Ozma, loyal fans rock Knitting Factory during October run

It would be difficult to find “Rockstar 101″ listed
within UCLA’s course catalog, yet many students find time to
pursue their love for music ““ even between midterms and
Tuesday pint nights.

Among these students are Bruins Ryen Slegr and Daniel Brummel,
both members of the rock band Ozma. The two will return to UCLA
during winter quarter after taking time off to concentrate on the
band.

Presently, however, Ozma has perfect attendance at
Hollywood’s Knitting Factory where the band spent October in
residence. Every Wednesday features a show consisting of new
material, and tonight the band concludes the run with the
seven-year anniversary of its first show together.

“The first (October residency) show was a little rough for
us, and the fans. It’s tougher to play for a smaller amount
of people than just a sea of blank faces,” Slegr said.

“We’d never played most of those songs live,”
added Patrick Edwards, drummer.

The band is set to begin recording its next album, due out next
spring, and will follow with what the band hopes to be a monumental
tour. This year included many days on the road, especially after
the band joined the Warped Tour this summer. It turned out to be
more of a challenge than some might expect.

“It’s definitely more fun and easy to play for
people who already know our stuff ““ our audiences ““
rather than trying to win over someone else’s
audience,” Brummel said.

While the Warped Tour does incorporate various genres, punk is
easily the front-runner. Ozma has been called many things, and
show-goers have even been seen moshing, but “punk” is
not a word that leaps out when listening to the band, making them a
different flavor for Warped audiences.

The band is generally affable, and Slegr’s humor so dry
that more jokes probably slipped into the night than were caught
and appreciated. The most disappointing falsehood was that
he’s putting together a compilation from demos that other
bands have slipped him. Ozma fans show such dedication it
wouldn’t be surprising if such a CD sold out immediately.

“(Our fans) are usually pretty nice. They bring us cookies
and things on the road. They’re really wholesome kids ““
to a fault sometimes,” Slegr said.

The members of Ozma have grown up while out on the road,
changing in similar ways as college students away from home for the
first time.

“When we were playing I’d never drink, just trying
to be a good kid. Definitions of goodness change,” Edwards
said.

More than one of the fans at last week’s Knitting Factory
show bought tickets to all the October shows, showing a rabidity
often seen in Weezer (and sports) fans.

With all they have accomplished, Ozma’s future looks
bright. Aside from some of the members returning to school and the
band’s new album, Ozma hopes even bigger things lie
ahead.

Ozma plays at the Knitting Factory tonight with Smile, Dopamine
and Service Group. 7021 Hollywood Blvd. (323) 463-0204.