Life > November 15, 2007

By CeCe Brooks | Contributing writer

First, let me start off by saying that I was very impressed by sophomore Thomas Kozak on the night of his concert in Shorty’s.

OGB Video: Kozak in Shorty's

Click above to watch clips from the performance and an interview.

I can’t imagine performing in such an intimate environment with a drink machine at the bar constantly causing a racket, especially when performing such personal pieces.

As I walked into Shorty’s, I almost thought that I had come in to the wrong venue because I just saw students gathered at tables, talking and studying, but that is the nature of Kozak’s music.

He is mellow and relaxed, making students feel at ease and comfortable.

This can be attributed not only to Kozak’s sound but also his appearance on the stage. He was wearing jeans, a sweatshirt and no shoes, making the performance feel as if I was casually watching a friend perform.

Kozak’s music is very relaxing. He does a good job living up to his idols Damien Rice and Iron & Wine because before he even listed them as some of his influences, I thought to myself that he sounded a lot like them.

The concert was prepared, but at the same time impromptu. On several occasions Kozak responded to someone in the audience, either a request or a friend’s birthday, with a song. One such song was the original, “Champagne Taste on a Beer Budget,” which was a little more upbeat and energetic than his other compositions.

Another spontaneous moment was when a friend of Kozak’s requested a song and then proceeded to sing it with him. This song reminded me of such comical vocalists as Jimmy Fallon or Adam Sandler with lines like, “ride on, carrot boy” and a reference to Mr. Tumnus from The Chronicles of Narnia.

Although this was hilarious, my favorite part of the show was Kozak’s “show penguin,” Oscar. Oscar accompanies Kozak for all of his performances as a mascot.

For several songs, Kozak opted for a duet; once a guitar duet with freshman Olivia Milroy and many other times with sophomore vocalist Kara Solarz. He and Milroy collaborated for a cover that reminded me strongly of Damien Rice and his vocal companion Lisa Hannigan.

In one of the several songs with Solarz, Kozak brought out a ukulele, inspired by Jake Shimabukuro’s cover of the Beatles’ “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” on the ukulele. I, personally, have never seen someone play the ukulele, but all the same I was very impressed with Kozak’s skills. It is interesting to watch the intensity of someone playing; both in Kozak’s performance and Shimabukoro’s video on YouTube, I noticed how quickly the fingers move and how precise the player must be.

In another duet with Solarz, Kozak sang a song that he claimed to be his favorite original, inspired by the Invisible Children documentary.

Kozak demonstrated his emotional side and literary inclination in a song relating to a friend’s death, where he used a poem by Emily Dickenson for the chorus.

Kozak, a sophomore from Alabama, said he does not see a career in music, but plans to keep doing it for enjoyment because he likes the atmosphere of small shows. He says he decided to start playing guitar at the age of 16 when he borrowed his mom’s guitar and tried to play it.

Though Damien Rice and Iron & Wine are among his influences, he also admires Josh Ritter and his family for musical inspiration. He says his favorite cover that he performs is Ritter’s “Best is for the Best”. In addition to playing solo, Kozak also has a folk/indie rock band in which he contributes rhythmic guitar and vocals.