Steven Manning keeps HBC's stages and mics open for all

Steven Manning / Courtesy of Iris Dowon Han

One of the interesting features of Block Party, a multi-venue festival happening Sept. 21 and 22, is in how it mixes communities. It offers a lineup of exciting bands you'd expect to see at Hongdae's Live Club Day, performing alongside familiar members of central Seoul's Haebangchon and Gyeongnidan neighborhoods. This direction was set in the first year of the festival to better involve the local community, and it created a unique atmosphere, sort of like an actual block party.

Steven Manning is one of the names that stands out. He will be playing a solo acoustic set featuring covers of his favorite songs as well as crowd pleasers he's done in the past.

“Block Party is an awesome thing to have in the neighborhood and I'm excited to be a part of it this year," Manning said. "It has a good vibe that brings people in from all over Seoul and the rest of Korea, and is a great place to see and hear music that they most likely wouldn't hear anywhere else. I also think it's a good snapshot of what is going on with the music scene at that particular time. I attended Block Party last year and saw all sorts of acts in one weekend that I wouldn't have seen otherwise, and I know this year's show will be different but just as awesome."

Manning has been a fixture of the area's music scene since 2017, when he returned to Korea and took over hosting duties for Buskers Open Mic. The talent showcase started out in 2016 in Bedrock, which later closed (and is now renamed Togul), and Manning has since taken the weekly event over to Phillies.

"As challenging as it can be at times, I've enjoyed hosting and being the emcee for it as well," Manning said. "I put so much effort into it because I think that there should be an opportunity for people who want to play music in Seoul to get up in front of their friends and other people to show what they can do and they should sound their best. I feel like the more places people can get up and play music, the better it is for everyone."

Over the years, he's continued playing music, both solo and sometimes with bands.

"In terms of fun, I like playing in a band," he said. "In terms of opportunities to just get out and play guitar, I like to play solo because it's just me and anyplace I can plug in my guitar."

He played in a few bands back in Seattle, but the only band he has been part of in Korea so far was the heavy metal band Rogue Warriors. That was a sprawling mess of a band, which had at least 40 members. The idea was to cycle through all these different people in one set, and savor the ensuing chaos.

Steven Manning subs in on guitar during a Rogue Warriors set at Phillies Basement, Dec. 3, 2022. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

Manning enjoys playing heavy metal and hard rock on his electric guitar, while his acoustic work is heavily influenced by the 1990s and 2000s acoustic rock he grew up with.

"My musical tastes developed by listening to the radio a lot as a kid, which led me to picking up a guitar when I was 15 years old," he said. "Seattle had and still does have a lot of good music that gets played at clubs and on the radio, and a lot of that worked its way into my musical personality."

Manning first arrived in Korea in 2010 with the U.S. military, serving at U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan. After leaving the military in 2011, he attended college and later returned to Korea as an English teacher after graduating.

"I've stuck around here mostly because I not only enjoy playing music in HBC, but just enjoying Korea in general," he said.

Steven Manning rings in 2023 at Phillies Basement during a New Year's show. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

Having been based in Seoul for seven years, Manning has witnessed numerous changes in his surroundings. While he acknowledges the changes, he doesn't view them as necessarily negative.

"Everything seems to be changing around Yongsan, HBC and Itaewon these days," he said. "Bars have closed, moved, and/or reopened, and restaurants have come and gone. But when you look at the overall big picture, it still has its own identity and vibe that is different from the rest of Seoul. I think it will still be around in its own way, but we will just have to wait and see what that new identity will be."

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