Local H

Born David Scott Lucas, Scott is the nucleus of Local H. Not only is he the vocalist, but he is also the guitarist and bassist for the band. Raised in Zion, Illinois, Scott started Local H in 1987 with high-school friends Joe Daniels on drums and Matt Garcia on bass. When Matt left the band in the early 1990s, it was Scott who developed a unique way to play bass and electric guitar at the same time through a special guitar pick-up, eliminating a need for a bassist. After Joe left the band in 1999, Scott remained on as the sole original member of Local H.

Brian St. Clair is relatively new to Local H. Joining the band in the summer of 1999, Brian replaced the original drummer Joe Daniels. Although new to Local H, Brian is no stranger to the music business. Brian's first drumming gig was for his brother's punk band Political Justice in 1980. Later, Brian drummed for the rock band Rights Of The Accused until the early 1990s, only to leave with friend and guitarist Wes Kidd to form the band Triplefastaction. Brian left Triplefastaction around 1998 and worked in the background for bands such as Cheap Trick until he was called by Scott Lucas, asking if he would like to pick up the drumsticks once again. After one audition, Brian was named as the new drummer for Local H.

Best-known for their unorthodox two-man lineup, hard rock act Local H has made a career out of straddling the fine line between indie and classic rock, cleverly framing their sardonic lyrics with a generous helping of power chords and feedback.

Scott Lucas (vocals/guitar) and Joe Daniels (drums) began playing together in high school in their native Zion, IL. Finding a suitable bassist proved an insurmountable challenge, so the industrious Lucas eventually devised a way to install bass pick-ups into his six-string. Armed with this intriguing novelty setup, the duo signed with Island Records and made their recording debut on 1995's Ham Fisted, a rather unoriginal disc which had some detractors tagging them as Nirvana wannabes. Its follow-up, 1996's much improved As Good as Dead, was another story, however, considerably expanding the band's sonic palette and firmly establishing their identity as Midwestern ironists supreme. Led by well-crafted power pop radio singles like "Bound for the Floor" and "Eddie Vedder," the album was eventually certified gold and helped earn the duo their alt rock cred, while simultaneously validating their contradictory ties to classic hard rock. Though less-focused and not quite as immediate, 1998's still solid Pack Up the Cats seemed set to maintain the band's rising momentum. But record company woes (Island's parent company Polygram was in the process of being absorbed by Universal Music) effectively clipped the band at the knees, the album became lost in the shuffle, and Local H went on a near three-year hiatus. In the interim, Daniels left the band under amicable circumstances and was replaced by former Triple Fast Action drummer (and Bun E. Carlos drum tech) Brian St. Clair.

Lucas and St. Clair returned in 2000 with a new album and a new label. Here Comes the Zoo (Palm Pictures) featured more of the Midwestern angst and cutting satire that had always defined Lucas' hard rock, but added the busier drumming style of St. Clair. Incessant touring followed; in 2003, the duo returned once again with the No Fun EP for the Chicago punk imprint Thick. The band's fifth album, Whatever Happened to P.J. Soles? arrived in spring 2004. The band released the 18-track live album, Local H Comes Alive in 2005. Three years later, the duo followed up with 12 Angry Months, a concept album based on a failed relationship. ~ Ed Rivadavia, All Music Guide