by Rainy Maple Sugar Candy (@hpfblog)
Local H has always been just one of those bands. They might even be that band. You know, like that band. That band that everyone knows, even if they say they don’t think they know them. That band that’s been around forever… or did they go away for a while? That band whose catchy AF melodies are just the frosting on the fun, grungy, driving rock song cupcakes that will live in your head rent-free for years. That sounds pretty good right about now, no? We could all use a break. Don’t worry! The cupcakes are made out of the same stuff as Twinkies, so they won’t go bad no matter how long they stay in your head. Enter: The 20th anniversary remaster of Whatever Happened to P.J. Soles?, released on Brutal Panda Records.
Local H is frontman/guitarist Scott Lucas and drummer Ryan Harding, though a number of other folks have kept the throne warm over the years. Original drummer and certified badass Joe Daniels was with the band from its inception in 1987 up until 1999; a respectable twelve year run matched only by drummer number two, Brian St. Clair, who was around for just over thirteen. The band has released nine studio albums, most recently Lifers in 2020. P.J. Soles was the fifth among them in 2004.
This record made its way back to earth at exactly the right moment. The news cycle and tumultuous election season almost did us in, but here come Local H making sure everyone’s cool. Quickie opening track “Where Are They Now?” will wake you up and make you wonder if your record is skipping for a minute with that sharply cut drum loop, but it’s quickly ushered out to make way for “Everyone Alive,” a habit-forming anthem that should absolutely come with a warning label. With the lyrics “I say hey, hello, mom and dad / Are things great, okay or just plain bad / Are you alive? Is everyone alive? / Oh, yea well me? I guess, I'm doin' fine / I don't know why, you'd think I would be lyin' / I'm alive, like everyone's alive / Is anyone alive?,” this is the track that should be blasting from every polling station on November 5th this year.
“California Songs” is a classic Local H crowd favorite and there’s a real one-two punch in having it come in next as track three. This song is the perfect example of the band’s signature confidence as a powerful and way-louder-than-should-be-possible duo (duo!) from Illinois. It’s impossible to listen to this banger about bloated west coast rock without thinking of the record label merger that completely screwed them over in 1998, six years prior to the original P.J. Soles release. Universal Records (whose US headquarters are in Santa Monica) merged with Polygram (the parent company of Island Records) which resulted in a lot of layoffs and the release of Local H’s Pack Up The Cats losing nearly all momentum. You gotta love a big corporate merger. The Universal debacle didn’t deter Lucas, though, who kept doing his thing his way even after the band’s days on the label came to an end. In fact, he hasn’t stopped since. Local H are Local H whether the label exec cares or not and that’s what makes them so consistently great. The band is the musical equivalent of that power stance that comes standard with a lot of guys under 5’8” (You know exactly what I’m talking about if you too are an admirer of sturdy short kings). Scott Lucas, for what it’s worth, does actually look pretty tall…
So who exactly is P.J. Soles? She’s a dang scream queen, that’s who. P.J. made her acting debut in 1976’s classic film Carrie and continued appearing in some pretty classic slashers, such as 1978’s Halloween. As for whatever’s happened to her by now… I mean, she’s probably got some cats and a garden somewhere. But Local H’s speculative album title was fortifying for them. By asking such a question, they extended their full plumage as a band who knew exactly where they stood. This remaster sounds great: the record and band deserve as much.
As for where– specifically– you can find Local H, they’re currently on tour through October 16th. As is unfortunately the case for many touring bands these days, they had to make some real quick adjustments recently when a planned tour with Helmet fell through. In true Local H fashion, however, they had an updated schedule posted within what felt like minutes. Absolutely copacetic.