Ratatat - Sproul Plaza - 9/19/06

Originally uploaded by ryanfoley.

Thank you Superb! They keep bringing great concerts to Berkeley. I've seen Ozma (twice), Matt Sharp, and a bunch of other concerts for free or cheap because of them (and they're bringing Sufjan to Berkeley next week). This time I saw Ratatat for free. The free shows are out in Sproul Plaza where students can meander down for a quick glance.

Since I saw Ratatat a year or two ago and left the show early (there stuff is good to listen to, but in a live show, with no vocals, it just doesn't do it for me) and since I got a free ticket to an early screening of Science of Sleep, I left after only a few songs.

They have a new album out, and it seems to be strong from the tracks I've heard. But that doesn't get away from the fact that in concert they just sort of noodle around on guitars while swaying back and forth.

What ever happened to these guys being the next big rap producers?

Ratatat - Seventeen Years

Missy Eliot (Ratatat Remix) - Hot

Game Over

Originally uploaded by ryanfoley.

There are a lot of things a band can do to make me happy. These include (but are not limited to)

• Chatting before/after the show
  
• Playing the old stuff
  
• Making that squealing noise when you run a pick up/down guitar strings
  
• Jumping in unison
  
• Playing for free
  
• Having a hot keyboard player
  
• Getting back together after calling it quits too early
  

Ozma did all of these things on Friday. I saw two of their shows that day. The first was a free one in Sproul Plaza on Berkeley's campus. The second was at Slim's.

Originally uploaded by ryanfoley.

Ozma broke up a couple of years ago (not shortly after I saw them play the Bear's Lair in Berkeley), and I guess they realized that all of their new projects weren't as good (two notes: 1) "Yes, Dear" is probably the worst band name ever 2) the Elected rock and are the exception to the above).

Their brand of rock is exactly what makes me want to get back in a band. The music is just a lot of fun, and you can tell that they're loving every minute playing those songs.

• Commenting on the above list, before the Slim's show, I ran into Ryen on the street. We got to chat for a little before I jumped in. Unfortunately, even though the rest of the band is really accessible, I've never talked to Star.
  
• Between the two shows, they played two new songs (one at both shows). The rest was old songs that everyone loves. Taking a hint from the Pixies, they're just playing what the crowd wants to hear.
  
• It felt like some member of the band did that squealing thing every 30 seconds. And I can't complain. It's a gimmick that I fall for.
  
• I also fall for synchronized jumping. (That sounds weird... oh well.)
  
• The Berkeley show was free, put on by SUPERB.
  
• Star is way hot (check out the photo). She now has white hair. I don't know about the white hair.
  
• Hopefully they'll stick around. And even though I think each of their records has gotten progressively worse, maybe they can buck that trend.

Check out a bunch of videos of Ozma at Berkeley.