Many students decided to stay in last Thursday to cram before the weekend, but they missed out on a once-in-a-Brandeis-life night at the Stein. The fortunate ones who showed up must have seen the campus posters and been intrigued by the ambiguous phrase: "Evan Goodrow Band -- a little bit of funk, a little bit of jazz". This local band from Lowell, Massachusetts was put together five years ago by the main vocalist, Evan Goodrow. At this performance, the band was accompanied by new member, Mario Perrett (saxophone) and were promoting their latest album "Gettup!" that was released earlier this year.

Perrett describes the Evan Goodrow Band (EGB) sound as "a mix of Steely Dan, Phish, and Dave Matthews," and their music is indeed layered and versatile. There was a little something for everyone in the audience: Soul, Blues, Funk, Acid Jazz and Soft Rock. They also performed amazing renditions of Stevie Wonder's "Superstition," Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" and a Jimi Hendrix number, all of which elicited much applause from the enthusiastic crowd.

It was almost as if the audience was waiting for an excuse to dance, and when Goodrow jokingly announced, "Anyone who is found dancing will be escorted off the premises," people gathered on the dance floor. Just as the album title suggests, the combination of Goodrow's husky vocals, Perrett's dramatic sax solos, Dean Monoxelos' steady bass and Steve Rose's beats made everyone want to "gettup" and dance.

The small audience didn't discourage the band; on the contrary, everyone seemed to be enjoying the intimate atmosphere in the Stein. Perrett and Goodrow even mingled with the audience and made many girls blush by kneeling down and singing to them.

Toward the end of the night, EGB performed their sexiest numbers as a midnight treat. The EGB version of James Brown's "Sex Machine" got everyone shaking their hips and singing out loud. Their last song, "No Cream in My Coffee," an EGB original, had suggestive lyrics that would have put Tom Jones to shame ("You ain't got no lips to suck on / Ain't got no match to light the fire"). When the audience slowly headed for the doors, they looked as though they had all shared a secret, a secret called the Evan Goodrow Band.