This past summer, folk rock singer-songwriter Mary Margaret Cozart graduated from University of Georgia and moved her base of operations from Athens to Savannah to work for the Savannah Music Festival. Having developed as an artist in Athens, Cozart is ready to introduce her talents to the Savannah music scene.
“I was able to play one show at the Starland Strange Dream House,” Cozart said of her first chance to play music since arriving. “I did that in October, but I’m really excited about El Rocko because it will be kind of my debut.”
Cozart used to play with the Athens-based folk duo Common Currents with Liz Farrell. The duo released an EP, “Capsule” in 2021 before parting ways.
Credit: Adriana Iris Boatwright / For Do Savannah
Credit: Adriana Iris Boatwright / For Do Savannah
“That was kind of a folk acoustic project at first and then it turned into more folk rock,” said Cozart. “My bandmate and I realized that more of our trajectory as musicians, when we were playing together at that time in college and Athens, was a nurturing place to establish both of ourselves as musicians. Ultimately, for me it meant ending our duo and focusing in my solo music as a singer-songwriter. I got to work with a lot of great people in Athens and I definitely credit that time to my development.”
In that time, Cozart also developed as a guitar player. Her formal classical guitar training at UGA informs her colorful, technical guitar playing.
“I went to a school lucky enough to have a guitar specific program, and Ryan Kennedy, the teacher for that program, really pushed his students to learn classical guitar because he had training in that from UGA,” explained Cozart. “That planted the seed for that structure of guitar and ultimately I auditioned for the school as a guitar minor, because I didn’t want to study classical guitar fully for four years. I took what I could from that. I knew I wanted to develop more as a guitarist than what I had taken from my high school time. It was challenging and I don’t consider myself a classical guitarist by any means, but I do think the different technique I learned definitely helped my guitar style that I have now.”
Credit: Adriana Iris Boatwright / For Do Savannah
Credit: Adriana Iris Boatwright / For Do Savannah
Cozart wrote and recorded her debut EP, “Emerald City,” during the pandemic. The five songs feature arrangements that are dreamy like Oz’s slumber inducing poppy fields, and guitar phrases that shimmer like the domes of the Emerald City. The songs on the record draw a parallel between her life during quarantine with Dorothy’s experiences in Oz.
“Those five songs are the ones I cherry picked as my favorite that I had written over the course of my life by the time I was 20,” said Cozart.
“I got this weird idea to reflect my coming of age realizations during the pandemic and compared it to Dorothy’s finding the Emerald City and finding the facade of what she had been dreaming. Those songs work through different themes I had been dealing with. Specifically, during the pandemic, I wrote a song about my great aunt who had passed in the beginning of COVID, and I had written that with her in mind and felt like it also resonated with the theme of being home during quarantine.”
Credit: Adriana Iris Boatwright / For Do Savannah
Credit: Adriana Iris Boatwright / For Do Savannah
Cozart continues to write new material and recently began recording a new song with producer and guitarist Andrew Sovine.
“I’m extremely proud of what we’ve been able to collaborate on and I think he’s pushed me to open myself up a little more than I’ve been able to in the past with other musicians,” said Cozart. “I’m really excited to be working with him right now.”
Cozart hopes that a single or EP will be ready this year. In the meantime she looks forward to her upcoming show at El Rocko Lounge and future gigs.
“For now I’m focused on playing. I’m hoping that this will open further opportunities to connect with people in Savannah and do more of it.”
IF YOU GO
What: Anna Kellam, Mary Margaret Cozart, Elijah Johnston, and Light Hearted
When: Saturday at 8 p.m.
Where: El Rocko Lounge, 117 Whitaker St.
Cost: free
Info: https://linktr.ee/marymargaretcozart
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Athens folk transplant Mary Margaret Cozart takes us to ‘Emerald City’ with Savannah debut
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