We recently connected with Jamie Koebe and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jamie, thanks for joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

There were quite a few moments when I was growing up that I knew I wanted to pursue being in a band. But the first one came when I was really young; maybe 5 or 6. Up until I was 10 or 11, my dad was singing, playing guitar and bass in bands. I can remember he was playing a gig somewhere outside and my mom had taken me for a ride just to drive past. I can remember seeing my dad on the stage playing and knowing that that’s something I’m going to do. I didn’t know how or in what capacity but I knew I wanted to someday be in a band.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Jamie Koebe. I play guitar and sing in a three-piece rock band based out of Green Bay, WI called Sweetalk. I play in Sweetalk with Brian Boelter (drums) and Andy Nader (bass). The three of us have been playing together for about 5 years. When we started playing together, we knew we wanted to make the songs our number one priority and I think we pride ourselves on that. I think that stems from us either playing in bands or seeing other bands that were great at social media and marketing but then lack luster or sound completely unoriginal when it came to songwriting. With our material in Sweetalk, we wanted high quality songwriting that was honest, fit our expression, and interests. If it takes ten bad songs to write one good song, we take those odds all day because we don’t want to be stuck with material we’re not proud of. I think the three of us keep coming back to this band because trying to write the best songs we possibly can is still our number one goal and it’s really one of few things (to some extent) that you can control as a band.

In the fall of 2021 we released a self titled record and this past September we released an EP titled (wrong places). Because we spent time and devoted our attention to songwriting, these two releases have really allowed us to reach wider audiences and it brought us new opportunities. We’ve been really fortunate as a band to be able to play the places we have and we couldn’t be more excited to hit the road more. Connecting with new fans via our live show is still one of the best feelings I’ve ever experienced while playing in a band. When we go somewhere we’ve never been and play to a room full of people who have never heard of us; you have to win them over. Some people are into it from the start, but as we play through the set, I always try to keep my eye on a few of the faces that haven’t made up their minds yet. Those are the people that make you give a little extra, play a little harder. If you can win them over, it’s one of the most rewarding feelings while playing music.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Like I mentioned earlier, we put a lot of time, energy, and effort into our songwriting. When we finish a song, bring it to the people, and see it connect; there really is no other feeling like it. The songs to us are the most honest and personal work we do, so to see someone get something out of what we do, it’s incredible.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

We’re very much a DIY band. We don’t have a manager, a label, a social media team. So for us, one hundred percent without a doubt, coming to a show and buying a piece of merch is the best way to support us. If you can’t get to a gig, buying a piece of merch from our website and following/liking our social media pages is the next best thing. $20 spent on a piece of our merch goes so much farther than most people realize.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sweetalkband.bandcamp.com/album/sweetalk-digital
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sweetalkband/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sweetalkband
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Sweetalkband
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@wearesweetalk
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5YcpMy7kUcvbpcSf0QzbJY?si=f9KyKjweT82YwGA_zyyvQQ

Image Credits
Image 1, 2 & 6: Dusty Hansen – Vestige Photography Image 3, 4, & 5: Chris Rugowski – Chicken or the Egg Photography