Kozmazuul

Lincolnton band serves up fresh sounds rooted in the North Carolina Indie tradition

 

Story and photos by Rich Green

 

It’s always a fascinating experience to talk with musicians about their craft, as it highlights an enduring truism: perception is reality. So often, a band will describe themselves and their music with a set of adjectives or phrases that turn out to be equal parts aspiration, reflection, and a healthy dose of feedback given by those in the audience. One band that really surprised me in this respect is Kozmazuul.

I had the pleasure of sitting down for a chat with the native Lincolnton quartet for a talk about their journey, style and views on the evolving North Carolina music scene. What I encountered was a group whose self-depiction did little to prepare me for what I heard when cranking their Spotify playlist.

Self-styled as a mixture of punk and funk, with rock underpinnings, I found this narrative a bit anemic in the same way someone might describe an excellent restaurant by only highlighting the portion sizes. The original music of Kozmazuul is filled not only with the driving energy and refreshing sense of rawness that clashes with the ultra-slick, polished, over-produced tunes that vie for your listen on the radio and social media, but it also spotlights an emphasis on enduring melody and purposeful structure that belies a mature understanding and approach to songwriting.

So no, punk and funk is not the way I would describe the music of this band. That categorization is too simple, too dismissive. Instead, think of Kozmazuul as stewards of a clever and fresh sound that was crafted to be both serious and uplifting, yet firmly rooted in the tradition of the best North Carolina independent pop music. It will instantly remind you of great indie bands you loved to watch live in your youth, or, if you are of the younger generation, it will certainly expand your definition of what makes a good pop-rock song. Now, let’s talk with the band.

I’m here with Kozmazuul: Dante Patterson (guitar), Corey Knighton (bass / vocals), Jordan Deans (guitar) and Rayshawn Moss (drums).

When did you guys get together?

Corey: “So it originated back in 2020. It started with us two (Patterson / Knighton). I was doing some professional theater and COVID happened. I moved back home, and I didn’t have anything to do. I hit up a guy that’s no longer with us that knew Dante and we just kind of had a jam night back in March of 2020, and that’s just kind of how it originated.”

Dante: “Yeah we wrote a song that first night that we ever met and it just kind of came together like immediately, and we were just like, yeah we can keep doing this.”

Jordan: “I joined last August. I knew Dante and had played in different bands together…so then they were looking for a fill-in guitar player one night and I was like, yeah, I’m all on board. From then it’s been a perfect fit.”

Rayshawn: “I just came on board earlier this year. Dante reached out to me. I had known of Dante for years. We’ve kind of moved around the same music scenes all over the state and knew the same people. We just never got the chance to really create together. And it was at a time I was thinking about giving up on music, honestly. And then he reached out. I came and jammed with him… I was like, man, I got my zeal back.”

When you play out, is it a mixture of original and covers?

Corey: “I mean it depends on what kind of venue we’re walking into. Most of the shows we’ve been playing recently have been about an hour, and primarily originals.”

Jordan: “We might throw a cover or two in for fun, but yeah we’ve got like an hour original set that we push the most and then we’ve got like a three-hour set for a wedding that we worked up this weekend.”

Where do you normally play in Lincolnton?

Dante: “We’ve played at Untapped Territory a good bit. Pretty much all through last year, like every two months or so. And we do the jam night on Mondays at Lincoln Social.”

Rayshawn: “There’s a lot of talented people around. I’m seeing it every week. I mean when you come into [Lincoln Social] you’re going to see so many people and they’re all pretty local and they’re just coming out of the woodwork.”

Dante: “We’re also play out around the general North Carolina [area] …pretty much from Asheville to Wilmington right now. We are putting together a small tour for next year around spring.”

How would you like to see the music scene in Lincolnton grow?

Rayshawn: “Dante’s talked about bands that are coming through Asheville and Charlotte. Lincolnton’s right in the middle, you know, they could drop in?”

Dante: “Alive after Five has branched out a bit [in the types of bands they book], but I would love to see more of that.”

Spread the love?

Band: “Yeah!”

Hey, thanks so much! Is there anything you guys want to promote?

Band: “We have a new song on the way! Look for it on Spotify and Apple Music. We are also on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube as well. Look for us under Kozmazuul.”

Rich Green is a musician, writer and photographer in Lincolnton, N.C.