamming together, along with Matt Garcia and John Sparkman. Local H was formed in 1990, performing their first show on April 20, 1990, at the University of Wisconsin in Whitewater. Sparkman left the band on April 4, 1991. Local H released Drum, their first extended play, in 1991. Garcia left on January 26, 1993, and Lucas and Daniels began looking for a replacement bassist. They eventually decided to carry on as a duo with Lucas's friend Tobey Flescher, modified his guitar to produce lower-pitched sounds in the bass guitar range. Local H played their first show as a duo on September 3, 1993. The name of the band was taken from a combination of two R.E.M. songs, "Oddfellows Local 151” and “Swan Swan H.”

By 1994, record labels were trying to capitalize on the popularity of harder-edged alt-rock bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and Stone Temple Pilots, and the band caught the attention of Joe Bosso, an A&R rep for Polydor Records, which was then in the process of merging with Island Records. In the same interview, Lucas also suggested that a working title for the album was Hallelujah, I'm a Bum, named for a song from the Depression Era. On July 11, 2012, the band announced that their next studio effort, Hallelujah! I'm a Bum, would be released on September 18. A full track listing was also published.

In May 2012, the band launched a tour of small clubs and bars in preparation for release of a new album. In September 2016, Local H announced a North American club tour supporting Helmet.

On August 21, 2013, it was announced that St. Clair would be leaving the band after a brief farewell tour, in order to focus on his tour management company, Tour Time Productions. The departure was described as amicable and a mutual decision between Lucas and St. Clair.

Ryan Harding era (2013–present)

On November 4, 2013, Ryan Harding was announced as the new drummer. The album was released on April 15, 2015 through G&P Records.

On March 29, 2016, Lucas announced on WKQX that the band would celebrate the 20th anniversary of As Good As Dead by playing shows where they perform the entire AGAD album with original drummer Joe Daniels in addition to other songs with Harding on drums.

In April 2017, Local H was announced as the winner of the 'Hit the Stage' contest, gaining the opportunity to open for Metallica on five dates of the WorldWired Tour.

On January 1, 2018, the band announced a new live album from their 2017 European tour. The album, Live in Europe, was released on February 6, 2018.

On January 6, 2019, the band performed as the halftime entertainment of the Chicago Bears vs. Philadelphia Eagles NFL Wildcard Playoff game.

In January 2020, the band premiered a new single entitled "Turn the Bow", as well as announced an upcoming studio album entitled LIFERS, set to be released in April of the same year. The album was produced by veteran audio engineers Steve Albini and Andy Gerber, features members of Deer Tick and Naked Raygun, and was mixed by J. Robbins. On March 23, 2020, the band released the live video for their single "Hold That Thought." LIFERS was released on April 10, 2020.

On October 22, 2021, the band performed at the Shaky Knees Music Festival.

Live shows

Local H is known for their frequent and energetic live shows. The members of the band can usually be found at their own merchandise table after shows, signing autographs and selling band T-shirts.

Local H also has a reputation for creative ideas with regards to its live shows. In addition to playing a show in Chicago every New Year's Eve, the band has also participated in several unconventional concerts over the years, such as allowing one fan to select an album name from a hat, and then playing that album in its entirety. In 2005, Local H performed an "all request tour" in which a ballot containing a breakdown of most of the bands' songs organized into various categories, resembling a traditional sushi menu, was handed out to the audience upon admittance to the venue. Audiences were allowed to pick seven songs from the "menu" and the setlist for each show was derived from these ballots.

In 2003, the band auctioned off a live show to the winner of an eBay auction. The band subsequently performed this concert at Duke O'Briens, a pub in Crystal Lake, IL.

In July 2007, Local H played an early morning show at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago at the conclusion of the Nike Rock 'N Run 5K race, where runners ended the race on the field. Tickets to this show were only available by spotting Scott Lucas in public and speaking the phrase "Attention all planets of the Solar Federation, we have assumed control" directly to him. Later that same year, Local H announced a contest in which fans could make videos of themselves covering Local H songs. The winner would then get to be the opening act for Local H's New Year's Eve show later that year. A band from New York called Kung-Fu Grip won the contest with their cover of a song from Local H's No Fun E.P.

During the spring months of 2010, Local H embarked on their "6 Angry Records" Tour. Each show began with Scott holding a hat filled with slips of paper containing the band's album names. After interviewing members of the audience about which album they'd like to hear, one audience member would choose an album from the hat. The band would then play that album on the spot in its entirety, followed by an encore of other Local H favorites and covers.

Band members

Current members

Scott Lucas – lead vocals, guitar, bass (1987–present)
Ryan Harding – drums, percussion, backing vocals (2013–present), bass (2016)

Former members

Matt Garcia – bass guitar, vocals (1987–1993)
Toby (Tobey) Flescher – guitar (1987)
John Sparkman – lead guitar (1987–1991)
Joe Daniels – drums, percussion, backing vocals (1987–1999, 2016)
Brian St. Clair – drums, percussion, backing vocals (1999–2013)

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

! rowspan="2" |Title

! rowspan="2" |Details

! colspan="3" |Peak chart positions

! rowspan="2" |Sales

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;" |US

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;" |US Heat

! scope="row"| As Good as Dead

Released: April 16, 1996
Label: Island Records
Format: CD, CS, LP

|147

|—

|US: 320,720

! scope="row"| Whatever Happened to P.J. Soles?

Released: April 6, 2004
Label: Studio E
Format: CD

|—

|29

! scope="row"| Twelve Angry Months

Released: May 13, 2008
Label: Shout! Factory
Format: CD

|—

|18

|—

! scope="row"| Hallelujah! I'm A Bum

Released: September 18, 2012
Label: Slimstyle Records
Format: CD, 2LP

|—

|46

! scope="row"| Hey, Killer

Released: April 14, 2015
Label: G&P Records
Format: CD, LP

|—

|22

! scope="row"| LIFERS

Released: April 10, 2020
Label: AntiFragile Music
Format: CD, 2LP, CS

|—

| colspan="6" |"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Extended plays

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

! scope="col" rowspan="1" style="width:20em" | Album title

! scope="col" rowspan="1" style="width:15em" | Release details

Released: 1991
Label: One World Communications
Format: 7"

Released: 2001
Label: Palm Pictures
Format: CD

Released: May 27, 2003
Label: Thick Records
Format: CD

Released: October 19, 2010
Label: G&P Records
Format: CD, CS

Released: February 5, 2013
Label: Slimstyle Records
Format: CD

Released: June 11, 2014
Label: G&P Records
Format: CD

Released: December 16, 2014
Label: G&P Records
Format: CD

Released: October 8, 2021
Label: G&P Records / Brutal Panda Records
Format: CD, LP, CS, 4x7"

Live albums

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

! Year

! scope="col" rowspan="1" style="width:20em" | Album title

! scope="col" rowspan="1" style="width:15em" | Release details

|2005

Released: September 13, 2005
Label: Cleopatra Records
Format: CD

|2018

Released: February 6, 2018
Label: G&P Records
Format: CD, LP

Compilation albums

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

! Year

! scope="col" rowspan="1" style="width:20em" | Album title

! scope="col" rowspan="1" style="width:15em" | Release details

|2005

Released: 2002
Label: Palm Pictures
Format: CD

|2011

Released: April 5, 2011
Label: Island Records
Format: CD

Demo releases

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

! Year

! scope="col" rowspan="1" style="width:20em" | Album title

! scope="col" rowspan="1" style="width:15em" | Release details

|1991

Released: 1991
Label: Self-released
Format: CS

|1992

Released: 1992
Label: Self-released
Format: CS

|1999

Released: 1999
Label: G&P Records
Format: CD-R

|2006

Released: June 9, 2006
Label: G&P Records
Format: CD

|2015

Released: December 15, 2015
Label: G&P Records
Format: DL

Concert Films

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

! Year

! scope="col" rowspan="1" style="width:20em" | Album title

! scope="col" rowspan="1" style="width:15em" | Release details

|2010

Released: February 23, 2010
Label: King of Heart Productions
Format: DVD

|2012

Released: March 1, 2012
Label: G&P Records
Format: DVD

|2016

Released: August 16, 2016
Label: G&P Records
Format: Blu-ray

Singles

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

!rowspan="2"| Single

! rowspan="2" |Year

! colspan="5" | Peak chart positions

!rowspan="2"| Album

!style="width:3em;font-size:85%"| US Air.

! style="width:3em;font-size:85%" | US Main.

! style="width:3em;font-size:85%" | US Alt

!style="width:3em;font-size:85%"| AUS

! style="width:3em;font-size:85%" |CAN Alt.

! scope="row"| "Cynic"

| rowspan="2" |1994

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| style="text-align:center;" | —

| style="text-align:center;"| —

|—

| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | Ham Fisted

! scope="row"| "Mayonnaise and Malaise"

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| style="text-align:center;" | —

| style="text-align:center;"| —

|—

! scope="row"| "High-Fiving MF"

| rowspan="2" |1996

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| style="text-align:center;" | —

| style="text-align:center;"| —

|24

| rowspan="4" style="text-align:center;" | As Good as Dead

! scope="row"| "Bound for the Floor"

| style="text-align:center;"| 46

| style="text-align:center;" | 10

| style="text-align:center;"| 5

| style="text-align:center;"| 91

|15

! scope="row"| "Eddie Vedder"

| rowspan="2" |1997

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| style="text-align:center;" | —

| style="text-align:center;"| 38

| style="text-align:center;"| —

|—

! scope="row"| "Fritz's Corner"

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| style="text-align:center;" | 36

| style="text-align:center;"| —

|—

! scope="row"| "All the Kids Are Right"

| rowspan="2" |1998

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| style="text-align:center;" | 19

| style="text-align:center;"| 20

| style="text-align:center;"| —

|—

| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | Pack Up the Cats

! scope="row"| "All-Right (Oh, Yeah)"

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| style="text-align:center;" | —

| style="text-align:center;"| —

|—

! scope="row"| "Half-Life"

|2001

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| style="text-align:center;" | 40

| style="text-align:center;"| —

|—

| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | Here Comes the Zoo

! scope="row"| "Hands on the Bible"

|2002

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| style="text-align:center;" | —

| style="text-align:center;"| —

|—

! scope="row"| "Everyone Alive"

|2004

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| style="text-align:center;" | —

| style="text-align:center;"| —

|—

| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | Whatever Happened to P.J. Soles?

! scope="row"| "California Songs"

|2004

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| style="text-align:center;" | —

| style="text-align:center;"| —

|—

! scope="row"| "Toxic" (Britney Spears cover)

|2005

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| style="text-align:center;" | —

| style="text-align:center;"| —

|—

| style="text-align:center;" | Alive '05

! scope="row"| "24 Hour Break-Up Session"

|2008

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| style="text-align:center;" | —

| style="text-align:center;"| —

|—

| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | Twelve Angry Months

! scope="row"| "Machine Shed Wrestling"

|2009

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| style="text-align:center;" | —

| style="text-align:center;"| —

|—

! scope="row"| "Team" (Lorde cover)

|2014

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| style="text-align:center;" | —

| style="text-align:center;"| —

|—

| rowspan="1" style="text-align:center;" | The Team EP

! scope="row"| "Patrick Bateman"

|2019

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| style="text-align:center;" | —

| style="text-align:center;"| —

|—

| rowspan="3" style="text-align:center;" | Lifers

! scope="row"| "Hold That Thought"

| rowspan="2" |2020

| style="text-align:center;" | —

|—

! scope="row"| "Beyond the Valley of Snakes"

| style="text-align:center;" | —

| colspan="8" style="font-size:90%" |"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Split singles

{|class="wikitable"

! Year

! Single

! Other artist

| 1994

| "Disgruntled Xmas" / "White Christmas"

| Sybil Vane

| 2000

| "Birth, School, Work, Death" / "Corporation"

| The Blank Theory

Music videos

{|class="wikitable"

!Year

!Song

!Director(s)

!Ref.

|1995

|"Cynic"

|Jodi Wille

| rowspan="2"| 1996

|"High-Fiving MF"

|Jeff Stein

|"Bound for the Floor"

|Samuel Bayer

| rowspan="2"| 1997

|"Eddie Vedder"

| rowspan="4"| Phil Harder

|"Fritz's Corner"

|2002

|"Half-Life"

|2009

|"Machine Shed Wrestling"

|Erik Braund & Brandon Hafer

| rowspan="2"| 2012

|"Night Flight to Paris"

| rowspan="2"| Scott Lucas

|"Cold Manor"

|2013

|"Another February"

|Jeffrey Clayton Brown

|2018

|"Innocents"

|Felix Peñeiro

|2019

|"Patrick Bateman"

| rowspan="3"| 2020

|"Hold That Thought"

|"Beyond The Valley Of Snakes"

|"Sunday Best"

|Eoin Stanley

|2021

|"Winter Western"

|Rachel Lichtman

Compilations and soundtracks

The Great White Hype (1996) – "Feed" (featured in film only)
Sling Blade Soundtrack (1996) – "Smothered in Hugs" (Guided by Voices)
Kevin & Bean Present Christmastime In The LBC (1996) – "Disgruntled Christmas"
Royal Flush: Live On-Air (1997) – "Bound for the Floor" (acoustic)
Gravesend Soundtrack (1997) – "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and "Tag-Along"
93 One: Unplugged & Burnt Out (1998) – "Bound for the Floor" (acoustic)
Q101: Local 101 Volume One (1998) – "Talking Smack"
Q101: Live 101 Volume One (1999) – "All the Kids Are Right" (live)
Where Is My Mind: A Tribute to the Pixies (1999) – "Tame" (Pixies)
Thick Records' Oil Compilation (2002) – "Mellowed" (early version)
Big Nothing (2006) – "Hands on the Bible" and "Bound for the Floor" (both featured in film only)

References

External links

Allmusic entry for Local H
Local H collection at the Internet Archive
Save Me from My Half-life Drive Documentary

History

Joe Daniels era (1987–1999)

Ryan Harding era (2013–present)

Live shows

Band members

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Live albums

Compilation albums

Demo releases

Concert Films

Singles

Split singles

Music videos

Compilations and soundtracks

See also

References

External links