A local Christian band is making a name for itself beyond Emporia’s borders, but band members want to make sure they use their gifts to benefit those in need here at home.
Altered to Offer, which shortens its name to A2O, will play in concert at 7 p.m. July 25 at Flint Hills Christian Church. The ticket price? A nonperishable food item to be donated to the Salvation Army’s food pantry.
“We’ve played a lot in Emporia, so we really wanted a special reason,” Hobelmann said.
The idea of collecting donations for the food pantry seemed inspired. Then, of course, the band discovered it was God-sent.
“Within two days of finalizing the idea, there was an article in The Gazette saying the pantry was empty,” Hobelmann said.
“There was no debate whether or not we should do it.”
A2O been around since 2003, but, like many garage bands from all musical genres, its membership — and sound — has changed. Jason Beyer and Richard Hall are original members of the band, Hobelmann said.
He knew the pair from Twelfth Avenue Baptist Church in Emporia where they played together in the praise and worship team for services. Hobelmann joined the praise team after a longtime drummer moved from town. Then Beyer asked him to try out for A2O.
Hobelmann said he started studying for the gig, listening to the bands recordings on its lone album, “The Beautiful Black and White,” “every night for three to four weeks, nailing those songs they created.”
Bob Phillips, a member of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, joined the band this year as lead guitar player.
“Since Bob came in, our sound has really changed,” Hobelmann said.
“A2O is a contemporary Christian rock band,” Hobelmann said.
Beyer describes the group’s sound as having a “pop acoustical feel,” Hobelmann said.
As for gaining a following, the band has followed the same road that non-Christian bands take — playing small venues and gradually moving up.
“We’re not a bar band, it’s coffee houses for us,” he explained.
The coffee houses include Emporia locations like JavaCat-5.
“We played the Hardback Cafe in Hasting’s for three people,” Hobelmann recalled.
They’ve also played at the Nehemiah Christian Festival in Smithville, Mo., the Kansas-Nebraska Convention of Southern Baptists 2008 Eagle Retreat in Salina and the “In Depth” Christian youth retreat in Topeka. The third Saturday of every month, they’re in Ottawa for Saturday Night Lights, an effort by that city’s churches to develop a community-wide youth praise and worship experience.
“There’s a lot of people and a lot of energy,” Hobelmann said of the Ottawa events.
Still, God remains at the center.
For Hobelmann, playing in the band is a way to use the talents God gave him to spread the message of the Gospel.
“I can worship God just you and me,” he said. “But if you wanted to hear our band practice and you felt close to God, well, cool.”
The energy of an audience during a performance can’t be beat. Hobelmann recalled playing a few weeks ago for the closing of a Vacation Bible School organized jointly by the Emporia Presybyterian, St. Andrew’s Episcopal and St. Mark’s Lutheran churches. The group played in the lawn behind the west Presbyterian campus on 15th Avenue.
“Little kids came up and wanted our autographs,” he said, noting that many of those autographs likely now are floating under piles of clothes in teens’ rooms.
“And we got fed,” he added. “What greater payment is there than hot dogs and hamburgers.”
Although the group sings well-known contemporary worship songs (a Power Point presentation will allow the audience to sing along at the July 25 concert), their original compositions are more like stories for the audience.
Beyer writes most of the group’s songs, but the end result often is a collaboration of all their talents, Hobelmann said. Beyer will show up with the words, often some music and maybe some ideas for what the other parts will sound like. The band will start playing and tweak the work until they like the final product.
It’s time to expand horizons, Hobelmann said. The band members have laid down tracks for a second album. It contains new versions of original compositions, “That’s Why We’re Here,” “Colorblind” and “Only to You,” as well as some new songs.
Hobelmann is slowing turning the basement of Family Martial Arts, which he owns, into a recording studio for the group. With Phillips’ sound engineering skills and equipment, the band won’t need to rent studio time.
For now, they use the space for practice sessions.
“Every garage band’ll tell you, it’s not fun playing in the garage,” Hobelmann said with a laugh.
ON THE NET
www.alteredtooffer.com
www.myspace.com/alteredtooffer
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