Country Rockers Southall Stir Up Some Good Ole Musical Rebellion on 'Scared Money' (Exclusive)

"We're out here hitting the blacktop running as fast as we can," frontman Read Southall says of the band's album and touring plans

Every word of Southall's new single "Scared Money" has a way of reverberating within the soul of singer/songwriter Read Southall.

"Maybe it's the blue-collar Oklahoman that's instilled in me," jokes Southall, 31, during an interview with PEOPLE.  "I mean, that's the way I was raised. 'Scared Money’ is a whistle while you work, feel good song for the working man. It doesn't matter where you're at in your journey. It's about the journey itself and about getting after it."

He pauses for a moment.

"It's also about not being scared to get after it," continues Southall of the rock and roll banger of a song that pays tribute to those who still have the balls to live life on their own terms, no matter what anyone might say. "It's about putting in the work. I mean, we're doing the same thing. We're out here hitting the blacktop running as fast as we can."

Indeed, it's this work ethic that has propelled the six-piece band made up of Southall, John Tyler Perry, Reid Barber, Jeremee Knipp, Braxton Curlis and Ryan Wellman to brand new heights in recent years, having first broken onto the scene in 2015 with the release of their debut album Six String Sorrow.

But back then, they were known as the Read Southall Band.

"We are scrapping the Read Southall Band and we're going with Southall as a whole in order to be more collaborative and inclusive and follow a whole band approach," explains Southall. "We are doing all we can to represent ourselves as authentic. The goal is to fire on all cylinders and be proud of what we're firing, you know? We want to be proud of what we're doing every day. Or else, we can go home and get jobs we all hate, but why would we want to do that?"

"Everybody wanted something to change as far as just how we are representing this thing, because before, it felt like you were attracting people that were thinking that they were about to get a guy on a guitar and his backing band," adds Barber, 28, who alongside his Southall bandmates snagged a hit single "Why" back in May of 2023. "But what they get is this full band, rock and roll show. This just feels more representative of all six of us."

Having kicked off 2023 overseas touring with Blackberry Smoke, Southall has been busy catching up with old fans and making new ones in the states while sharing the stage with artists such as the always authentic Chase Rice.

"I feel like that what got us here was being totally authentic," explains Southall. "My dad makes sure to tell me every time we talk, 'Don't be somebody who you're not.' Anybody can play dress up, you know?"

And the members of Southall know that true music fans can spot an imposter from a mile away.

"We want our old fans and the new fans to see this for what [Southall] is, which is a band effort,” says Barber. "We are a country, rock and roll, bluesy, all over the board band made up of a bunch of flavors. We want all the Baskin-Robbins flavors. We don't want just the chocolate or vanilla. We want everyone on board. I want to see the weirdos and the cowboys and the bikers. I want 'em all. I want to party with them all."

And from the sounds of it, the men of Southall may do just that as they ready their upcoming self-titled album for release on Sept. 22 and gear up for a just-announced world tour.

"This is a group effort," concludes Southall. "This new record is going to do a great job showcasing that. It's Southall or nothing. That's kind of where we're at."

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