THURSDAY NOVEMBER 29. 2012
PAGE 6A
MUSIC
Action Bronson releases album
Action Bronson has created quite the buzz for himself the last few years. He's released a slew of albums and mixtapes, most of which were entirely produced by one producer. He keeps the same formula with his latest release "Rare Chandelier," which is entirely produced by seasoned veteran the Alchemist.
Action Bronson and the Alchemist are an understandable pairing; both of them have styles reminiscent of '90s New York hip hop.
RYAN WRIGHT
rwright@kansan.com
Some things just make sense, and this is one of those of things. Throughout the 13-track album, the Alchemist crafts excellent beats with a heavy jazz and blues influence, which is standard for him. The only downfall of the Alchemist's production on this album is that sometimes the beats go on too long.
Thankfully, there are tracks on here with several beat changes. "Eggs on the Third Floor" switches halfway through to a much simpler, cypher-type of sound.
"Randy the Musical" switches beats four times in a matter of three minutes, and all of them sound as if they were played by a live band. On both of those tracks Action Bronson thrives, which make them two of the highest points on the entire album.
"Rare Chandeliers" is Action Bronson's best work lyrically. Bronson creates vivid imagery of outlandish and absurd situations through his clever use of wordplay. If there's one thing you can't call Bronson, it's boring.
Throughout the album, Bronson is constantly saying things that will make the listener chuckle. Before he became known as a rapper, Action Bronson was a well-respected gourmet chef in the New York area, which really shows in his lyrics.
Bronson makes several great lyrical references to dishes that he's previously prepared, and at one point he even brags about how delicious his soup recipe is.
The album relies on the very simple method of great rhymes and great beats in which it succeeds for the most part. "Rare Chandeliers" is Action Bronson's greatest success yet, as he and the Alchemist seamlessly mesh together. Also, it's free. Yes, free.
Action Bronson and the Alchemist are giving away this studio quality album for free. That alone makes it worth checking out.
Band brings new flavor to bluegrass
- Edited by Lauren Shelly
LYNDSEY HAVENS
lhavens@kansan.com
CONCERT
Bluegrass music has been around for quite some time, but one band is redefining the genre. Greensky Bluegrass, a five-piece string band from Kalamazoo, Mich., will play at The Bottleneck this Saturday. The quintet includes Michael
Arlen Bont on banjo,
D a v e Bruzza on guitar, Paul Hoffman on mandolin, Michael Devol on bass and Anders Beck on dobro.
"What we do really ranges and varies from very spoken song-writing music to jam/ rock/foud/fun/show kind of music."
Hoffman, the main songwrit-
Greensky performs at a music venue in San Francisco earlier this year. The band always performs with high energy that their audience soaks in.
"bluegrass" was included in the group's name, Hoffman said,
"When we started, we were a lot more bluegrass than we are now.
We were all from more of a rock n' roll background and were just learning how to play bluegrass.
Now we're making our own thing, a fusion of the two. Over the years we've talked about dropping the
natter half of our name. It's a big debate."
When asked why the term
"I don't think we're typical bluegrass. We're more like a rock band that plays bluegrass, or more like a bluegrass band that plays rock," he said. "What we do really ranges and varies from very spoken song-writing music to jam/rock/loud/fun/show kind of music."
er and vocalist of the group, spoke about the "newgrass" genre that the group has created for them-selves.
PAUL HOFFMAN lead vocalist
CONTRIRITED PHOTO
The band released its fifth studio album last October, and since then has been touring extensively. Hoffman shared that the band will be back in the studio in
January to start working on a new album.
we are able to explore musically and be more creative in the small club setting because there's more time, less pressure, more control. But the festivals get this energy
Since Greensky's inception 11 years ago, the band has continued to work their way up. The band has played at Summer Camp Music Festival in Illinois for the past four years.
In contrast to playing a festival, Greensky plays many shows in smaller, more intimate venues. "Both [venues] have their own perks," Hoffman said. "I feel like
out of us, and there's the opportunity to play for so many people in such a powerful environment. I'm always really relieved at the beginning and the end of each season.
I say it's a healthy relationship.
The show starts at 8 p.m. and is open to all ages. Tickets are $15.
I'd say it's a healthy relationship."
Edited by Madison Schultz
TELEVISION
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Angus T. Jones arrives at the Paleyetown panel discussion of the television series "Two and a Half Men" in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Mar. 12. The teenage actor on "Two and a Half Men" says it "filth" and has urged viewers not to watch it.
Teen star wants out of hit CBS comedy
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jones plays Jake, the son of Jon Cryer's uptight divorced chiropractor character, Alan, and the nephew of Sheen's hedonistic philandering music jingle writer character, Charlie. Sheen, who has publicly criticized CBS, was fired and replaced by Ashton Kutcher, who plays billionaire Walden.
NEW YORK — The teenage actor who plays the half in the hit CBS comedy "Two and a Half Men" says in a video posted online by a Christian church that the show is "fifth" and that viewers shouldn't watch it.
Nineteen-year-old Angus T. Jones has been on the show, which used to feature bad-boy actor Charlie Sheen and remains heavy with sexual innuendo, since he was 10 but says he doesn't want to be on it anymore.
In the video posted by the Forerunner Christian Church in Fremont, Calif., Jones describes a search for a spiritual home. He says the type of entertainment he's involved in adversely affects the brain and "there's no playing around when it comes to
"Please stop watching it," Jones said. "Please stop filling your head with fifth."
eternity."
"You cannot be a true God fearing person and be on a television show like that," he said. "I know I can't. I'm not OK with what I'm learning, what the Bible says, and being on that television show."
"Two and a Half Men" survived a wild publicity ride less than two years ago, when Sheen was fired for his drug use and publicly complained about the network and the show's creator, Chuck Lorre. Sheen later said he wasn't still angry at the sitcom's producers and the network and acknowledged he would have fired himself had he been in their shoes.
The show was moved from Monday to Thursday this season, and its average viewership has dropped from 20 million an episode to 14.5 million, although last year's numbers were somewhat inflated by the intense interest in Kutcher's debut. It is the third most popular comedy on television behind CBS' "The Big Bang Theory" and ABC's "Modern Family".
The actors on "Two and a Half Men" have contracts that run through the end of this season.
CAMPUS
Students to show off talent
LELLY GRIMM
egrimm@kansan.com
The University will soon be rocked by local talent from its own students.
Student Union Activities hosts its second KU's Got Talent competition on Friday in the Kansas Union Ballroom.
SUA Films and Media Coordinator Kaitlin DeJong, a sophomore from Liberty, Mo., is excited that the University is hosting the competition this year.
"It was a great success with close to 500 in occupancy," DeJong said. "So we wanted to continue it again this year."
DeJong said there are 10 acts in the show, ranging from dance to BMX, singing and rapping. The winner received $600; second place, $300; and third place, $100.
"There is also a prize for the act with the most fans at the show, so everyone should come out and support their favorite act," Dejong said.
The auditions process took place on Nov. 4 in the Kansas
Room in the Union. After the auditions, the judges selected 10 finalists. The panel of judges for Friday's competition will be Laura Kirk, an actress and KU lecturer; Kaitlin Brennan, the JHK station manager; Cody Charles, complex director for residence life; and Sonja Heath, assistant director of the Emily Taylor Center for Women & Gender Equity.
SUA is also excited about the competition's emcee, Xclusive. Xclusive originally auditioned for NBC's "America's Got Talent" and continues to perform with the Dragon House crew previously featured on Fox's "So You Think You Can Dance." DeJong said that Xclusive will perform during the show as well.
SUA Films and Media Assistant Coordinator Camden Bender, a sophomore from Shawnee, added his thoughts on the upcoming competition.
"Part of SUA's mission statement is to provide a variety of programming that is able to reach out to different student groups throughout the campus community." Bender said. "We believe that KU's Got Talent provides KU students with an excellent opportunity to showcase their various talents while providing a unique and free form of entertainment to other KU students."
The competition begins at 7 p.m., and tickets are free for students with their KUID and $5 for the general public.
— Edited by Madison Schultz