Steve Moakler
Steve Moakler | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Born | New Jersey |
Origin | Bethel Park, Pennsylvania |
Genres | Country |
Labels | Creative Nation |
Website | stevemoakler |
Steve Moakler is an American country musician and songwriter from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania and now based in Nashville.[1] He has released five studio albums and has written songs for Nashville recording artists including Dierks Bentley's song "Riser."[2]
Early life
[edit]Steve Moakler's mother was a nurse and his father an architect. His father's stereo and record collection inspired Steve,[3] who started playing guitar and writing songs at age 14; Steve formed his first band in middle school.[1] He played throughout Pittsburgh during his high school years. He graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2006 and turned down an independent record deal to move to Nashville.[1]
Steve Moakler attended Belmont University in Nashville, taking classes during the week and playing shows on the weekends. After two years he left school to focus full-time on his music career.[1]
Career
[edit]After moving to Nashville, Moakler began co-writing with songwriters[4] such as Gordie Sampson, Barry Dean, and Luke Laird.[1][3][5][6] He co-wrote Dierks Bentley's 2015 single "Riser," which Bentley said he built his album around.[2] Moakler's songs have been recorded by Reba McEntire,[7] Ashley Monroe, Jake Owen, Ben Rector, and others.[8]
As a performer and recording artist, Moakler's work has been praised by Rolling Stone Country as "thoughtful singer-songwriter fare in the blue-collar vein."[9] His first record, All the Faint Lights, was self-published. In 2011 he formed his own label, Free the Birds; he released two more albums independently, Watching Time Run and Wide Open. The label also used the money raised to combat sex trafficking.[10] In 2014, Beth Laird of Creative Nation sought out Moakler and retained him under management.[11] In 2016, he worked with Laird, a Creative Nation producer on a self-titled EP, whose songs made up the first half of his 2017 album, Steel Town.[6] Moakler says the latter album was inspired by his upbringing in Pittsburgh.[12]
It has been called a more personal album,[1][6] as well as his "most country" album.[13][14] The first single, "Suitcase," became his first radio hit and first music video.[6] The second single was "Love Drunk," followed by a third single, "Wheels."[13] Moakler released his fifth album, Born Ready, in 2018. The album has been critically acclaimed[15][16] with Bobby Moore praising its "pop gems that clear the barrier between Americana and the country charts."[17] Moakler was called an artist to watch by numerous outlets[12] including Rolling Stone Country,[9] Spotify,[18] and Taste of Country.[5] H
He was heavily promoted by SiriusXM’s senior director of programming J.R. Schumann[19] on station “The Highway.” The station had him open their inaugural “The Highway Finds Tour.”[12][20][8] Moakler made his Grand Ole Opry debut on March 19, 2016.[21] He opened for parts of Dan + Shay's "Obsessed Tour", Old Dominion's "Meat & Candy Tour",[22] Willie Nelson's "God's Problem Child Tour", as well as Tim McGraw and Faith Hill's "Soul2Soul World Tour".[23] Moakler toured in late 2017 and late 2018 on the "Hometowns and Campgrounds Tour;"[24] he headlined during spring 2018 on the "Born Ready Tour."[25]
Moakler's music has been featured in several movies, TV shows, and commercials.[26] Two of his songs appeared in the movie October Baby and two songs were featured in the Netflix show The Ranch.[27] In 2017, Mack Trucks commissioned him to write and perform a song, “Born Ready,” for the release of their Anthem truck series.[28][29]
Discography
[edit]Studio albums
[edit]Title | Details | Peak chart positions | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
US Heat [30] |
US Indie [31] |
US Country [32] |
US Folk [33] | ||
All the Faint Lights |
|
— | — | — | — |
Watching Time Run |
|
6 | 31 | — | — |
Wide Open |
|
4 | 37 | — | 5 |
Steve Moakler: The Mix Tape |
|
— | — | — | — |
Steve Moakler: The EP |
|
21 | — | 38 | — |
Steel Town |
|
— | — | — | — |
Born Ready |
|
— | — | — | — |
Blue Jeans |
|
— | — | — | — |
Make A Little Room |
|
— | — | — | — |
Music videos
[edit]Year | Title | Director |
---|---|---|
2016 | "Suitcase"[34] | Wes Edwards |
2017 | "Wheels" | Steve Boyle |
2017 | "Born Ready" | Mark Urmos |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f Deitch, Charlie (May 6, 2015). "Bethel Park native Steve Moakler returns to his musical roots". Pittsburgh City Paper. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
- ^ a b Lendenmuth, Katy (June 15, 2015). "Dierks Bentley Explains Why New Single 'Riser' Is a 'Once In a Career' Song". Billboard. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
- ^ a b Hoover, Carl (April 16, 2015). "Songs drive Steve Moakler's 'Humble Operations' in Common Grounds Visit". Waco Tribune-Herald. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
- ^ Farley, Cassie (21 May 2015). "Playing for a Dollar a Day - Steve Moakler Interview". Retrieved 4 December 2015.
- ^ a b Dukes, Billy (January 7, 2016). "Hot Artists to Watch". Taste of Country.
- ^ a b c d Reuter, Annie (March 15, 2017). "Steve Moakler's 'Steel Town' is a Personal Album of Roots and Reflection". Sounds like Nashville.
- ^ Tracy, Brianne (March 17, 2017). "How Steve Moakler's New Album Pays Homage to the Hometown that gave him 'Strength'". People.
- ^ a b Staff (March 16, 2017). "Steve Moakler's SiriusXM Inaugural 'Highway Finds Tour' Launches Today". Country Music Tattle Tale.
- ^ a b Staff (February 1, 2016). "10 New Country Artists You Need to Know: Steve Moakler". Rolling Stone Country.
- ^ Rosokoff, Jacqueline (14 December 2011). "Steve Moakler On The Making Of His Latest Album & Why He's Been Jumping Out Of Planes". TuneCore. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
- ^ Stephenson, Troy (17 November 2014). "Steve Moakler Inks Management Deal with Creative Nation". MusicRow. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
- ^ a b c Pierce, Susan (April 6, 2017). "Rising Country Music Star Steve Moakler has Roots of Steel". Times Free Press.
- ^ a b Manning, Craig (16 March 2017). "Steve Moakler: Steel Town". Chrous.fm.
- ^ Staff (March 20, 2017). "Steve Moakler's Nostalgic Music Video "Wheels" Premieres Exclusively on CMT". EB Media.
- ^ Wiggins, Mark (June 18, 2018). "Review: Steve Moakler: Born Ready". Six Shooter Country.
- ^ Manning, Craig (June 15, 2018). "Review: Steve Moakler - Born Ready". Chorus.fm.
- ^ Moore, Bobby (June 2018). "Album Review: Steve Moakler - Born Ready". Wide Open Country.
- ^ Staff. (December 15, 2015). "Spotlight on Country". Spotify.
- ^ Staff (July 28, 2016). "Billboard's 2016 Nashville Power Players List Revealed". Billboard.
- ^ Tady, Scott (February 4, 2017). "8 Entertainment Bites". Times Online. Archived from the original on July 30, 2018. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
- ^ Laffer, Lauren (March 22, 2016). "Steve Moakler Makes Grand Ole Opry Debut". Sound like Nashville.
- ^ "Steve Moakler Debuts Brand New Single 'Suitcase'". For The Country Record. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
- ^ Staff (March 13, 2017). "10 Questions with Steve Moakler". All Access.
- ^ Giardina, Courtney (Fall 2017). "Steve Moakler is Heading to his Fans' Backyards". Wide Open Country.
- ^ Casey, Jim (February 18, 2018). "Steve Moakler: Born Ready Tour". Nashville Country Daily.
- ^ Whitaker, Sterling (19 November 2015). "Steve Moakler Goes Back in Front of the Mic for 'Suitcase' [Exclusive Premiere]". Taste of Country. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
- ^ Trigger. (October 25, 2016). "Music from Season Two of the Ranch". Saving Country Music.
- ^ Harris, John (September 12, 2017). "Mack Unveils New Highway Truck". The Morning Call. Archived from the original on July 30, 2018. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
- ^ Pollack, Judann (November 13, 2017). "When Country Wasn't Cool". Adage.com.
- ^ "Steve Moakler Album & Song Chart History - Heatseekers Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
- ^ "Steve Moakler Album & Song Chart History - Independent Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
- ^ "Steve Moakler Album & Song Chart History - Country Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
- ^ "Steve Moakler Album & Song Chart History - Folk Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
- ^ "CMT : Videos : Steve Moakler : Suitcase". Country Music Television. Archived from the original on October 9, 2016. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
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