Brantley Gilbert is in a growth period as he navigates the current chapter of his life.
Fresh off the release of his latest album, Sins of the Father, the country singer joined the Whiskey Riff Raff podcast and talked to us about his very personal record, broke down his song “F***ed Me Up” that featured over 15 f-bombs, how the one feature on the album with Jelly Roll tackled homelessness, and how he feels that modern music consumption has hurt country’s storytelling.
Gilbert also talked to us about how he’s gotten back into church, the work he does to help veterans and why he saw Toby Keith as such an inspiration, the importance of being open about mental health, and the challenges of splitting time on the road and with his family,
The country singer said he loves the chapter of life that he’s in, but admitted that it comes with some challenges. That’s actually what Sins of the Father explores. It’s some of Gilbert’s most reflective work, and if you noticed that there’s some themes of faith and religion within the album, there’s an explanation for that:
“My wife drug my butt back to church… I kind of got away from church because of church people, you know what I mean? Not that I ever got to the point in my faith where I thought God wasn’t real. I just feel like some of us go through chapters of life where we stray. You can be pushed away.”
Now that he’s gotten back into church, he’s found that he can confide in believers around him, and that’s been a powerful step for him… especially as he’s entered into fatherhood.
Gilbert admitted that he wasn’t sure he was ever going to be the type that became a father and raised a family. Now that he’s in that stage of life, he couldn’t imagine it any other way. And as many dads find out, the role of “father” leads to a lot of learning lessons, and requires an openness to learn from them:
“When we have kids we all want to be the best dad they could ask for, right? And I got in the habit of saying that and subconsciously thinking I was doing it. My wife’s really good at holding me accountable and brought some things to my attention about being present. Not just being there but BEING THERE, and I wasn’t doing a good job of it. I thought I was.
That’s the story of being a dad. Thinking you know some s**t and then an 8, 6, and 1 and a half year old reminding you on a daily basis that you don’t know a damn thing.”
He told us that he loves growing every day, and being the best husband and father that he can be. That’s when he also touched on how hard it is to fulfill those two jobs while also taking care of his country music career. He can’t help but feel torn between the two things:
“When I’m at home, I feel like I’m supposed to be out earning and spending time with these folks that have helped us build this crazy thing over 20 years. When I’m out there, I feel like I’m supposed to be at home, being present. The only time I truly feel like I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be is when they are out on the road with me.
Which is few and far between right now because my wife started a homeschool school… like a faith-based thing. She outgrew the building in 3 years so we bought a church…. I work harder at home than I do here.”
@whiskeyriff @Brantley Gilbert #whiskeyriff #whiskeyriffraff ♬ original sound – Whiskey Riff
It’s certainly challenging to find that work-life balance, especially as a touring musician. But Brantley Gilbert is doing his best to achieve the best of both worlds.
You can hear about all of that and more from Brantley Gilbert by checking out the interview on YouTube or making sure to download the podcast on Apple Podcasts by searching “Whiskey Riff Raff” or by clicking here.
We’re also available on Spotify and wherever else you can listen to podcasts.
Cheers, y’all.
