Local musicians Muffington are planning to rock the halls of Beer:30 with their reunited group tomorrow, with Stacy Kumberg opening for them.

            “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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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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