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.
Last Caress
Local H Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I got something to say
I killed your baby today
And it doesn't matter much to me
As long as it's dead
I got something to say
And it doesn't matter much to me
As long as it's red
Sweet lovely death
I am waiting for your breath
Come sweet death
One last caress
I got something to say
I killed your baby today
And it doesn't matter much to me
As long as it's dead
I got something to say
I raped your momma today
And it doesn't matter much to me
As long as it's red
(x2)
Sweet lovely death
I am waiting for your breath
Come sweet death
One last caress
Last caress (x3)
The lyrics of Local H's song "Last Caress" are disturbing and unsettling, describing the twisted thoughts and actions of a deranged individual who finds pleasure and satisfaction in causing harm and death to others. The opening lines of "One, two, three, four" set the tone for the song, as if counting down to the horrific confessions that follow. The first verse reveals that the singer has killed someone's baby, and is unaffected by the act, stating that "it doesn't matter much to me / as long as it's dead." The second verse is even more disturbing, as the singer confesses to raping someone's mother, and again, shows no remorse, saying "it doesn't matter much to me / as long as it's red."
The song's chorus, which repeats the lines "sweet lovely death / I am waiting for your breath / come sweet death / one last caress," adds to the unsettling mood of the song, with the singer seeming to revel in the idea of death and the relief it may bring. The repeated refrain of "last caress" drives home the idea that the individual is fixated on causing harm and death to others, and is eagerly anticipating their own death.
Local H's "Last Caress" is a cover of a song originally written by the punk band the Misfits. However, Local H's version strips down the original and gives it a harder, more aggressive edge. The song has been controversial due to its disturbing subject matter, with some radio stations refusing to play it. Despite this, it remains a fan favorite and a staple of Local H's live performances.
Line by Line Meaning
One, two, three, four
The singer is counting in preparation for the start of the song
I got something to say
The singer has something important to communicate
I killed your baby today
The singer is confessing to murder, specifically of a child
And it doesn't matter much to me
The singer is indifferent to the gravity of the crime committed
As long as it's dead
The singer's sole concern is that the victim is dead
I raped your mother today
The singer is confessing to sexual assault against the victim's mother
And it doesn't matter much to me
The singer is again apathetic towards the severity of their actions
As long as it's red
The singer is referring to the color of blood and indicating a gruesome act of violence
Sweet lovely death
The singer views death as a desirable entity to embrace
I am waiting for your breath
The singer is eagerly anticipating and inviting death to come for them
Come sweet death
The singer is calling out to death to take them away
One last caress
The singer is requesting one final embrace from death before departing
Last caress (x3)
Repetition of the request for a final embrace from death
Contributed by Mateo F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.