New drummer in tow, UUVVWWZ set to introduce new sound to Duffy’s crowd

The basement was small and swimming with 20-somethings. Their dank sweat hung in the air, partnered with puffs of smoke, and a single light hung from the ceiling on the other side of the basement, illuminating a small corner beyond the mass of bodies. From that corner, UUVVWWZ  filled the small basement with their music.

"Thanks for coming tonight," Teal Gardner said through her microphone between heavy breaths. "We haven't played for a year."

Gardner, Jim Schroeder, Dustin Wilbourn and Tom Ambroz started playing under the moniker UUVVWWZ (pronounced "double U, double V, double W, Z") in 2007. Last year, the drummer Ambroz moved to Australia, putting a halt on their music after playing together for about three years. In the last year, UUVVWWZ has acquired a new drummer and dedicated months to writing new music. The house show they played in late September was their first opportunity to show off what they've been working on.

"It was really exciting to get back together with all new songs," Gardner said. "It's just nice to feel like the band survived that loss of Tom ... things feel really natural."

Affirming their affinity for the performance and writing processes, Gardner feels it was natural for the band to continue writing and playing even given Ambroz's absence. Dave Ozinga joined UUVVWWZ a few months after his predecessor's departure.

Ozinga had known both Gardner and Schroeder for awhile and considered himself a UUVVWWZ fan. He had been active in Lincoln's music scene for some time, and played in a band called Husbands. Still, he and the group had never collaborated.

A couple months after Ambroz left, while the group was still working together, Ozinga brought up the idea of playing with them.

"We met up at my old practice space at Spindle Records just to kind of mess around," Ozinga said. "It clicked after one time and that was pretty much it."

UUVVWWZ has evolved in multiple ways since the original quartet released its first album. Adding Ozinga to the mix brings in a different element and time, allowing the music to grow in maturity as well. This positive progression is recognized by both Gardner and Ozinga. While Ozinga admits that it's strange to become a part of a band he's been a fan of, it's still a new experience for everybody involved.

"I'm glad we haven't really decided to revisit the past as a band," Ozinga said. "While I was joining this band that had existed, at the same time it was just like a whole new band starting fresh."

According to Gardner, the September house show offered their audience something different from what might be expected of UUVVWWZ.

"I think our sound is noticeably different," Gardner said. "I think it comes from being more mature as a songwriter, for me. It had been two years since we wrote the first album, so it had been really experimental, seeing different ways sounds could happen."

Gardner and Ozinga credit Schroeder as the band's main songwriter and creative force. UUVVWWZ is also more focused, taking their time achieving an album they can all be proud of.

"We work really hard and we work slowly," Ozinga said. "There's a reason it took us a year to play a show, and it's because we spent months working on five seconds of a song. We really get down to every measure."