Known on campus for its jokes, political satire and unflinching commentary on the stereotypes of Brandeis students and staff, Gravity, the Brandeis humor magazine, had its first coffeehouse on September 24. It was a good night for the Gravity folks who had issues of the magazine, both new and old, scattered around Chums for people to read. While the coffeehouse wasn't as funny as the magazine itself, it definitely provided a great mix of new talent and old favorites.Editor-In-Chief Nicole Steinberg '04 was the evening's emcee, wearing a T-shirt that parodied Coca-Cola with its slogan, "Enjoy Cock!" The rest of the staff - Quinn Flemming '05, Jason Cohen '05, Anrah Karesh '06, and Josh Shifrinson '06 - all sat in attendance, taking donations at the door for the magazine and rooting on Steinberg whenever she was on stage.

First up for the night was budding comedian Amanda Milstein '06. Her favorite topic seemed to be her family as she stayed on them for quite a while, describing her relationship with her parents as they told her, "Marry a non-Jew and I'll be dead to you." She also shared that her grandfather likes to give blowjobs to fruit. Her cousin also apparently carries around a tiny dog in her handbag and takes him with her everywhere. Milstein's delivery was impeccable, but without the opportunity of knowing her personally, some of the jokes were lost on the audience.

Next, she went on talk about her adventures as a camp counselor. Now I never went away to camp, but if it is the huge orgy that she said it is, then I'm all for it next summer! The campers can easily be disposed of and the counselors can have all the booze and pot Amanda mentioned. Who wants campers that, according to Milstein, ask, "Who do you think about when you masturbate?"

Most of Milstein's fans left when she was finished, which was such a shame because they missed the budding talent of local band Upper Hands. The band, made up of vocalist and guitarist Anthony Rainville, lead guitarist and backup vocalist Ken Budka, bassist Raffi Kiredjian, and drummer Nate Martinez, were a real treat to watch.

The band looked like they were having a blast and the remaining audience got a great opportunity to hear who they were. They played their songs "Shorty," and "236," which "went out to all the hardcore fans." They also played "Say Its Over," "Without You," and "Tell Me Lies." These guys had a hard, punkish feel mixed with fun, harmonic vocals. At times, they reminded me of New Found Glory and at other times of The Ataris. Watching them, you knew they were a tight group. It was very amusing to watch as they ran about the tiny stage in Chums and crashed into each other. They were also very professional, remaining on top of things throughout the show, and they even sold demo CDs when they were through with their set.

After that little excursion, we had an old favorite of the Chum's stage; Rebecca Katz '04. She sang three original songs: The two old ones that we all know as "Trip Down the Stream" - or "Row" as most people affectionately call it - and "Paradise." Ruminating on "Paradise," Katz remarked, "If you were lucky enough to come here tonight with someone, get a little closer to them for this song." After those two, she sang "Love at the Five and Dime" by Kathy Mattea. Following that was her newest, still-untitled song. She solicited the audience for a potential title, but no one had any ideas.

After Katz, Evan Cohen '05 performed under his stage name, the Ghost Head Nebula. Cohen played five songs, including "Slip," "Lullaby," "Fallen Star," "For a Dream," and his newest, "When the Snow Comes." His sound, while still mellow, has improved greatly since last year as his confidence as a performer has increased.

Last but certainly not least, was First Friday. The boys, Ben Rathbun '04, Max Glantzman '04, and Yari Sigal '04, introduced new drummer Will Rafelson '06, to the crowd of fans that had formed in Chum's. They ended the coffeehouse with a bang, bringing the majority of the people at Chums to their feet to dance and have fun. Rafelson replaced former Brandeis student Jay Stone '05 as First Friday's drummer. Stone had been one of the founding members of the band, but Rafelson's drumming is much more suited to their music. Adding a distinctly indie rock flavor to the mix, the songs are even more alive with Rafelson manning the kit.

Their great songs with catchy beats even had me dancing for a bit. They played "Smokey Skies" and "Existentialism Versus Hot Naked Fun," both fan favorites from last year, and both original compositions by the band. They also played their covers of the Pixie's "Where Is My Mind?" and the Anniversary's "Crooked Crown," which was by far the most exciting and dancable song in their set. Aside from tunes that fans already knew, the band also played a new, much more mellow, song entitled "Without You" (not to be confused with the Upper Hands' song of the same name.) They finished their set with "Purity" and were then asked to play another song and they played a new composition, "Take it Away."

It was the perfect blend of what Gravity itself stands for: great craftmanship, superior content and jokes you know you shouldn't be laughing at but you just can't help it.