I think that one of the reasons I love a cappella groups is that there are simply no instruments. As a person who cannot play an instrument to save her life, I appreciate and wonder at the possibility of being able to create beautiful music without crafty guitar skills or a prodigious inclination toward the piano or violin.That said, Too Cheap for Instruments' semester show demonstrated this past Thursday exactly why forsaking instruments is a perfect way to create a fun and entertaining musical experience. Held in the South Campus Commons, Brandeis' all-female folk/folk-pop a cappella group performed numerous songs highlighting its fun and deft approach to songs along with splashes of playful banter, novelty acts, slam poetry and belly dancing.

The show was downright entertaining; regardless of whether or not they perfected their harmonies or sang loudly enough, the members of this a cappella group sang with passion in a fun, intimate atmosphere.

The evening kicked off with a rendition of Catie Curtis' "Strange." The song was a fine introduction to TCFI's repertoire and style-the song was peppy and layered, and one soloist, Jordan Hinahara '12, talked through the song in a typical folk manner.

The group's next song was truly entertaining. "Revenge Song," originally by Bob and Tom, was an amusing rendition in that the members of Too Cheap for Instruments not only sang but also simultaneously acted out the lyrics. The lyrics themselves were enough to incite laughter and hilarity, but the addition of the skit made the performance feel much more like a musical rather than just a song being sung. Personally, it is just fascinating to see music as something so organic rather than coming from guitar strings or from cymbals in a drum set.

Another standout song was "Lonely Jew." A Jew who feels left out and lonely on Christmas because she is unable to participate in the typical festivities narrates the song, an original from the show South Park. However, a seeming non-Jew enters the picture and posits that it's all right to miss out on Christmas because of the obligatory trips to see a stinky Santa at the mall. The song was really quirky and was performed expressively by soloists Deena Horowitz '13 and Hinahara.

After a brief intermission, there was a showcase of slam poetry courtesy of Hinahara and Rawda Aljawhary '13 as well as a belly dance performance from Horowitz. The performances were powerful and intriguing, highlighting the talents of the three sans instruments. Hinahara spoke passionately of a deteriorating mother-daughter relationship. Aljawhary recited multiple poems that spoke about the more sensual but painful aspects of relationships; one poem particularly stuck out in which Aljawhary spoke of bumping into people on the streets. "The people I brush, they carry memories on their shoulders," she said, one example of her introspective and weighty verses. Horowitz danced to two songs, bringing a different dynamic to the event by changing the pace and switching up a night that was dominated by vocal performances.

After a divergence from singing, Too Cheap for Instruments came back up to sing several more songs. One song that I was genuinely excited to hear was "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" by the Charlie Daniels Band because it seemed so random for a folk a cappella group to sing. However, TCFI soon proved that the song was clearly made for an all-female a cappella group. The group acted out the song with TCFI President Chaya Bender '11 playing the Devil and Horowitz playing Johnny, the group acted out the song-something I had always wished to see since the lyrics of the song are so direct and vivid. The song was portrayed quite comically, and the song had a much lighter feel than Daniels' original. One of the best parts of the performance was Ariana Hajmiragha '13 imitating the screwy fiddle from the original song; it was a funny imitation that contributed to the comic dynamic of the performance.

Too Cheap for Instruments ended its semester show with the group's signature song, "Scotsman," a traditional folk song. Once again, the members acted out the song, which is a narrative about a drunken Scotsman who passes out and two girls who come across and wonder what's under his kilt. The performance was tongue-in-cheek and extremely funny-the members had really great chemistry when performing together.

Overall, Too Cheap for Instruments' semester show was a blast. Filled with hilarious one-liners from the members-Bender mused that she would be belly dancing but then said that would be "horrifying"-exuberant performances and clear dedication, the group showed that its frugality when it comes to instruments really pays off.