Ozma vs Rooney

Ozma vs. Rooney In the dynamic environment of a modern day rock concert, it’s difficult to properly weigh the relative merits of each band that plays. Comparing two bands is a bit like comparing apples to… something that isn’t an apple, but is somewhat similar to one. Let’s say an orange.

The bands of comparison for this evening were Ozma and Rooney. Both are energetic Southern California rock bands, but each band has a different approach to the craft. At the behest of my good friend Tom, I took a trip to see the former, but on my own initiative, I thought it would be fun to compare them to the latter. You see, Tom saw both bands play in Toronto some time ago, and he claimed Ozma was the stronger band, but because we have different standards of what makes for a great live show, I thought I would apply my own test to the two bands. Make no mistake: Tom went in as an avowed Ozma fan; I went in as a Rooney fan.

The first thing that requires attention is the differentiation between the Rooney/Ozma portion of the show and the opening bands (whose names I don’t remember right now). What a difference a professional band makes. Mature bands like Ozma and Rooney are able to let the songs breath a bit more, allowing room between parts in the song, which in turn creates anticipation and dynamic strength. But, like the opening bands before them, Ozma spent a lot of time between songs tuning their guitars and interrupting the flow between songs. It’s really important for bands to build a solid set, and Ozma hurt this with the drawn-out tuning breaks. Rooney flowed from song to song. 1 point: Rooney.

The next category of comparison involves showmanship. One thing that interested me when Tom and I were talking about the Ozma show (that he had seen) is that Tom wasn’t necessarily drawn to their showmanship; it was some other indefinable quality and coolness that drew him to the band. I could see that. Ozma was a cool band. But Rooney was owning the crowd. The singer was charismatic, drawing the audience in and interacting with us. Ozma was aloof and slouchy; very rock-starish. 1 point: Rooney.

Stand-out moments: This is a bit vague, but I’m talking about those muscular moments in a show when a guitarist breaks out a really cool chop, or a drummer gets in a good drum fill. I’m talking about the moment a singer holds that extra long note, or when the band pulls out a really cool arrangement that surprises everyone. Although Rooney had a really consistent show, they didn’t have too many of these. It was a safe approach, and it was solid, but there were no muscular moments. Ozma had a really cool funk moment, plus their Tetris song, and of course, their flagship song, Eponine. 1 point: Ozma.

As for the category of songs themselves, I admit a bias on my part because I’m familiar with Rooney songs, and less familiar with Ozma songs. I think the Rooney songs are simpler and more direct. I think their melodies are stronger and rudimentary, relying on the inspiration of the 70s. Ozma’s songs can be these big opuses; vast creative movements sandwiched between a lot of down strokes. But for all their complexity, the Ozma songs (again, I’m biased) lacked the same cohesiveness and beautiful simplicity. 1 point: Rooney.

I want to throw Ozma a bone here, especially because I liked them and I thought they had some good material, but for singing ability, I’m going to have to give judgment to Rooney yet again. The singer looks like he’s about 18 years old, but he has good timbre, good pitch and good vocal control. What else can you ask? Ozma’s singers were less accomplished, although their melodies were often obscured under the din of down strokes and brash guitar tones. 1 point: Rooney.

Understand, I enjoyed Ozma. I thought they put on a decent show. But I found Rooney far more consistent, far more ironed-out. Their show had obviously been honed from extensive touring, which is an advantage due to their success. On the whole, they seemed less moody and introverted, electing to have the opening band come on stage and perform a Beatles cover with the band (a very well-performed Helter Skelter). However, Rooney held back their very best song; their most biting satirical song: Pop Stars. Why they would choose to withhold their most exciting, most popular song, is beyond me. It would be like watching Tears for Fears, and them not playing Shout. What the hell? For that: 1 point Ozma.

So as you can see, Rooney wins out by a margin of 4:2. To be fair, Ozma is just getting their touring legs back after an extended hiatus, while Rooney has been going strong through that time, so we’ll see what the future brings. For now, 4 out of every 6 doctors recommend seeing Rooney over Ozma, if you have to see just one. Just don’t expect them to sing Pop Stars.

--Sorry Tom.