Voicemale, Brandeis' own boy band, premiered their new songs and singers Saturday during Parents' Weekend at their "Oktober-Fiesta" concert, which also featured the Harvard University Fallen Angels. Fiesta streamers and Oktoberfest posters of beer mugs and lederhosen helped add to the cheerful concert atmosphere. Olin-Sang auditorium was not as fully packed as usual for a Voicemale concert, probably because so many other Brandeis a cappella groups also performed that evening. However, the audience - comprised of mainly friends and family members - was incredibly supportive and enthusiastic about Voicemale, even when cheers for an encore at the end of the group's set went unanswered. While the overall energy and creativity of Voicemale is still top-notch, their performance Saturday night combined with the lackluster efforts by the Harvard Fallen Angels produced a concert that by and large was less than enthralling. Clearly missing the veteran presence of their alumni Scott Barrett, Max Ferguson, and Seth Herring (all '03), Voicemale has their work cut out for them if they are to maintain their reputation as one of Brandeis' top a cappella group.

After starting 10 minutes late, the Harvard Fallen Angels were finally introduced by Voicemale's President Evan Greene '04. In only their second year of existence, the Fallen Angels' inexperience as an ensemble was glaringly apparent, from the group's unimpressive soloists to its simplistic and dull a cappella arrangements. Adding to the dryness of their performance, the girls appeared bored and blank-faced throughout almost their entire set, as if singing was more of a chore than an enjoyable activity for the group.

The Fallen Angels opened with Steve Miller Band's "Abracadabra," in which soloist Sarah Caulkins '04 was less than bewitching, pacing the front of the room with an uninterested expression as if she could not wait to get the song over with. The group's painfully slow rendition of Alicia Keyes' "A Woman's Worth" was not nearly as stirring as the version done last year by Brandeis own Starving Artists. Soloist Jennifer Bennett '06, trying to mimic Keyes' soulful R&B finesse, sounded like a little girl whining for attention as she did not even attempt to hit the song's haunting high notes. The group's coverage of Liz Phair's "Why Can't I" and LeAnn Rimes' "Right Kind of Wrong" also failed to captivate the audience, who at this point was clearly eager to get Voicemale on stage.

While their arrangement and performance of Mya's "Case of the Ex" proved that the Harvard ensemble may actually have potential hidden somewhere behind their dreary voices and vacant expressions, the girls' performance at Brandeis was certainly anything but angelic.
Following a brief intermission, the seven members of Voicemale ran into Olin-Sang auditorium. Immediately jumping into Rockapella's "Falling Over You," the group's traditional intro song, Voicemale's energy and vocal talent was a welcome change of pace. New Voicemale member Ben "Speedy" Kampler '05 was decent in his first solo effort on the group's signature song as his falsetto voice was enchanting. However, Voicemale, a smaller ensemble than in previous years, unfortunately seemed to be straining their voices on "Falling Over You" trying to recreate their formerly booming sound.

Drew Cohen '05 soloed on both Steve Tannen's "Allison is Crazy" and Thin Lizzie's "The Boys are Back in Town," showcasing his amazing vocal ability and soulful sound. However, Cohen's performance tonight lacked the power and passion of his solo last year on Marc Cohen's "Walking in Memphis," which won him the MVP award at the 2003 Northeast semi final round of the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA).

Voicemale bass singer Jon Searles '04 took over on the barbershop selections "In the Wee Hours of the Morning" and "Still of the Night." Searles, though an excellent vocal percussionist, failed to have the vocal strength necessary to carry a song unlike Voicemale's previous bass soloist Barrett.

The high points of Voicemale's performance came from the group's president and its youngest rookie. Greene's character and charisma had the whole audience laughing during his performance of Weird Al Yankovic's "Since You've Been Gone," which Greene announced was dedicated to all the members' ex-girlfriends.
Voicemale's only freshman member, Jon Weinstein '07, was very impressive in his debut performance as he wowed the audience with his strong, buoyant sound and energetic stage presence. Despite drifting sharp on some on the high notes during his solo on Smokey Robinson's "Tears of a Clown," Weinstein is certainly Voicemale's bright new talent
and the group's cornerstone for the future.

While last year Voicemale was arguably Brandeis' top a cappella group after finishing second in the aforementioned semi finals, it remains to be seen if they can maintain their position at the head of the pack without their departed veteran members. The group also must find more captivating soloists to replace the charming Ferguson and passionate Herring, who sang lead in a majority of last year's performances. Though new Voicemale members Kampler, Weinstein and Noam Smooha '06 sang admirably in their first appearance with the group, only time will tell if they can live up to the group's high standards. Granted, this was Voicemale's first performance of the year with three new members, so the group must be granted some leeway. However, based on Saturday's performance, these boys are certainly not yet back to rockin' this Brandeis town.