Local H have announced plans to mark the 20th anniversary of their breakthrough sophomore album, As Good As Dead, by playing it in its entirety during a national tour. The dates kick off with a weekend of previously announced hometown shows at Metro in Chicago on April 15 and April 16 . The tour runs from late April to mid June and hits Brighton Music Hall in Allston on May 5. The full itinerary is below.
For these full-album shows, Local H will first play a short set of songs culled from last year’s widely praised album, Hey, Killer, along with music from their other six studio albums and EPs. After a brief intermission, they will return to the stage and play As Good As Dead from start to finish. There will be no opening act. Tickets go on sale this Friday.
“We’re taking a couple of months off to properly prepare for the tour,” explains Local H frontman Scott Lucas. “We wanna make sure we get it right and present the album in the best possible way. We’re well aware that these shows are less about us and more about the people coming to hear us play a record that maybe has some importance to them. We take that seriously — and let’s just say, we’re not in the business of disappointing people.”
As Good As Dead will be released on 180 gram colored vinyl on this spring via srcvinyl, with different color options available there for pre-order and at G&P Records. This re-issue marks the first time that the album will ever be available in this format. The high-quality, double LP will have a premium gatefold jacket and insert. Additionally, the record will come with a digital download code that will allow access to bonus material from that era. One of those songs is an early, “karaoke version” of the live staple “Fritz’s Corner.”
“I won a karaoke machine singing “House Of The Rising Sun” at this bar, and we used it to record a bunch of demos for As Good As Dead,” Lucas said. “This version of “Fritz’s” has a sort of “Wipeout” vibe. But the song didn’t really come together until we gave it the “War Pigs” treatment. It’s still one our best songs.”
As Good As Dead was produced by Steven Haigler (Quicksand, Pixies) and was originally released on April, 16, 1996 on Island Records on CD and cassette. The record was the band’s first foray into making a concept album and is centered around life in Zion, Illinois, the dead-end, small town from where Lucas and then drummer Joe Daniels hailed. It spawned the hit single “Bound for the Floor” – which most people called “Keep It Copacetic” after the catchy chorus – along with “High-Fiving MF,” “Eddie Vedder” and “Fritz’s Corner.”
Local H marked the 25th anniversary of their first-ever live performance last year with a the release of Hey, Killer; a sold-out record release show at Metro and a jam-packed tour schedule, which included dates with Failure and …And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead, several indie brewery festivals and a triumphant return to Milwaukee’s Summerfest. Hey, Killer is the band’s first full-length with drummer Ryan Harding and their eighth studio album overall. Both the 25-year milestone and the excitement surrounding the latest record spurred the band to publish a 140-page coffee table book in December, Local H: Twenty-Five Years of Skin In the Game. The first printing of the book sold out, but is now back in stock at G&P Records.
Local H As Good As Dead Tour
4/15 Chicago, IL Metro
4/16 Chicago, IL Metro
4/29 Ferndale, MI Magic Bag
4/30 Buffalo, NY Studio @ Waiting Room
5/2 Washington, D.C. Rock & Roll Hotel
5/3 New York, NY The Bowery Ballroom
5/5 Allston, MA Brighton Music Hall
5/6 Philadelphia, PA Underground Arts
5/7 Akron, OH Musica
5/8 Champaign, IL The Accord
5/31 Phoenix, AZ The Crescent Ballroom
6/1 Solana Beach, CA Belly Up Tavern
6/2 West Hollywood, CA The Roxy Theatre
6/3 San Francisco, CA Slim’s
6/5 Portland, OR Wonder Ballroom
6/6 Seattle, WA The Crocodile
6/8 Salt Lake City, UT Urban Lounge
6/9 Denver, CO Bluebird Theatre
6/10 Omaha, NE The Waiting Room
6/11 Des Moines, IA Wooly’s
6/16 Kansas City, MO The Riot Room
6/17 Dallas, TX Trees
6/18 Austin, TX Empire Control Room and Garage
