Local H is an alternative rock band which formed in 1987 in Zion, Illinois,… Read Full Bio ↴Local H is an alternative rock band which formed in 1987 in Zion, Illinois, United States. The band originally consisted of Scott Lucas (vocals, guitar, bass) and Joe Daniels (drums). Daniels left in 1999 and was replaced by Brian St. Clair who was the band's drummer until he left in late 2013. Ryan Harding would replace him, and is the current drummer for the duo. They are perhaps best known for their 1996 hit single "Bound for the Floor".

Each year, critics at the Chicago Tribune name a "Chicagoan of the Year." The 2008 winner for music was Local H.

Local H started as hard-rock duo formed by Scott Lucas (vocals/guitar/bass) and Joe Daniels (drums). The two began in 1987 at their mainline high school in Zion. After failed attempts at recruiting a bassist, Lucas added bass pickups to his electric guitar.

Local H's 1995 debut Ham Fisted was released to lukewarm reception, but their 1996 follow-up As Good as Dead was certified gold and contained the hits "Bound for the Floor" and "Eddie Vedder." It was better received by critics, as was 1998's Pack Up the Cats, which spawned the single "All the Kids Are Right." Unfortunately, their label Polygram merged with Universal, and the album was all but forgotten in transition.

Daniels left in 1999. Lucas recruited recent Triplefastaction drummer Brian St. Clair later that year. St. Clair was a drum tech for Bun E. Carlos of Cheap Trick. Lucas and St. Clair released their first album together, Here Comes the Zoo, in 2002 on Palm Pictures. The No Fun EP came next in 2003, and Whatever Happened to P.J. Soles? followed in 2004 to favorable reviews, with the track "Everyone Alive" being featured in the 2004 video game Burnout 3. The break-up concept album 12 Angry Months followed in 2008, and to coincide with the 2012 presidential election the group issued Hallelujah! I'm a Bum that year, both albums receiving critical praise.

Brian St. Clair would amicably leave the band, playing his last show in November 2013, before Ryan Harding joined to fill in his spot. In 2015, the duo would issue their ninth studio album Hey, Killer through G&P Records, an independent label they operate that has also been utilized for smaller releases for the band in the past. In 2020, the duo iussued Lifers through AntiFragile Music.

Local H garnered good publicity for a cover of the Britney Spears hit "Toxic". The cover was available on the band's web site and is the last track on the otherwise live album Alive '05, issued in 2005. "Toxic" has been performed at recent concerts.

Local H is known for creativity in concerts. In 2003, the band auctioned off a concert on eBay, and in 2004, performed at Fritz's Corner in Zion. In 2005, the duo performed a series of set-list request shows, where the audience got to vote on what they wanted the band to play. Gabe Rodriguez often accompanied the band on tour and provided back-up vocals or kazoo playing.

Every Halloween, Local H plays in Ardmore, masquerading as a certain group. They have performed as Nirvana, Tom Petty, Oasis, The Doors, Led Zeppelin, and Sex Pistols.

"Cha!" Said The Kitty
Local H Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Sucking like a crack hack
Feeling like an 8-track
Out of whack

All the times a clucking no
A suckit and a suckit

I don't want to live with that

And you don't want to take it back
And I don't want to be a rat
And you don't want a kitty cat

Reaching for the phone ring
Settle for the chump change
Settle down
Make it like a godsend
Feeling like a has-been
Remember when

All the times a clucking no
A suckit and a suckit

All the times a clucking no
A suckit and a suckit

I don't want to live with that
And you don't want to take it back

And I don't want to be a rat
And you don't want a kitty cat

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Local H's "Cha!" Said The Kitty express feelings of frustration and dissatisfaction with one's current situation. The initial lines of "sucking like a crack hack" and "feeling like an 8-track out of whack" convey a sense of inadequacy and disillusionment, as if the singer feels like they are not functioning as they should be. The repeated phrases of "a clucking no" and "a suckit and a suckit" suggest a pattern of disappointment and defeat, as if the singer is constantly being told "no" or being forced to settle for less.

The singer expresses a desire to break free from this cycle and not want to "live with that" anymore. They do not want to be a "rat" or a "kitty cat," implying that they do not want to be controlled or inferior to others. The line "reaching for the phone ring, settle for the chump change, settle down" suggests a resignation to mediocrity, but the singer remembers when things were better and expresses a desire to return to that state.

Overall, the lyrics paint a picture of someone who is feeling stuck and unfulfilled, but is determined to break free and improve their situation.

Line by Line Meaning

Sucking like a crack hack
Feeling addicted and consumed like a crack addict

Feeling like an 8-track
Feeling outdated and irrelevant, like an 8-track tape

Out of whack
Feeling unbalanced and uneasy

All the times a clucking no
Feeling rejected and disappointed many times

A suckit and a suckit
Feeling like everything is hopeless and nothing will ever work out

I don't want to live with that
I don't want to continue feeling this way

And you don't want to take it back
And you don't want to go back to a past that didn't work out

And I don't want to be a rat
And I don't want to be blamed for something I didn't do

And you don't want a kitty cat
And you don't want a dependent and clingy partner

Reaching for the phone ring
Desperately hoping for a phone call

Settle for the chump change
Settling for less than what we deserve

Settle down
Calming down and accepting our current situation

Make it like a godsend
Creating a sense of hope and wonder like a miracle

Feeling like a has-been
Feeling like one's best days are behind them

Remember when
Nostalgia for a better time in the past