The opening of Cholmondeley's was celebrated this past Thursday with a packed live music coffeehouse featuring campus bands First Friday and The Edition. The one-two punch of great music by Brandeis students was met with a full house, as first-years and seniors ventured to the tiny coffeehouse to see what the bands had to offer.First Friday began the night, a little nervous because of their lack of a drummer, having lost would-be junior Jay Stone to the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. "Where's our drummer?" lead singer Ben Rathburn '04 mused, after an audience member inquired as to the whereabouts of the band member, "Oh, he's in another state. Isn't that funny?"

Uneasiness about their missing percussion aside, however, First Friday played quite an impressive set. There were obvious fans of theirs in the house, as the audience reacted with hoots and cheers for "Upside Down" and "Purity," along with the band's signature covers of the Pixies' "Where Is My Mind?" and The Anniversary's "Crooked Crown." While both covers suffered a little from the lack of drums, for a trio they passed the test with flying colors. In fact, Rathburn's voice sounded its best all night during "Crooked Crown," when he growled "Shake your hips for me darlin' / Oh sugar come on," as girls in the audience swooned.

The missing member actually helped the band stay musically tighter, with Rathburn and guitarist Max Glantzman '04 playing perfectly in synch while bassist Yari Segal '04 served as the group's musical background. Rathburn's vocals rounded out their performance as the string that tied all the music together. The band even played a new song, "Without You." But it was the last song, fan favorite "Smokey Skies," that really brought down the house, with people singing along happily with the band.

Whatever space was left in Chums after First Friday's set quickly disappeared as The Edition took the stage. Singer and keyboardist Phil Selesnick '05, guitarist Tom Pernikoff '05 and bassist Mike Park '05 introduced Brandeis to their new drummer, Dan Germaine, a sophomore from Berklee College of Music. Germaine's impressive drumming was the icing on The Edition's incredible set.

One amazing Allman Brothers Band cover aside, The Edition's set was a long meandering journey through their own original material. Selesnick's smooth and seductive vocals slithered atop his keyboard's nimble melodies. Pernikoff's guitar playing, always stellar, seemed to transcend to another level at times. Mixing rock and roll and blues in an intoxicating blend, his guitar wailed and wept as the night went on. Park's bass playing is always spectacular to watch, and that night was no exception.Where most bass players are more content to stay in the back and build a foundation for the other members to solo and shine on top of, Park allows his bass to strut and saunter across every song. He allows his bass to shine through the music, turning what may have been good songs into awesome epics that you never want to end.

The band gave the crowd exactly what they wanted. They played new and old, giving the new fans a taste of just about everything they have to offer. Favorites include "Unisex," their opening song, "In Memory" and "80 Proof Oxygen." Up on Chums' tiny stage, the guys gave it all they had.

And the audience responded in kind. When The Edition took the stage, Chum's was full, but you could move around if you wanted to. By the end of their set, there was barely room to breathe, let alone sit anywhere. and people were spilling out of the doorway and listening through the windows. Inside, there were even a few people on their feet and dancing.

The Edition seemed to revel in the enthusiasm, getting physically more and more into their music as the audience followed their lead. Selesnick began pounding on his keyboards with increased fervor, bobbing his head as he sang and played. Pernikoff's long curly hair swung whimisically as his guitar seemed to become an extention of his body, his own limbs bobbing and dipping in time with the music he was creating. Interestingly enough, Park seemed completely reserved, content to just bouncing a little as he hovered towards the back of the stage. He seemed more focused on his bass than on the audience's hooting and whooping as the songs went on and on.