Q101 and Local 101 came back to The Montrose Room this last Friday night, and we brought 2 Chicago bands with us, Stoop Goodnoise, and Local H. The doors opened at 8pm, and by the time yours truly spoke to the crowd for a few minutes, you coul hear the glasses clinking and see the beer flowing mixing with the chatter of an audience waiting for the music to start.

Stoop Goodnoise opened the show with their eclectic mix of punk and solid rock guitar. These guys are no strangers to us, with their single from their self-titled release in 2010 “First Names” getting airplay on Local 101. Adrian, Luis, Bella, and David hammered their set out with cohesion, smiles, and an air that was contagious to those within earshot. I spoke with Adrian on and off throughout the evening, and they take a lot of pride in what they do, and they certainly should.

These boys are ones to keep an eye on, and should be listened to on a regular basis. You can take the opportunity to do so, with their freshly out in the wild album, “Crash Me, Cloud” that was dropped onto us January 28th, which you can cheerfully pick up here.

After a break, we find ourselves with Chicago music royalty, Local H.

Scott and Brian brought a 90 minute plus set to the ears of all in The Montrose Room, with a few songs from their catalog starting up a small pit to the left of the stage, and culminating in Scott Lucas taking to walk into the middle of the crowd, much to the delight of everyone there.

With 6, and soon to be 7 studio albums in their pocket, Local H runs strong and wild through the world of music, and energetic and positively electric live performances. Long sets, and live creativity is what the creators of songs like “Bound For The Floor”, and albums like “Pack Up The Cats”, and “As Good As Dead” are known for, and did not disappoint. Local H always brings such a good vibe with them, with a feel like you’re going to your buddy’s garage to see those guys that you know play for the neighborhood, yet their neighborhood is much bigger, and their presence can;t be contained in a garage. Keep your eyes peeled for their new album later this year “Hallelujah! I’m A Bum”.

After talking to members of both bands backstage, it’s good to see there’s still that love of the music, and legitimate gratefulness to the fans. We look forward to bringing you more shows like this, more memorable moments you can pass on to those that may not have made it, and more smiles like this from the fans, and the bands that we work with:

Thanks to Local H, Stoop Goodnoise, The Montrose Room, and the fans for making it another awesome Local 101 Show!!

Jim Ryan of ChicagoNow.com has a good review of this show HERE.  Thanks for the plug Jim!