Q101 The Alternative
Q101 (formerly on Chicago radio @ 101.1 FM) The Alternative - Chicago's New Rock Alternative - Everything Alternative - Chicago's Alternative - Gen X - Generation X
“I started writing songs that wouldn’t fit on a Local H record,” Scott Lucas tells me over the phone shortly before going on stage in Dallas. “And it wasn’t just one song but, like, eight.”
That’s the origin of Scott Lucas and the Married Men. Most Q101 listeners probably know Lucas as the longtime frontman of Chicago rock vets Local H. His alt-country side project, the Married Men, played its first show in 2009 and released its first album in 2010. Now the Men are gearing up for the release of their second full-length Blood Half Moon.
When Lucas said the songs wouldn’t “fit” in with Local H’s catalog, he’s right. You’d be hard pressed to find cello or violin arrangements on a Local H record. Blood Half Moon kicks off with a twang-filled interlude that wouldn’t sound out of place in a 1960s-era Clint Eastwood movie.
It’s hard to tell where the country tunes end and the rock-steady grooves begin on Blood Half Moon, but what might be even harder to decipher for listeners is where Lucas drew his inspiration for this departure from his previous musical efforts.
Lucas says he listens to a bit of everything. His only rule for listenable music, regardless of genre: “It should be good.” Blues and country sounds might be new to his fans but they’re no strangers to Lucas.
“It doesn’t feel that crazy for me to do something like this for me, but it would be crazy if it was with Local H.”
Whereas his Local H gives Lucas the palette to paint his blue-collar rock-heavy rhythms, the Married Men showcases the softer, brooding side to his personality. No track off Blood Half Moon is a better example of this than the record’s emotional centerpiece, “Blood Half Moons.” Note the plural “moons” as opposed to the singular form of the word in the album’s title. Lucas claims he prides himself on never writing a record with a title track.
Named after the “half moons” that are left behind after clenching your fists, Lucas admits the non-title track is his favorite on the upcoming album. Though it was the first song written for Blood Half Moon musically, it was the last of the eight-track album with lyrics. It wasn’t until Lucas took a solitary drive through the desert in Joshua Tree National Park in California that he was able to pen the lyrics. Though he can’t quite put an exact meaning to the song, he sums it up by explaining it’s essentially about “serenely moving on.”
Even if he sometimes draws his inspirations from his national travels, Lucas has always stayed true to his hometown. Now three decades deep into making music in and around the Chicago area, he knows he’s not going anywhere soon.
“I’ve stayed in Chicago and not decide to pack up and move to Los Angeles,” he said. “The music that I really respond to comes from other places than Los Angeles and New York, like Minneanapolis and San Diego. Who goes to LA and changes LA? LA changes bands.”
True to his “I listen to everything” mantra, Lucas lists off quite the eclectic collection of bands when I ask who his favorite Chicago acts are right now. It’s a list that includes seven-piece metal act Bloodiest, party rocking mashup duo The Hood Internet and instrumental rockers Russian Circles.
Scott Lucas and the Married Men release their sophomore album Blood Red Moon on June 5. Catch them performing an acoustic set at the Logan Square Farmers Market on June 3 and June 9 at the Metro in support of Deer Tick.
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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!
J.T. Morand brings a frank, and interesting interview with Scott Lucas of Local H to the pages of the Chicago Sun Times, and we’re more than happy to share it with you, what with our Local 101 show with them March 9th at The Montrose Room:
Local H makes a record only when they have something to say.
And, with the political divide in this country widening and the presidential election eight months away, they have something to say on their yet to be released 12th album, “Hallelujah! I’m A Bum.”
It’s been four years since the Chicago-based, two-man post-grunge band consisting of Scott Lucas (vocals, guitar and bass) and Brian St. Clair (drums) released a studio album — “12 Angry Months” in 2008.
Unfortunately, there’s no release date set for “Hallelujah!,” but the band finished mixing last month and Lucas said the album will be out before the November elections.
“We wanted to take this thing that goes on in the country, and the rest of the world, and figure out how it affects people and their relationships with each other and the relationships within their neighborhoods and their community,” Lucas said. “It definitely is a record that, in some ways, has an expiration date, and that expiration date would be November. But, in other ways, it doesn’t.”
To read the full interview with Scott Lucas, go to it on the Chicago Sun-Times website here.
Join Q101′s Brooke Hunter for the first Local 101 Show of 2012.
Q101 Presents Lucky Boys Confusion at The Montrose Room. Parking is just $5 and there a limited tickets left.
Buy tickets here:
http://www.ticketweb.com/t3/sale/SaleEventDetail?dispatch=loadSelectionData&eventId=4215795
The Montrose Room is inside The Hotel Intercontinental in Rosemont. Next month, Q101 Presents the second Local 101 Show of the year at The Montrose Room with Local H. Tickets for Local H are on sale now here.
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