Friday, April 4, The Habitat for Humanity club held its annual fundraising concert, Habfest, which featured a plethora of musical acts.
Leading the setlist of acts was the Testostatones, the high school’s all-male acappella group. They had an unstoppable energy and pulled of an entertaining rendition of Feel Good Inc. by the Gorrilaz. Notable moments include when a few members engaged in free-style dancing and the group performed a perfect rendition of the song’s rap.
The second act was a solo act performed by junior, Yiorgos Karaminas, who played acoustic guitar and sang. The first song, Whisper by Ernie Halter was simple but enjoyable. The highlight of his act, however, was easily his humorous rendition of Drunk in Love, by Beyonce. Not all lyrics we’re memorized, but Karaminas managed to pull it off, evoking laughs from the audience.
Next, the Samba Drumming Club entered with a bang, quite literally, in a rousing, rhythmic romp of an act that succeeded in making an enjoyable performance while not dragging on any further than was entertaining. A highlight was when one of the drumsticks broke, but did not interrupt the rhythm of the song, and in fact, added to the level of skill demonstrated in the performance.
The next performance was unique as its name, Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis. Consisting of several muscians, who performed So What, an instrumental piece with room for improvisation. This room was filled with the highlights of the song, notably a trombone solo by senior, Zak Russell and a saxophone solo by junior, Gabriel Mininberg. The piece wrapped itself together excellently.
A solo act by junior, Mike Suh was another that shined during the course of the evening, performing an original song called Mariner with drumming by senior, Jan Meese. Excellent guitar, vocals and a clearly evident talent for songwriting made this act one of the most memorable of the evening.
Perfect Pitch, an all female acapella group from the high school, performed two pieces. The solos in Landslide, and a solo by junior, Clara Martin in a rendition of Always be my Baby by Mariah Carey were very impressive.
Another shining act of the evening was that of Next Best Western, consisting of senior, Marcus Dembinski on drums, senior, Ethan Roubenoff and senior, Jan Meese on guitar and senior, Max Sternlicht with vocals. Both their performance of Royals and of their original, called Flashback, evoked a strong sense of rhythmic energy, which emanated from the performers themselves. A notable moment was a guitar solo by Rubenoff.
Notify, another female acapella group from the high school performed a pretty rendition of free falling, which was enjoyable, but not remarkable. Still, the group looked unified and soulful standing together on the stage.
Big Words,JOPH, Eccentric Circles, and the Lampshade Phenomenon closed out the. A fantastic closing moment was the incredible energy from the Lampshade Phenomenon, who played Walk Into A Dream and Ya Tellin Me, two original songs of equal musical and comedic value.
Overall, the event was an impressive exposition of several student talents. The only slight disappointment was the lack of attendance, as the auditorium was not nearly close to full, however those that came were enthusiastic and engaged by the entertainment.
Daniel Hayes can be contacted at [email protected]
