Ozma - The Doubble Donkey 

Ozma Official MySpace

Label :  Kung Fu Records

Yes, that's right, Ozma. After a two year split, Ozma are back and in full form. The reunion officially came to fruition in March of '06, followed by a tour with the Rentals, which I was unfortunate enough to find out about the day after they were in Salt Lake. But after Saturday's show, there's no way I could be bitter about it.After finally finding the venue tucked away in a shady back alley [everybody in the SLC area needs to go to at least one show at Kilby Court, it's the best little venue I've ever been to] I was severely excited at the size of the place. Seeing a band the likes of Ozma, who landed the opening spot on 2001's Weezer/Get Up Kids show without even having a record deal…or a manager for that matter, that's a very exciting prospect. It looked like a place where the original Wailers might have played in 1965. Little more than a cinder block garage with a little stage, an even smaller merchandise table across the yard, and a ticket booth. To add to the atmosphere there was a small fire in a barrel in the yard, with several concert-goers discussing the state of music huddled around it. Opening acts and Utah natives Neon Trees were in full Hallowe'en form, dressed as Edward Scissorhands, Richie Tennenbaum, Indiana Jones, Jon Bon Jovi/Generic Butt Rocker, and what looked like a white Prince. Guessing these won me a free t-shirt. I'm just that good. Anyhow, Neon Trees were rather impressive, drawing on obvious influences of New Order, the Smiths, nine inch nails, and U2's the Edge, they put on a very energetic show. They're really nice guys, and I was surprised to see that they're from Orem, rather than somewhere that can be taken seriously.After Neon Trees, we got Everybody Else, who are definitely from SoCal. Scenesters to a fault, they played tremendously catchy indie pop. A few of the songs were genuinely entertaining, but on the whole I felt they were trying too hard. The drummer did play keys and drums on some song, which is pretty cool to watch, but apart from that they didn't leave a lasting impression.At this point I'd like to point out my position in relation to the stage. Right up on it, at the back corner near the door they brought all the equipment in. This is the spot, far stage left, where Star generally sets up her keyboards. During the set, if I felt the need, I could have reached out and played a bit myself. I just thought I'd throw that out to tease those with severe crushes on female band members. So, Ozma. Either they weren't that affected by two years off, or they got warmed but really well touring with the Rentals, because they were seriously on. Didn't even make us wait for hits, starting off with "Natalie Portman" and "Eponine," arguably their two most popular songs this side of "Korobeiniki," which is really more of a novelty hit than something associated with Ozma. But from the opening keyboard wash of "Natalie Portman" it was obvious that Ozma had not been forgotten. Everyone of the maybe-one hundred people crammed in the hut were singing along. In fact, the only time people weren't singing along was on new, unreleased songs. And I even suspect there were a few people who had heard them on myspace already. The setlist, which was heavy on early stuff, left very little to be desired [although I think a cover song might've been interesting, but that's just me]. As for the performance, if Ryen's mic had been a little louder, it would've been pretty much flawless. But with the crowd singing along, it didn't make as much difference. A bummer for those being introduced to Ozma, but I don't imagine there were many. It is my professional opinion that nobody was disappointed. This said, I would like to hand out a few superlatives:

Sweatiest man beast: Daniel Brummel (Ozma)

Coolest Hallowe'en Costume: split: Jason Gibbons [Richie Tennenbaum (Neon Trees)]/guy dressed as a Tetris piece

Most Professional: Star Wick, for putting up with cheesey comments on how hot she is

Most Keyboards: Neon Trees

Best multi-tasking: Mikey McCormack (Everybody Else); drums, keys, vocals.

And now to dispense the verdicts:

Neon Trees: Exciting prospect from Orem

Everybody Else: Real California Cheese

Ozma: the For Real Deal