The Lonely H

By Andres Jauregui
Photo by April Brimer

Fans of rock — especially the classic variety — can rest assured: The Lonely H did their homework, and they’ve made honor roll.

“We’re big Queen fans: Freddie Mercury is one of the greatest vocalists of all time, and Brian May gets such unique sounds out of the guitar,” says singer Mark Fredson.
Hailing from the old logging town of Port Angeles, WA — gateway to the Olympic National Park, birthplace of Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway — Fredson and his crew are fresh out of high school and already have two recorded albums to their credit. The next step: a national tour and a move to Seattle.

“We like, need to get out of this town,” Fredson explains. “We want to keep sane. The scene in Port Angeles as of right now is pretty much just a really bad metal scene. We’re outcasts.”

Fredson (vocals, keys), along with Eric Whitman (guitar), Colin Field (guitar), Ben Eyestone (drums), and Johnny Whitman (bass), began playing together in junior high, but didn’t become The Lonely H until an entry in Seattle’s Experience Music Project Sound Off — a battle of the bands for musicians under 21 — forced them to decide on a name. Inspired by The Who, the band ran down the list of the five W’s and noticed that “how” was left out.

“So we came up with The Lonely H and decided, ‘Fine, that’s good enough, we have to send this in tomorrow,’” Fredson says.

The newly dubbed Lonely H won second place in the 2004 EMP Sound Off, landing two days of studio time at producer Joe Reineke’s Orbit Audio in Seattle. Sessions there led to their freshman effort, Kick Upstairs, which was released by The Control Group in 2006. The Lonely H formed a healthy relationship with Reineke, who eventually signed on as the band’s manager.

“He really dug our sound and everything we were going for. We trust him, he’s a good guy ... the sixth member of the band,” Fredson says, jokingly. “He knew how to record and he had his own studio, so it was a good hook up.”

At the time of recording their debut, most of the band members were 16, and all were still in high school. Although their youth gained The Lonely H more than a little hype, it’s also left them out in the cold — literally. Whitman once quipped to The Stranger that he wanted fake IDs for the band so they wouldn’t have to wait outside and “freeze [their] asses off” before playing 21+ venues. But Fredson says that this has been less of a problem recently.

“We’ve been playing a lot of bars and clubs now, so the way it’s worked is, they don’t ask us, and we don’t tell them,” Fredson explains. “We make sure we look good enough to pass for 21.”

Looks and age aside, on their sophomore effort, the aptly titled Hair, The Lonely H has shown more than a little growth. Their knowledge of and appreciation for the music they evoke emanates from the album like a brilliant homage, yet manages to sidestep the pitfalls of emulation easier than one can say “Wolfmother.” From Queen to Zeppelin to The Beach Boys, The Lonely H’s mix of influences keeps their sound fresh, but they avoid sounding like a carbon copy of any one group.

“Our first record was schizophrenic. It was all over the map, musically,” Fredson says. “[On Hair] we had a bigger vision. We wanted to make a record that had a more solid feel to it, and focus on the whole rock ‘n’ roll attitude.”

This month, The Lonely H will relocate to Seattle to attend college. While their majors are as yet undeclared, Fredson says music was “a definite possibility.” And while he won’t miss everything about Port Angeles, Fredson acknowledges at least a hint of nostalgia for the town he and the band are poised to leave behind.

“It’s a small town. In some areas you could call it a tight-knit community,” says Fredson. “It’s where we grew up, and we’re always going to have that connection.”

www.thelonelyh.com