Sherman Function Hall provided an intimate atmosphere for some Israeli, Jewish and not so Jewish tunes on Wednesday night, beginning with the always-popular (at Brandeis) delicacy of hummus and falafel from Rami's. After savoring the flavor, we were treated to the New York City based, worldly influenced, Pharaoh's Daughter. This six-piece band was highlighted by their two stunningly beautiful female vocalists; one playing rhythm oud (an instrument like a large mandolin) and the other on a multitude of wind instruments, including the recorder (a lot nicer than the one you had in fourth grade) and the zurna, a simple Turkish instrument producing a pleasant piercing reminiscent of the whistle from the old Disney short "Toot, Whistle, Plunk, and Boom." Also standing out was their percussionist on the hadgini drum, a fused double-headed ceramic piece, combining instruments from Nigeria and southern India. The drum created an echoing didgery doo-like effect.

Pharaoh's Daughter played original songs, which were dominated by a mellow flowing theme. At times you could really feel the Middle Eastern influence, while other times gave you a more "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" by Pink Floyd kind of feel. The audience was eager to dance, however, and Pharaoh's Daughter provided few instances that impelled you to hop up off the carpet.

Next, Brandeis's own band Eizeh Yofi sang NFTY arrangements of Jewish songs, plus Sheva's adrenaline racing peace anthem "Salam." Eizeh Yofi includes Kevin Kleinman '02, Eli Freedman '02, Beth Kander '03, Josh Segal '03, Sara Mason '03, Rachel Silverman '04, Steve Laferiere '05 and Megan Rook-Koepsel '05.
For the 25 or so audience members who remained, Yom Hadash put on an upbeat, rocking show where dancing and singing was contagious. Despite no percussionist for this performance, Segal and Jon Nelson of Newton, Mass. put on a show to tell your friends about. Nelson on guitar provided a charismatic stage presence that was complemented tremendously by Segal's classic rock influenced electric guitar playing. Their set was comprised of original, modified versions of Jewish classics such as Adon Olam and Shalom Alechem, Beatles tunes and a mini Creedence Clearwater Revival medley.

They provided a much-needed pick-me-up that the audience had been seeking all along. The highlight was an original song entitled "Jerusalem." Here, Segal played a "Melissa"-like slide that was followed by moving lyrics and a heartwarming melody that had everyone in the audience swaying arm in arm. The set culminated with "Here Comes the Sun," "Bashana Haba'ah" with a Slash-like solo, a beautifully still "Blackbird" and the personally requested "Hey Jude," which was accompanied by several Brandeis females doing the chorus. Despite the slow start to the evening, Yom Hadash gave Brandeis a place to dance, sing and recognize the joy of life, albeit for only 40 minutes.