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Bound For The Tour: Local H announce return of original drummer for ‘As Good As Dead’ anniversary tour

A little over a month ago, Vanyaland premiered a demo from the digital bonus material that’ll be included with the upcoming vinyl release of As Good As Dead, the sophomore effort by Local H. Way more exciting thought is today’s news that original drummer Joe Daniels will be taking part in the tour to commemorate the duo’s most successful album, including a gig at Brighton Music Hall May 5.

It’s been 16 some years since Daniels split the band, leaving frontman Scott Lucas to forge ahead first with Brian St. Clair from fellow Chicago outfit Triple Fast Action, and most recently Ryan Harding, who played on the covers EP Local H’s Awesome Mix Tape #2 along with last year’s acclaimed Hey Killer full-length.

Fans who came late to the H party had only heard rumors or seen questionable quality YouTube videos of Daniels’ prowess on the drums; not only was he an absolute monster behind the kit, always attacking like it was his final performance, but it appears as if there’s little rust to be shaken off. Check out the two rehearsing the As Good As Dead track “Back in the Day” in a video released just hours ago:

Harding is still very much a member of Local H, and will be on board for the tour, where the band will first play a short set of songs from their other seven studio albums and EPs. After a brief intermission, with Daniels in tow, the band will return to the stage and play As Good As Dead in its entirety. There will be no opening act. Dates begin with two hometown shows at Metro in Chicago on April 15th and 16th. They hit Bowery Ballroom in New York on May 3rd and The Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood on June 2nd. Full itinerary below.

An official statement from Local H reads in full:

“The rumors are true. After 16 years, Joe Daniels will be re-joining us behind the kit for a run of shows celebrating the 20th anniversary of As Good As Dead.

Last fall, we were alerted that plans were underway to reissue our second record on vinyl. We wanted to be involved and contacted srcvinyl to see if they were interested in including some bonus tracks and demos. They were. They wondered if we were interested in doing some shows around the re-release. Maybe doing a tour where we play the record in its entirety.

We weren’t.

Here’s the thing: We’re not too hot on the whole nostalgia thing and the idea of playing a 20-year-old record didn’t fill us with a burning artistic desire. Besides –we’d just put out a new record that we were still psyched about and we were more than happy to concentrate on that.

And then (of course) we started thinking. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. We’ve played the record live before. It’s a concept record. It’s meant to be played that way. It’s not The Wall, but so fucking what? In fact, we’d played the whole album during our last show with Joe.

Which led to the obvious question: Why not have Joe play? When would there ever be a better reason? If all parties were down with the situation, why not put together a mega-Local H show at the Metro Chicago with As Good As Dead as the centerpiece?

Long story short, not only is that happening, but we’ve decided to take the show out on the road. We’ve spent the last few months practicing, shaking the dust off and crafting a set that A.) We’re pretty sure you’ll love, and B.) We’re totally sure to be proud of. As of now, we’ve got shows booked into June. After that? Who knows? And if you’re worried about what all this means for Ryan –don’t be. We’re taking him along. Everybody wins. An evening with Local H. No opener –just Joe, Ryan and Scott. Two drummers and a guitar player. The Two Balls And A Dick Tour.

For some of you, it’s been a long time since you’ve seen Joe play with the band. But some of you? Some of you never had the chance to see him play at all. We don’t think that’s fair and this is a chance to remedy that. See you out there.”

Local H As Good As Dead Tour Dates:

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  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
6/12  Minneapolis, MN  Fine Line Music Cafe
6/16  Kansas City, MO  The Riot Room
6/17  Dallas, TX  Trees
6/18  Austin, TX  Empire Control Room and Garage