How Warren Zeiders Plays To Win

On March 15, Warren Zeiders will be headlining the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo in front of 70,000 fans. Last year, he was playing a tent in the parking lot of that same rodeo for just 400 people. That’s how you know the world’s caught on real fast to this country star who came out of nowhere, fast and furious.

“That just shows you how good God is. And how grateful I am for my fans and the faith that RODEOHOUSTON has in me,” Zeiders told Cowboys & Indians right before the release of his new double album, Relapse, Lies, & Betrayal.

But long before he said yes to that coveted invitation, the Pennsylvania native was working hard at honing his craft — first as a lacrosse player for 12 years, and then as a country music hopeful. No matter what he sets his mind to, he says, he is all in.

The catalyst for that significant pivot from sports to music was his 7^th concussion. After playing throughout middle and high school, Zeiders went on to play lacrosse at Frostburg State University. But by the time his freshman year was over, he’d reached his limit. “I had a come-to-Jesus moment my sophomore year. It was just like, ‘This is not good for me anymore.’”

So even though his identity was tied to lacrosse, it was time to walk away. “That wasn’t God’s plan for me,” he says. So between his doctor, his family, and ultimately a call to his grandfather, Zeiders left the sport behind. “My grandfather was actually my sounding board. I remember calling him up and crying. I was like, ‘I don’t know what to do. I can’t do this anymore. I’m not a quitter. But my head’s not in it anymore.’”

But Zeiders didn’t move immediately from the lacrosse field to the honky-tonks.

He moved back home, picked up a guitar, and started messing around. “I was doing it for shits and gigs, just to pass the time,” he recalls of the isolation of the pandemic. “When I first started posting videos, there was no rhyme or reason.” But the feedback from followers was snowballing, to the point where they started asking for original songs.

It was the motivation he needed to get serious about music.

“I’d never said I was a songwriter. So I wrote my first song in my childhood bedroom. I went to Guitar Center to buy a microphone, interface, cables, and soundproofing panels. Eventually, the inevitable trip to Nashville lit a fire under Zeiders that’s still as hot now as it was then. “My first ever cowrite, the second song I wrote in my life was ‘Ride the Lightning,’ which was my first hit song.”

That’s what flipped the switch for him. He was all in.

“I bet it all on black,” Zeiders says. “I said to my parents, ‘I went to Nashville and I’m dropping out of college.’ They were like, ‘Well, we don’t agree with you.’” But Zeiders didn’t care.

That whole first year, Zeiders says, he spent his time writing, recording, writing, recording, and perfecting that muscle — “just writing and getting better at it and knowing what I want to say.

And once that became second nature, he had to get out of the studio and onto the stage. And because of the viral nature of his socials — and his commitment to staying engaged with those fans — booking a tour was a no-brainer. “I put 15 acoustic dates up, and we sold out in 36 hours.”

While his music influences are wide-ranging, when it comes to looking the part, that’s pure country. “As for the cowboy hat, that’s something I really wanted because I loved Garth Brooks and George Strait, and that’s what they wore,” Zeiders says.

His jeans are Wranglers, his hats are Rodeo King, and his boots are Tecovas. Then there’s his belt buckle.

“This belt buckle I’ve been wearing since I started is my great-grandfather’s. He bought it on a hunting trip in Montana. My grandmother found it when he passed away, and she gave it to me,” Zeiders says. “I love it so much because there’s an eagle on it. And the thing I love about eagles is that they fly above the clouds, and they fly alone. So it’s the mentality of the eagle — or the lone wolf. I have a hard time trusting people.”

Even if he’s only 25, Zeiders considers himself an old soul. “I’ve never felt my age,” he says, and his songs reflect a knowing beyond his years. “You hear ‘Relapse,’ and it’s about youthful love and you’re still trying to figure out how can you break it off. But then you have a beautiful song like ‘Love and Letting Go’ that I hold so near and dear to my heart. That’s the one song on the record that I cried writing and singing. That one will put a hole in your chest.”

“Addictions” is another highlight on the new album. “After I wrote it, I put up a TikTok of me sitting in my living room on the floor after I’d just bought my house,” Zeiders recalls. “I had just moved in and was checking it out for the first time. I brought my guitar with me, and I sat on the floor and the acoustics were great ’cause there was nothing in here.” His addiction, he confesses is his love for the music industry and what he’s doing. “I’m obsessed. I’m addicted. And I’m choosing my addictions over you.”

Six Songs I Wish I’d Written: Warren Zeiders’ Envy Playlist

• Morgan Wallen’s “Man Made a Bar”
• Chris Stapleton’s “Whiskey and You”
• Koe Wetzel’s “Drunk Driving”
• Craig Campbell’s “Outskirts of Heaven”
• Jason Isbell’s “Cover Me Up”
• Tyler Childers’ “Nose on the Grindstone”

Check out Warren Zeiders at warrenzeiders.com.

PHOTOGRAPHY: Austin Screws