Koe Wetzel is a Texas-born singer-songwriter known for his genre-blending sound that fuses country, rock, hip-hop, and '90s grunge. His latest album ‘9 Lives' debuted at No. 15 on the Billboard 200 and No. 5 on the Top Country Albums chart, with the Platinum-certified single ‘High Road' featuring Jessie Murph climbing the Country, Hot AC, and Top 40 charts. Wetzel first gained a dedicated fanbase with his 2016 album ‘Noise Complaint' which included Gold-certified hits like ‘Love' with Parker McCollum and ‘February 28, 2016.' His major label debut, ‘Sellout' (2020), and follow-up, ‘Hell Paso' (2022), solidified his reputation with hits across country and rock charts.
With over 3.4 billion streams and a reputation for wild, high-energy live shows, Wetzel has sold more than 750,000 tickets in the past two years. He has headlined major festivals, joined Morgan Wallen’s One Night at a Time Stadium Tour, and continues to sell out shows on his Damn Near Normal World Tour, which expands to Europe this week! We were thrilled to catch up with him to talk all about it.
Thanks for your time today Koe, we're pumped to talk to you and appreciate you giving up the time.
Let's go man! Thank you for having me.
We're so excited to be able to say we can see you in the UK this week!
Absolutely! We're thrilled to be be coming over, it's the first time we've been over in a while. The last time we were there was either 2017 or 2018, definitely pre-Covid. I came over and did about 5-6 shows, just acoustic – it wasn't full band like it's going to be this time. We're excited to be bringing the whole crew over there this time.
Have you got any sightseeing plans whilst you're here or is it going to be a straight in and out type of deal?
We're going to see just as much as we possible can in the time that we have. We'll drink some Guinness, I can promise you that! (laughing)
This tour is the ‘Damn Near Normal WORLD TOUR' – how does the words ‘World Tour' make you feel?
It's insane! We're very blessed to be where we are right now. Through the years, playing music and getting to go to different places all over the USA has been awesome but now getting to come over to Europe and play my music there is so awesome. It's insane and we don't take that for granted.
You closed down the American leg of this tour with a show at the legendary Red Rocks amphitheatre in Colorado. How was that?
Man, it was so cool! I had never been to that venue before. I'd always said that I didn't want to go to it until I played there, it was kinda a bucket list venue for me. Walking in there was overwhelming – backstage, soundcheck, you know? I was trying to take it all in as it was happening and even throughout the show I tried to enjoy it and mark it as much as I possibly could. The crowd was amazing, man and hopefully they will invite us back one day! (laughing)
That's one iconic venue ticked off. Have you got any other bucket list venues you're aiming to play at in this next phase of your career?
Man, not really. I'm so kinda focused on the music right now that I'll see what happens as and when things come along, you know? I don't want to take anything for granted.
‘Out on Parole' was your first release back in January 2015 so we're coming up on the 10th anniversary of that now! How do you think you've changed as a writer and musician over this last decade?
I'm definitely a little bit older and wiser! (laughing) I've grown up some and gained a broader view of people and life, you know? I'm looking at things with a more open mind and open eyes than I used to. Back then life was just all about the party, right? (laughing) All we focused on was getting enough money to be able to play the next show and now the band is growing up and even starting to have families. That changes your perspective and changes the music too – I think you can tell that when you listen to ‘Out on Parole' compared to ‘Nine Lives.'
‘Nine Lives' has been out for about three months now. Have you been pleased with the reaction to it?
I've been overwhelmed by that as well, man! (laughing) I wasn't scared as to how the fans were going to react to it but I was curious because it is different to anything we have put out before. After the first couple of singles we put out, with ‘Sweet Dreams' and ‘Nine Lives', the worry I had kinda went away and curiosity and excitement took over. The reaction to it has been great and I'm so grateful to people like Gabe Simon, Amy Allen, Sam Nelson – everybody that was a part of that record – it was a great experience.
It was one of the first records I've done that was mainly co-writes because, up to that point, I'd been mainly used to writing my own songs. This was a different process for me and I was very pleased with it. The fans have reacted really well to it. I think it's a project that they have been expecting from me for a while now, you know, that grown-up version of myself and not just a bunch of rowdy party songs where I am face down in the mud! (laughing)
Did you have to learn how to co-write?
I did, man! It took me a while. (laughing) I started co-writing about three years ago now. I wasn't the biggest fan at first because there's something very personal about me and my music, right? It's kinda hard to be that raw and emotional when there are other people in the room. You are there with other people, all tugging and pulling at ideas and emotions and I found that a lot different to when it's just me by myself. But guys like Gabe Simon have taught me so much and have taught me how to look at ideas and things in a different way and made me feel comfortable with the whole thing.
Is there a song on ‘Nine Lives' that people like me aren't talking to you about enough? A sleeper song that you really love that doesn't get a lot of attention?
Yeah, ‘Reconsider' is one of my favourite songs on the record. Written by the late Keith Gattis. I don't do a lot of outside songs or outside cuts but ‘Reconsider' grabbed me when I heard it for the first time. I was going through the same kinda shit the song is about and I looked at Gabe Simon and said, ‘Man, I gotta cut this song!' It was right after Keith had passed away. I love it, man.
‘Twister' is a song I love too. We actually wrote that song for the new movie, for the Twisters soundtrack. They said it didn't fit what they were after for that movie, which was good for us because it rounded off ‘Nine Lives' in a great way! (laughing) We had originally called the song ‘Belly of the Beast' but after they passed on it we were like, ‘Fuck it, we'll it call it ‘Twister' then!' (laughing) We've been opening the shows up with it, it's such a fun song to play and to really get into something up on stage with. It's kinda a cool mix between our rock sound and the new country shit we've been doing too.
Speaking of Country shit – you've now got a hit on Country radio with ‘High Road.' As a I checked the charts today you're currently at number 15 sandwiched between Keith Urban and Luke Bryan! How does that make you feel?
That's pretty cool! (laughing) I looked up to both those guys coming up over the years! All this is kinda weird for us because it will be 12 years this month that we've been on the road together as a band. Texas has its own kind of Country music and Nashville has it's own kind too so to be able to cross over into that world is really cool and very different for us even if we are still just the same old garage band from back in the day!
You've gone a long way without radio or Music Row's help. Do you think some of your older fans would see having a hit on Country radio as, to paraphrase your 2020 album, a ‘Sell Out,' or are they pleased for you and proud of you?
I think, now, with the way Country music is and how broad the genre has gotten, I really don't think that people get as pissed off as they used to! (laughing) Back in the day, so in 2005 or 2010, if this had happened, I probably wouldn't be selling as many tickets back in Texas as I still am! (laughing) The genre has grown and changed now and there are so many different types of Country music around these days that just having your music on the radio is cool for everybody concerned.
Cross Canadian Ragweed have reformed! (Koe's song ‘Ragweed' is a tribute to the iconic band) Have you got plans to get out and see them or are you too busy?
I haven't seen them yet and I never got to see them while they were still together. Me and Cody Canada (lead singer) have been really good buddies for a while now. I'm probably going to head up to one of their shows next year – it's so awesome to see them back together and such a good thing for Texas music and Red Dirt music and Country music in general. It's been so long and I know people are excited for them to be back.
Congratulations on ‘Creeps' going gold. I can hear a Nirvana and Radiohead kinda rock sound in that song and songs like ‘Sundy and Mundy,' ‘Cold & Alone' and ‘Drunk Driving.' Where does the rock influence in your sound come from?
I grew up listening to Nirvana for sure. I found out who Nirvana was in eighth grade and I thought that they were still around. I asked for tickets to see them for Christmas and my mom and dad looked at me like there was something wrong with me! (laughing)
After that I got into bands like Blink 182 and that sort of punk rock scene alongside the Country music that I grew up listening to as well. That sort of informs what our sound is these days, blending those two genres together has always been part of the plan. When you have guys like HARDY doing what he's doing it makes the pathway easier for the rest of us when we want to try and do something different – it's awesome that we can be classed as Country music because the genre has grown and changed so much.
You get a day off from your tour and you can only do one of these three things: 1. Play golf 2. Go hunting or fishing 3. Get trashed sitting around by the pool – What do you do?
(laughing) Oh man! I can only pick one? I'm probably going to go hunting and fishing. There's only certain seasons for that, right? I can get trashed by a pool whenever I want! (laughing) I'm out here at the lakehouse right now and those fish are just sat there waiting for me!
Catch Koe Wetzel on his European tour – starting this weekend! TICKETS HERE
- 26th October – Manchester, UK – Manchester Academy 3
- 27th October – London, UK – The Garage
- 30th October – Glasgow, UK – Oran Mor
- 31st October – Birmingham, UK – O2 Academy Birmingham
- 1st November – Leeds, UK – Brudenell Social Club
- 3rd November – Amsterdam, NL – Melkweg
- 5th November – Hamburg, DE – Bahnhof Pauli
- 6th November – Berlin, DE – Frannz Club
- 7th November – Cologne, DE – Club Volta
