music
ACEYALONE
Alone and Still Standing
If you found yourself in Los Angeles asking a real hip-hop head how the L.A. conscious
hip-hop scene began there, said hip hopper would mention Project Blowed and its veteran
founding affialiate Aceyalone.
Project Blowed is a hip-hop crew and open-mic workshop that began in the early ‘90s
in South Central Los Angeles at a little spot called The Good Life Café. Aceyalone was the
emcee who brought Project Blowed and conscious hip hop to the forefront of the West
Coast backpacker psyche. Put it this way: without “Big Ace,” emcees like Busdriver, 2mex,
Pigeon John and Medusa might not have encountered the atmosphere required to reach
national notoriety. In an era when gangsta rap was taking over the commercial airwaves via
Dr. Dre and Ice Cube, Aceyalone was constructing masterful lyrics appreciated mostly by
underground poets.
His breakout album, A Book of Human
Language, is arguably the first of its kind.
A hip-hop album that referenced Lewis
Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass (go
YouTube the song “The Grandfather
Clock”) and contained such a plethora of
heady syntax that fools began dubbing it
“nerd rap.”
It is quite the treat to have Aceyalone
come through town, as it was something
he used to do a lot more of. As an older
gentleman who’s survived a lion’s share
of tour life, Aceyalone is a veteran show-
man. It will be exciting to see both how
the years have treated him and what new
material he has in store. And, as though
you need more reason to go check this
show out, Living Legends co-founder
Sunspot Jonz joins the bill.
Aceyalone plays with Sunspot Jonz
9 pm Friday, May 18, at John Henry’s; $10.
SUNSPOT JONZ
— Dante Zuñiga-West
Friends and Benefits
Great Hiatum is a band of UO alums that considers itself “dance rock,” a fitting genre
for the wide range of sounds these musicians bring to the stage. The foundation for most of
Great Haitum’s songs is rock music, though the band dabbles in punk and electronic as well.
Wielding a style that might seem convoluted at first, the band does justice to the different
genres it spans, and every song is a passionate cry, calling listeners to the dance floor.
The Empeys, a student band spawned from UO co-ops, brings funk and lightheartedness
into its songs. Like Great Hiatum, The Empeys genre-hop, playing jazz-infused punk with a
side of blues and the occasional sojourn into hip hop. The Empeys are one of those
frolicsome and encouraging bands; tune into the group’s lyrics and catch verses like, “You
don’t have to know how to party, we will show you.”
Whether you love drum beats or horn sections, The Empeys have something for
everyone and the group is poised to take on summer celebrations in full form.
Both Great Hiatum and The Empeys will be playing a benefit concert for the HIV/AIDS
Alliance, in honor of HIV/AIDS Alliance’s AIDS Awareness Week. So come dance,
celebrate and raise awareness and funding for the alliance and those it helps.
The Empeys and The Great Hiatum play 1 pm Saturday, May 19, at the EMU Amphitheater;
donations accepted. — Hailey Chamberlain
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EUGENE WEEKLY
MAY 17, 2012 27