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.
Blue Line
Local H Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's getting hard to realize
A sense of self in other eyes
It's us and them
Do people even know why
Their backs are up in crazy times?
Trash fire bummers cry a river for the drunken boy and girls
Trash fire bummers and a river cried for every boy and girl
We're rolling by in washed up waves
Back into your everyday
Counting stops along the Blue Line
Trash fire bummers and a river cried for every boy and girl
Never shown how
You'd never know now
The places you return to don't exist
Rolling by in washed up waves
Back into your everyday
Counting stops along the Blue Line
There's nothing left here to be saved
Just barreling dogs and barking trains
Another year lost to the Blue Line
Trash fire bummers cry a river for the drunken boy and girl
Trash fire bummers and a river cried for every boy and girl
Never shown how
You'll never know now
Give in to your reasons to resist
Rolling by in washed up waves
Back into your everyday
Counting stops along the Blue Line
There's nothing left here to be saved
The barreling dogs and barking trains
Another year lost to the Blue Line
The Blue
The Blue Line (x8)
Trash fire bummers cry a river for the drunken boy and girl
The Blue Line (x2)
Trash fire bummers cry a river for the drunken boy and girl
The Blue Line (x2)
Trash fire bummers cry a river for the drunken boy and girl
The Blue Line
For every boy and girl, the Blue Line
Trash fire bummers cry a river for the drunken boy and girl
For every boy and girl, the Blue Line
For every boy and girl
"This is Blue Line train to downtown and Forest Park"
"???"
The song "Blue Line" by Local H talks about the struggle of finding one's identity in a society that is constantly divided into "us and them". The song suggests that people are quick to pick sides without even knowing the reason behind it. The title, "Blue Line", refers to Chicago's public metro train system, and the repetition of the phrase "counting stops along the Blue Line" emphasizes the repetitive nature of daily life. The lyrics also touch on the theme of lost opportunities, as the singer laments the places they used to go to no longer exist.
The chorus of the song mentions "trash fire bummers" crying a river for the drunken boy and girl, which is a reference to the homeless people often seen in Chicago. The singer seems to sympathize with their plight and perhaps feels that, like them, they are also lost and struggling to find their way. The repetition of the phrase "for every boy and girl" at the end of the song highlights the idea that everyone is struggling with the same issues, regardless of their background.
Overall, "Blue Line" is a reflection on the human experience of feeling lost, disconnected, and trapped in a world that you don't fully understand.
Line by Line Meaning
Doors closing
The beginning of a journey, where the door is closing, representing a closing of a chapter in life.
It's getting hard to realize
A sense of self in other eyes
It's us and them
It's becoming increasingly difficult to understand who we are, especially when we view the world as “us vs. them”.
Do people even know why
Their backs are up in crazy times?
The we is dead
People don't seem to know why they're acting so aggressively during trying times, and the sense of unity amongst people is absent.
Trash fire bummers cry a river for the drunken boy and girls
Trash fire bummers and a river cried for every boy and girl
The sadness and despair felt by those struggling with addiction is palpable, and it’s a difficult journey for everyone.
We're rolling by in washed up waves
Back into your everyday
Counting stops along the Blue Line
We're going through life without a clear sense of direction, and simply counting the days as they go by.
Never shown how
You'd never know now
The places you return to don't exist
We were never taught how to handle the unexpected, and now as we are facing these situations we are now realizing that the places we used to find safe and comforting no longer exist.
There's nothing left here to be saved
Just barreling dogs and barking trains
Another year lost to the Blue Line
There is nothing that can be done to help this situation. Time is passing by, and with it important moments and memories are lost to the everyday grind of life.
Never shown how
You'll never know now
Give in to your reasons to resist
We never learn how to resist, so we can’t find our reasons to resist the ongoing struggles of life.
The Blue
The Blue Line (x8)
Trash fire bummers cry a river for the drunken boy and girl
The Blue Line (x2)
Trash fire bummers cry a river for the drunken boy and girl
The Blue Line (x2)
Trash fire bummers cry a river for the drunken boy and girl
The Blue Line
For every boy and girl, the Blue Line
Trash fire bummers cry a river for the drunken boy and girl
For every boy and girl, the Blue Line
For every boy and girl
The Blue Line train is the backdrop for all these emotions and moments of the song. It represents the flow of life and the journey that we all take. The ‘trash fire bummers’ are a metaphor for those who are struggling and lost in their journey through life, and the ‘crying river’ represents the sadness and despair felt by them for every boy and girl.
Contributed by Jasmine W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.