This article is part of Guitar World Series of interviews and features with artists addressing and raising awareness of issues mental healthespecially with regard to musicians.
The new album by Koe Wetzel, 9 livesis not his first chart success – but his fastest rising. It landed at number 15 on the Billboard 200 and reached top 5 status on the Country and Americana/Folk Album charts.
He is no stranger to the charts and packed concert halls, not least because of his unfiltered honesty. As a talented singer/songwriter and anarchist performer on and off stage, he documents his heroic deeds in his lyrics about a hard life, wild nights, drug use – and the consequences.
But 9 lives is different. When it came time to write and record, Wetzel was at a crossroads, ready to rip the Band-Aids off some of his internal wounds. With the help of producer Gabe Simon, the lyrics, melodies and hooks that sear his songs into listeners’ minds are still there, along with the usual healthy dose of rebel spirit; but they’re presented with a mature, deliberately introspective approach.
You said writing this album was like therapy. How did Gabe Simon help you?
“He was open to whatever I had to say. If he asked a question, he didn’t just leave me guessing. He wanted more facts. He told me every little detail. If I didn’t want to talk about it, that was fine with him; but there were certain things I needed to get off my chest, and Gabe made me feel comfortable doing that.”
What took you so long? Stigma? Upbringing?
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“Absolutely. I grew up in East Texas and had a rough and violent upbringing – ‘boys don’t cry.’ It wasn’t that I never had anyone to talk to, I did. And it’s not that I don’t have anyone to talk to now, I do. But there are certain things I don’t like to talk about. So it was more of a upbringing: take it and move on.”
Your main guitar is Iggy, a Gibson J-200 Iguana Burst. What makes it right for you?
“I’ve had this guitar for six or seven years. It was unlike anything I’d ever held before. It’s very dear to me – I’m thinking of retiring it and keeping it in a glass case at home. But as broken and battered as it is, and as many times as it’s been repaired in the shop, it’s one of my best sounding guitars.
“Every time I talk about giving it up, everyone tells me to shut up and keep it on stage. It’s a part of me; with every cut, every tear, I remember where I was and how it happened. It’s a keepsake. And she’s so gentle when I play her. She’s my great love; my best girl.
“I love the big, warm sound of the J-200, and I’m a big guy, so they suit my build. I have a rosewood J-45 – my first Gibson – and I call it Misty Rose. I have a couple of Memphis 330s, a 335 and a J-45 Roy Smeck that Ray Wylie Hubbard used to record one of his albums. It’s a really cool guitar that I have in the studio.”
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Which guitars did you use in 9 lives?
“I did the writing on my J-200 and J-45 because I’m comfortable with them. I always have them with me wherever I go. We did most of the writing at Sonic Ranch (Tornillo, Texas). We used some Martins and 1958 Hummingbirds on the album. Sonic Ranch has a phenomenal collection of guitars. When I opened those cases, I felt like I was opening up the room to all the other artists who have written and played on those guitars. It was amazing to pick them up and play.”
You said you had a nice childhood. What were those early years like?
“I had a great childhood! It wasn’t the fairytale you see in the movies, but it was great. My father was away a lot because he had different jobs, and my mother worked her ass off too. I was an only child for eight years, so I was alone a lot.
Music was always there for me. I could be alone with it and express how I felt
“We lived in the countryside, far from the city, so I didn’t have many friends there growing up – apart from the cousins I saw from time to time. I found ways to cope with being alone and to entertain myself.”
When did music become a place of refuge?
“Music has always been there for me. It was a way for me to be alone and express how I felt. When you get into your teenage years and you really start listening to lyrics and understanding music a lot more, you also start to develop feelings you’ve never felt before, like first love and stuff like that. That’s when I started playing guitar. I’ve been playing music all my life, but I started writing in my early teens. That’s when it became my outlet.
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“I’ve definitely been in dark places, and that’s where I write best. Also, writing helps me get out of those places. Having a guitar and being able to put things on paper helps me; it comforts me. It gives me a sense of security, knowing that I’m not alone and that I have something that no one can take away from me.”
How do you protect your mental health?
“I’m still that kid from small town Pittsburg. When I’m not on the road, I’m at home doing things I love. I stay away from my phone and social media as much as possible because after a day of that, my morale is in the tank, I’m mad at the world and I’m like, ‘Why am I doing this to myself?’
“We started leaving the venue as soon as we got off stage. That helped us stop staying up all night, partying until 4 or 5 in the morning and getting carried away.”
“I don’t drink as much anymore. I go to the gym, take better care of myself and wake up in a better mood. My mental health has improved tremendously as I now have a clear head rather than washing it all down with a bottle of Jack and some painkillers.
“I used to be all about the party. Now I’m all about seeing the bigger picture, keeping my head down and doing my best. I’m more alive on stage and my voice is much better.”
Their image seemed to be on the level of “Motley Crue at their worst.” Fans love that, but the persona is not the person behind it. They changed their persona with 9 lives – was that a risk?
“I never saw it as a risk, but I was curious to see how fans would react. I think people react because of the realness and vulnerability – me diving deep into my personality rather than just playing this role of a fucking drunk rock star.
As a society we do not deal well with death, and I am no different
“It’s definitely a softer side that people aren’t used to hearing. But I think they got exactly what we wanted them to get out of it – they got to know who I am and that I’m not this boring guy who just plays one style of music.”
What does this say about the progress we are making in conversations about mental health?
“That’s one of the main reasons I write and speak like that. I’ve gotten messages from people saying, ‘I wanted to kill myself, but I found your music and you saved my life.’ That means a lot to me. I don’t think I could live with that if I knew people were doing that and I wasn’t talking about it. I guess that knowledge is what makes me want to keep writing and tell the truth.”
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Have you ever been to this place?
“I don’t have it, but I know people who have, and it’s awful. Luckily, I have a great support system. My family is great, I have great friends, I have people around me asking how I’m doing. Especially at this stage, I’m always busy and out and about, so the friends and family checking in on me keep me calm and let me know that I always have someone to talk to.”
There is a moment in the Almost normal video where you visit the grave of your friend Saul Martinez. Was it important to share something so open and private?
“As personal and deep as this song is, I wanted people to get the same picture from it. I don’t come from a completely different world – not me, not him, not most of my friends – and I wanted everyone to have a clear idea of who I am and where I come from.
“Every time I come home, I visit his grave, pour him a beer, sit there and talk to him. As a society, we don’t deal well with death, and I’m no different. That scene in the video was a bit of an example of how I dealt with it.
“I named one of my albums after him (2019) Harold Saul High); that was a different kind of thing. All these little pieces are a memory of him. He was a great guy and I don’t want anyone to ever forget him. I won’t.”
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Has Gabe Simon opened the doors to songwriting for you in the future?
“We’ve talked about making more music. I have a lot more to get off my chest, so a huge thank you to Gabe for bringing out this new side of me. I’m very happy to have a record like this out, and I’m excited to see what the future holds. I don’t know what that is yet, but I know there’s a plan for me; I guess we’ll see in the coming months.”
“I still have a long way to go and I don’t want to burn out. We’ve been on the road for 12 years now and we’re about to enter the biggest times of my career, so I’m taking everything second by second, with a pinch of salt and enjoying everything that’s in front of me.”
