Local H have been making rock music since the early ’90’s and, for Scott Lucas, the band has been a lifelong endeavor. Lucas has been the lead guitarist and vocalist for over 30 years now, ever since its inception with his high school buddies in 1990.
For the better part of the band’s history it has been helmed by no more than Lucas and his right-hand man (drummer), which has afforded the duo a certain legendary status amongst their fan base. That, and the fact that their repertoire of music is impressively extensive, spanning across albums, mixtapes, live recordings, and more. Now, with the release of their latest endeavor, they can add a feature film to that list.
Lifers, a new movie about Local H, written, directed, and edited by Lucas, debuted this week at the Music Box Theatre in Chicago. The film is a tribute to the band’s legacy that they have built over the last three decades and is named after their 2020 album release with the same title. I got the chance to speak with Lucas after his set at Aftershock Festival in Sacramento last weekend about the making of the film and his plans to go on tour with it over the next year. He explained to me that Lifers is not a documentary, but rather “a cross between a concert film and a video game.”
The movie is set in real time and tries to steer away from the perspective of the band and instead take on the point of view of the fans or those on the outside looking in. It follows those attending the shows, selling merch, working the bar or security, and anyone else who may have gotten the chance to experience the band as a spectator. The film is set to have a traveling premier and may even come to a city near you but the showings will be extremely limited, which is a very intentional move by Lucas.
When I asked Lucas how I would be able to see the film, he had this to say: “The plan for the rest of this year and next is to take that movie on tour. It’s not gonna be streaming, and you can’t buy it. If you want to see it, you have to come out to a theater … an honest-to-God, real theater. You can’t watch it on your phone. But you can come watch it with me at your local indie theater.”
The film has been in the works for three years now, and its debut comes just over a month after the re-release of Local H’s cult-classic album Whatever Happened To PJ Soles? which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. The band just finished up with an anniversary tour where they played the album in its entirety every night. This was a particularly special run for Lucas, who told me it is his favorite of all their records.
One thing about Lucas is that he is incapable of slowing down, and now that one tour is over, he is on to the next one. It seems that this has been a trend throughout his entire career. Be sure to keep an eye out for local showings of Lifers because there will be very rare opportunities to watch it during its in-person circulation, and like many things produced within the world of Local H, it is likely to become a cult classic.
The best way to find out when Lifers will be in a city near you is to follow the Local H on their social platforms.
Photo credit to Jake Miller
