Brantley Gilbert
will always love his home state of Georgia, but Alabama has a pretty special place in his heart.
"When I think of Alabama, I automatically think of my farm," the country music superstar said. "That is absolutely my sanctuary."
Gilbert will return to perform at the
for the first time since spring 2014 this Saturday at 7:30 p.m. (
), and shortly after the show, he and his band will head southwest to his farm between Eufaula and Phenix City.
But before he can relax with some turkey hunting this weekend, there's work to do. The new father brings his "The Ones That Like Me Tour" to Alabama, continuing promotion his 2017 album "The Devil Don't Sleep."
Dubbed the "what you see is what you get guy," Gilbert doesn't look like your average country singer. Tatted up and often wearing camo tank tops and backwards hats, he yearns to simply be himself without taking breath to apologize for it.
The method has worked, with two albums going platinum in the U.S. and several singles climbing the charts.
He'll play the Runaway Country Festival in Kissimmee, Fla., on Friday before scooting up our way. In the meantime, check out our recent conversation that covered fatherhood, his faith and why he loves Alabama.
or read below.
How's the tour bus? Everybody OK?
Brantley Gilbert:
[Laughs] Everybody is fine. Everything is scorched. Something apparently in the engine. We won't know for another week or two. The insurance's going up to Montana to look at it. Both of my bus drivers are OK.
Congratulations on having a baby. I can imagine how life has changed in the last few months.
BG:
Oh it's wild.
How do things change musically when you have a child? Is there much change in terms of how you might write a song when you're pregnant and waiting on the baby and then when the baby is born and you can see and hold him?
BG:
I'll tell you what. As far as songwriting goes, it's been kind of hectic. You know, you've been through the newborn thing before. With the life we have in being gone and on the road, it's hard to slow down enough, really, to write a whole bunch of them. Even if you do, it's really hard. We're our own worst critics. I'm picky enough when it comes to songs, let alone a song about my boy. I'm gonna be extra picky about that. But I have written a couple about it. It's the coolest and best thing I've done with my life. I've never loved anything like I love that little boy. The songs that I do have about him, I don't know if they'll ever be good enough for me, but they're about as good as I can get.
You've obviously had a lot of success with this, but can you describe the feeling of sharing new music with fans at a show? Fans have an expectation of hearing what they already like, so it must be pretty exciting and a little scary to blend in the new stuff in hopes that they love it as much as your past work.
BG:
For sure. There's always that aspect. When you do a record or just put a song out, for whatever reason, you worry. At this point in my career, I'll be honest with you. I consider myself more of a songwriter than an artist. As a songwriter and being the "what you see is what you get guy," I can dance outside the box, and the band and I can kind of do our thing without having to worry about it too much. You want people to like what you're doing like anybody else. Our folks have been real good about rolling with the punches with us and going on the journey with us. If we step outside the box, they'll go with us.
Brantley Gilbert, above, last performed at the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater here in April 2014. (Ben Flanagan/AL.com)
You tour everywhere. You obviously have a lot of fans across a lot of different markets, and we know country music has a pretty universal appeal. But I'm curious about when you step out of the South, how do you find places up north or out west or wherever, how do you think they respond to such a southern sound and personality?
BG:
You know what? It's almost like they're hungry for it. We have a good time anywhere we're at. I love the South. The South is my home. I live in Georgia. I actually have a farm in Alabama. After the show this weekend, that's where I'm headed. I'm gonna go turkey hunting for a day or two. When we head up north or anywhere else, we were having this exact same conversation. They're country up there, too. They're a different kind of country, and they have a little bit of an accent, but they're still country.
How do you currently carry your faith into your music? Has being a father strengthened it, and do you feel like that's reflected at all in your songwriting?
BG:
For sure. Faith has always been important to me when it comes to putting records out and writing songs. Being the "what you see is what you get guy" kind of allows me to do this. Inevitably it happens because I'm writing songs about my life, and my records are chapters of my life. God has been and always will be a massive part of my life, and my faith will be. I feel like it'll always be a part of my songwriting as well. It's an important aspect of what we do. There may a guy that wants to come to the show, and I'm the guy that sings about drinking and fighting and partying. And he buys the record and he takes it home and goes 'OK so there's a little bit more to him than tattoos and chains.' Maybe there's an opportunity that speaks to him a little bit. I do believe firmly that it's one of the reasons we are where we are. I believe God blesses what we do because we do keep our faith a big part of it.
If I were to show someone who hadn't heard your music a photo of you, I don't think they'd guess you were a country musician. You're unique to the genre in many ways including your appearance. Your tattoos, your clothes, even your baseball cap. It seems like it's easy for a lot of aspiring country artists to conform to the stereotypes of the genre, so why do you think you managed to avoid that and people listened anyway?
BG:
That was pretty simple for me. There's guys out there wearing cowboy hats that ain't never been on a horse. To me, one of my favorite parts about my job is I get to be the "what you see is what you get guy." I'm the reigning worst-dressed champion at these awards shows. It don't bother me all that much. What I wear on stage is what I wear to take my wife out to dinner or get on my motorcycle to ride around. I feel like I'm giving people that much more of who I am. If I put on a fancy outfit, I'd almost feel like I'm pretending to be something I'm not. I like what I'm doing a lot better. I don't have to try to represent an 'image' or 'brand.' I am who I am, and I'm proud of it. Looking back, there are some things in my life, there's stuff we can't take back like we all have. I've got a wild side a country mile wide, and a lot of people are aware of that and there's no running from it. But I'm proud of who I am today. I'm like anybody else. There's always things I could do better or different. But I'm proud of who I am, and I tote that around with me.
What do you think is the most Georgia thing about you and your music? You obviously come from the South, and that's reflected in your music and attitude, but what do you think specifically speaks to your Georgia upbringing that people might not otherwise notice?
BG:
The way that I've stayed myself. I feel like that's the honest answer. Hopefully that shines through in my music. I moved to Nashville for a year, and there's nothing wrong with Nashville or the people in it. But I live at home because I'm around the people and places I started writing about and grew up around. Those people also aren't afraid to hold me accountable. They've known me since I was young. They know I'd be offended if I did something they thought was questionable or unlike me and they didn't call me out. I would hope that it shows through in my music. That was something I was raised to value and make sure I kept important, to be yourself. I was raised and taught to strive to be a good husband and father, to do you and be who you are and proud of it and show people who you are.
What is your experience in Alabama? Did you spend much time in Alabama growing up or starting out as a musician?
BG:
Not as much when I was young. But for the past five years, I've had a farm between Eufaula and Phenix City. That is absolutely my sanctuary, man. That is my favorite place in the world outside of wherever my wife and son are at. And if they're at the far, it's definitely my favorite place in the world. I love my home in Georgia. It'll always be home, but my place in Alabama is my sanctuary. It's a deer farm. It's all handicap accessible, so we can bring out disabled vets and kids. It's an awesome place and time. When I think of Alabama, I automatically think of my farm.
Brantley Gilbert will perform at the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater on Saturday, March 24. Buy tickets online.