local h hackensack header
[Photo by John Oakes]

Local H ​revisit Fountains Of Wayne's "Hackensack" for covers LP—listen

Local H are putting their own spin on Fountains Of Wayne’s iconic 2003 track “Hackensack.” The new cover premiered with Alternative Press.

The song will appear on the group’s upcoming covers album Local H’s Awesome Quarantine Mix-Tape #3, out Oct. 8 via Brutal Panda Records.

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Local H’s reimagining of “Hackensack” takes a slowed-down and soulful approach while still retaining the emotional tone of the original. Local H’s Scott Lucas exclusively told Alternative Press about the song’s importance and why they chose to cover it.

“‘Hackensack’ has always been a favorite Fountains Of Wayne song because of the lyric about Christopher Walken, but in the wake of Adam [Schlesinger]’s death, it was the lyrics to the chorus that took on a new and heartbreaking meaning for me,” Lucas says. 

“‘But I will wait for you/As long as I need to/And if you ever get back to Hackensack/I’ll be here for you.’ It suddenly became very hard to sing that part of the song,” he says. “And not just because my falsetto is terrible. I mean, it was always a sad song, but now it’s just so much heavier.”

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Schlesinger passed away in 2020 due to complications with COVID-19. A founding member of Fountains Of Wayne, he was a prolific songwriter who won three Emmys and a Grammy for his work in film and theater.

Local H’s “Hackensack” cover honors Schlesinger’s legacy while also paying tribute to Fountains Of Wayne’s influence on the music scene.

You can check out the cover of “Hackensack” below and learn more about the upcoming record here. Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

 Local H’s Awesome Quarantine Mix-Tape #3 tracklisting:

  1. “When Doves Cry (Acoustic)”
  2. “Strangers”
  3. “Brandy”
  4. “Here Comes The Rain Again”
  5. “Big Log”
  6. “Hackensack”
  7. “Ugly Sunday”
  8. “Dreaming”
  9. “When Doves Cry (Electric)”

Local H tour dates:

09/01 – The Colony, TX @ Lava Cantina The Colony
09/03 – Huntsville, AL @ VBC Mars Music Hall
09/04 – Murfreesboro, TN @ Hop Springs Beer Park
09/05 – Fort Wayne, IN @ Pierre’s
09/16 – Cleveland Heights, OH @ Cain Park
09/17 – Oshkosh, WI @ Menominee Nation Arena
09/23 – Houston, TX @ Scout Bar
09/24 – Dallas, TX @ Trees
09/26 – Austin, TX @ Empire Control Room & Garage
09/28 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar
09/29 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo
09/30 – San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel
10/01 – Sacramento, CA @ Holy Diver
10/04 – Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre
10/05 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile Second Stage
10/08 – Denver, CO @ Marquis Theater
10/09 – Lincoln, NE @ Rye Room
10/11 – Kansas, City, MO @ recordBar
10/12 – St. Louis, MO @ Blueberry Hill
10/13 – Louisville, KY @ Diamond Pub
10/15 – Charlotte, NC @ The Evening Muse
10/16 – Columbus, SC @ New Brookland Tavern
10/18 – Orlando, FL @ The Social
10/19 – Jacksonville, FL @ Jack Rabbits Live
10/22 – Atlanta, GA @ Central Park
10/24 – Columbus, OH @ A&R Music Bar
10/26 – Chicopee, MA @ Geraldine’s
10/27 – New York, NY @ LPR
10/29 – Baltimore, MD @ Metra Gallery
10/30 – Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie
11/02 – Milwaukee, WI @ Shank Hall
11/03 – Milwaukee, WI @ Shank Hall
11/04 – Chicago, IL @ Metro