Local H W/ Above Yesterday, Kinch @ Chameleon 5/15

By -Mel Trago

The show started with an up-and-coming rock n roll outfit from the outskirts of Lancaster County called Above Yesterday. The band consists of former Signals the Escape drummer Brandon Rapp, Dustin Stuppy on keys, Eric Dorn on bass and Matt Entrekin playing guitar and rocking vocals. I’ve seen these guys a couple times and they honestly never let me down. They played in front of a nice crowd for being the first band and got a very nice response from people seeing them for the first time. They opened with a new song, “Five”, which has a very Local H feel to it. They also played two more new jams, “When Dylan Said (The Times Are Changing, He Meant It)” and “Captain Outlaw”. My favorite of the three is definitely “When Dylan Said”. It had a very catchy/poppy sound that made me want to hear it again. They ended their set with a great version of “Light Pollution”. In between you heard fan favorites like “Contrail”, “Reactive” and “Desolate”. All-in-all it was a very solid 30 minutes of music.

The next band to hit the stage was a band called Kinch. They are an indie pop band from Pheonix, Arizona. Their sound has been described as “an alt-rock pop style reminiscent of a few Brit bands, hearkening back to the sensibilities of ’60s garage rock.” To be honest, I didn’t catch much of these guys, but what I did hear sounded like it’s something I want to listen to more of. A friend of mine picked up a sampler at their merch table, which I plan to borrow.

Finally, it was time for Local H to take the stage. There whole “gimmick” for this tour was to have a fan pick one of their 6 albums out of a hat and which ever one was chosen was the one they would play in its entirety, as well as an encore set full of the “hits” that weren’t played. Well we got exactly what record I knew we could get, their first titled Ham Fisted (which was released in 1995). I would have loved to hear Pack Up The Cats, their 3rd record, which I also believe to be their best. Needless to say the crowd was impressed with Scott’s ability to hit those notes that came so easy to him 15 years ago. Most of the crowd on the main floor (which was 21+) was into their 30s and probably had been listening to Local H since Ham Fisted was released. Scott and Brian played through the album flawlessly. It really did sound pretty incredible hearing Scott sing songs that he wrote when he was “20 nothing”. If Brian were to hit the drum kit any harder he would of ended up down stairs in the Lizard Lounge. Scott ended the “Ham Fisted” set playing the albums final song, “Grrrlfriend” on the piano which I’ve never heard performed like that, I was very impressed.

They left the stage and came back to perform some of the “main stays”. “Hands on the Bible” and “Deep Cut” were a few of my favorites played. They ended the second encore with an awesome version of “Manifest Destiny pt. 2″. Of course, they played “Bound for the Floor” and “High Fiving MF” as well.