Local H: Keep it copacetic

Local H remains above rock clichés

By Mike Prevatt

During "Everyone Alive," the second song on Chicago-based rock duo Local H's fifth and perhaps best full-length album, What Happened to P.J. Soles?, singer/guitarist/songwriter Scott Lucas sings, "I'm all right, I'm just fine." Given Lucas' penchant for six-stringed satire, you might assume he's taking the piss. But given the past few years, this might not be sarcasm.

Though What Happened? exhibits the same commentary on musicians and culture found on other Local H albums, it's hardly a reflection on the band. For the past few years, the duo has tried to avoid the rock clichés and corporate bullshit referenced in its music--so much so that its new album is its first in four years. After joining the more independent imprint Palm in the late '90s--its original label, Island, was bought by Universal Music, effectively putting its acclaimed '98 Pack Up the Cats album on the back burner--the band was caught in another stalemate that eventually forced it to consider smaller indie labels.

"There was so much time spent talking to different labels," says Lucas. "It was a situation where we were ready to go and make a record probably a couple years before we got around to making one because you get into advice where, let's wait, it's in our best interest to talk to this label and that label, and y'know, it turns into this courting situation. You're there writing song after song, and people kept going, we want to hear demos. And then you demo all this stuff expensively, and then finally you go in to make the record...it already sounds pretty great, and then you've got to make it again. And I was like, fuck that, I don't want to do that anymore."

As a result, Lucas completely financed and recorded What Happened?--co-produced by Andy Gerber--and delivered it to a willing label in Studio E Records. The largely hard rock effort differs from its last, 2000's Here Comes the Zoo, in that Lucas and drummer Brian St. Clair experimented with alternative vocal, guitar and drum sounds, and Lucas incorporated more of his cultural criticism in the lyrics. For instance, the title track references the late '70s/early '80s actress (Rock `n' Roll High School, Halloween), though not necessarily for nostalgia's sake.

"I think it's more of a comment or reaction to...E! Channel and VH-1," says Lucas. "Who are these people that make these snarky comments? It's a lot more about that. These people, who as far as I know haven't made shit with their lives, making jokes about these people, and it doesn't seem like anything is being said. I don't know if they're comedians or people who write for People, but they're assholes. Someone like P.J. Soles feels like somebody you kind of would have a connection with, where I don't really feel like I have a connection to someone like Ben Affleck. He's this smirking, smiley fuck. I don't like people like that."

And, also evidenced on What Happened, he sure as hell doesn't have much patience for rock stereotypes. Though his stinging pop commentary is more deeply rooted in previous, somewhat conceptual albums like 1996's breakthrough As Good as Dead and Pack Up the Cats, newer songs such as "California Songs" and "Heavy Metal Bakesale" still point to a rock complacency Lucas feels the need to speak out against.

"It's either based on stuff I've seen or that stuff I've gone through," says Lucas. "Some people think rock bands shouldn't talk about rock, and I don't mind doing that. I don't think rock critics should be the only ones that make comments about that--because most of them suck at it."