The vocals were quite strong and clear and had sort of a country-esque vibe to them. I don’t mean that as a bad thing, there just wasn’t too much screaming involved. Their songs (the few that they played) were well-written and catchy…kind of light and simple, but with enough guitar work to keep one interested. One of the best things about their set is that they were all smiling and having a good time and drawing energy from each other. Their closer was a cover of Crowded House’s Don’t Dream It’s Over that was right on the mark…very cool indeed. I would pay real money to see these folks play again.

Ozma - The second band Ozma is the real reason for my attendance at this show. In fact, I’m pretty sure that more people were at the show to see Ozma than to see Nada Surf. They have some pretty decent momentum going from their new cd release and their recent tour with Weezer. If you’ve never heard Ozma, you should definitely check them out. They’re kind of from the geek/indie scene, but they aren’t totally one dimensional like indie bands often are. Ozma has two lead singers, two guitarists, bass guitar, keyboards, and a drummer. This adds up to a very full sound that didn’t come across amazingly well in a small venue like The Bottleneck. Nevertheless, they played very well and with a LOT of energy. I’m not sure how long their set was exactly, but it was pretty long. They really have some awesome songs. More than a few members of the crowd knew Ozma well enough to sing along, which was pretty cool.

Nada Surf - The guys from Nada Surf have been around for a while now, and unfortunately are mainly known for their hit single Popular from a few years back. Backstage the Nada Surf guys were very cool to hang out with, and they were clearly the leaders of this tour…sharing stories, opinions, and experience. They are an interesting trio; the drummer is the eccentric outgoing one, the lead singer is the quiet, focused one, and the bass player is one of those eat, drink, and be merry types. This was the final show of the tour for the three bands together, and everyone, especially the members of Nada Surf seemed sorry that it was coming to a close. Nada Surf didn’t play with quite as much energy as Ozma did, and were a bit overshadowed by Ozma’s performance. This is probably because they were playing to what was apparently mostly an Ozma crowd. The set was still quite cool though…just kind of relaxing. Matthew, the lead singer, made a few witty comments, one of the best of which was something along the lines of ‘we’re going to give you a 10 dollar show instead of an 8 dollar show.’ The closer really smoked and was done with the help of Rilo Kiley’s singer, Jenny, and Ozma’s lead guitarist, Ryen. Overall, it was a very good night for rock and roll with three down to earth (no MTV thank you) and very solid performances.