Oregon Music News

While Head Like A Kite couldn’t change Friday’s turnout at the Someday Lounge, they definitely changed the energy from a low-key evening to a rockin’ Friday night party.  Radiation City was on the bill to open the evening, but instead, Portland’s own Highway kicked the night off with Dylan-esque, lyric driven songs.  He experimented with some finger picking, which he announced was new to his repertoire.  The small, friendly crowd created a welcoming environment for the rehearsal of new work.

Head Like A Kite starkly contrasted Highway.  The moment Dave Einmo walked on stage, he struck a wide legged stance from which he sang into a landline, touch-tone phone creating a robotic voice effect.  His guitar hung on his back, strap slung over his shoulder.  Behind him, video footage played on a large screen–Einmo and drummer, Trent Moorman, dressed in Superman costumes, running through public spaces.   “You guys want to party, right?” Einmo shouted, leaning into the microphone as he prepared us for the next hour or so of electronic, dance bliss.

Moorman played a small kit: kick drum, snare, cymbals, and sampler. He was so busy at one point tweaking the sampler with one hand and playing the drums with the other that he was forced to hold the other drumstick in his mouth.  The rhythmic layers and vitality were enough to draw you in from the street, but Einmo added layers of synth and guitar as various sound-making toys were scattered about the stage.  HLAK brought out The Saturday Knights’ Tilson to rap on the song “Director’s Cut,” adding even more dimensions to their sound.  The hip-hop was entertaining and Tilson seemed talented, but Einmo’s enthusiasm was hard to match.

The only thing missing from Head Like A Kite’s performance was a riotous crowd, although the space filled up a bit more for The Hugs.  The Hugs were once signed to Columbia Records and their pop influences definitely shined through in their melodies and harmonies.  While they might have been the skinniest group of boys I’ve ever seen on stage, their songs had a sophisticated completeness about them.  They were a lighthearted way to round out a genre-scattered evening.