Chicago grunge rock outfit Local H have announced the release of their and G&P Records' first coffee table book titled Twenty-Five Years of Skin In the Game, which will feature stories, photos and memorabilia from the band's first two-and-a-half decades.
The idea was conceptualized when the band began posting memories on Facebook surrounding their 25th anniversary, for which they celebrated with a banger of a show at Chicago's Metro, as well as with the release of a brand new eighth studio blistering hard rock album titled Hey, Killer, recorded at Steve Albini's legendary Electrical Audio studio in Chicago.The book, which takes its name from a verse in "Leon And The Game Of Skin," contains detailed recollections of some of the band's greatest live endeavors, such as the band's 25th anniversary show at The Metro:
"...The crowd is with us wherever we choose to go. That important fact is not lost on us - which is why, for nearly the entire show, we project video of the audience on a giant screen behind us. The symbolism is clear. You're in front of us. You're behind us. We're grateful. After the show, we will go next door to G-man Tavern and eat anniversary cake with anyone who's willing to follow. A week later, we will be back on tour with a new record. Same as it ever was," Local H write in a new excerpt.
Frontman Scott Lucas told Music Times the idea for a book came from his band's fans. "People kept asking if we were going to compile the posts into a book. We had no intention of doing any such a thing. And as it usually happens, it wasn't too long before we realized it wasn't such a dumb idea after all," he said.
"But it was weird to be laying it all out in a book form - because when they were just entries on Facebook, much like when you're actually living it, you don't see the bigger picture. You don't see that this is 25 years of your life. Which is just f*cking bizarre to me. Because I don't feel done in any way," he continued.
Pre-orders for the book are underway as of Tuesday (Nov. 24) and if purchased, your copy will arrive with a download card that will give you access to more than a dozen rare recordings from the band's archives. "Hopefully, you could read this while listening to our records," Lucas said. "The tracks on the download card are meant to fill in the blanks."
