“It’s a dream come true,” said Joey Cool. On a tour bus counting down the hours until his set on Tech N9ne’s Planet Tour stop, Cool reflected on his past while looking toward the future.

He’s toured with Tech N9ne before and worked with other Strange Music Artists, but these are special times for the artist born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri.

On May 4th, he released his Strange Music self-titled debut album.

“To see my face on a Strange Music album. Have them back it and put it out, it’s great,” he said. “A lot of my friends are on the label before me. I got to see them. I got to be a part of their albums and everything.”

Cool keeps his focus on the road ahead.

“I got a lot of things I would like to do,” he said. “I’m just getting started. There’s a long way for me to go. The main thing is I’d like to keep touring. To stay on the road, honestly, is one of the next goals I have. Go out with some more artists on the label. Just keep the momentum going.”

While most work 9 to 5 jobs, 5 days a week, Tech N9ne tours are full-time adventures with stretches lasting weeks without a single day off.

“We’re doing House of Blues tonight in New Orleans. That’s some of the coolest things; playing the arenas and bigger spots.”

Cool feeds off the energy of shows.

“I kind of blackout out there,” he said. “It’s really an energy thing. I feed on that. And they do the same. They feed off my energy. I try to get my adrenaline going so that I can make sure we’re feeding off each other with the same type of energy.”

Cool’s drive and determination keep him going.

“I’ve been an underdog forever,” he said. “I’ve always had a chip on my shoulder. I still kind of do. That’s just how I am. That’s how I get to where I’m going with a chip on my shoulder. But that also humbles you when I get in front of all these fans and seeing people for the first time. And everyone being appreciative and saying thank you for coming here and shit like that. You got to step back and say ‘Damn. I didn’t know it was like that. My bad. I’ll be back, then.’ It’s still kind of surreal to me a lot of the time.”

-Michael Hulin Smith

Photos of Joey Cool on Tech N9ne’s Planet Tour show at Vinyl Music Hall 05/22/2018