Local H Week, Day 1

Local H is playing in Boston this Friday, so this week I'm going to write about them.

Who, you may ask, is Local H, and why do you care enough to blog about them? First of all, you've heard their music if you've listened to American rock or alternative radio for any length of time between the mid 90's and now. They release a single that gets radio play every couple years, so you've probably heard All The Kids Are Right, or Half Life, or California Songs, or most recently 24 Hour Break-Up Session. They also had music in the soundtracks of a few movies in the 90's. But pretty much everyone has heard their biggest hit Bound For The Floor, maybe known to you as You Just Don't Get It or Born To Be Down or The Copacetic Song. Basically, Local H is one of the few post-grunge acts from the mid 90's to still be out there making new albums and touring.

What you may not be able tell from just listening to the band is that it is just two guys. Scott, the singer/guitarist installed bass pickups in his guitars and has a pretty elaborate pedal setup, so he's able to make more noise and produce a more varied sound than a dude with a guitar normally does. It's something that you really need to see to truly appreciate.

Brian, the drummer, is flat out amazing. He joined Local H about ten years ago after the original drummer, Joe, left. Brian is a blur of motion on stage, drumming faster and harder than anyone I've ever seen. He plays with his drum sticks upside down for a couple of reasons. First off, it lets him generate more power and more noise. Also, the sticks break less often when he plays that way, so he can get through an entire song with one set of sticks.

Pretty much every show is great. They play long, varied set lists. Local H isn't a band that plays the same set list every night of a tour. They play a great mix of old songs and new songs, and you never quite know what to expect. Every show is fresh and new, and the guys put a ton of effort into every show. Local H is not a band you are going to get tired of seeing.

The charm of a Local H show goes far beyond the consistently great performances, though. Scott is a hilarious guy, and he has some of the best give and take with the audience I've ever seen. He'll mock and argue with stupid audience members, and every night has at least a couple laugh out loud moments.

Another thing is the covers. At any given show, you are going to see Local H play at least one or two cover songs, and they are guaranteed to be flat out awesome. For example, at the last show I went to, in the middle of the show with no warning whatsoever, they played Bad Moon Rising, which was completely awesome, and in the middle of Bound they broke into 25 or 6 to 4. In most shows over the past couple years they've covered Wolf Like Me. Oh, and never be the guy that yells "Freebird!" unless you actually want to hear it, because they'll do it.

Right now they are out on tour with Electric 6. You can see the remaining dates here. Try to make one of them.