LOCAL H

Local H opened up the eyes of many kids with their 1996 release of As Good As Dead. Songs like: Bound For The Floor and Fritz Corner landed them a name in radio history.

I heard that Local H was coming out with a new record and I thought, Wow! I can't wait to hear I received an advanced copy of the record because my father owns the legendary recording studio Carriage House Studio. I popped the CD in a disc player and listened the CD straight through. I thought every song sounded good and was well thought out with Scott Lucas choice of effects.  My favorite songs are All The Kids Are Right Deep Cut, Cha! Said
The Kitty and What Can I Tell You?

I know this is a good album when my rap, metal, rock, ska, punk and jazz liking friends all agree the songs on this album sound great. Local H is a two-man band with guitarist, bassist and singer combined into one man,
Scott Lucas. Lucas plays guitar with bass pickups on the low strings so he can play bass guitar while he's singing. The other half of the band, Joe Daniels, compliments Lucas' guitar action with extra fast tom riffs. This outstanding duo makes as much music as a fully loaded four piece band.

When I asked Scott about the new record he said, "We wanted to make a record that was different than our other records, but whenever we said that people would say you mean with drum machines and samples? F**k that, we're a rock band, and we've always been one. We've never treated rock like it was a dirty word."

Scott Lucas is definitely one of a kind. A great guitarist, bassist and singer. Having seen Scott work shows me Scott's introspective nature. Joe Daniels on the other hand is more of a people person. If he laid off the talk shows he'd be just fine. Joe is a trampoline fanatic and is always exercising. Joe loves meat where as Scott loves vegetables and candy (preferably KitKat). Scott loves raggedy clothes and grungy outfits. Joe is very neat and organized and he even folds his dirty clothes.

Pack Up The Cats is the third album from Chicago power-duo Local H. Like the band's previous releases Hamfisted (1995) and As Good As Dead (1996). Pack Up The Cats follows the story of a kid trying to get out of a middle-of-nowhere small town (Zion, Illinois - where the band grew up), and takes place right after he escapes, chronicling his life as a little fish in a big pond.

This time the two-man band turned to legendary producer Roy Thomas Baker (The Cars, Queen, Cheap Trick) and engineer Nick Didia (Pearl Jam, Rage Against The Machine) to record and mix their blend of incredibly full, fierce, melodic rock.

"We were coming into a more 70's kind of thing anyway, and Roy was able to bring it out of us without making it too lush or drenched in studio tricks," Scott says.

I saw these guys too many times to count last year. I saw them open for Stone Temple Pilots at Madison Square Garden. I also saw them with Silverchair and headlining a couple of tours. Together Scott and Joe combined make a musical explosion that is clearly evident by the huge fan base they have created. This band is great and I think anyone who likes good music would like this band.

Ian Callanan
8th grader