Hello ozma fan/friend,
     It's been a long time since we've played, and we're curious to know what songs we should practice before we do these 2 headlining shows in LA and SF. Your vote counts so please help us out and tell us: 5 songs you wanna hear!

(reply your requests in this blog, thank you so much!) 

Not only does MySpace have us as a Featured Artist on their front page, but they're helping pump up the release of "Pasadena" by letting us stream the entire album on our music player!! This will only last for the next two days so get your fix now. Thanks to all the new listeners we've made thru the MySpace frontpage!!

Also, now you can buy "Pasadena" at iTunes!! Check it out:

New U.S. tour dates posted too!! Check the main page.

Heading home from Colorado now...

We just found out that from May 11 - 14 we will be a "Featured Artist" on the MySpace.com front page... pretty sweet huh?

And the press reviews for our new album "Pasadena" have been pouring in, and they're overwhelmingly positive. Check it out...

LOS ANGELES TIMES 5/2/07 -- Buzz Bands:

'Pasadena' has energy and heft

And file this under coincidence: Ozma is back.

The underrated, Weezer-endorsed quintet, dormant for most of 2004 and 2005, releases a new album "Pasadena" — a nod to its hometown — on May 15. The music is more muscular and mature than the crunchy power-pop that gained Ozma a large Southland following over its first three albums.

Did the band spend its time off in the gym working out? Quite the contrary, singer-bassist Daniel Brummel says. While his mates played in another project, "I got really into folk music, things like Harry Smith, Appalachian music....It helped me see lyrics a little differently, and see the value in using things like idioms and tropes, powerful archetypes that stand the test of time."

If the songs have more heft than "our previously hopelessly romantic boy-girl thing," Brummel says, they also sound infused with new energy. "When we all came back, it was a very fertile period for songwriting," he says.

After five months in the studio with friends and co-producers Billy Burke and Greg Doyle, Ozma turned "Pasadena" over to Matt Hyde (No Doubt, Sublime, Sum 41), who Brummel says "really brought [fortitude] back to the mix." The album also features a vocal turn by Rachel Haden (That Dog, the Rentals) and guitar contributions from Nada Surf's Matthew Caws.

Brummel and bandmates Star Wick, Ryen Slegr, Kenn Shane, and Jose Galvez start a West Coast tour this week that ends with dates May 16 at Chain Reaction and May 17 at the Troubadour. Says Brummel: "It feels fantastic."

PORTLAND TRIBUNE -- Ozma is championed by Weezer (the band invited Ozma along as the opener for two tours) and its new album boasts guest appearances by Nada Surf's Matthew Caws and the Rentals' Rachel Haden. If those endorsements aren't enough to make you stand up and take notice, one listen to the infectious new album, "Pasadena," will be. Instantly memorable, bouncy, nerdy-cool and tough-vulnerable in a way that only power-pop bands can get away with, it's a winner from beginning to end.

BOULDER WEEKLY -- The comeback kids: Ozma strikes a new chord with their old band -- by Dave Kirby (buzz@boulderweekly.com)

The street date for Ozma's new CD, Pasadena, is May 15. That means that what few record stores still exist will actually have the disc on sale then, although the band hit the road for its headlining tour of western states this past Tuesday and is doing some theater-lobby commerce ahead of time.

The high-pitch buzz on the Ozma fan forum boards focuses on the new CD, speculation on why it hasn't been pirated yet, and what appears to everyone to be a permanent reformation of the southern Calfornia indie-pop quintet after a couple of years of uncertainty.

"We like to do things sort of suddenly, kind of sneak up on the press and appear without much advance notice," guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Ryen Slegr notes cryptically. "We don't believe in too much lead-up time."

Maybe what he means is that in an online pop music world, the press is frequently last to hear anything. Ozma's fans have kept the faith on the 'Net—trading stories and outtake singles and videos—and to have the band back in full form, getting ready to play new material after some warm-up opening gigs last year, is like a promise fulfilled.

"We basically reformed about a year ago," says Slegr. "We were just doing some demos with friends in my house. Our original drummer left the band. He's playing with some other bands around here, so it was just the four of us. We were starting to collect lots of new material, so we decided we'd get another drummer and make a new CD.

"We had originally planned to finish the record by the end of '07 and start touring then, but we were fortunate to find management that really pushed us to do the record sooner."

Pasadena draws from the band's deep pedigree of quirky, SoCal indie pop that extends all the way back to Ozma's 2000 debut long-player Rock and Roll Part 3, recorded when the band was barely out of high school.

Financed from local gigging, the CD caught the attention of Rivers Cuomo, who invited the quintet to open for Weezer tours in 2001 and 2002.

Kicked suddenly into a big stage limelight that even Slegr admits they were barely ready for, the band experienced the twin-edged charms of being closely associated with Weezer on a national scale and getting lots of exposure, but eventually fighting to establish their own identity.

"It definitely all happened in reverse. We were getting national exposure before we had even played most of California. We kind of had to learn how to be a band on the road. In some ways, we were making it all up as we went. But in the end, yeah, I'd say it added a lot of stress to the band."

The band also found itself on the Warped Tour in '02, basically an indie pop band on the stage with a handful of punk outfits.

"Yeah, that was..." Slegr struggles to describe the experience. "Well, let's just say we're not a punk band, and that's what most of the fans on that tour were ready to see. We kind of didn't fit in."

After kicking the plug out for a couple of years, drawing a breath and diving back in, Pasadena may be the band's strongest statement of independence, yet. With special guests like Rachel Haden from the Rentals and Nada Surf's Matthew Caws, cuts like "Barriers" and "Incarnation Blues" work tight, hook-driven pop smarts into broad, ambitious instrumental figures, alongside quirky, irony-spiced bits like "Lunchbreak" and desperation-tinged testimonials like "I Wonder."

Fans may also note the reappearance of a couple of recorded tunes—"No One Needs To Know," released originally on an EP, and the punchy "Eponine," originally released on their 2003 full-length CD Spending Time On The Borderline, rerecorded here and hoisted high as the band's MySpace signature howl.

Regarding the latter, "We don't really go in for rerecording stuff, but it was a good single. The original version seemed too long. We always felt like it deserved another chance."

As for whether Pasadena will retire lingering comparisons to Weezer, Slegr shrugs it off.

"People have been categorizing us as power pop, indie, whatever. We definitely want to push the boundaries, and we all have lots of ideas. I really don't know how to categorize it. We leave that for everyone else."

Respond: letters@boulderweekly.com

PORTLAND MERCURY -- OZMA, NEW YEARS DAY, KADDISFLY, PEACHCAKE

OMG! Ozma is coming! I was like, super super sad in '04 when they broke up. It was, like, the worst year of my life. But then they got back together! Yay! And they didn't have their original drummer, which is good, because the new one is, like, way more cute. My mom took me to see them when they opened for both Weezer and the Rentals, which are easily my two favorite concerts ever. She said this time I was old enough to go by myself, though! I made a sign that says "Ozmawesome," and hopefully I'll meet their keyboardist, Star Wick, because she's like the coolest person. This is so going to be the BNE: Best Night Ever. RS

Did you know that you can now preorder our album at Amazon and other online stores? Me neither. Until I checked today and found out that YOU CAN!!

PREORDER OZMA "PASADENA" CD

And if you wanted some fresh reading material... how about the complete lyrics to our new record? May not make too much sense until you get the record and hear the tunes though...




No One Needs To Know (Music & lyrics by Brummel)

no one needs to know
one needs to know if a lover's being faithful
one needs to know if a lover's being true
one needs to know if a lover's being faithful
and i'm being faithful to you

i don't know what you're thinking we should do
i don't know if the words you say are true
but let me tell you this for sure
the things we're doing just aren't pure
and no one needs to know but me and you
no one needs to know
you don't know all the things she put me through
you don't know if the words i say are true
but let me tell you this tonight
the things we're doing just ain't right
and no one needs to know but me and you
no one needs to know


Barriers (Music & lyrics by Slegr)

black for the hearts below
white heat to melt the snow
bury the domino
a symbol of your past obsession
it's only a worthless invention

you and me, unsure
breaking down the barriers of love and war
we're breaking the barriers

criss cross the signal flow
life where no life should go
know what no one should know
when memory infact is fiction
you're choosing the world that you live in

you and me, unsure
breaking down the barriers of love and war
we're breaking the barriers

you and me, unsure
lost between the memories of life before
we built up the barriers

you and me, unsure
we're breaking the barriers


Eponine (Music & lyrics by Brummel)

whoa, my eponine, can't you hear the words i sing?
can't you hear the words i sing?

a crush can never be resolved
it seems like every resolution ends in tragedy
singin' oh, my eponine

we swore we'd die to end this bolshevik
and now it's time
time to put an end to all your woe

whoa, my eponine, can't you hear the words i sing?
can't you hear the words i sing?

you can't just let this world revolve (oh no)
it seems like every revolution ends in casualties
singin' oh, my eponine

before you go, just these last words for you
i love you so
and love can bring an end to all your woe

whoa, my eponine, can't you hear the words i sing?
can't you hear the words i sing?
whoa, my eponine, you can't just let this world revolve
can't just let this world revolve
whoa, my eponine, can't you hear the words?
can't you hear these words?


Fight The Darkness (Music & lyrics by Slegr & Shane)

fight the darkness
we gotta fight the darkness

to prevent a fire
burn your dreams with insight

tear off your cloak
and throw it in the street
someone could use it anyway
and you'll never feel the cold
cause you'll never be alone

fight the darkness
we gotta fight the darkness

you present desire
silver strings on gold lyre
tear off our clothes
and throw them on the floor
now we don't need them anymore
and we'll never feel the cold
cause we'll never be alone
fight the darkness
we gotta fight the darkness


Heartache Vs Heartbreak (Music by Brummel, lyrics by Brummel & Wick)

heartache will get you down
but your body heals once your love has been found
heartbreak is something else
when you just can't cure the pain that you've found

and we almost believed it was love
yeah, we nearly perceived it as love
you know i would have sworn it was love

but my mind and body fail me now
and my shining armor's rusted now
it could have been love
it should have been love

you are catastrophe
and i rode your wave, it was carrying me
i am an island now, and it's nevermore
you're gonna be drifting up on to my shore

and we almost believed it was love
yeah we nearly perceived it as love
you know i would have sworn it was love
but my mind and body fail me now
(oh they fail me now)
and my shining armor's rusted now
(oh it's rusted now)
it could have been love
it should have been love




(introduction to "Incarnation Blues")

this one's for the puffers and the scribblers in the lot
save for whom the rose that blooms would be the flower time forgot
and the holy hell [they caught]




Incarnation Blues (Music by Brummel & Slegr, lyrics by Brummel)

knew we'd never stand a chance
we were slave to circumstance
maybe we'd have seen it through
if you were me and i was you
out of mind and body too
got the incarnation blues

know we'll never meet again
but in this life, you were a friend
so i'll hold out for the next
won't be so sorrowed, cursed and vexed
out of mind and body too
got the incarnation blues
cause time moves slowly
when you're alone with no way to be loved


Lunchbreak (Cobras Theme) (Music & lyrics by Slegr)

i met you on my lunch break
you were hanging with some other dude
and when you reached for the cupcake
i knew you were my type of girl

one day i know you'll need to follow me (one day we'll go)
i've got the key to room 117
oh, i'll be there

lies, some teacher told you you draw like you're blind
your classmates don't respect you
you're not into design
but just know this cobra's got your back

remember pasadena
the way you looked at me and smiled

somehow i knew that you would follow me (somehow i knew)
over the bridge to haunt the castle green
oh, i'll be there
lies, some teacher told you you draw like you're blind
your classmates don't respect you
you're not into design
but just know this cobra's got your back
as? es la vida
i need to let you know
that i can never let you go

someone you can't see believes


Motorology 3:39 (Music by Slegr & Brummel, lyrics by Brummel)

lie detector's on the blink, so comfort me with doublethink
and let's put wallpaper up between our ears
over the years
as my attention span disappears
blink and it's gone
a moment has never seemed so long
i'm still dreaming of clock towers and synchronicity
you call it coincidence -- i call it common sense
the truth will set you free if you've been slave to a lie

i'm waiting for a chance to make it known
i'm gonna be the one who keeps you from being alone
i call, i call, i call, i call
no one ever

used to be political, but now our state is critical
so let's put wallpaper up between our ears
once it was clear
maybe i lost it over the years
maybe it's here
buried beneath the dirt of fear
maybe it's still here
i'm still dreaming in sound waves that oscillate and amplify
the feeling of nothingness, oh what a subtle bliss
the truth will set you free if you've been slave to a lie

i'm waiting for a chance to make it known
i'm gonna be the one who keeps you from being alone
i've seen it all before, but i still can't tell
so you better ask somebody who knows

you better ask somebody who knows


I Wonder (Music & lyrics by Brummel)

hold on before you break me
give me one more chance

maybe i don't deserve it
but give me one more chance
to prove my to love you

you can exist in a world without being a part of the world
and somehow that's comforting when you're not where you want to be

but time it is a living thing
i wonder what today will bring
i wonder what the stars will have in store for us

if you hold on before you wake me
let me dream a dream
as unlikely as it seems
you can exist in a world without being a part of the world
and somehow that's comforting when you're not where you want to be

but faith, it is a knowing thing
relinquish all control of things
and submit yourself to loving in the highest light


Underneath My Tree (Music by Slegr, lyrics by Slegr & Brummel)

so long ago, i dreamt about a city built on rock and roll, when it fell
so long ago, i knew that it would happen but i couldn't get back to explain
so the future remained the same

now like the leaves you're gone
it's a fresh cut lawn that i left you on
in the pouring rain, i breathe your name and suddenly i feel happy again
so long ago, i saw you for a moment
but your figure got lost in the crowd
now i'm looking all over town

now like the leaves you're gone
it's a fresh cut lawn that i'm lying on
when i start to yawn, i breathe your name and suddenly i feel happy again

i see myself in all of you and all yourselves in me
shadows underneath my tree

there, hidden in the patterns that present themselves to me
shadows underneath my tree
i see myself in all of you and all yourselves in me
shadows underneath my tree


Straight Flush (Music & lyrics by Brummel)

no rush, straight flush
leave it up to me, babe
well, you just wait and see, babe
all of the hard work paying off

no rush, straight flush
well, if i was the king, babe
i'd buy you anything, babe
bet you won't regret giving me a run
if you want the odds i'll give you ten to one

well, what's it gonna be, babe?
play the hand you see, babe
bet you won't regret giving me a run
i'm sitting on an ace, and it ain't no bluff
if you want the odds i'll give you ten to one

no rush, straight flush

om

Ozma "Pasadena"

1. No One Needs To Know
2. Barriers
3. Eponine
4. Fight The Darkness
5. Heartache Vs Heartbreak
6. Incarnation Blues
7. Lunchbreak (Cobras Theme)
8. Motorology 3:39
9. I Wonder
10. Underneath My Tree
11. Straight Flush

Available in stores & for digital download May 15, 2007 on About A Girl Records.

The following video contains audio previews of tracks 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, and 8.

Ozma "Pasadena" - Front & back cover artwork by Ozma & Dylan J. Hay-Chapman with contributions from Daron Anderson, Caitlin Slegr, Gerardo Berdin, and Mark Bosler.

"Fight The Darkness Little Fawn" image by Sofie Cruse. Can you spot the hidden message?

This is how we do it...

When I went to mail this master out to the Sony's pressing plant on the east coast, the clerk at FedEx recognized me. "My name's Jerry, I'm a huge Ozma fan," he said, "and you're getting the employee discount." He hooked it up with an 80% discount, I got $35 overnight express shipping for $7. How fucking cool is that?? Thanks Jerry!!

We've pulled all of our old music down off of our MySpace music player to make way for the NEW TRACKS we will be posting LATER THIS WEEK... so exciting...

We're pretty stoked that we had such good help from our friends... our new album features guest appearances by Matthew Caws (guitars - Nada Surf), Rachel Haden (vocals - That Dog, The Rentals), and Will Noon (drums - Straylight Run). CAN YOU DIG IT???!??!

So we are winding down the recording sessions for our new album. It's a big relief since we have been working on this project pretty steadily since LAST JULY, but at the same time it's bittersweet. Only a few more nights of slaving away getting the guitars perfectly in tune (I mean obnoxiously in tune), spending hours on end comping together the best possible vocal takes... singing into 7 different microphones to pick the one that sounds best... etc. No more surprise calls from Star saying "What kind of burritos do you want? I'm at Burrito Express and I'm coming right over." (Those are the best in Pasadena -- 1597 E Washington Blvd, 626-798-0844.) No more Mexican television!! (I guess we can watch Asi Es La Vida on our own time... but it won't be the same... did anyone see the episodes where they were working in a bra factory? WTF?!?!)

We've just got 2 or 3 more tracks that we're wrapping up now... we were considering keyboard approaches for one of them when our friend Billy Burke who's helping us produce the record said, "Well, I was always kind of hearing a Hammond B3 on this song, but I was afraid you would make fun of me if I brought it up." We were like, "Oh yeah. Almost forgot. Billy has a fucking Hammond B3 organ sitting against the wall, with a vintage Leslie rotary speaker." We felt like morons for about 20 seconds and then we plugged it in and got to work. This beast sounded so sweet we had to shoot some video:

Stay tuned for more album info coming very soon! May 15 release date is quickly approaching, so go buy some new hi-fi speakers or something so you can blast it loud!!