Spotlight on:Cozmo "The Fire"

Since May 9 was Cozmos birthday I thought I'd take a minute and just write a little history on how Coz and DWB got hooked up. Almost 10 years ago I was playing a gig with a band called "Gravy", it was the remnants of several defunct bands from Knoxville. It was a pretty rough time in my life and I was probably not in the best condition. Coz says we met that night, I honestly can't remember. He was friends with the drummer from "Gravy", JP. He had not acutally started playing guitar yet, he said back then everyone thought he could play but he didn't really know how, can u even imagine? Fast forward a few years and I'm watching "The Spades" band open up for Arrested Development in 2003 or '04. Coz is up there rockin' it out and seemed to be a bit nervous. I couldn't quite figure out at the time if he was white or black or what. It didn't really matter, but me being a guitar player, I just wondered who this dude with an Afro and headband was, wearing it out! He played with authority especially considering he'd only played a couple of years at that point. He was among seasoned musicians and didn't seem at all out of place. One evening in the same year DWB was playing at The Downtown Grill and Brewery in downtown Knoxville. It was sonic chaos, 12 people crammed in the corner of this restaraunt playing at ear damaging volume and as I looked out over the crowd I see Cozmo right in front of us groovin' and head bobbin' to the funk. I don't remember what song it was because I was so distracted by a guy in velvet pants grinding on the stairwell! Anywayz, I remember thinking to myself, u should ask this guy to sit in.(Coz, not velvet pants) So mid-song I called CoZ to come down and he seemed a bit surprised when I took my strat off and gave it to him. Nevertheless he jumped right in and started killing it. I honestly didn't want to take the guitar back when he as finished. He had "the fire"! We asked him to come out and practice and later join DWB, He had something we lacked at the time too, a youthful, infectious optimism. Later that year we went on to open up for Victor Wooten and even play Bonnaroo. Cozmo came in and added a much needed element for DWB, he had "The Fire". The rest is history in the making. CoZ has grown as a person and musician over the past few years and he has never lost his fire! Coz now leads his own band when he's not hittin' the stage with DWB or The Dirty Guvs or any number of local artists! He is also one of Robert Randolphs "go to" guys when he does Knoxville concerts. Anywayz, Happy Birthday Coz, DWB loves ya and we are honored to have U in the band! Keep bringing "The Fire" wherever U go.