They don't have a name yet, but they do have a sound. Tentatively billing themselves The Totally Awesome Super Sexy Funk Groove Project, the funk-rock group was an explosion of beats, grooves and smooth, smooth soul as its crowd bounced on its toes Sunday afternoon at Ridgewoodstock.

"We have arrived," said lead singer and guitarist Wes Chisholm '08 at the start of the band's debut performance. His singing was throaty and stoner-cool, but he was certainly pumped and he gave the group's songs just the right energy.

Backup vocalist Julie Albert '08 was captivating. The band would not have been complete without her.

Dressed rocker-chic in a ripped denim skirt, her deep, silky voice transported listeners away from their campus quad and into a smoky jazz club.

Her rendition of Alicia Keys' "If I Ain't Got You" was hot, in a word, and sent some audience members to the S.S.I.S. table to draw their own orgasms.

Albert and Chisholm combined forces in "Use Me," by Bill Withers, and "Tarantula," by Bob Schneider, two songs screaming with raw fervor.

No less stunning were lead guitarist Dave Zimmerman '07, bassist Jeremy Shuman '07, drummer Ethan Pransky '07, keyboardist Noah Bein '08, saxophonist Dave Guerrette '08, trumpet Scott Forman '09 and for two songs, backup singer Ali Sternburg '09.

The only downside was that Chisholm, apparently in a talkative mood, spoke over Albert at the start of some of her songs. He did say, though, that the group is accepting suggestions for a more permanent name; ideally, a pretentious one.

The show was undoubtedly the highlight of the afternoon. A few hundred students came out for music, free barbecue, free beer and the S.S.I.S. Sex Olympics, featuring inflatable balloon strap-on sex organs.

Preceding the spirited performance was a set by Dave Strumfeld, a student at SUNY-Purchase who attended Brandeis last year, and a set by the Berklee College of Music's Pussycat Pimps before him. Without the rest of his band, Strumfeld failed to engage most of the crowd. Still, as a complement to good food and good weather and a segue into the rhythm-happy set to come, the two opening acts served the event well.

On a whole, the afternoon was a pleasant and stimulating break from Sunday afternoon studying.



Editor's note: Keyboardist Noah Bein '08 is a news editor at the Justice. Drummer Ethan Pransky '07 and bassist Jeremy Shuman '07 are paid distributors of the newspaper.