Performers & Portrayers: A Zephyr Pilots Feature

The now 23-year-old has since written over 50 songs. Themes range from self-improvement to shedding light on the happenings of the world. “I’m no lyricist. But most of my lyrics come from life experiences. I don’t want my songs to be too emotionally based– there’s enough of that in the music industry,” Chris said. But it’s not all serious. Some songs have a fun cynical take, which helps the listener get a look from his perspective. He continued, “I want my music to be thought provoking– to cause listeners to reflect on how they handle things.”

McKee’s creative process is nothing short of inspired. He explained, “If I’m starting from nothing, I’ll focus on a rhythm or a beat in my head. Then, I’ll go to my guitar and play along to the beat that’s in my head. From there, I just play around with things that I think will sound cool. Half the songs I’ve recorded are just made up. If it doesn’t work in my head, it’s not gonna work.” He went onto say, “I’m a drummer first, so I think in rhythms. I don’t think in notes.” For him, making music is like a revolving door- in order for it to run smooth, you need to go over and over again, working out the kinks wherever they come up. His favorite thing about making music? Hearing it all come together.

Zephyr Pilot’s sound is a culmination of SoCal punk, 60’s & 70’s rock, with a dash of hair band. On paper, it sounds like a lot. In the words of Chris, it really is a “rag tag mix of different genres that’s got something for everyone.” But listening is a completely different story. One can feel the methodology of each note and beat placement. It all works together.

Though he doesn’t tend to focus on emotions, a large part of music to Chris is the feeling behind it. Stevie Ray Vaughn is another musical role model to McKee. He explained, “We both have a similar mentality toward music. It was more than music to him. It was a feeling.” In order to let the music speak for itself, the musician must let the instruments sing the loudest.

Just as Vaughn was greatly influenced by the scorching sounds of Jimi Hendrix, Chris has emulated his artistic abilities after some of rock’s finest. But no matter how hard one tries, an artist will never become who they are trying to replicate. This is the thing that McKee finds most beautiful about growing as an artist. “Some of the reasons why the best musicians are the way that they are is because they failed to emulate an artist. In the process, they found their own sound.”

Failure is all how you look at it. If your sights are set on becoming one thing, but you excel in everything else, you will always see yourself as a failure. For McKee, some of the bands that have impacted him the most are the ones that have mess ups. Their mistakes show him the importance of pushing forward– to keep driving toward the goals that he’s set both musically and personally.