Lead singer of Beebop Flim Flam performs Thursday night at Albert Taylor Hall during UAC’s Battle of the Bands. Beebop Flim Flam lost out the Paperclips. Kellen Jenkins/The Bulletin

Emporia State’s Albert Taylor Hall was rocking last Thursday night with the UAC sponsored Battle of the Bands. The Black Tuxedos out of Emporia, Beebop Flim Flam from Lawrence, Voice Issue of Kansas City and The Paperclips from Kansas City, Mo., battled to decide who would open for Ha Ha Tonka and Antennas Up at Flintstock April 28, but The Paperclips came out on top.

“We’re super excited to win, that’s pretty awesome and honoring,” Paperclips’ bassist Jason Richards said.

Judges from Beer:30, Kiss 103.1 FM and the ESU music department determined the winner. Zoiks! performed improvisational comedy in between musical performances and a free raffle was held with prizes like a discounted piercing, an ESU blanket and sugar-free Redbull. Admission to the event was free because it was paid for by student fees.

“It was a chance for them to watch Zoiks! perform and hear local artists. I mean it’s hard because there are not a lot of activities that don’t involve alcohol or pain and this is completely free to students,” UAC music chair and senior English major Sarah Kirby said.

Kirby said this was not the first time the university has had battle of the bands, but it was the first year where the reward is to open at Flintstock.

“I just thought it’d be a cool prize because they will be opening for Ha Ha Tonka and Antennas Up, which are both nationally recognized bands, so it’s a pretty big deal,” Kirby said.

Kirby said the event was not only a way to find someone to open for Flintstock, but mainly a way to expose students to local music.

“It’s a great way to showcase local music, so we just wanted to do that and get the music out there and we just thought it’d be a good idea,” Kirby said.

Junior communications major Brett Wyrick said if he had been judging, he would have voted for the Paperclips, too. He said he thinks it’s cool that they won because their southern rock style is similar to that of Ha Ha Tonka.

“That southern rock that they played was real, real good and especially since they’re opening up for Ha Ha Tonka, which has kind of a southern-esque lead singer too, a lot like them, so it’s going to be real solid to open up for them,” Wyrick said.

The Paperclips’ guitarist and vocalist Jake Briscoe said he felt like the band didn’t play as well as they could have but no one else except for them would have noticed. Briscoe said a lot of it was due to how Albert Taylor is set up.

“I’ve got mixed emotions because I feel like we played the worst that we’ve played in a long time. Just because of some faulty equipment and I couldn’t get the right guitar tone that I wanted tonight,” Briscoe said.

Despite technical difficulties, the band said they enjoyed playing because the crowd got really into it. At one point, Briscoe just started tapping his foot and everyone began clapping.

“They were participating at every turn, like you did something cool and they were like ‘Whoo!’” Richards said. “This was a very enthralled audience, they were fun tonight.”
Having played in Emporia before, at Beer:30, Briscoe said it seems like people in Kansas care more about music.
“A lot of the places we play, it’s like you can play your best show you’ve ever played and people are just like ‘alright’. Sometimes they’re into it, sometimes they’re not it just depends,” Briscoe said.

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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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Members of Muffington open up for Hobo Monk in the Red Room at Beer 30. Kenny Thompson/The Bulletin

The experimental bands Hobo Monk and Muffington played in the Beer:30 Red Room on Saturday.

“You have to respect Hobo Monk for going out of the bounds of most music,” said Rodney Jones, sophomore earth science major. “It’s a really unique sound like nothing I have really heard before.”

The show began with the band Muffington, which was formed by Emporia State students living on the fifth floor of South Towers in 2007.

“Most of us were on the same floor, and we were music majors,” said Tyler Stephens, guitarist for Muffington and former ESU student. “This whole thing is just about jamming in the end.”

Stephens is the son of the keyboardist for Hobo Monk, and the two decided to do one last show before the both of them travel back to Ohio, Stephens said.

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

Muffington’s set list included songs with guest bassist and Beer:30 co-owner Josh Olsen.

“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.

Olsen stepping in as bass player was all the more surprising when he had no part in writing the songs or practicing them for any extended period of time.

“My main job around here is booking shows and trying to bring in out of town bands,” Olsen said. “It’s a really good time having these guys play out here.”

The closing songs of Muffington included a saxophone and a Grateful Dead cover song. The finger picking style, along with the dual guitar players, provided a jazz and Indie music inspired amalgamation.

“We’re just kind of an Indie jam band,” Stephens said. “We are absolutely happy to be part of the local music scene, and everybody should come out to Beer 30 every weekend to check out local bands.”

Following directly after was the band Hobo Monk from Ohio. The band incorporated bongo drums, psychedelic videos that played partially on the ceiling above the band and a pipe that produced a sound similar to the didgeridoo.

“It’s pretty psychedelic,” Jones said. “It may be similar to Pink Floyd or Jethro Tull, but I feel like I don’t even need to do drugs to appreciate it since it’s so trippy.”

Despite the psychedelic sound of the band, they were still accessible, according to the reaction from audience members.

“I came here to see some live music,” said Krista Heller, senior pre-art therapy major. “I really enjoy [Hobo Monk], their keyboards sound great.”

The concerts at Beer:30 continue this weekend with HaHa Tonka.

“The live music is one of the things I love about this bar,” Heller said. “I think if there’s any place for live music in Emporia, it’s Beer:30.”

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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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Junior sociology major Joel Dixon and sophomore communication major Joel Austin perform Saturday evening with Zoiks! at Natasha’s in downtown Emporia. Kellen Jenkins/The Bulletin

Last Saturday, Zoiks! performed at Natasha’s for a crowd of about 40 people.

“It wasn’t one of our best shows,” said Luke Lehman, junior English major. “It’s hard to hear in a bar and hard to talk. We did a lot of long form which is tough on the audience and for us because there’s not a lot of breaks and you just having to keep building on the story.”

Overall, Lehman said the group likes performing at Natasha’s.

“I like just getting up in front of people and having fun,” said Joel Austin, sophomore communications major. “We have a really good group, which makes it fun to perform. Tonight we had a smaller audience, but it was more dedicated fans.”

The owner of Natasha’s, James Roberts, said Zoiks! is one of a variety of acts that he likes to bring to the bar.

“We try to host a wide variety of things so we so we don’t get the same things over and over,” Roberts said. “That way it’s different for everyone to see.”

As a fan of improv comedy because of its unpredictability, Roberts likes hosting Zoiks! in particular because most of the performers are fairly new to comedy.

“I like to watch no name comedians,” Roberts said. “They’re edgier because they’re trying to get a big name.”

As part of an act, Zoiks! performers pulled a member of the audience, Donley, on stage and incorporated her into their act. She said the experience was not an unfamiliar one.

“Being pulled up on stage was like a day in the life of being friends with a bunch of improv kids,” said Katie Donley, senior photography and sculpture major. “I go to every show, all the performers are my friends.”

While their most recent show was local, the group often travels to different cities around the state, mostly Kansas City, Salina and Wichita, and has performed in various venues.

“There’s a lot of places you wouldn’t expect that we go,” Lehman said. “One time we went to a country club. It was really awkward at first, but it was fun. I don’t think (the audience) knew a lot about improv comedy before we came but they were a really great crowd.”
    Though, Lehman prefers performing at ESU.

“I love the campus shows,” Lehman said. “Emporia students are just a fun audience because they are filthy college kids and there’s a lot you can say that will make them laugh.”

For those interested in improv comedy, Zoiks! will hold auditions in mid February. The auditions will take place over a couple days, one of which is a workshop to familiarize perspective performers with improv comedy and allow them to become acquainted with the group.

“The workshop is really helpful because it gets people warmed up for the audition and allows them to get comfortable with the other performers and really get prepared for the audition,” Lehman said.

Lehman said there are many qualities sought in an improv performer.

“Going out and having fun and being confident is huge, but not over confident,” Lehman said. “You have to be able to make the person you are working with look better by helping them out on stage.”

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Ever had a question about sex that you were nervous to ask? How about the embarrassment involved with some condom confusion or whether you should get that rash checked out? The answers to these and other sex oriented questions are on the way.

Comedienne and educator Maria Falzone will speak at 7 p.m. on Feb. 3 in the Memorial Union Kanza Room to educate and entertain students with her “Sex Rules!” presentation.

            “We hope to have a lot of people turn out for this event,” said Karie Nicholson, freshman business administration major. “We feel that it’s an important topic that people don’t have a lot of knowledge about and with her comedic style she can hopefully bring more people to educate.”

            Union Activities Council encountered Falzone while at a convention in Texas that presents speakers and comedians for college audiences. The attention getting comedic nature of the presentation, combined with the frankness of Falzone warranted an invitation for the speaker.

            “We saw her in Texas and really wanted her to come to ESU,” Nicholson said. “We felt that it was an important topic that a lot people didn’t know much about.”

            According to her Web site, Falzone’s lecture takes a comedic look at the serious sexual issues facing college students. Falzone also illustrates how to properly use condoms, dental dams and properly deal with Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI’s).

            “It’s really about how to have better and safer sex,” Nicholson said. “She talks about sex and alcohol, as well as other areas involving sexual matters.”

            Falzone’s Web site also states that her past experiences with sex, including contracting Herpes from a friend, allow her to talk about sex on a more personal level than many speakers. The lecture also presents facts and figures about Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) sex that may go unspoken in other sex lectures.

            Some students believe that the mixing of comedy and lecture could have positive effects on attendance.

            “I don’t know if the sex material specifically will attract more students to the lecture,” said David Ternes, sophomore accounting major. “I do think that the comedy involved may get more people to come than to other UAC events.”

            Students used to uninteresting speakers at sexual education lectures have nothing to fear, according to Falzone’s Web site.

            “I think that the comedy will make people pay a lot more attention to what is said by the speaker,” Ternes said. “We love funny stuff as college kids.”

            Following the University’s tradition of prefacing Spring Break with some sex education activities, UAC hopes that students will take the lessons learned at the lecture with them for Spring Break.

            “Spring Break is coming up, and we want people to be aware,” Nicholson said. “People should be informed about this particular topic.”

            Those in attendance will be encouraged to participate and will get frank and honest answers to whatever questions they have.

“We hope as many people can come out as possible,” Nicholson said. “It’s not your traditional sex education lecture.”

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From the left: Shanshan Zuo, junior business major, Funa Wang, graduate in piano performance, Liyang Han, graduate in piano performance, Anthony Foust, junior music education major, Erin East, freshman music major, Sun Zhu, graduate in piano performance, Hua Jiang, piano performance major. All of these students will be performing Sunday afternoon in Heath Recital Hall. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

Seven students of Martin Cuellar, associate professor of music, will perform at 3 p.m. Sunday in Heath Recital Hall in Beach Music Hall.

“(The audience) will listen to some very talented young performers who are very passionate about what they do,” Cuellar said.

The performance will be comprised of classical pieces from artists including Franz Liszt, Joseph Haydn and Frederic Chopin.

“I chose two sonatas by (Domenico) Scarlatti,” said Liyang Han, piano performance graduate student. “Both of them are very charming pieces and I really like them.”

All of the students have an interest in piano performance, Cuellar said.

“I think the audience will really enjoy the concert,” Cuellar said. “The audience will come and hear a concert of classical music selections by young performers who play in a very polished, very convincing way.”

The piano program has different tracts that students can take to get their degree.

“Some of (the students) pursue a performance major and some of the them pursue a pedagogy,” Cuellar said. “But their instrument is piano and that’s what they’ve been studying from a very early age.”

Han has been playing piano for over 10 years.

“When I was in China, I did a lot of piano recitals,” Han said. “Dr. Cuellar just wants to give the students more chances to show our performance talents.”

Cuellar holds concerts by his students at least once a year.

“This is an opportunity for them to perform for their friends, their relatives and the community,” Cuellar said.

Erin East, freshman music major, chose her piece because she was drawn to the melodic elements in the song.

“It’s the sonata I’m most comfortable with and I really liked the melody,” East said. “(The ending) notes make it sound like someone is laughing and I really like that.”

East has been playing piano for almost 12 years.

Anthony Foust, music education major, will play “Hungarian Rhapsody No. 5 in E minor” by Franz Liszt. Funa Wang, piano performance major, will play “Sonata in C minor” by Joseph Haydn.

Sun Zhu, piano performance major, will play “Sonata in D major” by Mateo Albeniz. Hua Jiang, piano performance major, will play two etudes by Frederic Chopin.

Shanshan Zuo, business major, will play “Etude in F Minor” by Frederic Chopin. East will play “Sonata in A major” by Cimarrosa.

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