Rare are the friends from grade school who still see each other on a regular basis. Most are separated by family, occupations and miles, making close friendships way hard to maintain. Not so with Redwing. The Des Moines-based band has been around for six years — longer than most college educations.

Not only that, but the guys — the Corigliano brothers, Jay on drums and Jim on bass, Fred Hale on vocals, Lincoln Grimes on guitar and Rich Cantrulle mastering the keyboards — have known each other since the days of kickball games and Star Wars action figures.

“We’ve all known each other since birth, practically,” Jim explained. “Me, Rich and Jay all went to high school together; Rich was a year ahead, and Jay was a year behind.”

The band materialized from definitely humble beginnings. From garage-type free-for-all sessions, to paying homage to classics, to their present line-up, Redwing has evolved into a group of talented musicians.

“We first started playing to jam together, and we did high school functions, stuff like that,” Jim said. “[But later on] in high school, we kind of went our separate ways.” Somehow, they drifted back together, and “we started to play covers and then added our own music,” Jim said. And Redwing hatched.

Redwing’s deep-rooted history of friendship and familiar is the same fuel that causes some bands to burn out. The guys know their colleagues’ weird habits and when to give each other space.

“We put distance between each other when necessary,” Jim explained. “When we start getting on each other nerves, we know it.”

When typical brotherly spats and normal mood swings aren’t rearing their ugly heads, Redwing pumps out pure, unadulterated rock ‘n roll which somehow braids classic rock and more modern stuff.

“It’s rock,” Jim said. “Someone once called us a combination of Led Zeppelin and Jane’s Addiction, but I don’t know. I don’t take too much stock in that.”

The solo effort, About Time, is on sale at Best Buys and Disc Jockeys in Des Moines, and the band’s sophomore album will be out “hopefully by Christmas,” Jim said.

To make that deadline, Redwing has spent oodles of time and money in the studio. While some musicians find this beyond boring, Jim only sees the good point.

“I don’t mind [recording],” he said. “I just play. I like the way it sounds, not where I’m at.”

And while logging in a lotta hours in the studio hasn’t ruffled Redwing’s feathers, nothing beats the energy and aura of playing to a live crowd.

“You get to see a lot of different people, how they react,” Jim said. “It’s kind of a party atmosphere without being in it. It’s nice to see people appreciate what you’re doing.”

Catch Redwing’s rock ‘n’ roll flight Saturday night at the Love Shack, located at 625 East Court Ave., in Des Moines. There is no opening band. It costs $5 at the door, an ID is required and the show starts at 10 p.m.