The Local Band

Lore & Background

The Local Band was conceived when Alexi Laiho and Jussi 69 decided to play cover songs together. Jussi 69 recruited Olli Herman, and Archie Cruz completed the initial lineup. Their debut show in December 2013 at Tavastia Club in Helsinki sold out. The group played Ruisrock in July 2014 and returned to Tavastia in August 2015, followed by their first Japan show at Loud Park Festival in October 2016.

In December 2015, the band released the EP Locals Only – Dark Edition, which charted at number 20 on the Finnish Album Chart. The single 'Sunglasses at Night' was released from that EP. In August 2016 they played Nosturi in Helsinki, and in September they performed at WaterXfest in Jyväskylä.

In March 2018, Samy Elbanna of Lost Society filled in for Archie Cruz during a three-date Finnish tour. In June 2018, the band toured Japan and opened for Hollywood Vampires in Helsinki. Cruz later returned and remained a member until the band's hiatus. Alexi Laiho remained a member until his death in 2020.

Reader's Guide

The Local Band represents a notable collaboration among prominent Finnish hard rock and metal musicians. Though initially conceived as a one-off project, the group's sold-out debut and subsequent festival appearances demonstrated audience interest in their cover-based performances. Their only EP, Locals Only – Dark Edition, achieved chart success in Finland, indicating commercial viability beyond a novelty act. The band's significance lies in its role as a supergroup that brought together members of Children of Bodom, The 69 Eyes, Reckless Love, and Santa Cruz, showcasing the interconnectedness of the Finnish rock scene. The lineup change in 2018, with Samy Elbanna replacing Archie Cruz, marked a shift in the band's composition. The Local Band's legacy is tied to the late Alexi Laiho's involvement, as one of his final musical projects. Their limited but impactful output—a single EP and sporadic live performances—positions them as a cult footnote in Finnish rock history, remembered for their cover songs and the star power of their members.

Did You Know?

• The Local Band's first show in December 2013 at Tavastia Club in Helsinki was sold out.
• The band released only one EP, Locals Only – Dark Edition, in December 2015.
• Samy Elbanna filled in for Archie Cruz during a Finnish tour in 2018, but Cruz later returned and stayed until the band's hiatus.
• Alexi Laiho was a member of The Local Band from 2013 until his death in 2020.

Formation & Origins

The Local Band emerged from a simple desire among some of Finland's most prominent hard rock musicians to get together and play songs they personally loved. In 2013, Alexi Laiho of Children of Bodom and Jussi 69 of The 69 Eyes expressed mutual interest in performing their favorite tracks together. Jussi 69 then invited Olli Herman, the frontman of Reckless Love, to join the project, and the initial four-piece was completed when Archie Cruz of Santa Cruz came on board. The group adopted the name "The Local Band" and made their debut at the Tavastia Club in Helsinki in December 2013, where the show sold out completely. The band's original concept was deliberately low-key: they intended to perform only once a year, treating the project as a casual gathering of friends rather than a full-time commitment. This supergroup brought together members from four distinct Finnish rock acts, creating a lineup that spanned multiple subgenres of hard rock and metal.

Live Career & Touring

Despite their original plan to perform just once annually, The Local Band quickly found themselves on a more active touring schedule. After their sold-out Tavastia debut, they performed at the Ruisrock festival in Turku in July 2014. The following year brought a return to Tavastia in August 2015, followed by their first appearance in Japan at the Loud Park Festival in October. By August 2016, they were playing the Nosturi venue in Helsinki, and in September they took the stage at WaterXfest in Jyväskylä. The band's 2018 schedule included a three-date Finnish tour in March, a Japan tour in June, and a support slot for Hollywood Vampires in Helsinki. Throughout these years, the group maintained its identity as a Finnish hard rock supergroup while steadily expanding its geographic reach, moving from domestic club shows to festival stages and eventually to international audiences in Japan.

Discography & Chart Success

The Local Band's sole studio release, the EP Locals Only – Dark Edition, arrived in December 2015. The record consisted of seven cover songs, reflecting the group's founding premise of performing tracks they personally cherished. The EP found a receptive audience in Finland, charting at number 20 on the Finnish Album Chart—a notable achievement for a supergroup project that had initially been conceived as a casual, once-a-year gathering. The track "Sunglasses at Night" was additionally issued as a standalone single, extending the EP's reach beyond the full album. As of the available information, Locals Only – Dark Edition remains the band's only recorded release, making it a compact but significant document of the group's sound. The cover-song format underscored the band's identity: rather than writing original material, they curated and reinterpreted existing hard rock and metal tracks that resonated with the members individually. This approach gave listeners a window into the musical tastes of Laiho, Jussi 69, Herman, and Cruz as they interpreted songs outside their primary bands.

Lineup Changes & Legacy

The Local Band's membership underwent significant shifts during its active years. Archie Cruz, who had been part of the original 2013 lineup on bass and vocals, was initially replaced on a temporary basis by Samy Elbanna of Lost Society during the band's March 2018 Finnish tour. By the time the group finished their June 2018 Japan tour and opened for Hollywood Vampires in Helsinki, the arrangement had become permanent, and Elbanna was officially announced as Cruz's successor. More profoundly, Alexi Laiho, the guitarist and vocalist whose initial collaboration with Jussi 69 sparked the entire project, passed away in 2020, ending his tenure with the band. The surviving members—Jussi 69 on drums, Olli Herman on vocals, and Samy Elbanna on bass and vocals—continued the project forward. The band's story thus carries the weight of loss alongside its achievements, transforming what began as a lighthearted jam session among friends into a tribute to a fallen comrade and a lasting chapter in Finnish hard rock history.

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