Koe Wetzel Gives Fans A Deeper Look At The Musician, And The Man, On New Studio Album ‘9 Lives’

The 9 Lives , and many different sides, of Koe Wetzel . Today, the Texas rocker released his fifth studio album 9 Lives (six if you count 2015's Out on Parole ), which is equally an evolution in his sound as it is a signal that, once again, Koe is an artist who does what he wants and stays true to himself and his current inspirations. Yes, it's safe to say this album is not a repeat of his breakout record Harold Saul High , nor is it full of sad songs stuck in the wake of a breakup like 2022's Hell Paso . It's fresh, it's pretty damn upbeat and full of the raw, honest storytelling that has been a staple throughout Wetzel's career. For me, the covers of XXXTENTACION’s “Depression & Obsession” and Keith Gattis’ “Reconsider,” as well as the latter three songs on the tracklist, stand out the most, though that's excluding previous releases in “9 Lives (Black Cat),” “Damn Near Normal,” “Sweet Dreams” and “High Road” featuring Jessie Murph, which I won't get into here since we covered them each when they got released. In a chat I had with Koe about the release of the album, he noted how important it was to show off a different, maybe even deeper, side of who he is — yes, folks, believe it or not, it's not all just sex, drugs and rock and roll for Mr. Wetzel. Though, to be fair, I think there's still a decent amount of that, too. Life's all about balance, right? That's what I strive for, anyhow, but I digress... In another interesting flavor to consider with this album, 9 Lives was produced predominantly by Gabe Simon (Noah Kahan’s Stick Season ) alongside a lineup of trusted collaborators like Josh Serrato, Ben Burgess, Carrie K and Sam Harris (X Ambassadors). Koe has previously worked with producer Taylor Kimball, who definitely had a hand in that very grungy, hard-edge sound he is so famous for. But, Koe did explain that he didn't go into working with his new producer thinking they'd come up with an album, it just happened naturally: "I was wanting to do something different, but it wasn't an idea to make a whole record of it. I went into it with Gabe Simon with an open mind, just to feel it out. And then once we got in and wrote, you know, three or four songs, it was like, holy sh*t, let's do it again. Went back in and cut three or four more songs, and before we knew it, we had a full record. So it was just kind of an experimental deal. Let's go in, cut a couple singles or whatever, and then everything just kind of came together as one. It turned out to be a record, and this different sound from what people are used to from us, you know. It's a cool experience." He lists the likes of Ray LaMontagne as inspirations for the direction of the sound, noting specifically that he didn't want this project to be as "wild and rambunctious" as all of his previous releases. He explained that it represents where he's at right now in his own personal life, as he navigates where he wants to take his career from here. One thing that keeps coming up in all of the interviews (including my own) I've heard with him too, is Koe's insistence that there's so many sides to him, and he really wants fans, and maybe even people who aren't his fans, to see that through these songs: "I want people to see, I'm just like anybody else. I'm not, like you said, there's what people see from social media, because I don't do a whole lot of interviews, I don't do a whole lot of podcasts, I don't do a lot of that sh*t. So whatever they see is usually from social media, or it's from the stories that they hear, and it's all chaos all the time. I just want to let people know that there is a slower side to me, especially now that I'm getting older a little bit and slowing down more on the party side or everything. And not to say that I'm a preacher or anything at this moment right now, you know, I still throw down." And I think that's completely fair. Most of us have probably felt misunderstood once, or more than a few times, in our own lives, and I can't think of anyone in the country genre who takes more heat for his online persona than Koe (not saying it's not warranted, but also not saying it is, either... I'm just here for the music). Koe says that it's ultimately about giving the people that normally wouldn't listen to his music a chance to "actually comprehend it" more than they would if it was "just screaming guitars and loud-a** drums the whole time." And like any true artist, in my very humble opinion, he really wants to have variety in his catalog, and not repeat the same album over and over again forever: "The idea of it is, I want the catalog, my music catalog to be so diverse. I want it to have all sorts of sounds and ups and downs in it, and I think that's what this record is going to do compared everything that I've recorded in the past." As the release of this record comes with a ton of momentum, especially considering the fact that he already achieve the highest-charting debut of his career with "High Road' featuring Columbia labelmate Jessie Murph, I think that's imperative in terms of taking this whole thing to the next level. Koe has an incredible, really loud and in-your-face live show, that is unlike anything else in the country genre and his fans love him for it. But to expand past the loyal fans who already love what he does, he has to evolve and experiment. The key to that, for any musician, is to do it while also staying true to themselves in a very authentic way in the process... suffice to say, it's no easy feat. If you've followed Whiskey Riff for more than a few years, then you've probably known about Koe since before he put out Harold Saul High and first started making a name for himself. For a long time, and still even now, it was and is hard to classify him and put him into a genre, because he doesn't sound like anyone else and never has. I think that's always been the appeal, though... he's country, grungy and even has some R&B and hip hop flavors in his music, and he always tells the truth, probably more than he even should. I've always thought fans resonated with him because he has so many sides and layers, and he's never had to come out and explicitly say that. That authentic element is intrinsic to who he is as both an artist and person, and the saying really is true that you can't judge a book by it's cover, and there's always more to someone than meets the eye. There are just some people who really do feel like they have "nine lives, " so to speak, and behave accordingly, and based on the many stories I've heard about and from Koe, that seems to be the case. But with all of that comes so much experience and depth, so for fans who may not like the direction he's going, I'd say to keep listening to the albums that stick with you, but give this one a real chance too. Though he already sells thousands of tickets and has been steadily building a dedicated, rabid fan base for years now, Koe is poised for a massive breakout with 9 Lives with the more wide, mainstream appeal in terms of the sound, and I can't wait to see where this album launches him in the next chapter... or life, I guess, because you never really know with him. I'm going to leave some of my favorites below, but I highly recommend you checking out the entire 12-song tracklist. "Leigh" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuyFYtKxWz4 "Depression & Obsession" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_28ufNq1ak "Reconsider" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4knEqbAy8k "Hatchet" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBClXeN7Pxc "Bar Song" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBAIVDe06GQ "Last Outlaw Alive" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GCOTpwg8n4 Koe is also gearing up to hit the road on his extensive Damn Near Normal world tour, which kicks off at the end of July and will run through mid-November and includes a European run as well. 9 Lives tracklist: “Continued” Skit “9 Lives (Black Cat)” (Ropyr Wetzel, Amy Allen, Gabe Simon) “Depression & Obsession” (XXXTENTACION cover) “Damn Near Normal” (Ropyr Wetzel, Amy Allen, Gabe Simon, Carrie Karpinen, Sam Harris) “Leigh” (Ropyr Wetzel, Amy Allen, Gabe Simon) “Twister” (Ropyr Wetzel, Steve Rusch, Ben Burgess, Josh Serrato) “High Road” (Ropyr Wetzel, Amy Allen, Gabe Simon, Carrie Karpinen) “Reconsider” (Charles John Brocco, Keith Quenton Gattis) “Hatchet” (Gabe Simon, Mike Coogan) “Sweet Dreams” (Ropyr Wetzel, Amy Allen, Josh Serrato, Gabe Simon, Sam Harris) “Runnin’ Low” (Ropyr Wetzel, Amy Allen, Sam Harris, Gabe Simon, Ben Burgess) “Bar Song” (Blake “Shy” Carter, Breyan Isaac, Dernst “D’Mile” Emile II, Dave Gibson) “Last Outlaw Alive” (Josh Serrato, Ben Burgess, Sam Harris) Koe will kick off his Damn Near Normal world tour at the end of this month, and it will run through mid-November. You can check Damn Near Normal World Tour Dates: July 27 The Woodlands, Texas || Cynthia Woods Pavilion* Aug. 7 Missoula, Mont. || Big Sky Brewing Company Amphitheater* Aug. 8 Nampa, Idaho || Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater (feat. Kolby Cooper, Kat Hasty) Aug. 9 Sandy, Utah || Sandy Amphitheater (feat. Kolby Cooper, Kat Hasty) Aug. 10 Las Vegas, Nev. || The Theater at Virgin Hotel Hotels Las Vegas (feat. Kolby Cooper, Kat Hasty) Aug. 15 Minneapolis, Minn. || The Armory (feat. Kolby Cooper, Kat Hasty) Aug. 16 Council Bluffs, Iowa || Stir Cove (Harrah’s Casino)* Aug. 21 Cleveland, Ohio || Jacobs Pavilion (feat. Treaty Oak Revival, Dylan Wheeler) Aug. 22 Columbus, Ohio || KEMBA Live! Outdoor (feat. Treaty Oak Revival, Dylan Wheeler) Aug. 23 Pittsburgh, Pa. || Stage AE (feat. Treaty Oak Revival, Dylan Wheeler) Aug. 24 Washington, D.C. || The Anthem* (feat. Treaty Oak Revival, Dylan Wheeler) Aug. 28 Boston, Mass. || Roadrunner (feat. Treaty Oak Revival, Dylan Wheeler) Aug. 29 Uncasville, Conn. || Mohegan Sun Arena* (feat. Treaty Oak Revival, Dylan Wheeler) Aug. 30 Atlantic City, N.J. || Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena (feat. Treaty Oak Revival, Dylan Wheeler) Aug. 31 Reading, Pa. || Santander Arena (feat. Treaty Oak Revival, Dylan Wheeler) Sept. 4 Charleston, W.V. || Charleston Coliseum (feat. Treaty Oak Revival, Tanner Usrey) Sept. 5 Roanoke, Va. || Berglund Center (feat. Treaty Oak Revival, Tanner Usrey) Sept. 6 Columbia, S.C. || Colonial Life Arena (feat. Treaty Oak Revival, Tanner Usrey) Sept. 7 Cary, N.C. || Koka Booth Amphitheatre (feat. Treaty Oak Revival, Tanner Usrey) Sept. 12 Kansas City, Kan. || Azura Amphitheater (feat. Treaty Oak Revival, Kat Hasty) Sept. 13 Camdenton, Mo. || Ozarks Amphitheater* Sept. 18 St. Louis, Mo. || Chaifetz Arena (feat. Kolby Cooper, Dylan Wheeler) Sept. 20 Huntsville, Ala. || The Orion Amphitheater (feat. Kolby Cooper, Dylan Wheeler) Sept. 21 Macon, Ga. || Atrium Health Amphitheater (feat. Kolby Cooper, Dylan Wheeler) Sept. 25 Alexandria, La. || Rapides Parish Coliseum (feat. Treaty Oak Revival, Tanner Usrey) Sept. 26 Tuscaloosa, Ala. || Mercedes-Benz Amphitheater* Sept. 27 Nashville, Tenn. || Ascend Amphitheater* Sept. 28 Little Rock, Ark. || First Security Amphitheater (feat. Treaty Oak Revival, Tanner Usrey) Oct. 3 Pikeville, Ky. || Appalachian Wireless Arena (feat. Treaty Oak Revival, Tanner Usrey) Oct. 4 Indianapolis, Ind. || Everwise Amphitheater at White River State Park* Oct. 5 Evansville, Ind. || Ford Center (feat. Treaty Oak Revival, Tanner Usrey) Oct. 10 Abilene, Texas || Expo Center of Taylor County (feat. Kolby Cooper, Kolton Moore & the Clever Few) Oct. 11 Lubbock, Texas || Cooks Garage (feat. Treaty Oak Revival, Kolton Moore & the Clever Few) Oct. 13 Morrison, Colo. || Red Rocks Amphitheatre (feat. Treaty Oak Revival, Kolton Moore & the Clever Few) Oct. 26 Manchester, U.K. || Academy 3* Oct. 27 London, U.K. || The Garage* Oct. 30 Glasgow, U.K. || Oran Mor* Oct. 31 Birmingham, U.K. || Academy 2* Nov. 1 Leeds, U.K. || Brudenell Social Club* Nov.3 Amsterdam, Netherlands || Melkweg (Oude Zaal)* Nov. 5 Hamburg, Germany || Bahnhof Pauli* Nov. 6 Berlin, Germany || Frannz Club* Nov. 7 Cologne, Germany || Club Volta* Nov. 10 Stockholm, Sweden || Nalen* Nov. 11 Oslo, Norway || Rockefeller Music Hall* Nov. 13 Copenhagen, Denmark || Lille Vega*