{Amazing Lesli Wood / Redwood Plan photo by Jason Tang from the TIG Flickr Photo Pool}

The weekend is nearly upon us... what are you most looking forward to?

On Friday night, Lesli Wood and the Redwood Plan kicking arse at the Comet with Dept of Energy headlining? Fresh Espresso (with a name like that you know they know how to work a Seattle crowd) with Truckasaurus and Head Like a Kite?

Saturday night we have to make sure you get your booty, whether it's broken hearted or already full of gue, to the Crocodile for the Dancing on the Valentine bash. It's an annual tradition and the *perfect* way to celebrate all the loves of your life and help raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. This years theme is all David Bowie all night. Dress up and dance your ___ off. What song do you want to hear covered?

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Here we are with Round Three of our interviews with all the main players (or at least their spokesmen) for this Saturday night's GRUDGE ROCK, which commences this at 10 PM, January 16 2010, at The Crocodile! For a little more background, check out Parts One and Two of this series. We've chatted with MC Jake Stratton and D. Crane of BOAT. Below is a Q&A with Dave Einmo of Head Like A Kite.

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This Saturday night, January 16, 2010, the Series Two, Episode One of live Family Feud style trivia and music blow-out GRUDGE ROCK commences! This time with indie rock romance Gorgeous Georges BOAT taking on the more Rowdy Roddy Piperish tech-soul rockers Head Like A Kite! Girls will scream! Boys will faint! The winner gets the Door Money and there are plenty of Consolation Prizes! And two sets by two great Seattle bands live on stage at the Crocodile. (Be there before 10 PM, because it goes on on time!)

I interviewed MC Jake Stratton in the first part of this three-chunk series covering The Event, and now comes a little chat with D. Crane of the pretty boys with the big batch of fans, the ever-loving BOAT.

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Grudge Rock, created by the brilliant ringleader Jake Stratton, leader of beloved first-ever sci-fi/hardcore band BloodHag), is styled as a 70s game show (Family Feud format) with bands playing and competing against each other. The winning band gets all the door money, but there are fabulous consolation prizes and more.

The show this Saturday, January 16 is GRUDGE ROCK SEASON TWO - EPISODE ONE, and it will be "party-inspired electronic rock music vs. indie pop" with fan favorites Head Like A Kite and BOAT.

This will be the first time the event is hosted at The Crocodile, as it has been running successfully at the Re-Bar and now needs bigger digs. The first WWF-styled boast was sent out by HLAK: "OPEN LETTER TO BOAT: You guys are toast. You can’t match the mental prowess of Head Like a Kite. We’ve got a panda bear that recites “The Merry Wives of Windsor” and Trent can spin seat cushions with one finger. Prepare yourselves for the consolation prize."

Just look at who is sponsoring the show: Pabst Blue Ribbon, Jameson Whiskey, Scarecrow Video, Fantagraphics Books, Pierced Hearts Tattoo & Piercing, Singles Going Steady, Trading Musician, Hardware Salon, Snoose Junction Part Dieu and Verellen Amplifiers. It's $10 (over 21, sorry), with 9 PM and the show starting exactly at 10 PM.

Here's our interview Mr. Stratton about the history of Grudge Rock, to be followed by interviews with both BOAT and Head Like A Kite.

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Fresh off the presses from our inboxes comes this week's launch of GIVE -- 30 downloadable tracks from a variety of Seattle artists, who are donating their songs to benefit Arts Corps and local area foodbanks. The $7.00 (!) compilation, which was produced, curated, and funded by Caffe Vita, will be available online here. Physical compilations can be picked up at all Caffe Vita locations, Easy Street Records, Sonic Boom Records, University Book Store, The Crocodile, EMP, Neumo's, and Sorrento Hotel. The in-hand compilations will include a physical card with a redemption code for the download, and a prettied-up sleeve to make it a ready-to-give present.

Here's the full track listing -- nearly all of which are exclusive to the compilation:

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I asked both brilliant and talented photographers Erik Clineschmidt and Jason Tang to list their five favorite Bumbershoot photos. Jason offered these as his favorites. - ChrisB.

Head Like a Kite:

"I almost didn't go to this one because Metric was playing 15 minutes after [their set began].  I'm so glad I did, even if it was for one song!"

Carly Nicklaus of USE:

"They totally killed it!  So much energy and a lot of fun to shoot."

Janelle Monae:

"Karma, I tell you. [When security stopped] letting anyone else in to the Metric KEXP lounge show, I figured I might as well kill some time and catch Janelle at the Fisher Green Stage.  Boy, was I in for a big surprise!"

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Yesterday, I wrote about what I was sure would be an epic event: The Beard/Off at the Funhouse between Sir Thomas Gray of Champagne Champagne and Terry Radjaw of Mad Rad. By all accounts (my Twitter feed went crazy last night), it was a great game. Line Out has the most detailed recap I've read yet.

Tonight, Mad Rad is playing their first show with a beardless Radjaw. The press release that went out this morning said:

Our pals in Head Like A Kite are murdering it lately, gaining all sorts of much-deserved praise and attention.  The boys in Dyme Def will be returning to the stage, and we are still loving that EP they released a little while back.  And, Mad Rad?  Forget about it, we’ve got some big Northwest history taking place with them this August 14.

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Head Like a Kite has long been an imaginarily favorite band, especially live. The duo of frontman Dave Einmo and drummer Trent Moorman are two musicians who understand music inside and out. Listening to HLAK is a joy because they are often experimenting with textures or different instruments while still going ahead and rocking. There are so many different ideas bursting out of a HLAK song, but Einmo and Moorman still hold it together and make it sound cohesive.

The last record, There is Loud Laughter Everywhere, was reviewed here by my friend Chris Estey, who raved:

The sophomore release from Head Like A Kite sounds like a mix-tape of rare, alternate twelve inch versions of radio smashes from a DJ who has collected a library of great music you somehow never heard before. As HLAK frontman Dave Einmo himself claims, "I wanted to create a record that sounded like big beat remixes of songs that didn't yet exist."

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Last Thursday, Head Like A Kite had an open house of sorts at London Bridge Studio and invited some friends and imaginaries to come be part of the recording process. Of course we couldn't resist the invite and Jeanine Anderson was on hand to take some shots of the fun.

Nice knobs and of course the requisite elf hat!

Head Like a Kite - one of my absolute favorite local bands - will be projecting a brand new feature, "We're So Entangled", behind them on stage Friday night (April 10th) as they rock the Crocodile with their unique blend of pretty pop melodies and electronic beats. The film, based on the song title of the same name from their recent full length, There is Loud Laughter Everywhere, is rumored to feature two Barbie Dolls and a burning dollhouse.

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