Ken Davis

Ken Davis, a popular Christian comedian, will perform at 7 p.m. tonight at the Granada Theatre, 807 Commericial St. Sponsored by KJIL 99.1FM, Davis’s one-man comedy show will center around what influences people.

“This will be a great act for the community,” said Jessica Buchholz, Executive Director of the Emporia Granada Theatre. “The Granada Theatre is excited to have Ken Davis perform here again. It is our mission to help bring a variety of different acts to the community and support all different kinds of culture and performances.”

Davis has made appearances around the world.

When asked why invite Davis to come to Emporia, Buchholz said “I think that the community should come and check out the show-it will be fun for all ages. It gives community members a chance to see something unique in the Granada.”

Davis lives in Tennessee with his wife, Diane and two daughters, Traci and Taryn. His entire family is involved in Davis’ ministry.

Davis has written nine books and published 15 CDs and 16 DVDs.

“I would say that I’m more of a storyteller than a stand-up comedian,” Davis said in a previous interview. “(The audience members) respond well to the stories, there’s a lot of humor involved. I think that I talk about things that people see every day, but never stop to notice.”

Davis is also a motivational speaker and offers seminars on speaking. All of his stories come from real life experiences.

“(I get inspiration from) real life,” Davis said in a previous interview. “I get it from the guy at the airport hassling the guy with the eye stuff. I get it from the guy asking me if I’m reading the newspaper. I get it from my grandchildren telling my wife that she has many wrinkles and then saying, ‘there’s cream for that.’ I get it from real life.”

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            “We haven’t had Tyler Stephens, our rhythm guitarist, for a few weeks,” said Riley Day, junior music education major. “He’s coming back from Ohio to practice with us this Wednesday, so that’ll be very refreshing.”

            Muffington, an experimental rock band made up of students from fifth floor South Towers dormitories at Emporia State, has been in the Emporia music scene for over two years now.

            “The local music scene is a tight knit group,” said Glenn Woolard, junior percussion performance major. “We owe a lot to the guys at Flint Hills music.”

            The group’s distinctive style combines elements of jazz, reggae and alternative rock. At previous shows, they’ve covered Grateful Dead songs and Beatles songs.

            Stephens, former ESU student and guitarist for Muffington, had left the group to go back to Ohio with his father for a time, but is returning to play with the group for the show this Friday.

            “My dad lives in Ohio and I am moving back with him,” Stephens said in a previous interview. “Hobo Monk is made up of my dad’s friends from Ohio.”

            Part of the group’s goals for the reunion is to practice together for a tour that would include Kansas City and Ohio.

            “Our plan is to go up to Ohio where Tyler’s dad has some connections to make a CD,” Woolard said. “After we get our CD out, we can fund our tour, or use the money so we don’t have to eat virtually nothing.”

            This summer is going to be integral in the band’s growth, Day said.

            “We’ll hopefully get our CD made this summer,” Woolard said. “Then maybe we’ll be able to get to Lawrence, Ohio, or Kansas City.”

            The band attributes its success largely to the collaboration it has had with Josh and Jared Olsen, owners of Beer:30, particularly with Josh’s volunteering to play bass.

            “We wouldn’t be anywhere without them,” Woolard said. “They’re awesome guys, and they’ve helped us out ever since the open-mic night.”

            In a prior interview, Josh Olsen conveyed his enjoyment at being invited to play with Muffington, and described how he believed the local music scene was trying to grow.

            “I’ve been friends with them for a while, and they needed a bass player for some songs,” Olsen said. “I think the local music scene is trying to grow.”

The concert at Beer:30 starts at 10:30 p.m. with Kumberg and Muffington’s keyboardist Greg “Greenhorn” Drummond performing together.

            “Drummond is a great keyboardist, and he is a baller,” Day said. “Also, everybody should watch Stacy open, since she has such a beautiful voice. After that we come on around midnight, and get to play after everybody’s had a few drinks.”

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In the past, P.O.W.E.R. has sponsored the performance of “The Vagina Monologues,” however, this year the program will be a little different. Instead of “The Vagina Monologues,” a group of students will perform a collection of monologues edited by the writer of “The Vagina Monologues,” Eve Ensler, entitled “A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant, A Prayer.”

Cait Costelloe, senior sociology major and president of P.O.W.E.R., explained how this year’s performance is a bit different from “The Vagina Monologues.”

“Basically this show is a different set of monologues meant to include men into the performance,” Costelloe said.

“The Vagina Monologues” is made up of monologues intended to be performed by women, while “A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant, A Prayer” includes monologues intended to be performed by men.

“(Behind) the inclusion of men in this production is the underlying idea that any improvements upon the condition of women requires the support of all people regardless of gender, class, or race, and that’s why we find it so important to make feminism for men and women,” Costelloe said.

Ryan Scully, junior theater major, directed this year’s show. Scully said that he has been proud of how the production has been coming along.

“I am very proud of it so far,” he said. “The actors have really been bringing it together, and they have really been able to bring to life these powerful messages in the monologues, even though it is something that they have never necessarily dealt with personally.”

The performances will take place in the Memorial Union Ballroom, and tickets will be sold for $2 for students and $3 for non-students.

All of the proceeds from the performances will go to SOS, a group dedicated to ending domestic abuse, and 10 percent of the proceeds for the show will go to women in The Democratic Republic of Congo, which is the spotlight campaign charity this year for V Day, a global organization devoted to helping domestic violence victims worldwide.

According to Scully, the group of 13 actors involved in the production have been working for a little over three weeks, and Scully says he has been able to meet with every actor in the production at least once a week.

Scully also stressed why he feels this production is a good way to address the issue of domestic violence.

“People can really grasp it this way,” he said. “A lot of times, it is easy for some people to hide from this issue, but this show allows them to see this issue in a comfortable manner.”

Scully said the show is a good way to discuss an issue pertinent to our society.

“I think if people give this show a chance, they will see that it is a good way to express a meaningful message,” he said. “I think this is a topic everyone cares about, and this show shows it in a way that everyday people can relate to, because the characters are everyday people,” he said.

The inclusion of men in this production is the main difference between this show and “The Vagina Monologues,” and is something Scully views as a good thing.

“Men in this production is good, because a lot of people think that only women care about (domestic violence), but this show let’s people see that there are men who are very sympathetic to the cause,” he said.

Ellen Hansen, associate professor and chair of the social sciences department who has been helping P.O.W.E.R., expressed why she felt this performance is important.

“To me, (this) performance… represents women’s ongoing efforts to find their voices regarding sexuality, domestic violence, sexual assault, and self esteem,” Hansen said. “The ‘Monologues’ and all the events that go along with the performance highlight the fact that violence against women continues and affects millions of women around the world. The importance of the (performance of ‘A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant, A Prayer’ is) that the violence not be ignored, whether through shame and embarrassment or through deliberate efforts to hide the reality; that women know they are not alone in their experience – and that we can work together, men and women, to end domestic violence around the world.”

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Design by Free-lance Artist April Armstrong

Big Tobacco’s House of Ink, located at 517 Sunnyslope, will host a Punk/Metal Valentine’s Day concert this Saturday. The show, “St. Valentine’s Day Massacre,” will feature four local bands of all ages.

The show will open around 8 p.m. with Tragedy of Romance, a pop-rock band made up of students from Emporia High School. Next, the band formally known as Killfloor, now named Suicide Gene, will take the stage. The Dead Idols, a punk band will perform, and Balldozer, a metal band, will close the show.

Joel Austin, sophomore communications major and guitarist/singer for The Dead Idols, encouraged singles and couples alike to come enjoy the show.

“There will be some really good bands, and it is pretty inexpensive,” Austin said. “It will be a good time.”

The cover charge for the event will be $3, and there will be a raffle for a $100 gift certificate good towards a tattoo from Big Tobacco’s. Raffle tickets are available for $1.

Logan Herrara, senior at Emporia High School and bassist/singer for The Dead Idols, also expressed that all interested should come to the show, and enter the raffle.

“Why not (come)?” he said. “(Big Tobacco’s) is a new kind of atmosphere for Emporia, and it is a nice place, so it will be really fun to come hang out and listen to some local music.”

Though the show is advertised as an “invite only” show, Austin insisted that anyone who wants to come should be there.

“Basically, if you got a flyer, or hear about it some other way, you are invited,” he said.

Since Big Tobacco’s is not a bar or restaurant, alcohol and beverage sales are not permitted inside the tattoo parlor, according to a 1986 amendment to the Kansas Constitution.

The show is described by Austin as a “house-party” atmosphere, and any beverages attendees might drink during the show are “bring it yourself.”

“There are a couple big coolers in the back and you bring your own drinks and they will put them in the cooler for you,” Austin said. “It is somewhere between a house party and a bar atmosphere. Something different. It’s pretty cool… Everyone should come. It will be a lot of fun.”

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Courtesy Photo

The Emporia Granada Theatre will host the Emporia Arts Council’s feature show, “Tap Kids,” on Feb. 11 at 7 p.m. Through tap dance, the performance tells a story of the last few months of high school for a group of teenagers: the big dance, detention and finally graduation. The show is a New York original.

Tickets can be purchased at the Emporia Arts Council, The Sweet Granada, Granada Coffee Company, the Emporia Granada Theatre or the ticket office in the Memorial Student Union at Emporia State and are $24 for adults, $15 for youth and free for ESU students.

“We look at lots of performers around the country and this happened to be one that other organizations were bringing, it has a wide audience appeal,” said Melissa Windsor, executive director of Emporia Arts Council. “It is a wonderful art opportunity for the community.”

There are eight dancers whose ages range from 16 to 22 and according to their Web site some have experience in other tap shows like “Prodigy,” “Scrooge the Musical,” “Dream” and have competed in competitions such as “American Dance Idol.”

One dancer, Brittany Parks, has danced since age four and “appeared on The Grammy’s with Rihanna, Guy’s Choice Awards with Katy Perry, the ESPY’s with Justin Timberlake, the television series ‘Glee’ and films such as ‘Fired Up,’ ‘Janky Promothers,’ and ‘Fame,’” according to the Web site.

LIZ, studied under famous dance masters Buster Brown, Jimmy Tate, Lynn Schwab, Shea Sullivan and Lady Dianne Walker. She has earned over 75 awards over 13 years and the title of 1996 Jr. Ms. Dance of Ohio.

Windsor said the talent and accomplishments of the dancers are a major reason for selecting the show for the Emporia audience.

“I think it will be a wonderful show and the dancers have wonderful bios, they’re extremely talented,” Windsor said. “There are times when they are tap dancing on school lunch trays and doing different sports, I think it will be a performance with a variety of different aspects that can appeal to just about anybody in the audience.”

Executive Director of The Emporia Granada Theatre Jessica Buchholz said the show will add to the diversity of performances at the theater.

“I think it’s going to be a fun show for the whole community,” Buchholz said. “From what I’ve heard of it, I think it’ll be very energetic. It’s a new, unique form of performing arts to see at the Granada Theatre.”

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Jeff and Tessa Evason will be showing off their telepathy and extra sensory perception powers Tuesday, Dec. 14 at 9 p.m. in Webb Lecture Hall in the Memorial Union. www.evason.com

Union Activities Council will end the semester with Late Night and The Evasons, a mentalist duo, starting at 8 p.m. Dec. 14 in Webb Lecture Hall, upstairs in the Memorial Union.

“Late Night is kind of a tradition,” said Christian Holt, sophomore elementary education major and UAC featured events vice chair. “(UAC) does it every year. It’s always during finals week and it’s the only event that can happen during finals week. It’s kicking off finals week and just trying to get everyone to relax.”

The Evasons are a mentalist duo.

“They read peoples minds and they put on a great show for everybody,” said Liana Farnen, junior elementary education major and featured events chair. “They do predictions and interact with the crowd a lot.”

The act requires a lot of crowd participation.

“It’s an interactive audience, mind reading and ESP show,” said Jeff Evason, one-half of The Evason act. “In our performance is an actual spirit séance. We will bring somebody up on stage and you will see their reactions. It’s really something that people will remember.”

The Evasons have performed around the world for a wide range of audiences, including royalty.

“We’ve performed in 37 countries around the world,” Evason said. “Most recently we performed in the Middle East.”

The performance is not magic.

“It is not a magic show at all, but it is magical,” Evason said. “It is something of that realm, of the impossible.”

Evason said that performance will be something that people have never seen before.

“People can expect a show that will leave them thinking for a long time,” Evason said. “People will walk away with something they will remember for a long long time. When we come to the climax it will be calm. It’s very common, in fact it will be uncommon for people to not run out of the room. It’s a mind blowing show.”

The “late night” portion of the evening will consist of prize giveaways, games and carnival style food.

“All students are invited,” Farnen said. “Before the show, people can come and mingle. It’s a carnival theme, so there will be a smorgasbord. There will be corn dogs and funnel cake and soda.”

While the show is free, attendees can get tickets to enter to win prizes by bringing non-perishable food items. Prizes include an Ipod, a 22-inch television, a futon and a mountain bike, among other things. There is no limit on the amount of tickets a person can get to enter the prize drawings.

“You get one automatic ticket just for coming,” Holt said. “You take those tickets and you put them in for whatever prize you want. There’s no limit. The more cans you bring, the more tickets you get, the more chances you get for prizes.”

One canned good is worth one prize ticket. The goods will be donated to the local food pantry, DECCA.

Ashley Peaches/The Bulletin

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Lowery on one of the sets for “True blood.” Courtesy Photo.

One of HBO’s most popular shows has a fan site run by a staff member at Emporia State. Melissa Lowery, administrative assistant of English, Modern Languages, and Journalism, helped start the Web site in March of last year.

It was the first “True Blood” site of any kind – HBO didn’t even have theirs up by that time.

“We ran a couple of other fan sites and we started them in 2007,” Lowery said. “We were looking for something else, with the new television series coming. I was a huge fan of the books. I saw that Alan Ball had optioned them for a series. I was a big admirer of his work and was excited that he was going to do it.”

“True Blood” also has a following among college students.

“I liked the first season,” said Zack Day, junior English major. “But I feel the second season focused more on the sex and it kind of got overbearing and over took the plot.”

In an untimely manner, the writer’s strike happened and the show was delayed.

“It finally got an air date and we started our site,” Lowery said. “It’s our biggest Web site. We had half a million visitors at one point.”

Lowery runs the site with her co-creator Liz and occasionally a few contributing writers.

“I do a lot of the technical side of things, designing the site, making the database, any technical changes we need to make, updating things,” she said. “Liz and I jointly write articles and interview people.”

They have a radio show Fridays at 10 a.m. that they post through blog talk radio.

“We air interviews when they have them,” Lowery said. “We talk about the show. We’ll do a recap about the last show and give spoilers and the latest news.”

Lowery said that she and Liz created the show because they were interested in the books that the show is based on.

“We wanted a place where we could discuss the show, because we were both big fans of the book series,” Lowery said. “We wanted a place of our own and thought we would maybe get a couple hundred people. It turned into be something bigger than that.”

She has met the cast and has interviewed a lot of people that have dealt with the show.

“You can’t even believe how nice the cast is,” Lowery said. “For as much gore and dark stuff that goes on in the show the cast from the top down is so nice. Alan Ball, he’s amazing, he’s very gracious he’s from the south and has that southern hospitality gene built in.”

Liz, Mel’s partner and resident of Chicago, gathers info and writes articles.

“My favorite cast member has to be Kristin Bauer,” Liz said. “She has so much to talk about and she’s a girl’s girl. She’s someone you would love to go shopping with and have lunch with.”

The two of them were taken to the set of the television series.

“It was so awesome,” Liz said. “The menus for the bar and grill were real. There were scratches on the tables to make them look more real and that people had sat on them before and eaten on them. The paint jobs they did made them look old.”

People seek out the Web site duo to help promote events.

“It’s really flattering to have them actually seek us out,” Liz said. “It’s flattering to be sought.”

““True Blood”” is a television series on HBO created and produced by Alan Ball. It is based on the book series The Southern Vampire Mysteries by Charlaine Harris.

To view the site, go to www.true-blood.net.

Felix Ceradsky/The Bulletin

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Winston

The Emporia Arts Council will host Grammy Award winning pianist George Winston at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Granada Theatre.

“Personally, I have been a fan of George Winston since my freshman year of college and know many people who really enjoy his art,” said Melissa Windsor, executive director of the Emporia Arts Council. “He’s very well received and people appreciate his work. We knew that he would be a good fit for Emporia.”

Winston received a Grammy for best new age album in 1996 for the album “Forest.” He also founded Dancing Cat Records in 1983 to record the “Masters of the Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar,” according to his Web site.

“When I’m producing in the studio, I’ve been there myself,” Winston said. “I understand what’s going on here because I’ve been in that position, so I feel like sometimes that’s the main purpose, but it’s a dual purpose. I’m very happy that somebody’s inspired me to do something for them.”

Winston recorded the solo piano soundtrack for “The Velveteen Rabbit” with narration by Meryl Streep in 1984 and for “This is America Charlie Brown: The Birth of the Constitution,” in which he played mainly Vince Guaraldi’s late pieces, in 1988 according to his Web site.

Winston said that he plays three main styles of piano music: folk piano, New Orleans R&B and stride piano. He said that he is playing his “summer show” for the concert at the Granada.

“I’ll be playing some Vince Guaraldi, some of The Doors, some New Orleans R&B, and some of the melodic folk things from some of the recordings,” Winston said, “songs that I regard as having to do with spring summer and nature.”

In 1967, when he was 18, Winston said he heard The Doors and they inspired him to start playing music.

“I was an avid listener, especially to the instrumentals and particularly the organ,” Winston said. “When I heard The Doors I said ‘I gotta get an organ and play in the band.’ They inspired me to go to the next thing with that.”

Windsor said the concert is being funded by ticket sales, Arts Council membership fees, funding from Internal Medicine Associates, its sponsor, Kansas Continental Express and ESU.

Proceeds from CD sales at the show will go to the Salvation Army food bank and attendees are also allowed to bring canned goods to help.

“Obviously, something like this just doesn’t come along very often and he’s definitely an amazing performer and an amazing musician,” Windsor said. “I would recommend to anyone who is interested or might be interested to come because I guarantee you will not be disappointed. He’s definitely a phenomenal musician and it’s just going to be a fantastic concert.”

Lauren Walbridge/The Bulletin

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Aubrey McCord, senior secondary English education major, rehearses Tuesday afternoon in Heath Recital Hall. The ESU Chamber Orchestra will hold a concert on Friday, October 23, 7:30pm at heath Recital Hall. Jennifer Baldwin/The Bulletin

Emporia State’s Chamber Orchestra will play at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow at Heath Recital Hall in Beach Hall. Tickets are $4 for students and $5 for general admission.

Jeremy Starr, director of orchestras, conducts two orchestras at ESU, the Symphony Orchestra and the Chamber Orchestra.

“The Chamber orchestra is more of an intimate group,” Starr said. “If you’re a ‘chamber’ anything it usually means a small group ensemble. There are 18 players and it is a string only orchestra.”

Because of its size, the Chamber Orchestra brings a sense of familiarity to its members.

“I like the intimacy of playing in a smaller group,” said Joshua East, junior music education major and the Chamber Orchestra’s concertmaster. “String quartets and small string orchestras allow for that type of playing.  I also enjoy playing the repertoire that is written for string orchestras.”
A string orchestra consists of four different instruments: violin, viola, cello and bass. Starr plans to add a few wind and brass instruments for the next concert

“Symphonies are generally a full orchestra and have wind, brass and percussion with 65 people,” Starr said. “It’s a mixture of ESU students and community members from Emporia.”

The Chamber Orchestra will perform four works during the concert, including pieces by Gustav Holst, Felix Mendelssohn and Mozart.

“We’re playing a work that was originally written for voice and piano that was transcribed for a string orchestra,” Starr said. “It’s a really nice arrangement. We follow that with a suite, three different pieces by Gustav Holst. After that we’re playing the third string symphony by Felix Mendelssohn. Then we end the concert with a piece by Mozart.”

Starr says that the group rehearses four days a week Monday through Thursday from 2 p.m. to 2:50 p.m. It consists of people who have very little experience playing and people who have more. Starr said the director plays a very particular role.

“A director is there to help everyone play,” Starr said. “The conductor is just a guide that will get everyone thinking in a way they don’t normally think about the music. They are there to serve the orchestra, not to commandeer it.”

Hannah Belton, sophomore elementary education major, could not remember if she had even heard of the Chamber Orchestra performance. But after a moment of thought, she remembered that she had.

“I heard about it in my theater class,” Belton said. “Everyone was leaving and a guy in the class told (us) to go.”

She said that she might go.

“I think people need to come and hear the orchestra,” Starr said. “I don’t think a lot of people even know there even is such an event. Something about hearing live string instruments play that you can’t get from anything else.”

Felix Ceradsky/The Bulletin

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Starr

The Emporia Symphony Orchestra will play at 7:30 p.m. tonight in Albert Taylor Hall. The orchestra is conducted by Emporia State Director of Orchestra, Jeremy Starr, son of former director James Starr who retired last year.

Tickets will be available for $5 general admission, $4 for students and senior citizens and free for children under 12.

The group is playing “Finlandia” by Jean Sibelius, a transcription for a full orchestra by Bach and Beethoven’s 2^nd Symphony.

Starr said he gets a lot of advice from his father and they have weekly meetings every Monday morning. He said his father is a great mentor and it was strange working where his father used to work in the beginning.

“There was kind of an adjustment period because I very much was feeling like I was in my dad’s office, which I am, technically,” James Starr said. “But I think this is really exciting because my dad took over the orchestra conducting position this last year and that set it up so his job covered everything that I was specializing in at the University of Iowa, so it worked out. I just applied and that was it.”

Sophomore psychology major Fernando Cartagena said Jeremy Starr has been doing a really good job. He’s had classes with both Jeremy Starr and his father.

“I wouldn’t say his dad is better,” Cartagena said. “I don’t have a preference. I wouldn’t say one or the other is better.”

In 2000, the symphony orchestra was disbanded. This year, with the help of Starr, the orchestra was brought back.

“The symphony was in the hands of the university and it didn’t serve primarily the university, it served the community,” Starr said. “The full orchestra experience would be in the symphony. When the university got rid of it, it left a hole that’s been here ever since. So it’s just sort of been on peoples’ minds for all these nine years and it just sort of worked out when I came in and I had training in orchestral conducting.”

Cartagena said the best part about the orchestra is that people from the entire community, adults and students, come together and play. The group has 65 people. including 15 ESU students, 7 high school students and other members of the community.

“It gives people a chance to be involved with music and enjoy music,” Cartagena said. “It’s a great idea for people to get together and play.”

Starr said the greatest thing about orchestras is that they are like families in that the instruments are so different, but everyone comes together. He said people’s personalities come through when they play and describes it as a microcosm for what a community should be like.

“I think this is a beginning,” Starr said. “I don’t think it’s something that people are going to see go away, hopefully, ever again and I hope that the community realizes that. I hope this becomes something that they understand is theirs. We have a symphony, something that can really bless the community for generations to come and that’s why we’re around. I’m really excited to be part of it.”

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