#chris bersbach
Brandeis Democrats Coffeehouse live performance at Cholmondeley’s
(no audio available)
Wednesday night probably seemed like any other night for most people. But for all you fans of all-female a capella, Wednesday night was your day to celebrate, to revel, Christmas and Easter all wrapped in to one, as both In Sync and Up the Octave performed at Cholmondeley’s, bookending a coffeehouse in support of the Brandeis Democrats.
Openers In Sync hit the stage for their semester debut, decked out in the all-black schema that seems to have become de riguer for a capella outfits this year (though some well-chosen scarves added a bit of flair), to the cheers of a decidedly favorable crowd. Kicking off the set with the always-popular “Galileo,” In Sync quickly demonstrated a penchant for avoiding complex arrangements and instead focusing on the soloists, a tactic which worked best when matched with Miranda Moody ‘02’s bombastic performance of the Mamas and the Papas’ “California Dreaming.”
Sticking to a set of predominantly modern femme-pop (save for a fabulously well done riff on the other N*Sync, a smartly arranged “Bye Bye Bye” featuring newcomer Christina Bean '03 on solo), In Sync’s brief set hit on all the requisite performers (Tracy Chapman, Natalie Merchant) before coming to a firm stop with an unexpectedly well-done cover of Paula Abdul’s “Cold Hearted." Soloist Edie Meyerson '02’s vamp-camp lead brought the crowd to cheers and the set to a close.
At the other end of the night, Up the Octave put together a short set highlighting their arrangements and groupwork. Clad in black shirts and blue jeans, UTO stuck primarily to lesser known numbers, letting their talents speak for them rather than falling back on the crutch of popular songs. To that end, the spot on arrangement in "Storms in Africa” perfectly blended the group’s harmonies with Zeynep Saltuk '01’s solid solo to truly beautiful effect.
The arrangements shone throughout the night, particularly in the Irit Feldman '03 fronted “Angel in the House,” where the powerful harmonies helped bolster an already strong lead. And the closing number, a rendition of Garbage’s “Push It” featuring Becca Green '02 on the nights strongest solo, showcased a marvelously-composed backing.
In between a capella acts, the new and improved Chappie and Pals proved that having a drummer doesn’t necessarily make you any more traditional a band. The wacky, wild set quickly became the Mark Hopkins '03 show, as he led the charge through both some solid solo-acoustic filler material and a truly mind-boggling piece of military-polka performance art. Closing with a new number entitled “Concomitant,” Chappie and Pals once again staked their claim as the weirdest guys willing to get up on a stage at Brandeis.
Following Chappie, Greg Levine '04 took the stage for a short comedy set. Though he borrowed liberally from others’ material, he pulled it off well with a deadpan delivery and strong timing. Afterwards, Sara Mason '03 and Chris Birsbach '03 put on a fairly standard performance. As always, Birsbach '03’s guitar skills matched Mason '03 well as they ran through a set of original folk-pop and debuted a new number in their typical coffeehouse vein. But the night really belonged to Brandeis’ all-female a capella contingent, and impress they did.
originally written 11/05/00
