It’s possible you didn’t even know that Local H has released six albums, but enough people in Chicago care that they were able to perform an album a night leading up to yesterday’s release of their new album, 12 Angry Months–with an extra night of B-sides and outtakes thrown in for good measure. While the best songs I’ve heard from them since 2001′s Here Comes The Zoo are their Britney Spears cover and their TV On The Radio cover, they’re still doing a damn good job of claiming the title for Most Underrated “Post-Grunge” Band. Sure, Cheap Trick and Wilco have done this kind of career survey before, but would they have thought to have the reunited Fig Dish and Pegboy as opening acts? I think not.
With Billy Corgan and Jeff Tweedy regaled as auteurs for their conceptual turns and twists, Lucas is Chicago’s bare-knuckled rocker, slugging it out on stages from small bars to large clubs to outdoor festivals and releasing a steady run of albums that stand up against fickle pop trends. The week of shows forced a new look at a band that can often be undervalued here but whose music is consistently packed with depth, craft and true grit.
Despite playing a different album per night, the shows did not pause for reflection, especially since a significant segment of the audience looked like they didn’t have their driver’s licenses when the band released its 1995 debut. Opening slots provided a survey of Chicago punk past and present, including Smoking Popes frontman Josh Caterer and reunions of old-school punks Pegboy and power-pop contenders Fig Dish.
More Local H videos!
“Cynic”
“All The Kids Are Right”
“Half-Life”
“Wolf Like Me/Toxic (live)”
Local H jam 13 years into 7 nights [Chicago Tribune]
EDDIE VEDDER – local h [YouTube]
Local H – Wolf Like Me / Toxic (Live) [YouTube]
Local H – All The Kids Are Right [YouTube]
Local H – Half-Life [YouTube]
Local H – Cynic [YouTube]
Nice article. Very underrated band. Scott’s output hasn’t been that great since the first drummer(Joe) left, but the new album is pretty solid. Still a great live show.
fwiw (not much around these parts I’m sure) Phil Lesh is playing the Dead’s catalog start to finish over the next few weeks at the Warfield in San Fran.
@GhostOfDuane: By himself? Grateful Dead Go To Heaven? Yow. I’ll forward this to CrimeStoppers.
I must be stuck in ’96 but I’m still groovin’ to Local H’s “Bound for the Floor” record and I still maintain their song “Eddie Vedder” is the best grunge song by a “post-grunge” band about a grunge icon ever.
Then there’s Sparks performing all 21 of their albums in London over the next few weeks…
Never thought I’d hear about Fig Dish again.
Funny, Chicago’s always playing second city to someone. Somewhere, the Smokin’ Popes, Veruca Salt and Urge Overkill are waiting for their turns. that first Fig Dish album “..Love Songs Often Do” ain’t bad though
Um Pegboy reunited? They never broke up, and play regularly in Chicago!
Saw Blake and Rick last night and it made me regret missing the show Fig Fish played with Local H last wekk. Dang!
@Anthony Miccio: Now, I knew I’d catch shit for that, but I was hoping it would be from someone who doesn’t have a Fred Durst avatar.
After loving the first three records during my formative years, but missing them in various venues across the midwest, they came to my sleepy college town a couple years back. My nostalgic impulses went into overdrive as the day approached, but my date had other plans, drinking half a bottle of rum and growing increasingly obnoxious. When I sent her off to wander after the opening act, she harassed strangers for a piece of gum, until a guy in a trench coat offered her a mint. Except, it was mescaline. She proceeded to have a complete freak out by the second song, and I had to walk her back to her apartment, five blocks away. In her hallucinogenic psychosis, she was terrified of moving cars, cigarette butts, and snow. I had to walk her down a bar laden street, on a February Friday evening, in Wisconsin. Still haven’t managed to see them since.
That story sounds an awful lot like that time I gave some random girl a hit of mescaline at the Local H show in Madison a few years ago… What are the odds?
@GhostOfDuane: Hahaha, it was in Eau Claire, three years ago, and I guess they only played for 45 minutes anyway, but it doesn’t make me want to hit her in the face with a hammer any less.
I’m gonna start campaigning for a Veruca Salt reunion right this second.
I mean, this is the stuff:
@GhostOfDuane: Really?! Man, why am I not in San Francisco right now? Can’t wait to see how he tackles “What’s Become of the Baby?”
@tankboy: this would be a good time to give a fuck about an oxford comma.
Wow, primo example of the “singing like he’s painfully constipated” set.