When I started covering music in Tacoma I was young. 19, as I remember — though it’s tough to recollect back that far because of the herbal jazz cigarettes in between.



I remember how I felt when people made a big deal out of my age, inevitably pointing it out, like it was some astute observation, that I wasn’t even old enough to get into the clubs I was covering.



“Yeah. I know.”



I hated that s***. Sometimes it felt like if I heard one more Almost Famous crack I might crack myself. I couldn’t wait to be, like, 25, and free to be as disappointing as all the people making such a big deal about my age.



Funny things happen with time. Now that I’m on the short end of 27, and physically feeling more like 35, I seem to have developed a new perspective. Looking at a band like the Lonely H, three fourths of which is 19, the other fourth an elderly 21, I can’t help but be seriously impressed by what they’ve managed to accomplish at such a young age. A band that singer Mark Fredson, guitarist Eric Whitman, drummer Ben Eyestone and bassist Johnny Whitman formed even before they reached high school, the Lonely H has been going for five years now. With their Robert Plant hair and faded, ’70s-style threads, which this band of teenagers wears with strange classic rock pride though they were born long after the mudshark had left the Edgewater, the Lonely H has gone in search of the magic of ’70s rock, and the results have been surprisingly good. They’ve toured extensively, played SXSW, released multiple well received records, and more importantly suggested that classic rock may have possibilities beyond the “Stairway to Heaven,” repeat mix we’ve come to know it as. The Lonely H have surely done and seen things that most kids their age can’t even fathom. It’s mighty impressive.



(19-year-old me would probably think I suck for writing that, but what the hell. 19-year-old me needs to spend a little less time hitting the bong, anyway. 19-year-old me should mind his own business.)



“We were just talking about how we’ve lived hard. Not drugs and stuff, we’ve just seen a lot,” says Fredson, who took time to speak with the Weekly Volcano shortly after the band returned to their Port Angeles home from their second tour of the year.



“For every one day we’ve probably lived three.”



Much of that living, Fredson says, has happened out on the road — a place where the Lonely H feels right at home. Taking turns guiding their 15-passenger van packed with guitars and amplifiers up and down stretches of American highways, and probably switching between Yes, Thin Lizzy, Elton John and Queen records, the Lonely H has found inspiration and purpose, shunning the popular fads and pop culture bells and whistles, and instead attempting to dig straight to the creamy core of rock and roll songwriting.



“There’s a lot of creativity, a lot of life out on the road. I can imagine myself doing the same thing 10 years from now, maybe with a few less floors and a few more beds,” says Fredson.

“Right now, as far as our vision as a band, we’re trying to get to the core of songwriting. Nobody can write a solid tune anymore. Popular music is really steering away from solid songs. Everyone’s relying on gimmicks. We’re trying to get to the core, and I’m not talking about simple stuff. We’re trying to get to the core of good song writing.”



Though Fredson thinks the Lonely H has “a couple” of pretty good songs that approach the core he speaks of, if 2007’s Hair is any indication, the band is closer than he leads on. Released on the Control Group label, Hair is a record that could have done big things in 1973, and the Lonely H is a band that could have filled arenas. Even after the fact, that’s not bad for (dare I say it) mere teenagers.



The band hopes to be in the studio working on a follow-up to ’07’s Hair by the end of the year.

“We’ve written a few more songs on the road. We’re anxious to put them down,” says Fredson. “I love touring, and I love the studio. They’re different, and I love them both. I love sharing my music with people when I’m on stage, and it’s nice to be able to give the songs the treatment and attention they deserve when we’re in the studio.”



While Fredson did say the band has plans to drop into the studio briefly sometime soon and record a couple of tracks for a possible 7 inch, any real progress toward a new record will have to wait for just a little more touring, and especially the Lonely H’s show coming up this Saturday, May 17 at Hell’s Kitchen. It promises to be a classic rock show of the highest grade, whether the kids on stage are old enough to drink or not.



“We’ve played Tacoma a few times. Every time we’ve had some pretty good shows,” says Fredson. “There’s definitely a good love for music going on there.”



He’s got that right. And that love should translate into love for the Lonely H. Kids or not, these guys know a thing or two about rock.



[Hell’s Kitchen, The Lonely H, Speaker Speaker, The Pete Moss Band, The Globes, Saturday, May 17, 5 p.m., all ages, $7, 3829 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.759.6003]