Ropyr Madison Koe Wetzel (born July 14, 1992) is an American singer and songwriter. His music has been described variously as a "blend of rock and country", outlaw country, and "fusing country and

grunge Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock Music genre, genre and subculture that emerged during the in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington, particularly in Seattle and Music of Olympia, Washington, O ...

Life and career

Wetzel was born in

Pittsburg, Texas Pittsburg is a city in, and the county seat of, Camp County, Texas, Camp County, Texas, United States. Best known as the former home of the giant poultry producer Pilgrim's Corp, Pilgrim's and of racing legend Carroll Shelby, as well as the popula ...

, with one of his names being a reference to outlaw country singer-songwriter

David Allan Coe David Allan Coe (born September 6, 1939) is an American singer and songwriter. Coe took up music after spending much of his early life in reform schools and prisons, and first became notable for busking in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville. He ini ...

. His mother was a touring country singer, bringing the young Koe along and his father worked in the construction business. He would perform on stage for the first time at age six. Later, Wetzel was a

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

Tarleton State University Tarleton State University is a Public university, public research university in Stephenville, Texas, United States. It is a founding member of the Texas A&M University System and enrolled over 15,000 students in the fall of 2022. It is Carnegie C ...

Stephenville, Texas Stephenville is a city in and the county seat of Erath County, Texas, United States. It sits on the North Bosque River, which rises nearby. Founded in 1854, it is home to Tarleton State University. Located in north-central Texas, Stephenville' ...

, where he decided to pursue a career as a musician instead. Wetzel formed "Koe Wetzel and Konvicts", and self-released an EP and one full-length album. His "rowdy" music and lyrics became popular among college students and young adults, and ''Noise Complaint'', released in 2016, was considered to be his breakout album. Beginning with ''Noise Complaint'', the full name of the band was dropped, though Wetzel still performs with a bassist, one drummer, and two guitarists. The band signed with Red 11 Music in Austin, TX in early 2018 while being managed by 4-Tay Management out of Stephenville, TX until 2019 when the band signed a management deal with Floating Leaf Entertainment, establishing a joint venture between Wetzel and Jeb Hurt who had previously been the band's agent at Red 11 Music. ''Harold Saul High'' was released in 2019, however sales were strong, and the album charted on the ''Billboard'' 200. In 2020, Wetzel released ''Sellout'', named in reference to his signing with major label

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

. In 2023, Wetzel became a partner in the opening of a highly successful restaurant-bar and live music review in Fort Worth, Texas called Koe Wetzel's Riot Room.

Musical style

Wetzel's music is usually described as fusing genres, especially rock and country, while he has been rumored to personally refer to his blend of music as "Hillbilly Punk-Rock". In his youth, Wetzel was exposed to country, hip-hop, rap, and grunge, including the music of

Nirvana Nirvana, in the Indian religions (Jainism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism), is the concept of an individual's passions being extinguished as the ultimate state of salvation, release, or liberation from suffering ('' duḥkha'') and from the ...

. In an interview for ''

American Songwriter ''American Songwriter'' is a bimonthly magazine covering songwriting. Established in 1984, it features interviews, songwriting tips, news, reviews and lyric contest. The magazine is based in Nashville, Tennessee. History The ''American Songwri ...

'', Wetzel described his album ''Harold Saul High'' as "...90s country meets early 2000s

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

with early ’90s

and

hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

music in the background." His lyrics often deal with mature subject matter, and are known for containing explicit language. One example is the song "February 28, 2016": a song about drunkenness, and a reference to his arrest for

public intoxication Public intoxication, also known as "drunk and disorderly" and "drunk in public", is a summary offense in certain countries related to public cases or displays of drunkenness. Public intoxication laws vary widely by jurisdiction, but usually requ ...

in Stephenville on that day. In 2019, Wetzel's performance at the

Great Texas Balloon Race The Great Texas Balloon Race is a prominent annual hot air balloon festival held in the vicinity of Longview, Texas and Kilgore, Texas, specifically near the East Texas Regional Airport (also known as Gregg County Airport). Established in 1978, ...

was the subject of some controversy, after some festival goers were offended at his refusal to make his songs more family friendly. Wetzel responded in a

tongue in cheek Tongue-in-cheek is an idiom that describes a humorous or sarcastic statement expressed in a serious manner. History The phrase originally expressed contempt, but by 1842 had acquired its modern meaning. Early users of the phrase include Sir Walte ...

manner, taking credit for breaking attendance records.

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

Extended plays

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Other charted and certified songs

Notes

References

External links

Koe Wetzel's website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wetzel, Koe 1992 births Living people Country musicians from Texas American rock songwriters People from Pittsburg, Texas American country singer-songwriters American alternative rock singers American alternative country singers Post-grunge musicians Grunge musicians American country rock singers American male singer-songwriters Singer-songwriters from Texas