10 minutes backstage with Koe Wetzel at the Grammy Museum

Koe Wetzel brought his brawny yet soulful caller country-rock album, “The Night Champion,” to the Grammy Museum successful Los Angeles connected Monday night. It’s the 33-year-old Texas native’s follow-up to 2024’s deed “9 Lives,” which spun disconnected a chart-topping azygous successful “High Road”; it’s besides his archetypal LP since the commencement past twelvemonth of his daughter, Woods. After the amusement — successful which helium was accompanied by his shaper Gabe Simon, who’s besides known for his enactment with Noah Kahan — I spoke with Wetzel astir the album’s inspirations and astir the food-court staple that rhymes with his past name.

My favourite song, you didn’t play it: “I’ll Lock Up.” That’s a opus wherever your vocal is mournful, but you’re resigned — it’s an emotionally blase song. How’d you constitute it?
We benignant of came into it to beryllium arsenic realistic arsenic possible. When radical spell done worldly similar that — done breakups, immoderate it is — nary substance what it is, I’m astir apt inactive gonna instrumentality you backmost astatine the extremity of the day. And I deliberation benignant of being successful that situation, benignant of going backmost connected past relationships, we conscionable took a batch of past experiences from antithetic folks and made it what it was. The scornful sadness from it, that mightiness person came from a mates bottles of vino that I had earlier I got successful the vocal booth.

You constitute astir toxic relationships, but present you look to beryllium successful a unchangeable narration with the parent of your child. Have you mislaid the juice?
I don’t deliberation truthful — I deliberation it’s ever gonna beryllium there. Those are the easiest songs to write. It’s truly hard for maine to constitute a emotion song. And who knows, possibly this is the turning of the tide. I’ve got astir 12 years of toxic narration songs, truthful possibly these adjacent 10 years is the love, happy-go-lucky songs.

You’ve talked astir cleaning up your enactment a small bit: drinking less, eating better, moving out. Was determination an animating head-on-the-floor moment?
I deliberation whenever I recovered retired that I was gonna beryllium a dad, that was evidently a infinitesimal for me. I’d started cleaning up earlier she got here. And past erstwhile she got here, it was like, “All right, you got to get your s— together.” Not to accidental that I’m wholly reformed — I inactive person my nights.

Back successful your acheronian days, champion barroom successful L.A.?
I ne'er truly went retired a full lot.

Drinking successful the edifice room, huh? Dark.
That’s wherever each the songs travel from.

You person 2 bar-restaurants, Koe Wetzel’s Riot Room — 1 successful Fort Worth, 1 successful Houston. I privation to person a crockery tonight. Should I person the blackened chickenhearted Caesar oregon the grilled chickenhearted Cobb?
Grilled chickenhearted Cobb, for sure.

OK, great.
Do we service those astatine the restaurant?

Biggest messiness you’ve ever gotten into arsenic a restaurateur?
I don’t know, honestly. I’m much connected the enactment broadside of things, truthful they don’t inquire maine about, “Hey, we’re gonna marque this tweak to the paper — what bash you deliberation astir it?” It’s much like, “What are the vessel girls wearing tonight?”

One much food-service-related question: You’re astatine the mall, you privation a pretzel. Auntie Anne’s oregon Wetzel’s Pretzels?
Wetzel’s Pretzels each day, man. Go get you immoderate — I get a small royalty there.

According to Mediabase, your opus “High Road” was the most-played opus connected state vigor successful 2025. In what period did you commencement changing the transmission erstwhile it came on?
I started changing it earlier it adjacent came out. We yet got the caller grounds out, and I’m sick and bushed of it, due to the fact that I’ve been listening to it for a twelvemonth and a fractional now. But that’s beauteous overmuch however it was with “High Road.” So grateful for each the occurrence — it’s truly chill that radical person jived with it and listened to it the mode they have. But whenever I perceive it now, I benignant of crook a deaf receptor to it, if that’s possible.

Your person Morgan Wallen had a viral infinitesimal precocious wherever helium tipped implicit a piano. What instrumentality person you smashed?
Quite a few. Depending however overmuch Jack Daniel’s I drank onstage, I was decidedly smashing the vessel — solid everywhere. I destroyed the drums. There was really a garment we had that says “Koe Destroys Everything.” My bass subordinate and guitar players, they cognize that whenever I get that stare, it’s benignant of like: Protect your s—, oregon I’m gonna travel smash it.

By my count, you accidental “f—” 9 times connected this record. Is that your favourite four-letter word?
It’s a beauteous bully one, man. Only 9 times connected the record?

Seems debased to you.
I’m a large Tarantino and Scorsese fan, truthful I don’t know. I deliberation it’s conscionable specified a amusive word.

Last one: Your existent vigor azygous is called “Hurts Like You.” I’m gonna springiness you 3 songs that person “hurt” successful the title, and you person to prime your favorite.
OK.

“Hurt” by Nine Inch Nails oregon Johnny Cash. “Hurts So Good” by John Mellencamp. “Everybody Hurts” by R.E.M.
“Hurt,” Johnny Cash.

I’m sorry, that’s not right.
It’s not? What is it? Is determination a close answer?

Your favourite opus is John Coug, “Hurts So Good.”
OK. [Sings] “Hurts truthful good…” Is that my favourite song?

Yeah.
All right. Let’s go, Coug.