Is Koe Wetzel the next country artist to own their own bar in Nashville?
Koe Wetzel was once again a guest on the Whiskey Riff Raff podcast, and while he was on this time around, he spoke about his most recent album 9 Lives, what it’s been like gaining mainstream notoriety and working more in Nashville, working on a new album and when a traditional country music record could be coming, having such a passionate fan base, becoming a dad soon, going on tour with Hardy this summer, and much more.
One of the other things that came up in our conversation with the country star was his Fort Worth bar – Koe Wetzel’s Riot Room. There’s actually another one that’s set to open in Houston sometime soon, but as Koe explained, they’ve had a lot of red tape to cut through to get it up and running:
“It was supposed to open in May, and we keep pushing it back. We had some permit issues or whatever it was. And Houston’s such a big city, right? I think we’re pushing for June-ish or July maybe. It’s totally finished. Everything is done. We’re just waiting on the small things.
It’s kind of like a record. You have everything (done), but now you’ve gotta do the album cover and it’s gotta go through so many people. That’s kind of how we’ve attacked this whole thing. You take what you know from music and making records is kind of like making a bar.”
Wetzel stated that they’ve learned a lot from their already established Fort Worth location, and that he “hadn’t been arrested at that one yet,” which is always a good sign for the modern-day outlaw artist. Koe said they are also exploring Riot Room locations in other parts of Texas, but we were wondering if he was going to bring one to Nashville, Tennessee.
We asked if there was any truth to Koe and his team purchasing a potential bar or establishment in Music City, and here’s what he had to say:
“Yes, and they are wanting us to turn it into a Riot Room. Like I’ve said, I feel like it’s a… I love Nashville so much, right? And I’ve got a lot of respect for it. But I don’t feel like (the Riot Room would work). I’m from Texas, I’m a Texas boy. That’s why we started the Riot Rooms in Texas, because it’s my roots and that’s where I’m from.
(It’s a) bury me in Texas type deal. I didn’t feel like it was right for me to open up my Nashville bar. I’ll let everyone else have at it and we’ll just stay to our own in Texas. I don’t know what it is. I can’t really say too much about it.”
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So Koe’s Nashville place won’t be a Riot Room… but it sure sounds like it’ll still have Koe’s name written all over it.
Later in the interview, he voiced how much he admires artists that have bars in Nashville, and how being able to join in on that fun would be a dream come true:
“I feel like that’s the dream, right? Being an artist and having your own bar, that’s really cool. Especially to have it on Broadway or in Nashville for that matter, I think that’s a really cool thing. I know a lot of people hate on it, but I think it’s awesome.”
Considering the popularity of the Riot Room in Texas, I’d say a Nashville bar brought to you by Koe Wetzel would be just as crowd-pleasing.
You can hear Wetzel talk about all of that and more by downloading the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Just search “Whiskey Riff Raff” or click here.
We’re also available on Spotify and wherever else you can listen to podcasts.
Cheers, y’all.
