The idea of a coffeehouse usually generates pictures of sunglass-wearing bohemians and steaming mocha-java concoctions balanced precariously while polite applause meets the end of a poem. But the kids from HELP, organizers of the Healthy Distraction Coffeehouse, had a slightly different view. In their opinion, all that a coffeehouse needs to be a success is a lounge, some soft couches, lots of seating, lots of acts and some green plastic wrap to set the mood. Although slightly unconventional, especially in its lack of coffee, the first Healthy Distraction Coffeehouse, held in the Feldberg Lounge on Wednesday, was definitely a success.The night opened with The Red Shift, whose meandering, neo-lounge and rock stylings were hypnotic and beautiful. All four musicians displayed exemplary talent on their respective instruments, creating sonic landscapes that were reminiscent of Super Furry Animals, Red Hot Chili Peppers and the best of early jazz guitar. Although the songs tended to ramble into long experimental instrumental sections, the music was just too good to really criticize. The Red Shift have an element of creativity lacking in a lot of local bands, and they are more willing to take risks into areas of musicality that other college bands may shy away from. Their set was excellent and left many audience members wishing it had been longer.

After The Red Shift came a flurry of performances from various dance and a cappella groups. The Swing Club gave a short demonstration with four of its members showing off their jitterbug skills. It was a fun performance, especially when the singers pulled up audience members to dance with them for the last song. Adagio then took the stage for their first performance of the semester. Their energetic and sexy dance to Daniel Bedingfield's "Gotta Get Through This" wowed the audience and was a great way to start off the year. The group needed a little polishing, and it was obvious they were a little nervous about their performance, but it was such an energetic routine that any little slips or mistakes were either not noticed or overlooked completely by the audience.

Voices of Soul was the first a cappella group to perform. "That Thing" and "Hold On" were huge hits with the audience. The group also debuted a new song, a cover of Thicke's "When I Get You Alone." It still needs polishing, but the first listen promises great things, once a little work is done. Following Voices of Soul was B'ychad, Brandeis' Israeli folk-dance troupe. Their performance was very good, especially the tambourine dances that closed their set, but they did not show a lot of confidence while performing. That lack of self-possession on stage took away from a lot of their dances, which is a shame, because they seem to be a really talented group.

After a short pause for announcements, Proscenium got up to perform. While most of the audience did not seem to be fans of show tunes, Proscenium was able to win them over. They sang a good selection of classic and modern Broadway hit songs, but their best performance of the night was definitely "Kiss The Girl" from The Little Mermaid. However, even during the romantic comedy of "Kiss The Girl," the members of Proscenium appeared more nervous than anything else. While justified, it would make their performance 10 times better just to smile on stage. We all know that they love show tunes; we would just like to see it as well. After Proscenium was In Sync, Brandeis' longest standing all female a cappella group. Their set was excellent, featuring a variety of songs, including their surprisingly sultry version of Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing." Most of the audience was prompted to sing along to the song, and the soloist's husky, deep voice was perfect for the cover.

The night began to draw to a close at 11:30 p.m., when the final act, Swallow The Leader, took the stage. While the audience had thinned out significantly, they still played an awesome set, premiering two new songs this semester - "Shade In Heaven" and the ambient closer, "The Prince." While the setlist remained nearly the same, this was quite possibly their best performance to date, just because of their demeanor. The atmosphere was relaxed, and the members of Swallow the Leader relaxed as well, opening themselves up to jokes and antics on stage. They were smiling and laughing a lot more than usual, and it dragged the crowd in. They even took requests at the end of the night, indulging their listeners who wanted to hear Weezer's "Pink Triangle" (which they performed at the Trisk coffeehouse) and Spacehog's "In The Meantime."

HELP certainly succeeded in creating a healthy distraction that was entertaining, if not a little long, to amuse the Brandeis community on a boring Wednesday night. And they proved that you don't actually need coffee to put on a great coffeehouse.