Local H '93
By Jesse
http://www.jstreetzine.com/interviews_localh1.htm
This interview took place on New Years Eve 1993 after a show they played in Hoser’s basement. I came to know Local H not too long ago when Matt, then their bassist, handed me a copy of their 7”. I caught them live at a show in Gurnee and since then they have become one of my favorite local bands.
Present at this interview are SCOTT and JOE, the core (and only) member of Local H for the moment. Gabe Rodriguez is also here who came by to help them out. Oh yea, and they’re from Zion, Illinois. Thought you should know that. If there is one band who knows where the hell they want to take their music, these guys are it.
So sit back and take it all in. Maybe you’ll learn a thing or two in the process.
JES: Ok so where have you guys been?
JOE: Hiding.
SCOTT: You mean in the last year or so?
JES: Yeah.
SCOTT: Well, just getting over the fact that we don’t have a bass player. Writing songs, recording, trying to get the two-piece thing down.
JES: So what happened to Matt (Garcia) after all?
SCOTT: Matt moved to Arizona.
JOE: To pursue a career in being a hippie (laughter).
SCOTT: Well, like I was talking to you about it before- You get to this age and you’re like “What the fuck am I going to do with my life?” and it’s like, you don’t know. So Matt went out there hoping that he could find something and it wouldn’t be the same, but it doesn’t matter where you go, unless you’re doing what you want to do, you’re going to feel that way.
JES: How long has it been since he left?
JOE: September. August.
SCOTT: He’s been out of the band for like a year now, so it’s been us writing songs, recording.
JES: You guys don’t want to get another bassist? Are you happy the way you are now?
SCOTT: Well, we tried to get another bass player for a while and we didn’t do anything. It was just like, nobody was right. We had to do something so we rigged up this thing so I could play bass and guitar at the same time. And it’s worked. At first, we couldn’t play without a bass player, but now I don’t think we could play with a bass player.
JES: Did all three of you get along?
JOE: yeah, but we didn’t really hang out. Matt has his own group of friends, you know what I mean?
JES: So Scott, for us less technically inclined people, could you explain how your guitar/bass works?
SCOTT: Yeah.
JES: Where did you have it made?
SCOTT: Well, we had a friend of ours, Toby Fletcher, do it. We were talking to him about it and we came up with the idea to install a bass pickup into the guitar to pickup the bottom two strings, and then have another jack coming out. That jack goes into an octave pedal, lowers it an octave to the bass frequency, goes into a bass amp and another cord goes into the guitar amp. So it’s like every chord has a bass root note in it.
JES: Did you have to re-learn how to play it?
SCOTT: Well, the only problem is that I can’t play an open ‘D’ chord. I have to make sure all the chords start on either the ‘E’ string or the ‘A’ string. It’s not that hard.
JES: How did people initially react to you not having a bassist?
SCOTT: The reaction’s been better….
JOE: I’ve actually had people come up to me and say they like it better than when we were a three piece.
SCOTT: We started out as a four piece, and every time we’d lose a member it was like, why try and replace him?
JOE: Me and Scott have been playing since ’88. Then John Sparkman used to play with us… now it’s just us two.
SCOTT: And I figure we’ll be at our best when it’s just me- it’ll be just great.
JOE: He keeps saying that so I think he’s working on it (laughter).
SCOTT: Yeah, I’ll do whatever I want. No arguments.
JES: So when was it that you guys started out?
(Joe and Scott debate this one for a looong while)
JOE: It was like 90/91 when we started out.
JES: So you guys are talking to some labels now? What’s up with that?
JOE: Well, Interscope came up to see us play back in September….
SCOTT: Well, we sent our tape out to all these independents and it’s just like, what about Interscope? We like some records that are on Interscope like Rocket from the Crypt. We’d love to be on a label with those guys.
JOE: And this was like the same week when I was going to move back to Chicago and go back to school.
SCOTT: And then no independent called us back, but then a major label called us and it was just weird, you know? And since then it’s kind of like snowballed. All the people hear that they’re into it and it’s like sharks…
JOE: Lawyers are calling you… it’s all weird.
JES: Are you guys looking for a certain label?
JOE: Yeah, we won’t sign to just anything… bullshit. We’ll sign with what’s cool.
SCOTT: All major labels look guilty. Interscope has 4 Non Blondes and stuff like that; they’re all guilty of something. It’s like what does it matter? I can’t work at Subway for the rest of my life. I’ve got to move out of my parents house.
JOE: I’m not knocking punk or anything when people say corporate rock sucks; if you sign to a major label you are a sell out. But it’s like, what are we supposed to do? We’re beating our brains out. I’d rather make some money off of it.
SCOTT: Yeah, we’re getting too old.
JOE: Yeah, if somebody wants to pay me to make an album, sell it and fly all over the world to play- playing is what I like to do, why not?
JES: Do you think it should be the bands’ decision…?
JOE: You mean you shouldn’t let the crowd or the fans decide for you?
JES: Right.
JOE: Well, as far as the fans go, they don’t speak for me. I speak for myself. We do what we want. Either you like it or you don’t.
SCOTT: Most people making those kind of decisions are like sixteen or something like that. You’re still going to high school. It’s very easy for you to call people a sellout. We’re 23 and I don’t know what I’m going to do with my life. I’ve got people who are my friends and my peers who’ve gone to whatever corporate job…. no one can call me a sellout. Most of the people who I did punk rock bands with back when I was sixteen are selling fucking cars now. It’s like, what am I supposed to do? Sit here and suck eggs for the rest of my life and go ‘punk yeah’? I’m not going to do that.
JES: So you guys work on all of your material together?
JOE: SCOTT usually brings in a riff or a song then we put it together.
JES: I’ve noticed watching you guys that you work more off of like a feeling.
JOE: Yeah, you hit that right on the button. To me, the way we play and, I should say, the struggle we’ve been through, how can you not put any feeling into your music? I mean, that’s how we feel when we play. How you see us on stage… that’s how we feel.
SCOTT: I like intense songs. I’m never happy when we’re playing our songs. The songs are just so… so hard. It’s just a miserable experience.
JES: So what do you think about “alternative” music going mainstream?
JOE: I’m glad it’s being noticed because it opened the doors, not just for those bands, but for everybody. It’s a big thing now.
SCOTT: But on the other hand, now all of a sudden everybody is being marketed as “alternative”. You’ve got stuff that sounds like En Vogue and it’s being marketed as alternative. Just refuse to use the word ‘alternative’ cause you know the only thing it is is corporate businessmen trying to make you think you’re listening to something different, but actually, you’re not. You’re listening to the same old bullshit Allman Brothers stuff and it’s just called Blind Melon. And you think you’re different, but how can you be different when a million other people are listening to the same stuff as you?
JOE: I think that band Stone Temple Pilots is the biggest joke of all (laughter). They’re just a rip-off of other bands.
JES: So tell me about your first 7” (for some reason, they start to laugh at that question leaving me to wonder if it was a stupid one- JES)
SCOTT: It’s on One World Communications. They still got plenty of them, so if you want some…
JES: Wasn’t it called Elephant?
SCOTT: No. It was called Drum, but it had Elephant on it.
JES: Oh.
SCOTT: It got two mediocre reviews in Maximum RockNRoll.
JES: What’s with One World Communications?
SCOTT: It was somebody Matt knew who wanted to start a label. We were to do that and a comp with 7 Seconds and Black Train Jack (?) but that never happened.
JES: Is that guy still around?
GABE: I think somebody else took the label over.
SCOTT: Yeah, it’s kind of clean. It’s too poppy. It sounds like a Green Day record or something like that (laughter).
JES: How old is it?
SCOTT: From ‘91
JES: Did you put out anything after that?
SCOTT: We started putting out just demo tapes.
(At this point, everyone on the planet comes into the room during our interview and various conversations take place which I’m not going to try and transcribe, so I’ll go to the next easiest question- JES)
JES: What would be the ultimate show you guys would like to play in? The ultimate bill.
SCOTT: Rocket From The Crypt, Iceburn, Quicksand, Rage Against the Machine, Liz Phair, Pavement, Betty Severt and Bon Jovi. Yeah, Bon Jovi so we can all get together and throw darts at him.
JES: So Gabe, are you like their alternate singer?
JOE: Gabe’s like our sideshow (laughter).
(For those of you wondering who Gabe is, he fronted the now defunct hardcore band Good & Plenty and ran a ‘zine by the same name out of Winthrop Harbor, Il. – JES.)
SCOTT: You know, we’re like thirty five minutes from the new year?
JES: Do you have any resolutions for the new year?
SCOTT: I resolve to bomb a Lollapalooza stage (laughter).
JES: JOE, how long have you been playing drums?
JOE: I’ve been playing since I was three. My dad played drums so he put me on drums when I was three. I played sports up till my senior year in high school; then my dad bought me this $8000.00 electric drum set which I hated.
JES: Is this the first band you’ve played drums for?
JOE: Yeah, well, all of my relatives played music and we as kids grew up playing in our little family bands. But as far as bands go, yea, this was my first. I believe in commitment.
JES: How about you Scott, when did you pick up your first guitar?
SCOTT: I picked up the guitar when I was thirteen. I just learned a bunch of heavy metal songs and I played in heavy metal bands. I got together with some people who were in a punk band.
JES: What was that band you were in?
SCOTT: The Family Cruisers. Ever heard of them?
JES: No.
SCOTT: They rocked. It was like Descendents, Ramones, Dead Milkmen type stuff.
JES: How about heavy metal bands?
SCOTT: We never had a name. We just played parties and played just Metallica songs. Then after that I started writing my own songs. I met JOE and we’ve been writing songs together since like ’88.
(More conversations take place between the ten people who are in this room which I won’t write about ‘cause I’m too lazy.- JES)
JES: Are you guys concerned with making a change at all?
SCOTT: Well, I think I’m an asshole and I’d like to change that (laughter). I think I’m not the greatest person to be around and I don’t like that.
JOE: Us two, you look at us play together but we clash.
JES: Are you guys concerned about world issues...?
JOE: I know you’re not talking about the news ‘cause I could care less. My thing is talk shows (laughter).
SCOTT: It’s like we don’t know enough. It’s kind of insane to ask someone who’s in their early twenties to formulate a world political view, stick to it, and write songs about it. I mean, I don’t know. I’m going to change my mind tomorrow about whatever I want. We just write about what’s going on; what we feel. Personal stuff that you write about yourself that someone else could feel.
JES: Got any words of wisdom to the people of this wonderful world?
SCOTT: I guess I can speak for JOE when I say this- our words of wisdom are: Kiss our asses! Those are our words of wisdom. Kiss my ass! Pucker up and kiss!
JES: Thanks.
About a month or two after this interview was done, Joe calls me up and tells me that they’ve signed a deal with major label Polydor Records out of New York. He tells me they received a hefty six page or so contract which included a six album deal, total creative control (of course Polydor has the last say), music videos and an advance check to record their first release to be out soon. I know they’ve been working on this for a long time and I’m glad it’s finally paid off. Best of luck guys, don’t forget all of us here at home!!