Local H Still Not ‘Local’ Band

March 1, 2003

Local H Still Not ‘Local’ Band

By Randy J. Klodz

Scott Lucas of Chicago-bred rock band Local H told this reviewer in October that he prefers that his band not be known solely as a “local” band. With that said, Local H plays shows all over the nation, and also plays many shows in the Chicago area.

With the most recent Chicago-area appearance, Local H--which consists of singer/guitarist Lucas and drummer Brian St. Clair--rocked a sold-out crowd at the Clearwater Theater. The Clearwater Theater, located in northwest suburban West Dundee, has played host to live bands for nearly three months and was once a popular movie theatre.

The often-energetic Lucas kept heads bobbing while rocking out on his guitar, often spinning to face his stacked “Marsha” amplifiers--showering the sold-out crowd with guitar hums and squeals on “All Right (Oh, Yeah),” “Half-Life,” “Fritz’s Corner,” and “Freeze-Dried (F)lies,” among others.

Lucas did his best Rodney Dangerfield impression--joking with the crowd while switching guitars--after previously breaking a guitar string during “Keep Your Girlfriend.” “Where are we now? Wisconsin?” Lucas joked. “Wisconsin is almost in Canada, and you know what Canada gave us--Nickelback.” Lucas said that Canada natives, Nickelback, don’t care for Local H. He said that he thought that drummer St. Clair, with his long curly hair and well-groomed goatee, resembled Nickleback’s frontman, Chad Kroeger.

Throughout most of the show, Lucas rocked the crowd while wearing a pair of brown sunglasses that he borrowed from a fan in the front row. Later he would add a borrowed red, white, and blue headband to his cranium. With these additions to his wardrobe, he somewhat resembled Richie Tenenbaum, the character Luke Wilson played in 2001’s “The Royal Tenenbaums.”

After a short break, Lucas and St. Clair returned for an encore, and a giddy Lucas announced: “You know who I look like now? I look like ‘The Baumer” from “The Royal Tenenbaums,” wow.” Local H then ended the night with “Hands on the Bible,” “Bound for the Floor” and an extended version of “Rock and Roll Professional.”

Upon leaving West Dundee, Local H headed to Florida to play two shows in Daytona Beach. A band can’t be a “local” band if they are playing in the Chicago suburbs on Saturday night, and rocking Florida on Monday and Tuesday. For more information on Local H, log onto www.localh.com.