Editing Local H (section)

==History==
===Joe Daniels era (1987–1999)===
Local H formed as a result of a high school band that Scott Lucas and Matt Garcia were in called Rude Awakening, in 1987. That year, while attending high school in Zion, Scott Lucas and Joe Daniels began jamming together, along with Matt Garcia and John Sparkman. Local H was formed in 1990, performing their first show on April 20, 1990, at the University of Wisconsin in Whitewater. Sparkman left the band on April 4, 1991. Local H released ''Drum'', their first [[extended play]], in 1991. Garcia left on January 26, 1993, and Lucas and Daniels began looking for a replacement bassist. They eventually decided to carry on as a duo with Lucas handling bass guitar frequencies after having a high school friend, Tobey Flescher, modify his guitar with an added bass pickup and second output. Local H played their first show as a true duo on September 3, 1993.

By 1994, record labels were trying to capitalize on the popularity of harder-edged alt-rock bands like [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]], [[Pearl Jam]], [[Soundgarden]], and [[Stone Temple Pilots]], and the band caught the attention of Joe Bosso, an [[A&R]] rep for [[Polydor Records]], which was then in the process of merging with [[Island Records]].<ref name=Vulture/>  Island released Local H's debut studio album ''[[Ham Fisted]]'' in January 1995, with the singles "Cynic" and "Mayonnaise and Malaise," but the album failed to chart.  Behind the scenes, Island pressured Bosso to drop the band; instead, Bosso pushed them into quickly recording a follow-up before Island could cancel their contract.  Ahead of the release of ''[[As Good as Dead (album)|As Good as Dead]]'', Lucas was informed by Island that the album needed to sell at least 100,000 copies for the band to remain with the label.<ref name=Vulture/>  ''As Good as Dead'' achieved moderate commercial success behind the single "[[Bound for the Floor]]", which rose to No.&nbsp;5 on the US Alternative ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' Chart and No.&nbsp;10 on the US Hot Mainstream Rock ''Billboard'' Chart. The songs "[[Eddie Vedder]]" and "Fritz's Corner" additionally made Top 40 on the Alternative and Mainstream Rock Billboard Charts.  The album ultimately sold over 300,000 copies.  

Encouraged by the unexpected success of ''As Good as Dead'', Island Records greenlit a third album with Local H's preferred producer, [[Roy Thomas Baker]], along with a larger budget and a promise of no interference.  That album, ''[[Pack Up the Cats]]'', was a 15-track [[concept album]] chronicling the rise and fall of a rock band.  Island expected it to be a major success and intended to heavily promote it, with "[[All the Kids Are Right]]" as its leadoff single.<ref name=Vulture/>  This plan was derailed, however, when Island Records' parent company, [[Polygram]], was acquired by [[Universal Music Group]].  The promotional campaign was canceled and everyone at Island that the band had worked with, including Bosso, were fired or quit.  ''Pack Up The Cats'' was released September 1, 1998, peaking at number 140 on the [[Billboard 200]] and staying on the chart for only two weeks, despite "All the Kids Are Right" achieving moderate success on [[MTV]].  Universal did not release a second single.  The album was critically acclaimed and ranked on several best-of year-end lists, and in a retrospective ''[[Vulture (website)|Vulture]]'' suggested ''Pack Up the Cats'' might have been a landmark album of '90s rock comparable to Nirvana's ''[[Nevermind]]'' or [[Radiohead]]'s ''[[OK Computer]]'' had its release been handled differently.<ref name=Vulture/>

In July 1999, Daniels left the group.

===Brian St. Clair era (1999–2013)===
Intending to continue the band, Lucas hired [[Triple Fast Action]] drummer [[Brian St. Clair]], who had previously worked as a drum tech for [[Cheap Trick]].  The pair began working on new material for a fourth album, but confidence in the band at Universal was low and the label made them perform showcases for executives, something typically reserved for new bands trying to earn their first contracts.  Increasingly disillusioned with being signed to a major label, Lucas submitted new demos to Universal and invited the label to drop the band if they were not onboard, which Universal did.<ref name=Vulture/>

Local H signed with [[Palm Pictures]] to release their fourth album, ''[[Here Comes the Zoo]]'', in 2002. ''[[The No Fun EP]]'' followed in 2003 and their fifth album, ''[[Whatever Happened to P.J. Soles?]]'', was released in April 2004 to favorable reviews.

In 2005, the band received a good deal of publicity after recording a cover of the [[Britney Spears]] single "[[Toxic (song)|Toxic]]." The track was the only studio recording featured on ''[[Alive '05]]'', a 2005 live album that constituted the sixth major release from the band.

In 2008 the band released their sixth studio album ''[[Twelve Angry Months]]'', a [[concept album]] in which each of the twelve songs represented a stage in a year long process of overcoming a failed relationship.

On April 5, 2011, the ICON release of the band's Island recordings became their first "best-of" compilation. In an April 22 interview with ''The Delaware County Daily Times'', Lucas commented, "It's kinda weird but kinda cool because it doesn’t cover our entire career, so I was like, 'Let's call it The Island Years.'"

In a June 28 guest appearance on the movie review podcast/website "CinemaJaw," Lucas claimed that the next album would be out before the upcoming 2012 elections&mdash;mainly because so much of the album's content deals with it directly&mdash;expecting it to be released by February 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cinemajaw.com/wordpress/?p=327 |title=77, Suspense! w/guest Scott Lucas |publisher=CinemaJaw |date=June 28, 2011 |access-date=April 3, 2012}}</ref> In the same interview, Lucas also suggested that a working title for the album was ''Hallelujah, I'm a Bum'', named for a song from the [[Great Depression|Depression Era]]. On July 11, 2012, the band announced that their next studio effort, ''[[Hallelujah! I'm a Bum (album)|Hallelujah! I'm a Bum]]'', would be released on September 18. A full track listing was also published.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.brooklynvegan.com/chicago/2012/07/local_h_releasi.html |title=Local H releasing 'Hallelujah! I'm A Bum' (song premiere), beginning tour at the Bottom Lounge (dates) |publisher=Brooklynvegan.com |date=July 11, 2012 |access-date=September 17, 2012}}</ref>

In May 2012, the band launched a tour of small clubs and bars in preparation for release of a new album. In September 2016, Local H announced a North American club tour supporting [[Helmet (band)|Helmet]].

On August 21, 2013, it was announced that St. Clair would be leaving the band after a brief farewell tour, in order to focus on his tour management company, Tour Time Productions. The departure was described as amicable and a mutual decision between Lucas and St. Clair.<ref name="revolvermag.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.revolvermag.com/news/local-h-drummer-brian-st-clair-leaves-band.html|title=Local H Drummer Brian St. Clair to Part Ways with Band after October Dates|date=August 21, 2013|website=Revolvermag.com|access-date=August 2, 2016}}</ref>

===Ryan Harding era (2013–present)===
On November 4, 2013, Ryan Harding was announced as the new drummer.<ref name="rcreader.com"/>  Previously, Harding had played with [[Sullen (band)|Sullen]] (Shanna Kiel from Sullen performed on "5th Ave. Crazy" from ''Here Comes the Zoo'' in 2001) and Short & Sweet, who had opened for Local H. Nobody else was auditioned or considered, and Harding's first show with the band was on November 8, 2013. On April 22, 2014 the band released a studio single of their cover of the [[Lorde]] song "Team". In early 2015, the duo created a [[Pledgemusic]] campaign in order to help fund the production of their new album, titled ''[[Hey, Killer]]''.<ref name="Local H PledgeMusic">{{cite web|url=http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/localh|title=Local H: New Album|website=PledgeMusic|access-date=November 5, 2017}}</ref> The album was released on April 15, 2015 through G&P Records.<ref name="Local H Announce New Album, Hey Killer">{{cite web|url=http://diffuser.fm/local-h-announce-new-album-hey-killer/|title=Local H Announce New Album, 'Hey, Killer'|website=Diffuser.fm|date=February 2, 2015 |access-date=November 5, 2017}}</ref>

On March 29, 2016, Lucas announced on [[WKQX]] that the band would celebrate the 20th anniversary of ''As Good As Dead'' by playing shows where they perform the entire AGAD album with original drummer Joe Daniels in addition to other songs with Harding on drums.<ref>{{cite web|title=ICYMI: Local H makes a special announcement with wALT|url=http://www.101wkqx.com/2016/03/29/icymi-local-h-makes-a-special-announcement-with-walt/|author= Walter Flakus|website=101wkqx.com|date=March 29, 2016|access-date=March 29, 2016}}</ref>

In April 2017, Local H was announced as the winner of the 'Hit the Stage' contest, gaining the opportunity to open for [[Metallica]] on five dates of the WorldWired tour.<ref>{{cite web|title=Metallica Announces Winner of 'Hit the Stage' Contest|url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/metallica-announces-winner-of-hit-the-stage-contest/|website=Blabbermouth.net|date=April 26, 2017|access-date=27 April 2017}}</ref>

On January 1, 2018, the band announced a new live album from their 2017 European tour. The album, [[Live in Europe (Local H album)|''Live in Europe'']], was released on February 6, 2018.

On January 6, 2019, the band performed as the halftime entertainment of the Chicago Bears vs. Philadelphia Eagles NFL Wildcard Playoff game.

In January 2020, the band premiered a new single entitled "Turn the Bow", as well as announced an upcoming studio album entitled ''[[LIFERS (Local H album)|LIFERS]],'' set to be released in April of the same year. The album was produced by veteran audio engineers [[Steve Albini]] and Andy Gerber, features members of [[Deer Tick (band)|Deer Tick]] and [[Naked Raygun]], and was mixed by [[J. Robbins]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://music.mxdwn.com/2020/01/22/news/mxdwn-premiere-local-h-deftly-blends-melody-and-heaviness-on-new-song-turn-the-bow/|title=mxdwn PREMIERE: Local H Deftly Blends Melody and Heaviness on New Song "Turn the Bow" -|date=2020-01-22|website=mxdwn Music|language=en-US|access-date=2020-02-11}}</ref> On March 23, 2020, the band released the live video for their single "Hold That Thought."  ''LIFERS'' was released on April 10, 2020.

On October 22, 2021, the band performed at the Shaky Knees Music Festival.