The Lonely H

Five musicians born in the late '80s in Port Angeles on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula formed the Lonely H, an indie pop/rock outfit whose listening diet since toddlerhood evidently ran from Queen and 10cc through Weezer and the Strokes. Distinct from Chicago’s two-man grunge outfit Local H, the quintet—Mark Fredson on vocals and keyboards, Colin Field and Eric Whitman on guitar, Johnny Whitman on bass, and Ben Eyestone on drums—displayed songwriting insight and instrumental command well past their years. While still attending high school they began composing material and performing locally; in 2004 they placed second among young bands at Seattle’s Experience Music Project, an achievement that brought equipment and recording time. Their vigorous concerts and incisive tunes soon drew notice from Seattle’s independent label the Control Group, which issued the debut album Kick Upstairs in 2006. Critics in both regional and national outlets responded with enthusiasm, and the members spent the remainder of the year already tracking a follow-up. Youthful novelty fueled much of the early attention, yet it also created complications: asked by the Seattle magazine The Stranger what he wanted for Christmas 2005, Johnny Whitman answered, “Fake IDs for the whole band so we can hang in the club and not have to wait outside and freeze our asses off before we play 21+ places.” With the 2009 release Concrete Class the group shifted toward country rock while retaining prominent garage textures.