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.
White Belt Boys
Local H Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yeah… hope you have a lonely life
A high heel stumble home from the gala with your gurney bag clutched to your chest
Hangin' on the arm of the guy who sewed you into your new dress
Oooh… It's a tragedy, so completely, it's almost Greek
And if I was to be hard-pressed, I'd lie and say I could not care less
Yeah… hope you have a lonely life
One red carpet bleeds into another, you're stained and it won't rub off
Lining up to get under your covers
The boys with white belts, snouts for the trough
Oooh… It's a tragedy, so completely, I'm barely me
And if I was to be hard-pressed, I'd lie and say I am not obsessed
Yeah… hope you have a lonely life, a lonely life.
Sha!
In White Belt Boys, Local H creates a picture of a lavish lifestyle that comes across as superficial and isolating. The opening lines of the song, “Yeah… hope you have a lonely life,” sets a tone of callousness and detachment. The lyrics describe a woman stumbling home after a gala event, with her gurney bag clutched to her chest, hanging on the arm of the man who sewed her into her dress. Despite the glamour of the situation, there is an undercurrent of tragedy. The lavish lifestyle feels empty, and the singer wishes for the woman to experience loneliness, as if it would be a fitting punishment for living such a superficial existence.
As the song progresses, the lyrics continue to paint a picture of a life that is more image than substance. The red carpet bleeds into another, and the woman is stained, unable to rub off the image that is projected onto her. The boys with white belts are described as having “snouts for the trough,” suggesting that their presence is more about taking advantage of the situation than any real connection or meaningful interaction.
Overall, Local H’s White Belt Boys is a commentary on the excesses of modern society and the isolation that comes with a life focused solely on image and appearance.
Line by Line Meaning
Yeah… hope you have a lonely life
Expressing a desire for someone to live a solitary and unhappy life
Yeah… hope you have a lonely life
Repeating the same wish for loneliness and unhappiness
A high heel stumble home from the gala with your gurney bag clutched to your chest
Describing a woman stumbling home in high heels with her bag tightly clutched, likely after attending a fancy event
Hangin' on the arm of the guy who sewed you into your new dress
Suggesting that the woman is with the man who made her dress for the event
Oooh… It's a tragedy, so completely, it's almost Greek
Expressing the idea that the woman's situation is a complete and dramatic tragedy akin to that of Greek tragedies
And if I was to be hard-pressed, I'd lie and say I could not care less
Stating that the singer would pretend to not care if asked about the woman's situation
One red carpet bleeds into another, you're stained and it won't rub off
Describing a cycle of attending events and being stained by the experience, something that cannot easily be erased
Lining up to get under your covers
Suggesting that men are lining up to sleep with the woman, likely because she is famous or wealthy
The boys with white belts, snouts for the trough
Referring to men who are willing to do anything to gain access to the woman's wealth or fame, comparing them to pigs at a feeding trough
Oooh… It's a tragedy, so completely, I'm barely me
Expressing that the artist's own identity is overshadowed by the tragedy and drama of the woman's situation
And if I was to be hard-pressed, I'd lie and say I am not obsessed
Stating that the singer would deny being obsessed with the woman if pressed
Yeah… hope you have a lonely life, a lonely life.
Repeating the original wish for the woman to live a solitary and unhappy life
Sha!
An exclamation of agreement or affirmation
Contributed by Penelope B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.