If music soothes the soul and laughter is the best medicine, then the Mental Health Awareness Stein Night was an unparalleled success. Featuring acoustic performances from five Brandeis students, the evening was spiced up by laughter, jokes and even a few moments of accidental physical comedy. A.J. Hutchinson '06 warmed up the crowd with a set of acoustic emo. He played two previously written songs and decided to simply improvise the last offering, saying, "Emo is all depressing, and I'm in a really good mood tonight!" Combining a rather catchy chord progression with stream-of-consciousness babbling, Hutchinson really had the crowd in stitches.

With the crowd already loosened up, Yoni Samlan '05 and Arielle Bernstein '05 took the stage, mixing covers and originals. Bernstein's deep and sultry voice was a beautiful complement to Samlan's guitar work, and their duets were enchanting and beautifully executed. Bernstein bowed out after only three songs, but Samlan stayed on stage for two more originals, featuring his own laid-back vocals. The crowd was grooving along with him, as people chatted and relaxed, and some even sang along.

It seemed only right that after this laid-back and calming set, Mark Hopkins '03 should come on with his high-energy performance. He played an excellent mix of covers and originals, the excited crowd singing happily along with his versions of "Santa Monica" and "Sympathy for The Devil."

He also played originals from his band, Swallow the Leader, including one that was being premiered that night. But the highlight of his set was the jaw-dropping performance of REM's "It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)." Not only did he know every word of the tongue-twisting song, but he even got the audience to sing the chorus parts along with him.

Finally, much to everyone's delight, Evan Cohen '05 grabbed the spotlight, and proceeded to hold it for the next forty minutes. He charmingly conversed with the audience while tuning and setting up, and exchanged jokes and one-liners with friends between songs.

He played a mostly original set, bringing Samlan back on stage to duet on a couple songs and tossing in a couple covers here and there. He also provided the most poignant moment of the night, playing the song "Somewhere, Someone" in public for the first time. He had written the song after his friend committed suicide, and played it that night because he found it pertinent to the event. It capped off a truly wonderful event and a wonderful evening.