Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:12] Speaker B: Come on.
[00:00:15] Speaker A: This is Outside the Round with Matt Burrill for Rage Rowdy podcast.
What's going on, guys? Welcome back to another episode of Outside the Round, y'. All. Be sure to follow. Subscribe. Do all of that. Shout out to our friends from Surfside. No bubbles, no troubles. We got an absolute legend with us, a guy that I've been lucky enough to know for a while. Been wanting to get him on a pod forever. It is the man, Co Wetzel.
[00:00:37] Speaker B: What's up, dude?
[00:00:38] Speaker A: Brother Co. What's up, man? How's life? How was Australia?
[00:00:41] Speaker B: It's good. I made it. We're back in the States, so I guess it was good. No, it was great, man. It was. Every time we go over there, it's.
It's a hell of a time. And, yeah, it was. It was fun, man. We played. We did Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, and they all three showed out, dude. And, I don't know, made us feel like we were Aussies ourselves.
[00:01:02] Speaker A: Yeah. And you've been over there quite a bit over the years, right?
[00:01:05] Speaker B: We went. We did CMC Fest last year. That was our first time. And then. So now is. This will be our second time, man, and I don't know, hopefully trying to get it to where we can spend more than a couple weeks over there every year, dude. But it's. It was great, man. We, the fans are great. Everybody over there is phenomenal. So, yeah, man, we had a great time.
[00:01:24] Speaker A: That's badass, man. And for that to be the kickoff, too, with the Night Champion Tour. Like, what a way to start this thing off. You got a busy year. You're bringing out all the boys. Shane Smith and the saints. Old 60, Corey Kent White Flores, Wade Bowen, Baker Blankenship, Colby, Logan. Like, yeah, you're bringing the whole crew out.
[00:01:41] Speaker B: It's a reunion, man. It's just all the. All the guys that we, you know, we're all so busy these days, man, so getting to have them all on the tour with us, man, it's just. We're hitting a lot of new places, a lot of old places. And we're excited, man. Excited to have the guys on with us. And I don't know. It's gonna be a barn burner for sure.
[00:01:59] Speaker A: Yeah, dude. So we were saying we've known each other for a while. My first time hanging with you was back in 2019, when I was selling hats and T shirts for Gary and Charlie and Muscadine Bloodline. And that was my first time going out to the red dirt world. We opened for you at Heritage hall in Ardmore, Oklahoma, at the Bomb Factory in Dallas. And it was in between Christmas and New Year's.
[00:02:20] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah, those were. Those were wild times. Wild, confusing times. Now there was.
That was 2019.
[00:02:28] Speaker A: Yeah. So Harold saw High, had, like, just come out.
[00:02:30] Speaker B: That's wild how. How fast time is going by, man, Because, I mean, it doesn't feel that long ago, to be honest with you. But yeah, those were. Those were fun shows from what I do remember. But we had a great time.
And shout out to the Buskin Boys. Love those cats, man. And yeah, man, a lot of fun.
[00:02:46] Speaker A: Yeah. And I think back to this was before I was working with them. I was only with them back in 2019, before COVID Then I was with Trey Lewis. We did some shows with you as well. Yeah, Dick down in Dallas, where we got to do. Got to do some shows with. I believe in Raleigh and in Virginia.
But I think back to, like, the stories of when you would come out to Alabama and play shows with Gary and Chuck and then you'd bring them out to Texas with you. And there was always this stigma of, like, Nashville and Texas, and it was like. That was one of the early times where it was like you and Parker and. And your era of guys were coming up in the clubs and the bars back in Texas and Gary and Chuck and Riley and all those guys were doing it in Bama, and then you guys would cross over. So talk about those times, man.
[00:03:28] Speaker B: Yeah, man. And it was kind of, you know, it was kind of the same thing with Reed Southall. And then, you know, back. Back in the noise complaint days, man, we would. I got. I got to know. Reading them through a party at Oklahoma State. We planted a pasture in a pasture on a trailer and got to meet Reed Southall and them. And then, you know, they were kind of coming up in Oklahoma, getting big at the time, and we were kind of doing our thing in Texas. And so we were like, man, we should do a tour together to where, you know, we opened up for you in Oklahoma. You come down and open up for us in Texas. And honestly, it was kind of the same thing with. With Gary and them. And I met them backstage at a roping arena in Stephenville. And it was either at a camera, if it was at a Kojo show, or Casey Donahue. Either way, we were playing. Maybe we were open up for Cody or Casey. I don't know what it. Whatever it was. I meet. Yeah, Chuck and. And Gary backstage, and I was like, we were in a van still, because I remember we had some Colorado High vodka. They'd sent us, like a case. And it was like, right before, I think Chuck had quit drinking.
[00:04:29] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:04:29] Speaker B: And so I was like, man, porch swing Angels is so good. You know, man, let's. Let's take a drink and. And, man, we became boys then. And then kind of the same deal, man. We get got together and, you know, out in. Down south, we go down there and play shows with them, and then they come out to Texas and play with us, man. And it was. That's how the friendship was made, man. And. Yeah, man, I can't say enough good thing about those guys, man. They. They've always been really cool to us and. And just phenomenal artists.
[00:04:55] Speaker A: Yeah, dude. And it's like, to see where all you cats are now. You guys are all at the top of the food chain now, and you've all come up, bro, and to those days where you were opening for so many guys and so many bands out there and doing it your way to now. You know, you get to bring out acts that are coming up and go out there and play sheds and arenas and go international, dude. And just how crazy that 10 years has been.
[00:05:17] Speaker B: I know, it's wild, man. Like, going back to saying how fast time's going by, man. It's. It's crazy, you know, to think just the other day, you know, we were in a van playing around to nobody and having to pay bars to let us come in and play shows. And, you know, now being blessed enough and fortunate enough to have, you know, all these people come out and, you know, jam our music and jive with us the way they have, man. And, you know, us getting to kind of return the favor on some of these younger cats that are coming up that don't really need us at all, you know, they're doing their own thing and they're going to be just as big, but it's really cool for us to be able to have them on the road and show other people what we already know about these cats. So we're really excited to have everybody on tour, man. It's just kind of come full circle and, you know, here's another 10 years, hopefully.
[00:06:05] Speaker A: Yeah, man. And you've built up a. An incredible business, you know, between what you're doing and your whole team over at Floating. Yeah, Like, I was. I remember going in. I was with Trey, and we got to go to, like, one of your HQs and went in. There was the pool table and. And all the bar and all the games and then all the buses man, and it's like how you've. How you've been a part of so many people's careers, like, talking about, like, Pecos and Colby and Dylan and now the Fox and V Boys.
[00:06:34] Speaker B: Let's go.
[00:06:37] Speaker A: So talk about getting to be there and help develop these acts with, like, Jeb and the whole team that you guys have at Floating Leaf.
[00:06:43] Speaker B: Yeah, well, I mean, Jeb is a dog, man. He's been with me from pretty much the beginning, you know, as far as, you know, us kind of starting to gain traction and stuff. You know, he was my booking agent for a long time at Red 11, and then kind of broke away. I didn't have a manager, or actually I did through Larry Jo and them. And, you know, things kind of started getting a little crazy. And, you know, Jeb was like, hey, man, we should start us up a management company. And I was like, man, yeah, let's do it. You know, and kind of took that leap of faith. And Jeb, like I said, he was great. One of my best friends.
And then, you know, he goes out and finds all these younger cats that, you know, a lot of people don't know a whole lot about until, you know, they. They get it going. But, you know, with Kobe Cooper and Posos and Logan Yani and Dylan Wheeler, man, it just kind of. The list goes on and on. And now the Fox and V Boys, man, it's just. It's really cool, you know, and it feels more like a family situation with Jeb, and that's because he's your. He's your boy at the end of the day, man.
So. Yeah, man, just having that and, you know, we're being Texas based and I don't know, man, there's a. There's a tradition of damn good Texas music out there, man. And that's kind of what we're hoping to strive for, is to keep, you know, keep that tradition alive, man. And, you know, I think we. We got a pretty good lineup over there. Floating Leaf.
[00:08:03] Speaker A: Yeah, man, you really do. You really, really do. And it's something that folks out here in Nashville love keeping. Like, you guys, the way the Texas scene has blown up over the last decade, and that's why I'm so excited about this record, man. It's just watching your music evolve, like, I really came on board, like, noise complaint heralds all high was when I became, like, invested, bro. Like, that was when I really started to.
Really started to dive in. And.
And now to see the night champion. You got 11 songs on there. What was it? Like, creating this project.
[00:08:35] Speaker B: Oh, man, it was a lot of fun. It was.
It wasn't. It was kind of made by mistake, honestly. You know, we were coming off of Nine Lives and didn't really have any plans of, you know, making a brand new record, you know, this quick. I mean, we're. We. I usually try, you know, two. Two years with every record, I feel like, but I never go into the studio like, oh, well, it's been a while since we haven't made, you know, made anything. We need to get in there and make something. So that wasn't the case with the Night Champion. We went into to write a couple singles to just keep on, you know, the radios and airwaves and stuff. And then these songs started coming really organically and real pretty simple, honestly. And so went back with a bunch of the same writers that were on Nine Lives, and I think you'll be able to hear that with this record, but with Ashley Gourley and Amy Allen and Steph Jones and all these badass writers that we've kind of accumulated over the last couple years, this team that me and Gabe and Kari Kay and Serato have put together.
No, it felt great. Like I said, you know, we didn't go in there being like, oh, yeah, we need to write the Night Champion. The Night Champion pretty much wrote itself. And so it didn't feel like we were in there making a record at all. It just kind of, you know, felt like after we get done with the song, like, hey, it's pretty cool. We should put that on the record. And then. And then finally, man, it just kind of came to fruition. And. Yeah, man, it's just pretty much the. The whole outlook on it, man, it was just kind of made itself, honestly.
[00:09:57] Speaker A: So talk about when you first started writing with Nashville Cats, because you're talking about, like, the Ashley Gorley of the world, and those are dudes that have been doing it a long time and all the girls you're writing with, too. Like, how did you get kind of integrated into the Nashville writing world as a Texas country rock artist? Like, your style was. Came through and broke through and what was like a honky tonk world. And I'm sure some people were like, what do we do with this guy?
[00:10:23] Speaker B: Yeah, no, man, I think, you know, for the longest, I. I was, you know, it was a bunch of solo rights. Like, I wrote all my stuff up until, I don't know, probably was this sellout maybe, or a little after sellout, maybe help us. So. But I mean, I was always you know, always wrote my own stuff and that's kind of how I always, you know, lived and died. And it was, I don't know, for me, it just, it. I couldn't justify having somebody else write a song for me that, that was so personal because my music is so personal and I'm talking a lot about it, about my personal life and most of it. And so it was really hard for me to kind of get into the co writing deal and then it was, you know, here and there, you know, I dabbled in it a little bit and then it just became something I had to get more comfortable with and you know, because, you know, I feel like I was so closed off on, you know, sharing the way that I shared my personal life was through the music. I was, you know, I'm not one of those people that likes to. To vent and, you know, tell other people my feelings and stuff. So getting in with these, these people, especially off these last two records was. Been really good with Gay. Putting together this solid team of songwriters that, you know, you know, that can pick my brain to where, you know, it's. It's really hard for me now to kind of get out what I'm trying to say, especially in a song. And with all these badass writers, man, they, they know me well enough now. We're good enough friends now to where, you know, I can say whatever and they can pick it apart and put it in words that I could never even think of. So yeah, the whole co writing deal, man, it's been, it's been an experience. It's been a damn good, you know, I think for me as a person, you know, not just on the songwriting song side, but just me as a person as well. It's been really cool to kind of vent other people and you know, kind of to let people into my life and see where my head's at a little bit, I guess.
[00:12:10] Speaker A: Yeah. Dude. Another collaborator that I know you've had is Bayless.
[00:12:13] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:12:13] Speaker A: Talk about hanging with Andrew Bayless, how you got hooked up with him. He's one of my favorite Red Door hands in the world.
[00:12:19] Speaker B: I think that was it. I think that was it, man. We were, we were hang it Red Door all the time and then.
Yeah, man, we just got together, him and Michael Whitworth.
[00:12:27] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:12:28] Speaker B: Went with another dad, both of them, man. And yeah. And it was kind of at that, you know, sellout, kind of kind of went over the rock side of me. Kind of started slowing down a little bit. I feel like that was probably whenever I was working with Andrew and Michael and them. It was kind of whenever it started to slow down a little bit, but, man, we come up with some cool shit back in the day, you know, and it was wild, man. It was. I feel like we would always get to the right or get. I'd go over to Andrews or wherever, and we'd both be, you know, clutching our pearls at how bad we were hungover and. And talking about the story of what happened after Red Door that night. And.
And then we'd, you know, we'd suck. Suck at writing songs and. And nursing hangovers for about two or three hours. And we started drinking again.
[00:13:17] Speaker A: It's a lot of rumplements. He's a rumple guy.
[00:13:19] Speaker B: Yeah, a lot of rumples. That was probably whenever I stopped. Stopped drinking rumple, to be honest with you, because of Bayless. So, Bayless, if you're listening, thank you for making me stop the rumple, miss.
But, yeah, no, that was about how. How it'd go. We would. We'd sit there and whine about how bad our head hurt for about two or three hours, and then we start drinking again and some. Some really cool stuff would come out of it. So. Yeah, man, working with Andrew and Whitworth and all those. Those cats, man, it's really been great. And. And for, you know, Bayless has worked a lot with Kobe and Dylan and Pecos and, you know, all these. These Texas cats, Giovanni, the hired guns,
[00:13:58] Speaker A: a lot of these guys.
[00:14:00] Speaker B: And so, yeah, man, I mean, I mean, it's. And. And Bayless fits right in with that sound, that Texas sound that's coming out right now. That rock sound, dude, that's right up his alley, and he's such a dog on everything, man. And yeah, man, we always had a really good time, man. We need to get back together and do some more stuff. For sure.
[00:14:15] Speaker A: Yeah. I was at the Country Calling festival last year, which is in his hometown of Ocean City, Maryland. He was up there. And luckily I'm. I'm coming up on 10 years, no booze, which is great. I'm California Cali sober.
[00:14:27] Speaker B: I've been thinking about that myself here, actually.
[00:14:28] Speaker A: It's pretty great. You could ask Brantley about it. Brantley's a Cali sober guy, you know, but we ended up out at, like, a local dive bar in Ocean City, and my partner in crime, Nikki T, was he. So usually when we go out, it's like everybody knows I don't drink, but nickel drink. And Nick tried to keep up with Bayless and it was a. It was a late one at that beach bar, wherever it was in Maryland.
[00:14:48] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. Whenever me and. Me and Bayless would drink, it was kind of who would throw up the white flag first. And. And neither of us are quitters, so just go. Yeah. So we just kind of like, are we sure we go. What time we start tomorrow? All right, let's. Let's start about four hours after. Whatever time we got.
[00:15:03] Speaker A: I want to go back to like, the sellout era for you. And I remember being. It was a weird time, like during the pandemic. And I remember those songs coming out and it being so. Such a big moment, like being stuck in quarantine or whatever. Whatever. That was like five, six years ago. And that and that album coming out. Talk about like, having a big release like that while the world was sh. I think it helped a lot of people, bro. People were craving music and. Craving.
[00:15:29] Speaker B: Yeah, well, you know, co hit. And nobody knew what the. Was going on. Nobody knew what to do, especially us. And so me and. Me and Kimble, we locked ourselves. We basically quarantined in the studio in.
In Denton. Well, that was Harold Saha probably, I guess, around then. What was it? Yeah, Sell out anyway. And we got in there and that's. We put out Sunday or Money first and then country and western.
And that was kind of like the kickoff to sell out. And then after those two came out, that's when we signed with Columbia. And Columbia was like, y' all hammer down, just like, go for it, whatever y' all want to do. And I was. And that's where the name Sell out and the intro and the skits and all that I got to bring back. We don't have any skits on this record either, which is two in a row. So I need to. I need to get back to my.
But anyway, yeah, so we got in there, man, and it was.
I think it was just kind of like, man, let's just. Let's try to surprise as many folks as possible, man. Let's give them this rock record that. That they've kind of gravitated towards with Noise Complaint in Harolds, Ohio. And then. And so we just. And that was, you know, working with Bayless as well, a lot of those songs too. So. Yeah, man, that one kind of kicked the door open with, you know, Creeps and all those tunes that are still pretty relevant today to whenever we. Whenever we put a set list together, you know, it's kind of hard to skip out on a lot of those songs or on that record just because we get Crucified with the fans if we don't play.
[00:16:57] Speaker A: I want to ask you about the live show because I remember seeing it back again at the bomb factory in Heritage hall, and that was my first time seeing you. And it just being like a bomb went off. Like, it was just. It was watching from the merch table. I was just like, it was awesome, man. And now like last year, we got to. We were up in Pittsburgh for the Jim Bob World tour that he did with Hardy, and that was fun. And I remember hanging with you at tailgates and tall boys last year too. And what a day that was. You played because old 60 was there. Gavin.
[00:17:26] Speaker B: Gavin was there.
[00:17:28] Speaker A: I remember saying inside stage stage with you watching Gavin. And that was as like everyone was like, oh, man, this Gavin show. And I'm like, if co's watching this Gavin show, that means the is working, bro.
[00:17:37] Speaker B: Sure. No, it was. That was a stacked lineup too, because. Was it Vincent Mason.
[00:17:41] Speaker A: Mason Hudson Westbrook? Dude, that was a sick ass Gavin. And then you guys.
[00:17:46] Speaker B: Yeah, man, that was. That was a lot of fun, man. That was. That was a damn good show, man.
[00:17:50] Speaker A: Yeah, man. Just talk about how the shows evolved.
[00:17:53] Speaker B: Yeah, man. The.
[00:17:54] Speaker A: Back in the day.
[00:17:55] Speaker B: Yeah, they've, you know, it's just kind of. It's. I've. I've always wanted to kind of create this party environment at the show. And.
And so I remember, you know, coming up and seeing a lot of these guys play. I remember in Stephenville, we went to a Turnpike Trouble Doors show at City Limits in Stephenville and he had American Aquarium opening up for him.
[00:18:16] Speaker A: BJ's the man. Great show.
[00:18:18] Speaker B: Love American Aquarium, dude. BJ. And. And so they were opening up and this was. I think this was back when BJ was. Before he had got sober and he was on a bottle.
[00:18:27] Speaker A: Different show.
[00:18:28] Speaker B: Yeah, for sure, dude. But like that. That still to this day, those are some of my favorite records that American. American Aquarium put out. And I remember seeing. We got there early. I didn't know who American Aquarium was. I didn't know who BJ and these guys were. And BJ's up there and he's like this. That song's about a. She wrote my heart just. And I was just. I never heard anybody talk like this on like stage before. I was like, what in the is going on? But I loved it so much because he was so engaging. You know, all these. All these cowboy in Stephenville going ballistic.
Me being along right there with him and. And he plays I hope she breaks or he breaks your heart or whatever, dude. And it just. Something right then just kind of lit a fire in me. And this was, you know, before noise complaint and stuff. And that moment helped shape the noise complaint record and just a lot of the stuff that I put on for the live shows. And so ever since then, man, I've kind of always wanted to. To give the crowd just something to remember, you know, if it's just that little tiny moment or whatever, it is just something that's going to hit him in the mouth and make them want to come back to another show. And so, I mean, it's kind of just evolved over the years, I think, from the El Paso tour and the damn near, damn near normal tour wasn't as. As hectic as the El Paso and the. In the ones before for it. But we've simmered it down a little bit. But I think that's just kind of with the music and the way it's grown and the fan base has kind of grown up with this as well. But we still have those. Those moments. We still got the fire and the cryo and all that crazy that you people have come to. To love about our shows. And I don't know, I think it's. It's that and kind of.
Kind of being some. Somewhat of an inspiration to these younger cats that are coming up, you know? And I don't know, man, it's. It's really cool to.
To see, man. It's. It's a lot of fun, man.
[00:20:20] Speaker A: Yeah. I remember the days and I remember Gary and Charlie telling me about it. They never had to really worry about it, but when the crowd would co effing Wetzel.
[00:20:28] Speaker B: Oh, yeah.
[00:20:29] Speaker A: A random opener that would get put with you because it was a lot of. It's a lot of, like, validation to your fan, to your fan base.
That'd be like, if co and the boys want the. These guys opening, they got to be worth something. But I know there were situations where people would get paired with you, especially like at festivals.
[00:20:47] Speaker B: Yeah, it was.
[00:20:48] Speaker A: It was a wild time. It never happened. Never happened. To trade. It never happened to Gary and Chuck, man.
[00:20:53] Speaker B: It was. Yeah. And we'd be sitting like, kind of side stage, whatever it was, like, y' all come on, like, chill out or whatever it was. But no, man, that was just our fan base, man. From the very, very beginning. They've been super rowdy and.
And they've been super supportive. Supportive and like that, man. And. And we've always had that bond with our fan base, man. And they're die Hard. And we love them to death for it. And they've been that way forever. I don't think anything's gonna change. But yeah, man, those were, those were in the party days. Super. They were. They were a lot, A lot more lit up than we were, I'm sure.
[00:21:26] Speaker A: Yeah, dude, but you talk about how they've grown up with you and now you're a dad and you've. You and Your crew have 10 years later now from, from noise complaint and everything. It's like fast forward. And you guys have grown up immature a lot. It's in the music too. And you're writing songs for folks in their, in their mid to late 30s and into their 40s. You're not just 20 year old kids riding around in a church van all around Texas anymore.
[00:21:51] Speaker B: Yeah, it's. It's been good though, man. It's been, you know, because I don't know if I could actually. I know for a fact that I can't hang with the younger crowd no more. I can't hang with my younger self anymore, even though I try to sometimes. And Saturday night was a testament to that, man. We had. We went to the PBR finals in Fort Worth.
[00:22:10] Speaker A: Oh, that had to be that. It was great. Awesome, man.
[00:22:13] Speaker B: Yeah, we. I've got a. Had a couple bulls make the finals this year.
[00:22:16] Speaker A: Congrats, bro.
[00:22:17] Speaker B: Thanks, man. And so, yeah, we went out, me and my girl went out and a lot of my friends, you know, that, you know, own bulls and stuff, man, we're down there. We partied down and went to the ride room after, dude, and me and Bailey, we were, before we went up there like, hey, we're gonna go to the booking and then we're gonna, you know, come home because her dad was watching woods and I was like, hey, baby, I'm cool with that. I'll go to the book and have a few beers and come home, you know, but we got a driver just in case.
[00:22:40] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:22:41] Speaker B: And then after all my, all my buddies, like, we're going to, we're gonna go to the ride just for a beer too. I was like, cool. So I called my, called the manager. I'm like, hey, we're gonna swing through. Can you shut down the back? He's like, cool. We walk in there and it's a lot of my buddies I hadn't seen in a while. And about two or three hours later, me and I'm looking at. Bailey didn't even tell me that she wanted to leave. I. I told her, I said, hey, I think it's time for us to get out of here. Wow. And yesterday was Monday, two days after that. And I thought I was. I thought I had the flu or something, but it was just a massive hangover. Like, I obviously can't do it like I used to, but, yeah, man, I try. And.
Man, I don't know. Getting old sucks, man. And that hangover is.
[00:23:18] Speaker A: Yeah, one or. One or two beers is. Famous last words, dude. It's never one or two beers.
[00:23:23] Speaker B: Telling you, man, It's. And then it's. Well, it's all the. All the tequila shots and everything else that are thrown in that you don't.
[00:23:30] Speaker A: And you don't want to say no to an old buddy you haven't seen or another guy that's in the rodeo world.
[00:23:34] Speaker B: That's it, man. It's like. It's. I can't tell you. No, he knows.
[00:23:39] Speaker A: Yeah, Muscadine.
[00:23:40] Speaker B: I can't tell you.
[00:23:40] Speaker A: No, the old. The old song. Old Muscadine song. What's the whole riot room thing been like?
[00:23:45] Speaker B: I mean, it's been good. You know, we've. We've got the location in Fort Worth. It just celebrated our third year being open. We got the one down in Houston that's been doing good, man, and I don't know, it's cool. You know, I never thought of myself to be a bar owner or whatever, but, you know, it's right down the road in Fort Worth, and it's a good time. And everybody around there knows if you want to get drunk and have a good time, man, it's. It's. It's a spot to do it, and it's kind of become, like the. The safe haven for all us older heads that want to get out there and, you know, hammer down a little bit without having to worry about the cops or anybody with us.
[00:24:18] Speaker A: Yeah, just have. Just have your spot.
[00:24:20] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:24:21] Speaker A: I want to talk about some of the songs on this record. Talk to me about Time Goes On.
[00:24:25] Speaker B: Yeah, so time Goes on, man. We went into a right with Gabe and them. It was after we had written a lot of the songs for the record, and I told him that I wanted a song about, you know, how fast that, you know, time is passing us by and how we're not realizing it until it's gone. Right. And honestly, like a Tracy Lawrence Time Marches on song, and that's kind of what we based it around a little bit, and.
But, yeah, man, I think it was just kind of, know, an ode to, you know, the past and kind of where things are right now. And so, yeah, man, we came out with that tune and I don't know, it kind of set. It set. Set the record. Kind of rounded out the record as far as what we had beginning to. To that point.
[00:25:09] Speaker A: So, yeah, one of my favorite tracks because I've gotten to hear. I've gotten the embargo listening link, and me and Nick have been bumping it. Yeah, you got a good team over there.
Tell me about Circus, because that's one that really. That's one that really stands out, but wasn't out there with the. With the. With the singles leading.
[00:25:25] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. So my buddy Sam Nelson from Ex Ambassadors, he was one of the main. Not main riders, but he. He had a few cuts on Nine Lives. He was one of the original writers from the. The first retreat that we did out in El Paso at Sonic Ranch. And so we. We've kept it, kept up with each other over the years, and, you know, I don't get to talk to him whole lot, but every now and then we'll kind of bounce songs off each other and. And he sent me this tune. He was like, hey, man, let me know what you think. And I don't. I don't think that he thought. I don't. I don't guess. I thought that he was sending it to me for me to record. I just said, dude, it would sound sick with this new record that I've got coming out. And I think if we rocked it up, it sounds sick. And I don't know if if that was his idea or not either, but he was like, dude, absolutely. Hell, yeah, I'd love for you to cut it. And so, man, we went in and it was kind of, you know, some of the stuff that I was going through at the same time and just kind of how crazy this whole world is with this whole music world and everything is with.
You know, sometimes, you know, you have this idea of something in your head that's gonna be massive and glorious and golden, and sometimes that's just not how it works out. And I know the song meant a lot to Sam, so I had him do all the harms on it and everything as well. So to have a little piece of Sam on the record as well is great.
Yeah, it's. It's up there with one of my favorite ones off the record, man. It was. I think it was one of the only outsourced songs or the outside.
Yeah, so. So, yeah, man. I'm really proud of that song, man. I hope Sam is just as much as I am, man. And he sounds Great on it. I think it. It fits us well. I think it's very. Goes back a lot to the. The earlier co. You know, I keep saying that in a lot of interviews and podcasts and stuff like that, but, you know, that's where I keep going back with this record.
And not to say that the whole record sounds like it because there's. There's so. So many songs on it that have nothing to do with noise complaint. But, yeah, I've been telling everybody that, you know, this record has a little piece of each era, of me as a musician and artist and a person and that being, you know, Noise complaint. Harold, so high sellout, Hell Pass. So all these. So, you know, and I think this record has a lot of.
Of stuff for everybody if you're a fan of the beginning or until right now. So, yeah, I love that you can definitely hear Circus being. And I feel like Circus is one of those songs that could have been on that noise complex record.
[00:27:47] Speaker A: Yeah, man, I want to talk to you about some of the clubs in Texas and the world that you got to come up in with. Like, I think of, like, Green Hall. I think of the Blue Light. I think of the Tumbleweed place that I love in Still Water. I think of, like, the different Mavericks locations. And yeah, just how. How blessed are you and how blessed were you to come up in a scene where there's so many places for you and your band to play?
[00:28:09] Speaker B: Dude, man, it's the most blessed.
[00:28:13] Speaker A: Like, seriously, there's. There's no place like Texas.
[00:28:15] Speaker B: I know. I'm telling you, man, you. You look back at. You look at. Look back at, like, the Red Dirt Days with Cross and Bolan and Stony and all these guys coming up with the Wormy Dog and. And, you know, just the Tumbleweed and, you know, River Ice House and all these. All these badass venues. Just to say, man, it's. It's kind of cool that, you know, me and Parker and Southall and all these cats can, you know, say that we came up in some of those, you know, you Cheatham Streets, your Green Halls, your Bonita Creek hall, and Nacogdoches, man, all these cool venues that are still around today, you know, and, man, it's. I don't know, it was. It was a blessing that they. All those venues took a chance on us when they did and let us come out and play. You know, there was a few of them that let us come out and play. They were like, why the hell we do that? Because there's only six people in the bar.
[00:29:03] Speaker A: And. But isn't that crazy though? Like back then, like you really started from the bottom and now you and your guys are here.
[00:29:10] Speaker B: Seriously, I'll tell you, the Firehouse Saloon in Houston, that's not even around anymore.
We went to go play it and there was nobody in the bar, like legit nobody. And well, there might have been four people and they were, they came with us.
And so after the show we go to settle up. We're like, hey, you know, what's the. What do we get? What do we get tonight? And they're like, well y' all owes 200 bucks for yalls bar tab.
We didn't have 200 bucks. Like we didn't have any money to get home. And we were like, well, what do we. They were like, well, we cut it down to 100 if you want to pay us 100 bucks. So we paid the Firehouse Saloon in Houston 100 bucks to play that night. You know, a four hour set. And luckily one of the girls that we were hanging around that night gave us enough gas money to get home the next day. But yeah, man, the stories like that, man, I've got them for days, you know, and, and a lot of them that I. I don't even, I can't even remember because it's been so long ago. But yeah, man, to. From going from that to, you know, being where we're at right now, man, like I said, and being so fortunate to have the fan base we have and, and to be where we're at, man, it's. It's hard to think about.
[00:30:15] Speaker A: And the fact you just played the Houston rodeo, like you think back to that firehouse show ye Houston Rodeo.
[00:30:22] Speaker B: That was one of the, that was one of the stories I told on stage too, you know, and, and I was like, any. I remember that. And a couple people were crazy, said no, no you didn't because you weren't there. Yeah, where were you at whenever we had that 200 birthday?
[00:30:34] Speaker A: Yeah, that's why I'm at. What was that experience? Like you've gotten across some bucket list Texas artist things, but just artist things in general where you've gotten to go out and do. Do Red rocks and do the Houston rodeo and go overseas. Like, like where does the Houston rodeo as a Texas cat like rank for
[00:30:50] Speaker B: you, man, it's, it's up there, if not number one for me, man. And, and I told a lot of people that, you know, Parker called me the next day and he was like, man, how was it? You know, he was. Because he wanted me. He wanted. Because he's done it, you know, this is, like, I think his fourth or fifth time that he's got to do it. And.
And he. He was like, man, I really wanted you. I really wanted it to be special for you and stuff. And then I was like, dude, it took me like, two or three days to come off the high. Like, it was.
It was a high that I hadn't felt in a long time. And it was really cool that we got to do it at the first of the year right before the tour started, because that set the bar for the rest of the year, you know, the rest of how it. How it's supposed to go. But, you know, I told a lot of my family, my friends, I was like, you know, this is. This is up there, if not the highlight of my career so far, just, you know, from every little bit of it, you know, pre show into, you know, coming in with Paul Wall and. And the owners in the. In the slab, man, and, you know, just riding out and everything, man, it was. It was. It was unreal, man. It was hard to describe having everybody come out and support.
Yeah, man, it was. It was.
Especially coming up and playing all these smaller rodeos. You know, me and P played, you know, hundreds of the. The rodeos coming up and. And get through the. The daddy of them all there in Texas, man. It was. It was very special for us.
[00:32:13] Speaker A: Yeah, dude, no, that's. That's badass, man. And it's been. It's been so cool to watch the whole thing go. So going back to dad life. How old's the. How old's the little one now?
[00:32:22] Speaker B: Dude, she'll be. She'll be one Saturday.
[00:32:24] Speaker C: Wow.
[00:32:25] Speaker B: How crazy is that, man? I know. It's.
I don't know. It's hard to believe. Talk. Keep talking. We keep talking about, you know, time and how fast is going by. That is. You know, one of my. One of my best friends. Dad told us whenever we were younger, he was like, man, y' all need to cherish all these moments because you're not gonna. You know, you're not gonna realize how fast it's going until your friends start having kids, you know, And. And. And now. And then. That was. That was so true and so correct because once my friends started having kids, it was like, wow, time's going fast by fast. And now me being a dad myself, I'm like, yo, slow down a little bit bit, you know, and now she's saying dada and mama, and she started crawling and stuff, and she's all over. Around the damn house.
[00:33:06] Speaker A: Oh, so now she's.
[00:33:07] Speaker B: Pretty soon she'll be running on you. She's mobile, bud. And so all the. We had the. We had to baby proof the house and. Yeah, man, it's like put her down in one place and then you turn your head and she's gone. It's like, where's woods at? So.
[00:33:20] Speaker A: That's awesome, dude. That's awesome. You haven't gotten into, like, watching Bluey and all the kids show shows yet, man.
[00:33:26] Speaker B: You know what? I've. I've tried to, like, go around the Bluey and the Miss Rachel and all that. I try to, like, go around them and like, start her on stuff that I haven't seen for, like the Toy Stories and the Cars and all. All of my. My favorite stuff as. As a kid growing up was so like, that's. And she's really been into it. Her favorite right now is Finding Nemo and Moana. Like, we can. We can put either one of those on. And it's like every time we put it on, it's like our first time watching it, she's like, blown away, mesmerized. And. Which is cool because, you know, I. I mess with both of those. So, you know, I'm a fan with that. But yeah, it's. It's really cool going back on all these older shows that I forgot about or haven't seen in a while, and she's like, really into them. But yeah, it's gonna be really. It's gonna be fun, you know, as she gets older and get to share my childhood stuff with there.
[00:34:17] Speaker A: Yeah, my. My girlfriend's got a little girl, so I become like. I become Step Diddy.
[00:34:22] Speaker B: How old is she?
[00:34:23] Speaker A: She'll be eight in August.
[00:34:24] Speaker B: Oh, hell.
[00:34:24] Speaker A: So I got to know her when she was 4 and getting to watch her grow up and just grow like a tree. And she's wanting to play Horse out in the driveway and. And asking me all these questions about music. I do new music Friday whether every week where I, like, play the new songs that come out, and I'm like, I can't wait till your mom says I can take you to a concert. Like, I can't wait to have you at a festival, you know? Like, it's. There's nothing like it, you know, man,
[00:34:50] Speaker B: I'm telling you, man, it's. Yeah, I tell a lot of people, man. It's crazy to think what life was like before she came here, you know, because, you know, growing up and, you know, and just I don't know, man. It's just a lot of fun, dude. And I don't know, it's. It's a love I, I never knew, you know?
[00:35:05] Speaker A: Yeah, man, that's awesome. Now what are you hoping people take away? Like, if there was one thing that, that you hope a, a co Wetzel fan takes away from the Night Champion,
[00:35:15] Speaker B: you know, that, you know, this, this music isn't going anywhere. I don't want them to think that it's, it's too far fetched from what they're used to, I guess, you know, and just kind of, it's just kind of a rounded out part of these last six records that I've. I've put out. You know, it's just kind of a.
I wouldn't say a closing of the book on these last five or six records. I don't know if that's the right word for it, but, you know, I don't know where the record after the Night Champion is gonna go. I know it's, it's definitely coming. I'm not saying that I'm done with music at all. I'm just saying I just don't. I don't know where the, the music and the sound's gonna go. So I hope everybody digs it. You know, Like I said, man, I think there's a little something for everybody on the record. So, you know, give it a listen, give it, give it two or three listens, you know, just don't judge it off the first go around and yeah, man, I hope everybody digs it and kind of, kind of understands where I've been at the last two years of my life and where it's kind of headed. So.
[00:36:16] Speaker A: Yeah, I love that your albums are like chapters.
[00:36:19] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:36:21] Speaker A: I mentioned Brantley earlier with like Beating California Sober and I look at all of his records have always been chapters to him, you know. And I love that we get that with you as well. What's something you would tell that, say, let's go back to. We've been using the ten year thing. So 2016, where you and your boys were at, if you could go back and tell that wild ass kid Torn around in a van what he has in front of him, like what would you, what would your message to younger Kobe?
[00:36:47] Speaker B: Well, honestly, I couldn't tell him anything because he wouldn't listen to me. But no, I'd probably just tell him, you know, man, just to take it all in, you know.
You know, I wouldn't tell him to do anything different, you know, I don't regret anything I've done in my past, man. And I tell them just to keep. Just keep hammering and doing exactly what you're doing, but at the same time, you know, open your eyes and enjoy the. The smaller moments and the stuff that you think is, you know, rough. Isn't that rough at all. And, man, just to kind of, you know, take it all in, enjoy it with your friends and your family, man, and just keep going, man, because your life only gets better from that point, man. And yeah, man, it's like I said earlier, dude, I'm one of the most blessed dudes in the world. And it's. It's crazy. This life I get to live and this.
This journey that I've been on and. And hopefully here's to another 20 or 30 years of it.
[00:37:36] Speaker A: Amen. Amen. Dude, there's one more thing. I forgot to bring it up earlier. We got a close mutual friend in Ella Langley.
[00:37:41] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:37:42] Speaker A: How wild is it seeing that girl do what she's doing? And how cool is it to watch, like, little sis? Yeah, she was out with. She was one of our. Like, she was basically living in the van with me and Trey back during COVID and she was. Spent a lot of time touring with you and the guys, and you guys put out. That's why we fight. And just what's it like seeing her but also outside Ella, like, other folks that you've seen just kind of come up, bro.
[00:38:07] Speaker B: Man, it's. It's crazy, you know, and then, you know, I've said this before, but it's. It's, you know, it's.
It was never, you know, it was never, like.
How do I say this? I mean, it was always gonna happen. Yeah, I guess is what I'm trying to say.
[00:38:25] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:38:26] Speaker B: Oh, man, she. She's always been a superstar, you.
And now the. The moment that she's having and all this great stuff that's happening to her, I mean, it's just like, yeah, it was coming, you know, and I'm so glad that. That everybody now is. Is jumping on that train, man, because it's. It's great, man. She's phenomenal. The team she's got behind her is great. And, man, I just. I think the sky's the limit. I don't see any. Any slowing it down anytime soon. And so, yeah, man, it's her and all these other, you know, folks that I've came up with, you know, Muscadine and. And Parker winning album of the year the other night at AC Wild, bro.
[00:39:04] Speaker A: You.
[00:39:04] Speaker B: And.
[00:39:04] Speaker A: You and him road dog. Like you were talking about that gig where you owed the bar 100 bucks. Like, that was the era when you guys were playing shows together and not long before it.
[00:39:14] Speaker B: Y.
[00:39:14] Speaker A: You know.
[00:39:15] Speaker B: Yeah, man. So, I mean, it's just. It's really cool to see, you know, all your peers and all your friends that you came up with doing.
Doing great stuff, man. And I think it's great for music as well, because these artists that are putting out these badass, you know, records and doing all these things, you know, they're not. They're no slouches, man. They're great music. I think music is in a. A very good spot right now with. With where, you know, all these. All these artists are blowing up, man. I think country music is in a great way. Music in general is in a great way. Texas rock is going crazy right now. So I don't know, man. Music's in a. In a cool spot right now and. I don't know, I think there's a lot of cool stuff to come in the future.
[00:39:51] Speaker A: And you were talking about Texas rock. One of my favorite tweets to go back and look at are Corey Kent, who's going to be out with you on this tour, a good friend of yours, good friend of ours. I remember him putting out a tweet a few years back saying rock music didn't die, it just moved to Texas.
[00:40:04] Speaker B: Yeah, you bet.
[00:40:05] Speaker A: And it damn sure did.
[00:40:06] Speaker B: Yeah, I know I need to get that tatted on me, man, cuz that's. That's the case right now, dude. It's. It's crazy to see, you know, all these. All these bad trio going crazy. The Dexter, the moon rocks.
[00:40:17] Speaker A: Dexter having the biggest rocks.
[00:40:19] Speaker B: I love it.
[00:40:20] Speaker A: Those kids, bro, they're.
[00:40:21] Speaker B: They're all. They're all, you know, kick ass, you know, those cats, man. Austin, me, Gio, Dylan, Colby, Pecos. Man, like all these badass bands, man, it's. It's really cool. I think it's great for music. I think it's great for this Texas rock genre that's kind of formed over, you know, the last few years, man. And it's just. There's no telling. There's no end inside, I don't think, man. And it's. It's really cool to see and I don't know, man, it. It gives me the itch to get back in there and make some more rock music, to be honest with you, man, and. And get some of these younger cats to come out and. And. And teach me, Teach me what's going on these days, man.
[00:40:58] Speaker A: Yeah, get it. Have them coming in with you. Have them hang out Red Door with you and B. Yeah, it's been.
[00:41:03] Speaker B: Yeah, it's been too long. Yeah, me and Bayless will take her to the red door and show them what's. What it's about.
[00:41:08] Speaker A: Have them go shop for shop with
[00:41:09] Speaker B: Uncle Co. We wouldn't get sh done if we did that.
[00:41:12] Speaker A: Be wild, man. Well, dude, thank you so much for coming on here and hanging, man. Seriously. This is. This is a pod that I've been wanting to get since I first heard your music back in the day, dude. And congrats on this record, the Night Champion.
[00:41:24] Speaker B: It's.
[00:41:24] Speaker A: It's gonna do huge things, man. And I can't wait to see where. Where the next record goes.
[00:41:30] Speaker B: Yeah, for sure.
[00:41:30] Speaker A: And can't wait to get out to some of these shows on the road too. I'm thinking our. I'm thinking our paths will definitely cross at some point.
[00:41:36] Speaker B: Oh, for sure.
You gotta. You gotta come out, man, and just kick it with us for a couple days, dude.
[00:41:41] Speaker A: I would love.
[00:41:42] Speaker B: We'll break out the rumple and. And get crazy, dude.
[00:41:44] Speaker A: Yeah, we'll bring.
[00:41:45] Speaker B: We'll bring the. The alcohol free R. I'll.
[00:41:48] Speaker A: I'll find. I'll. I'll get my thc. For sure. I'll be. I'll be hanging like we did at that piano bar in Dallas after that bomb factory show. And we'll bring some cigars out too and hit some crowned heads. So y' all be sure to go check out the Night champion, the new record from our boy, CO Wetzel. Thank you again so much for coming on. Appreciate it. And you've been a day one raised rowdy guy too, Nick. I don't know if you remember back in the day, you played a show in Pittsburgh like in 2017, and Nick had helped with. With doing that show and stuff. So you're someone we've been covered and we've covered and had in our family for a long time. So full circle. Shout out to our friends from Surfside as well. No bubbles, no troubles. And for more on us visit raise rowdy.com from and co. I'm Matt Burrell. This has been outside the round.
[00:42:36] Speaker C: I ain't never been the kind for stare one place for too long I ain't never been the best at sin I love you to a girl I love only got a couple tricks up my sleeve they usually just make them leave so if you know me if you really know me you know I'm just a 2tr and the lack of money for show I'm just a two trick pony, yeah.
