Since the release of his fourth studio album Steel Town, we’ve been itching for new music from Steve Moakler. Today, the wait is officially over, as his fifth studio album Born Ready has officially arrived.
Inspired by both the excitement and triumphs of travel, Born Ready is filled with quality songs that are perfectly intentional. Moakler’s idea of life on the road looks different than most touring artists. For him, it isn’t putting miles on a tour bus or collecting hotel room keys from cities across America. It’s been a mix of touring off the beaten path in a vintage camper with his wife Gracie, and sleeping at truck stops in between shows at rock clubs and honky tonks with his band.
“I started writing Born Ready with truck drivers in mind, but quickly realized I was telling my own story too,” explained Moakler in a statement. “Whether your job has you behind the steering wheel or not, I think the road is a perfect metaphor for life. It’s about closing the distance between where you are and where you want to be.”
Celeb Secrets Country caught up with Moakler at this album release party on Tuesday (June 12) where he explained the writing and recording process, how it compares to Steel Town, and the three standout songs that are an absolute must-listen. Born Ready is one of those albums that you could listen to from top to bottom, so get your headphones ready and tap away to Moakler’s best work yet.
Take a read at our full Q&A below.
CS Country: Your new album, Born Ready, is getting ready for release. Can you go into detail of what inspired the album?
Steve Moakler: “The whole record theme started with the song “Born Ready,” which came to us as a surprise. I was asked to write a song for Mack Trucks as an assignment as a working songwriter. As we started to write the song I realized there was a whole well of inspiration there. We’d spend the better part of the last two years on the road and it is a big part of who I am and I haven’t written about it too much. Some of the songs are literally about the highway and life as a working musician, but other songs are the kind of places and memories that your mind might go to while on the road. I think of this record as a companion for people on their roads as well.”
CS Country: How would you describe the sound compare to Steel Town?
Steve Moakler: “Well we had a lot of the same team members on this album. One change we made was he brought my road guitarist, Joe Clemmons, in, which was cool! We got to spend a lot more time on the parts and bringing part of the road into the studio. It is cut from the same cloth as the last record, but I am really proud about how we pushed the boundaries out of what was there on the last record.”
CS Country: What was the process choosing the songs on the album?
Steve Moakler: “Choosing songs is a really important part to me, I really try to make a record that every track is an important place holder and isn’t stepping on the toes of any other songs. For that reason, there were a few songs that were writer before Steel Town that were stepping on the toes of some of those songs which we had in the back pocket which have a really great place on this album. Once “Born Ready” came together, that set the tone and revealed which songs belonged and inspired others that belonged.”
CS Country: What does it mean to you to have written or co-written on every song on this album?
Steve Moakler: “It means a lot! I was really proud to sing the song “Suitcase” on my last record, but that was the only song I ever recorded that I didn’t write. I just love great songs, and for me, the ultimate thrill is getting to write those songs. That is what brought me to this town and it is the favorite part of my job! I hope people can really feel how personal these songs are.”
CS Country: What are the top three songs on the album that people absolutely cannot miss?
Steve Moakler: “Man that is really tough. “Born Ready” is the heartbeat of the record to me, so that one. My personal favorite is a song called “Thirty,” that is just about the coming of age song for me. I literally turned thirty this year so it is a snapshot of my life and I am really proud of that song. There is a song called “Slow Down” I think is in new territory for me and it fits right in to the heart of the record, my wife likes that one a lot.”
CS Country: You just played CMA Fest! What was the highlight of that for you?
Steve Moakler: “The highlight is always just getting to see people we’ve seen across the country! As I said, we’re on the road a lot and more than I ever have! This was a really cool CMA Fest for me because I could really recognize a lot of faces from all over the country. It is really cool and super surprising to see them all in one place and rallying around our show! That energy is really cool to me.”
CS Country: Do you have any fan stories that have impacted you?
Steve Moakler: “There are a lot of little moments that keep the fire burning! The first thing you came to mind is that we were recently in a really scary accident in the middle of this tour, thank God everyone is okay! But whenever the smoke cleared and I had a minute to breathe and I was talking to some of the first responders, first of all it was two truck drivers who came to my rescue and pulled me out of the van. I had a chance to share with them the song “Born Ready” because they saw our trailer and it was sponsored by Mack Trucks. It was a really cool moment with them and then a police officer in that county was a fan of my music and had some of my songs on his iPod! After a really traumatic and scary thing, it was the coolest little redeeming moment that I felt encouraged by the guys taking care of me happened to be fans of my music.”
CS Country: We are Celeb Secrets Country, so what is a secret or fun fact about yourself?
Steve Moakler: “Here is something that would probably surprise a lot of people. This is a really quirky fact I am about to share with you… I have never eaten a cheeseburger from McDonalds, Burger King, or Wendy’s. None of them! It isn’t a health choice, it was just always as a kid I would only eat chicken nuggets and stuff, I was grossed out by weird beef. Then I got into eating steak when I was 18, and then I made my way to eating cheeseburgers and stuff, but to this day I have never had a cheeseburger from those places. I am sure they’re really good but I have this thing going for me and I’m going to ride it out. Of all the time I spend on the highway, I’ve never had a cheeseburger from those fast food places!”
