Daniel Brummel Interview, The Wood, 2002 (on topic of Phantom Planet rivalry)

[Not Jason]

Quoted from http://www.the-wood.org/ozma.html

The last issue of The Wood featured an interview with Bass Player Sam Ferrar of the up and coming band, Phantom Planet.Ã,  The article briefly mentioned a rumored rivalry between bands Phantom Planet and Ozma*.Ã,  This was called to the attention of Daniel Brummel, bassist of Ozma, and he immediately requested an interview to clear the matter up.Ã,  I was more than happy to fulfill Danielââ,¬â,,¢s request, and to take the opportunity to ask some questions unrelated to the band rivalry.Ã,  Daniel and I had quite an interesting phone chat, and he revealed to me some very interesting information regarding Phantom Planet, a growing fan base, being labeled ââ,¬Å"Weezer-knock-offsââ,¬Â, Sega Genesis, and much more. My conversation with Daniel Brummel was as followsââ,¬Â¦

The Wood:Ã,  Daniel, hi.Ã,  I just wanted to say thanks for doing this interviewââ,¬Â¦. I suppose weââ,¬â,,¢ll just jump right into things.Ã,  You wanted to talk about Phantom Planet, is there anything you wanted to clear up or say?

Daniel Brummel: Yeah, all I wanted to say was that weââ,¬â,,¢ve been in the scene with those guys for a very long time, like 6 or 7 years nowââ,¬Â¦and we totally respect them and their talentsââ,¬Â¦. and we were never trying to insidiously slander anybody.Ã,  Umââ,¬Â¦ itââ,¬â,,¢ s just, little things happen and a little rivalry grew mainly out of jealousyââ,¬Â¦ they signed to a major label, we signed to an indie label, and it was just always in good fun.Ã,  Now that weââ,¬â,,¢re both gaining respect in the larger music world I just feel kind of bad that they think weââ,¬â,,¢re talking shit about them for no reason.

The Wood:Ã,  Well, I will do my best to clear that up via the Internet. Have you got time for a few more questions?

Daniel Brummel: Yeah, sure. Please.

W:Ã,  Ã, Ozma seems to be gaining a large amount of fame, and a very established fan base. You just went on an arena tour opening up for Weezer, how does it feel to all of a sudden be playing to such a large audience?

DB: Wellââ,¬Â¦ actually, the last tour we did with Weezer [the Outloud Tour ââ,¬Ëœ01] was in mostly larger theatersââ,¬Â¦like 4,000-6,000 capacities, and I liked those places a lot because theyââ,¬â,,¢re real. Each place has its own individual style.Ã,  These places we were playing on this tour [hyper extended Midget Tour ââ,¬Ëœ02] were all likeââ,¬Â¦NHL arenas.Ã,  Just wake up everyday and walk in the back door, and itââ,¬â,,¢s the same white hallway maze.Ã,  This whole past month has just been a blur of arena basements, and its kind of harder to reach the crowd.

W:Ã,  Ã, That is what I assumed, I saw the band play at Brownies, which is a tiny venue, and I also saw you play at the Continental Airlines Arena show, and it seemed like you guys were enjoying yourselves more in front of a smaller audience.

DB: Yeah, thatââ,¬â,,¢s definitely our environment. I think the larger shows are just kind of about being as big on stage, and having as much energy as possibleââ,¬Â¦whereas smaller shows are more about being musically tight.Ã,  I just think thatââ,¬â,,¢s kind of what we do best, weââ,¬â,,¢re not showmen as much as just the rock.

W:Ã,  Ã, Do you have any plans for a new album in the near future? Is the band going to release the Double Donkey Disc on a major label?

DB: Weââ,¬â,,¢re trying to decide whether or not to release The Donkey Disc on Kung Fu records.Ã,  Either way, we are expecting to have a new album recorded around April or May this year, and released hopefully August or September.

W:Ã,  Ã, Is Star Wick planning on doing any singing on some of the upcoming tracks?

DB: Not that we know of.Ã,  Sheââ,¬â,,¢s kind of timid about that kind of thing.Ã,  She doesnââ,¬â,,¢t put herself on the mic like we wish she would.

W:Ã,  Ã, I know the band mentions staying loyal to 8-bit Nintendo in many of your songs, but did you ever play Sega Genesis?

DB: Yeah, actually I think I played more Sega Masters systemââ,¬Â¦which was out during the same time period as 8-bit NES, but yeah, a lot of my friends had Genesis.Ã,  Why?Ã,  Were you a big Genesis fan?

W:Ã,  Ã, I was kind of a Genesis kid myself, but I also had the 8-bit Nintendo.

DB: I remember really liking Joe Montana Football.

W:Ã,  Ã, I mentioned Weezer before, and it seems like lately Ozma has been compared to them a lot.Ã,  You have been called Weezer knock-offs, which I feel is totally unjust, because although they may have heavily influenced you, you have a very different sound.

DB: Yeah, thatââ,¬â,,¢s definitely been getting old for us.Ã,  Itââ,¬â,,¢s also kind of damaging to us, because it makes us more self conscious, and it makes us really want to establish our own originality and individuality, and I think as a result our next album may be a little bit of a departure from the sound that we love, just for the sake of showing that we can do other things.

W:Ã,  Ã, What would be some of the other influences you would be incorporating into your current sound, and maybe new sound?

DB: Well, with the Donkey Disc we were listening to a lot of Russian music, and with our new album we are kind of trying out a lot of things.Ã,  One song has a little bit of a Country pinch to it, one sounds vaguely Orientalââ,¬Â¦weââ,¬â,,¢re just trying as many things as possible.

W:Ã,  Ã, That sounds very interesting, Iââ,¬â,,¢ll be anticipating that.Ã,  Which did you like better, Jedi, or the Empire Strikes back?

DB: Well, the scene with the large pit that the guys keep falling into is from Jedi, and thatââ,¬â,,¢s my favorite scene in all of Star Wars. I would have to say Jedi.

W:Ã,  Ã, DC, or Marvel Comics?

DB: I didnââ,¬â,,¢t read too many comics, but I know enough to say DC.

W:Ã,  Ã, I know you play guitar in the Contraband, do you prefer guitar or bass, and which do you write most of your music on?

DB: Well, its actually getting kind of tough, because I do usually write on guitar and since I play bass in Ozma, a lot of the songs I write on guitar wind up being Contraband songs, because I write for myself as a guitarist. But, I love the bass, and I love Ozma, and I love writing with those guys, and thatââ,¬â,,¢s definitely still my main focus.

W:Ã,  Ã, Well, thatââ,¬â,,¢s about it. Thanks so much for your time; I am greatly anticipating the next Ozma release, and good luck.

*For refference, this is from The Wood's mentioned interview with Phantom Planet's Sam Farrar:

I told Sam about what happened with the Ozma interview, and asked him if the rumors of a feud between the bands were true. ââ,¬Å"Iââ,¬â,,¢ve heard they talk shit about us all the time, and I donââ,¬â,,¢t really understand why.ââ,¬Â Said Sam. Long ago Phantom Planet and Ozma played several shows together. Rumor has it that at one of these shows the venue was emptied after PP played their set, leaving the house empty for Ozma. It is believed that Ozma never got over this. Sam however, denied any knowledge of any such events.