A packed Stein this past Friday night allowed students to not only satisfy late-night cravings but also do so with free live music by fellow students. The laid-back and chill environment was a great way to start off the weekend — it was not until a couple of hours later that the usual post-party rush inundated the restaurant further. Even at the very start, the audience could be described as quite packed and remained so until close to the end. Cheering and applause, signs of the audience’s enthusiasm, permeated the room throughout the night. Listeners consisted primarily of close friends of the performers.

Hosted by WBRS: Student Music, each act performed pieces, some original and some covers, that spanned multiple, eclectic genres. The evening started off with Michael Harlow’s ’19 acoustic cover of Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking out Loud,” a song that many recognized and thoroughly enjoyed: a good beginning for sure. Harlow also MC’d the event.

To follow, Eli Kengmana ’19 showcased his dexterous skills on the acoustic guitar. Performing two songs, his set incorporated intricate hammer-ons, pull-offs, percussive slapping, harmonics and more complex techniques which really stood out as he did not rely on vocals. Kengmana performed with extreme focus yet effortless follow through — his cool guitar movements and sounds intrigued many in the audience.

In Flux, the next band to perform, consisted of electric jazz guitar, bass, drums, keyboard and alto saxophone. They played jazz pieces with a more contemporary spin —some of the music included Amos Lee and John Coltrane with Jordan Mudd ’20 as both lead guitar and vocals. The next pieces that In Flux performed without vocals featured impressive solos. Especially notable were the saxophone and drums, which smoothly flowed in and out of the groove pocket, also showing a professional level of unspoken interaction between each of the players.

Arjun and the Vectors, with frontman Arjun Rajan ’20, switched things up with all original music. What sounded like rock, with perhaps some Nirvana and ’90s garage band influences, proved itself to be innovative, as well. In addition to the traditional guitar, bass and drum-heavy sound, the saxophone really switched things up and made Arjun and the Vectors’ music unique.

In addition to rock and jazz style music, Josh Cohen ’20, Clements Park ’20, Skyler Gelinas ’20 and Sam Aronson ’20 performed songs which seemed to borrow elements from the folk side of things, with Gelinas on the cajón. Just Aronson and Cohen played next after the previous set finished, with simply the two vocals and acoustic guitars — songs were reminiscent of bluegrass country with intense and animated strumming compared to the lo-fi sounds of that of the rock bands that played.

However, by the increased amount of cheering and applause, Hangil Ryu ’20, one of the last performers, was definitely a favorite. Ryu performed R&B and rap originals, rapping to the beat incredibly smoothly, an interesting change from the rest of the acts that night.

To slow things down slightly, Alina Shirley ’19 played a few songs on the slower, more mellow side, including a cover of James Arthur’s “Say You Won’t Let Go” featuring beautiful vocals.

After Shirley, sets were mostly acoustic guitar covers and single artists or duos. At this point, the Stein became less crowded. Toward 1 a.m., students began to leave, with a couple of partygoers exchanging places.

The night ended with a jazz, big band-esque finale which brought back to the stage multiple instruments: keys, drums, guitar, bass, etc. Players came together to perform one last enthusiastic, groovy piece, which successfully concluded the event.

From rap to bluegrass to rock, each band contributed unique sound. Seeing Brandeis’ students perform with such passion really showed the wide array of musical talent we have on campus.