Earlier this month, William Clark Green stopped by the Jarrod Morris Vibe Podcast to discuss music, money, college, and a pretty interesting segment about Koe Wetzel, Parker McCollum and the Texas Music Scene.
Over the last few years, we’ve seen Parker McCollum and Koe Wetzel explode in popularity. From Koe inking a deal with Columbia Records, to Parker seeing his first No. 1 on Country radio back in Decemeber of ’20 with “Pretty Heart.” With all of that said, it appears it doesn’t always sit well with some (and probably few) in the Texas Country music scene.
“Dude, I’m telling you, watching Parker and Koe pass us by..it’s a very tough pill to swallow. Especially when it first starts happening, cause you’re like, ‘they’re gonna put them ahead of us on this bill?‘ And then once you realize it, you’re like ‘sh*t,’ you go to a show and you’re like ‘holy sh*t, these people are going nuts.’ But what I tell guys that get bitter about it, and it’s a human reaction that’s normal, to have like this ‘fu*k you.’ But what I tell everyone is like, ‘dude the more eyes we have on this scene, the better it is for all of us.’ The more attention we can draw to our scene, the less power Nashville will have over us because they’ve had power over us for years.
Now, you’ll have to watch the video to understand Green’s tone and to know he’s not necessarily speaking from his personal feelings , but I can definitely understand why it could be frustrating for artists who have been around since 2008, like Green has for example, and then, out of nowhere, see artists like Koe and Parker take the scene by storm and get placed ahead of you on a festival lineup. Still, Green himself, reminds others of the benefit to having successful artists outside of Nashville and doesn’t seem to have any ill-will towards the two.
Koe and Parker, whom are close friends, deserve all of the success that’s came their way and then some, but William Clark Green is one of the most underrated artists in all of Country music. His answer also shows just how real and honest, yet humbled, he is.
Listen to the segment from the Jarrod Morris Vibe Podcast, below.