From the Rockies to Rock-N-Roll: Zerita McAtee’s Journey from Montana Outfitter to Nashville Musician
Trading the saddle for a guitar, Zerita McAtee’s journey from outfitter’s daughter to aspiring rockstar takes root at Lipscomb University as she immerses herself in the community, honing her craft and finding her sound.
Zerita McAtee, junior commercial music songwriting major from West Glacier, Montana, merges her love for rock and folk music with her faith and personal journey to create music that is not only relatable but fun to listen to.
McAtee didn’t have a musical up-bringing, rather she comes from a family that spent a lot of time outdoors. “We’re basically outfitters which is working with horses, taking people into the woods, fishing and hunting so very not what I’m pursing right now,” she says. However, music was always around, “we would listen to country music and also classic rock I discovered from my dad at a very young age.”
Her love for singing began with participating in her school’s choir, but it wasn’t until she received a guitar that McAtee’s passion for songwriting ignited. “That was really when it all changed,” she says. “When I did start writing songs and I started off on a very Christian music kind of path and sonically was pretty typical to what Christian music is.”
McAtee says she knew she wanted to lean into the classic rock sound she grew up listening to while sticking to faith-based themes throughout her music. “I felt kind of a calling, definitely through Christ that it was something I was meant to pursue going into my senior year,” she says. This ultimately led her to Lipscomb’s music program where she is gaining more knowledge about music and finding herself as an artist.
“Just being in the musical community in itself really helped me both in terms of what I was listening to because I got a lot more knowledgeable about what I loved about music like I said I love rock music and being around other people who know about it, I was able to break down the parts of it I love and translate that into what I’ve been writing on my own since then.”
McAtee’s transition to Lipscomb has been beneficial to her musical growth. Before starting college, she knew the basics to guitar and writing lyrics but since she has been here, she has been able to develop her own sound. “I love coming up with unique cord progressions that kind of have that more blues-y rock sound. So I love being able to do that through acoustic guitar playing,” she says.
Specifically, her writing style has evolved during her time at Lipscomb. “I did start off coming to Lipscomb wanting to be a straight ahead Christian musician. That has changed so much since I got here,” she says. “I came to find that I did not have that passion for contemporary Christian music which my first two releases were somewhat within that realm.”
Don Chaffer, Lipscomb artist in residence, says that McAtee’s songwriting has benefited from the way she approaches life. “She as deepened both as a person and as a writer with the kind of things that she observes in people and situations around her,” says Chaffer. “The way she writes about them has gotten more nuanced and moving.”
Chaffer says that Zerita has not only honed her musical talent, but has been able to develop her artistic vision here at Lipscomb. “I feel like Zerita’s voice has just continued to get stronger, by which I mean her singing voice has not only continued to improve, but I mean her artistic voice has been clearer and clearer,” says Chaffer.
McAtee’s first two songs have strong faith-based lyrics but now she aims to write songs that are more universally relatable to listeners. “I’m kind of evolving into more of an introspective and universal type of songwriting. But with it being songs that are so personal and about myself, my faith comes into play,” she adds.
Drawing influences from 70s rock bands, Zerita McAtee is making music that is sonically rich with great hooks and melodies while intertwining complex and meaningful lyrics. “I try and make sure that I have that music theme that could be universally recognized because if you don’t have good music in my opinion no one is going to be listening to the lyrics,” says McAtee.
“Once I have a hook and a melody that I love, I bring in the lyrics,” she adds. “I try and write things that are concrete and tangible that are specific to my situation, but at the same time when it comes to those hooks, the parts that everyone is going to remember, I try and make it something that could be relatable to more people than just me.”
McAtee explores blues, folk and rock sounds while writing with a purpose. “I like it to be the kind of rhythm that makes you move and I love lyrics that are meaningful,” says McAtee. “I just try to be honest with what I’m saying.”
Fleetwood Mac, Led Zeppelin and Heart are just a few artists that McAtee admires. She highlights the passion and musical elements from Stevie Nicks’ songwriting to Led Zeppelin’s arrangements that influence her own music. “I enjoy the kind of music that has stood the test of time cause I find that theres such a passion in it,” she says. “There’s definitely artists that are starting to get back into that today but I just find it most prevalent in that kind of music.”
While her songwriting is still evolving, McAtee aims for a unique folk-rock fusion with her sound. Recently, she has experimented with a harder rock sound while still sticking to her folk roots. “I’ve been doing more work with electric guitar, more experimenting with just that sound that’s a lot heavier than what I was doing before,” she says.
One challenge that McAtee has faced is finding an audience for her music. She says that there is an audience for folk music and rock music separately, but not necessarily for the fusion of the two. “It’s even harder to kind of merge the folk and the rock, which I know that there was an audience for that maybe about 50 years ago, but it’s hard to find that in today’s current culture for music.”
Chaffer says that this could be a result of algorithms as well as practicality. He suggests that the trouble comes from figuring out how to approach a folk-rock show when the genres are different live. “I think that that particular division between the kind of sit and listen to it and the stand up and rock with it thing is tricky,” he says.
McAtee currently has three songs released under the name Zerita Angell: “The Hearth,” “Ten Silver Coins” and “Wild Rose.”
Her first song, “The Hearth,” focuses on love and acceptance from Christ but with an up-lifting beat. McAtee describes this song as being celebratory, but also raw and honest. Her second release, “Ten Silver Coins,” is different sonically as it is more striped back but follows a similar theme lyrically as it is based off a parable in the Bible.
McAtee released her third song, “Wild Rose,” on Aug. 2nd. She says that the idea for this song came from an unexpected inspiration— a simple Canadian license plate. “This summer, when I saw the Alberta license plate, which I never really paid that much attention to, but on the bottom it says Wild Rose. It just really struck me,” she says.
“When I heard that phrase, wild rose, it, for some reason, really hit me, even though roses are a pretty overused cliche,” she adds. The theme of this song comes from the fact that wild roses are not your typical garden rose, rather, “it’s more on the outside, and it grows naturally, but it’s just as beautiful,” says McAtee.
McAtee ties it altogether with her merge of folk and rock elements. The instrumentals for this song were inspired by one of her favorite bands, Heart, with the use the acoustic guitar, blues guitar and an exciting drum build-up.
McAtee is excited for listeners to hear her play guitar on “Wild Rose.” “I have this very fun finger picking part that was super fun to record all throughout the song, starting from the intro, which is just me solo on acoustic guitar, all the way up to the bridge,” she adds.
Working with producer and Lipscomb Alum, Alex Fincher, McAtee shares one challenge they faced while recording her upcoming EP. “Alex and I booked like 12 hours where we sang, I sang, all of the vocals for all the songs, which was so many takes per song. And by the time that we got to “Wild Rose,” I was very worn out,” she says. However, she believes that this adds rawness and passion to the song. “I had been singing all day and it’s really just real. And that’s what I think I love most about this song and the music that I want to be making.”
Fincher describes McAtee as an artist who knows exactly what she wants in the studio, making the experience both smooth and productive. “Zerita is honest in the recording process, unafraid to share her opinion, if she loves a musical part or isn’t feeling it. This led to an efficient partnership in the studio,” he says.
“Wild Rose” is the first single from McAtee’s upcoming project. She is releasing a 5 song EP that will be classified under her unique sound. McAtee says that some are similar to her previous releases with more faith-based lyrics while some have lyrics that are more universal. “I have some songs that are very worship-based with that same kind of 70s sound but I also have some songs that are more straight-ahead rock and the lyrics are about things like heartbreak and that stuff,” she says. “It’s definitely a big step for me.”
When discussing the creative process behind McAtee’s single “Wild Rose,” Fincher highlights the song’s blend of raw emotion and layered instrumentation that comes from McAtee’s unique approach to music. He says that “‘Wild Rose’ is unique because it has a deep spiritual meaning, hidden behind a moody rock and roll track… Most of my work came in helping her deliver the best acoustic and vocal part possible.”
“I want to be a rock star and I tell this to everyone as kind of a joke, but it is true.”
Zerita McAtee aspires to have a sustainable music career one day— one where she tours and performs with a band constantly, recording albums, and living a life where she gets to make music. She is hopeful that the connections she will make at Lipscomb will get her there. “I don’t know if those future band partners are here at this school or somewhere else, but regardless, I have made super valuable connections,” she says. “Through my friendships, people I’ve written with, and especially the professors who have already introduced me to a lot of people that are definitely going to help in furthering me towards that goal.”
Noting her willingness to explore different styles of music while staying true to herself, Fincher is confident in McAtee’s future as an artist. “Zerita’s going to have a long career experimenting with different sounds and bands and producers… She makes music that SHE would love, with no care toward ‘the industry,’ or what’s ‘in,'” he adds.
The School of Music offers students unique opportunities to gain experience in their craft. McAtee is involved in ensemble, a school sanctioned band, that allows her to collaborate with other students and perform in front of her peers.
“You just spend a lot of time together sharing an artistic effort,” says Chaffer. “So it’s a great kind of playground for finding collaborators, musical collaborators.”
While the Lipscomb community is supportive, it can also be competitive. “There’s just a lot of people, and we’re all kind of trying to do something very different but at the same time we have a common goal,” says McAtee. She says that this motivates her to pave her own path. “I kind of just balance that by trying to be unique in my approach and trying to not let any other accomplishments that they make bother me because I know that eventually my time will come and that what I am trying to do is so different,” she adds.
“I definitely would not be where I am with my music if not for coming to Lipscomb. I have always been someone who is very creative and passionate about what I’m doing but being in that environment where there is so many people trying to do the same thing, it can be competitive at times but it’s something that really drives me and while it is competitive it’s also supportive.”
She says that her upcoming EP was one big collaboration between people she has met through the School of Music. From working with alumni to writing music with Jolie Wing from the band Jonnie, collaborating with people from different backgrounds opens the door to new ideas. “I think that definitely influences the sound when you have the producer and the artist kind of coming from different standpoints,” says McAtee. “It’s a very collaborative effort between me and a lot of people within the music school.”
Zerita McAtee’s journey from the mountains of Montana to the bustling music scene of Nashville is a testament to her passion and dedication for her craft. Her time at Lipscomb University has marked the beginning of Zerita Angell, allowing her to pursue her love for classic rock and folk music while being able to stay true to her faith.
“The easiest way to sum it up is I love Jesus whether I’m writing directly about Jesus or not and I love rock-n-roll and there’s lots of sides to that.”
Zerita is releasing her next single, “Careless Ammunition,” on Oct. 18th and performing a show at The Well Coffeehouse on Oct. 24th. You can find her music here. Keep up with upcoming shows and future releases through her social media or her website.
