Mugging Forces Local H Cancellations

Local H singer Scott Lucas was mugged after a date in Moscow, leaving him with damaged vocal cords and forcing the band to cancel the first three dates of its U.S. tour.

A month ago he was robbed and beaten after a Local H show in Moscow. The assailant took his phone, wallet, money, passport and even his hat and glasses.

Apparently the attacker came from behind Lucas and put him in a chokehold, causing him to lose consciousness.

“It wasn’t until I found someone to ask for help that I realized something else was gone – my voice,” Lucas explained.

“When I opened my mouth to ask that person to call me a taxi, nothing but a scratchy croak would come out. I touched my throat and could feel that more damage had been done than I initially thought. A purple bruise began to form. I was having trouble swallowing.”

Upon returning to the U.S., Lucas gave his voice a rest, but his vocal cords weren’t recovering and he needed medical care.

“After weighing all of our options, it looks like we’re going to have to cancel the first three dates of the Local H tour – that’s March 21, 22, and 23,” Lucas wrote on Local H’s Facebook page.

“We don’t take this decision lightly and we’re deeply sorry for it,” he said.

With the help of MusiCares – the foundation started by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to help provide “critical assistance” to “music people” – Lucas was able to see a doctor.

“We need a second opinion,” he wrote. “But the doctor said if they had to go in and pop (!) the cord back into place, then we have a limited window for that until the damage becomes permanent,” he wrote.

At press time there was no word on whether the canceled shows will be rescheduled, but Local H intends to keep up the rest of the tour.

The next show is set for March 30 at the Montrose Room in Rosemont Ill.