Brantley Gilbert: Mental Health, Faith, & Veterans

[00:00:00] Welcome into this episode of Whiskey Riff Raff. I am Quinn and with me is usually Shelby, but today we're changing it up a bit. Shelby out of town. Brennan, that means you're in. It's a next man up mentality here at Whiskey Riff Raff. So Brennan, welcome to the Whiskey Riff Raff podcast. You're going to be the co-host for today for those that are listening. Brennan, do you want to talk a little bit about what you do for Whiskey Riff? Brennan Riff Yeah, sure. Well, I mean, first of all, just happy to be here always. Like you said, next man up mentality. I wear a lot of hats here at

[00:00:28] Whiskey Riff. I am primarily a writer that I co-run social media with Shelby. So pretty much anything you see on the Whiskey Riff Instagram is all made by me. Again, mainly was here for writing, but then transitioned there. Also been doing stuff behind the scenes here at the podcast. So all the graphics you see and thumbnails for YouTube and all that, all done by yours truly. So cool. You know, been behind the scenes for a bit on the podcast. It was cool to finally get a chance to be here. Brennan Yes. Brennan I'm glad for the opportunity. Brennan You definitely wear a lot of hats for Whiskey Riff.

[00:00:58] Brennan And today we're talking to Brantley Gilbert. We're really excited to talk to him about his new album and what's going on as far as his life and his career and touring and, and all that good stuff. So we'll get to that in just a second. But first we have an ad read. Brennan Today's episode is brought to you by rock the South and rock the country. If you're looking for a reason to get out and see some live country music this year, rock the country is bringing the party to a few different stops across the country. Brantley Gilbert is performing at the next stop in

[00:01:24] Hastings, Michigan. And the lineup is stacked from top to bottom. After that rock the country is headed to Ocala, Florida and Hamburg, New York with even more great artists and a full weekend of country music. And don't forget about rock the South, one of the biggest country music festivals that was recently moved to October 1st through the 4th in Decatur, Alabama. Whether you're looking for a weekend with your buddies, a trip with your family, or just a chance to see some of your favorite artists live. These are the festivals you don't want to miss. Head over to rock the country.com and

[00:01:52] rock the South.com to grab your tickets and see all the details. And without further ado, here's our interview with Brantley Gilbert. Brantley Gilbert, thanks so much for joining the Whiskey Riff Ref podcast. We're happy to talk to you today. Absolutely, boys. Good to see you. Good to see you as well. And I know that you've got a lot going on. You've been doing a lot of press

[00:02:17] for your upcoming album, which I think by the time this episode comes out will have already been released. So we can kind of talk about all the songs and everything that's about it. If you had any secrets, feel free to let them rip because we're not going to release until after it's out. But Sins of the Father, that's your newest project that you've released. How has that been putting that out in front of the world to everybody? Man, it's been awesome. So I was with the same label

[00:02:41] for 15 years and spent about 12 hours as a free agent and signed over at BMG Wheelhouse. And it was really an opportunity for me to kind of fall in love all over again with what I do. Right. You know what I mean? I never took the people around me for granted to help me build this over 20 years. Never took the people that supported us and bought tickets and albums over the years for granted. Just, you know, when it turns into a job, you know, your motivations are different.

[00:03:11] And I kind of wanted to fall back in love with the process. And we have, you know, a lot of times, you know, this album is kind of one of the stylistically, we wanted to go back to the first couple albums I ever put out. You know how many times you've fallen in love with an artist or a band? Those are the first two records and you feel like they stray from it. You know, and we always say that's because, you know, you have your whole life experience to write your first

[00:03:38] two albums, which is true, but you also don't know the rules. You know what I mean? You don't know how to write the radio. You don't know how to write commercially. It's, uh, you know, more what sounds good and what feels good. So we took all the rules out of the writing rooms, uh, took all the rules out of the studio, co-produced it with, with Brock Berry Hill. And man, we're super proud of it. Like it's, uh, really excited for people to hear. And you said you were only a free agent for about

[00:04:05] 12 hours. Was that, was that one of those things that it just naturally kind of that next step showed itself or did you have plans kind of prior to? No, I wanted to leave with integrity. I never had a conversation. Um, and I asked not to be notified if there was a conversation. Um, but I knew where I wanted to be and we didn't want to go in and hard negotiate for stuff. I know the score. I know where I'm at in my career. I know my worth and they do too. So

[00:04:33] it was, you know, we've been here for a minute. We've been in the business for a minute. Um, without Dean cutting the songs he did, uh, early in my career, really, you know, open doors and we were not sitting here having this conversation had that not happened. And a lot of people, uh, that were at Valerie and being machine when I signed there are now at BMG. So, uh, including one of our

[00:04:58] biggest night go getters, Joe Jamie. Um, I've always loved Lova. So it was, uh, you know, I knew where I wanted to be. Um, and we went in, made it happen, signed on stage in Franklin, uh, at a show and I immediately turned in a hundred songs. Uh, I'm sure they like that. Oh, it was awesome. A little down from a hundred to 70, 50, 30, 20 and 15. And, uh, you know,

[00:05:24] this album makes a couple of statements. It's 15 songs is a lot when you're coming off, uh, not banging the door down at radio. Um, radio has, uh, historically been our strong suit. You know, there's guys that have, you know, been in this, have three times, many number ones that can't sell out our pit. You know, we've done torn successfully, uh, and, and, you know, over the years,

[00:05:50] we've been able to maintain that, but you know, this label's got it going on in the radio space. And we did want to re-engage that, you know what I mean? And, and excel at the highest level there. So, um, you know, it's, uh, it was an easy move and it was a lot of work because they were leading on me really hard to take creative control. But at the same time, like, hey, I signed over here cause you guys know what's working. So I can, I can get behind all, all 100

[00:06:18] of these. So, you know, we all went in as a team and, and worked it down to 15 and there's only one feature on the entire album. Right. You know, and it's my brother, Jelly. Uh, but you know, even that wasn't because he's, he's fire hot right now or because we have a super close relationship. He was, he was an integral part of that song and the driving force of that song. Uh, you know,

[00:06:45] the whole thing came from, he came into a right one day and was a little heavy and, uh, and I don't mean like physically heavy, you know, just, oh yeah, super stoked for it. Came in, I said, do you know, we stepped out and smoked? And I was like, dude, you good? And he said, yeah. He said, I was leaving an event for a label this morning. There was a homeless dude by the vehicle and he kind of turned his head and he recognized him and it wasn't that he recognized him. It bothered him.

[00:07:11] It was, he went to school with a guy and he said, he was always the life of the party and, you know, the, the least likely to be homeless and kind of paired that with, with something I've said since I've been in recovery that, you know, nobody wakes up one morning and goes, man, I think I want to be an alcoholic and drug addict and be riddled with mental health and, um, you know, be homeless. It's like, those are four things that in this life truly are non-biased in any way,

[00:07:39] form or fashion. You know, they don't care what color you are, where you came from, who your parents are, what tax brackets you're in. They just want you dead. Right. And, uh, you know, he and I coming from checkered backgrounds have a unique ability to kind of meet people where they're at. We speak that language and, you know, never tell somebody that I know where they're, what they're going through because we're all as different as our fingerprints. And yeah, all of our rock bottoms are different, but they're still rock bottoms. Sure. And begging for

[00:08:07] change is the name of the song that you and Jelly worked on together. So you said that he was an intricate part of that. You kind of just gave the backstory, but then, uh, how was it just kind of putting the song together with him? Because obviously you, you, you're all voices work together well, I think in, in that, in that one in particular. Yeah. I do think that's one of his best vocals he's ever done. There's no AI junk that people were doing nowadays. It was, we went to his house for his vocal part and man, he spent a lot of time in the booth. One time that I've seen him

[00:08:35] spending the booth, it was like, he really, uh, chopped wood on it and sang his ass off. And, uh, man wound up just being, that's kind of the ace, the ace up our sleeve on that album. Joe Jamie said it best. She was like, you know, this, the song matters. It's like, as much as we all want to, every time we write one few and far betweens are the moments where you actually find, you know, where you're able to write a song that has the potential to help,

[00:09:02] you know, and, and relate to people that are in a not so great place and motivate them and incentivize them to get out of that hole we're in. Um, and this one does that. So it's been, you know, just the most rewarding thing to me as a writer or artist is having somebody come up to you and go, Hey dude, like that song helped me through some stuff in life. Um, that's, there's nothing more rewarding than that. So yeah, I'm hoping that one does some,

[00:09:29] some good. Would you say there's any particular moment like fan interaction that really stuck out to you? You're like, Oh wow, I really helped this person throughout their life. Like meet and greet wise or anything in between. There's a few of them that come to mind, man. It's, you know, that's one thing about my story is we didn't create this image, right? And, and market around it. Yeah. You know, I'm not, I don't have a Carrie Underwood voice or events guild voice. We didn't build around

[00:09:57] that. My, what I always felt like, you know, uh, earned me my place at the table was, you know, my ability and my willingness to share my story and, and the testimony there in that, that kind of, you know, that, that's, that was my strong suit and being able to write it, you know what I mean? Um, so yeah, that when, when that's the case, I do feel like people relate at a very, very personal

[00:10:25] level. Like if you listen to all my albums, you have a really good idea who I am, what I've been through, where I stand. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? So you, you know, when people listen to songs like that and they listen to your story and they relate to it, it becomes theirs. They've got sweat, equity and blood, sweat and tears in it, just like you do. Um, and then they buy tickets and albums and now they're invested in you. So it's, you know, argument can be made to an extent to me that, you know, it kind of develops into an acquaintance more than it does being a fan.

[00:10:54] Yeah. You know what I mean? So that's, uh, it allows itself for a lot of conversations like that. And man, that's, uh, that's one of the, the many motivators that's been consistent since the very beginning was knowing that, Hey man, if we can fit one on an album that, that has some real weight to it, like, you know, and it always ends up not being that one that gets the single nod.

[00:11:21] Bro, no joke. My career, I can honestly say that a lot of my least favorite songs on projects were the ones that went radio. It's just like, man, it's rough. Does that put you in a tough spot? Because then that's the, those are the songs that everyone wants to hear whenever they go see you at a, at a show. Is that, is that ever like, I know, I know we've, we've, we've talked to other artists and they talk about being up on stage and it's like, Oh, I've got to sing this song again. Do you ever have that feeling? Or are you happy? It's like, well, you know, this isn't the one that

[00:11:47] I intended for, uh, to have this impact, but I'm still happy to sing this one. Yeah, for sure. I feel like it's different with every one of them. Like there's, we've got top fives, one of them's top three, uh, top tens that we don't play in the set. You know what I mean? Number ones, you know, countrywide, you don't know, or kind of staple things, more movements than they were just hit songs for us. You know what I mean? So it's like almost encapsulates a chapter. And when you, when you add

[00:12:16] that to the show, there's familiar, familiarity there, uh, from people that have been listening for a long time ago, Oh yeah. You know, um, it's wild that I've been doing it long enough for that to be the case. You know, they don't nominate me for best new artist anymore. But great. It's, it's awesome, man. Whole thing's a blessing. Yeah. And one song that, uh, has definitely gotten a lot of attention. A lot of, uh, uh, fans have been talking about it. I even wrote

[00:12:43] about it, I think for whiskey riff was, and if it wasn't clear that you can curse on this podcast, I'm about to make it very clear. Fucked Me Up was, was a song that I wrote about that a lot of people got, it got a lot of people talking. Um, I think it drops the F bomb 16 separate times, but it's not what people think it is. Like if someone sees that title, someone hears that it's, that's kind of what I wrote about. It's not exactly what you think. So how was it kind of wrapping up

[00:13:09] a song like that with, with a lot of emotion in it? Um, obviously, you know, a lot of, a lot of F bombs included. How was that? It's like, you know, the, the thing, so for, uh, you know, surface value, it's how he's doing it. You know, I have an idea of what this is going to be. And then it's not that. And what leads in is a ballad and a piano driven ballad. It's like, oh, he's using it for shock factor. Then I feel like, like you did. When you get into the listen, you get into the

[00:13:37] nuts of the song, you realize it's not that either. It's like, we've, we've all had breakups. None of them are easy. You don't want to break anybody's heart. You don't want to break yours. But we, a lot of us have had that one breakup and mine, thankfully God, uh, ended up coming back in, in being my forever person. You know what I mean? Um, and that, that part made it easier to write,

[00:14:00] you know, cause you know, the, the end, but man, in the heat of that, like I kind of pieced pieces of that song together through the years. Right. So after that happened, um, it was kind of like, dude, saving Amy was kind of like that. It took me three years to write that. Like it just had to be right. And then we were on a Texas retreat, um, and it popped out and, you know, the label I was

[00:14:28] with at the time, knowing the direction we were in, not really something that somebody wanted to get behind and which it is what it is. But to me creatively, like that's, that's the stuff I like writing. You know, we kind of pigeonholed ourselves for, you know, the better part of a decade on the tough guy, bad boy shit, which is man. I mean, I look how I look. I ran around bikers

[00:14:51] for the majority of my adult life. Um, I lived on a daily basis. There's, you know, surface vows, you tell, you know, what you see is what you get. Right. Like I don't, I don't have to preach that the songs that really brought me to the dance, so to speak. And the songs that I enjoy writing or songs that not the cookie cutter crap. I like writing depth. I like, you know, to me,

[00:15:18] songwriting has been the truest form of expression outside of prayer. Right. And sometimes even as a prayer, more powerful, right. It's, it's like, um, and you relive it every time you write those, uh, and those, those are the ones that, that true. Those are solo listens. A lot of times those aren't show songs. They're, they're ones that you, that people listen to that meet them where they're at. Like, um, but those are my favorite ones to write. Songs about love,

[00:15:42] songs about faith, songs about hurt, pain, like the hard stuff. Yeah. Um, well, and like you said earlier, those are the songs that people often connect to the most, even though, like you said, you might not be including that one in the set list. 100%. Yeah. But we have, we, we played it live. Yeah. One time. And now we're just trying to figure out the right place for it in the set. Um, but it popped off. Like it was, it was received well. Um, you know, all ages shows this stuff,

[00:16:09] you kind of, you know, which brings me to, we did, we are releasing simultaneously another complete version of this album that's clean. Okay. Uh, for moms like my wife, who haven't missed the Sundays that she was born. Um, you don't already know this. We're like complete opposites. Okay. The opposites attract thing is, uh, is real. Uh, but yeah, it's, you know, songs like that sounds like begging for change. Sounds like, you know, live forever. Like

[00:16:39] those, those, those are the ones that really do something for me. And when I say I wanted to get back to doing what I loved about writing, like that's what I love. I've kind of developed intentionally, uh, this thing later in life where, you know, how much time have we wasted beating around the bush and sugarcoating things? Right. I started paying a lot of attention to the people around me and started prioritizing keeping people around me that were not afraid to have hard

[00:17:07] conversations. Like not only for time's sake, but you know, if, if, if iron's going to sharpen iron, then that dude's got to be willing to talk. And I feel like as men, a lot of times, like we carry a lot of shit around and the rub dirt on it thing. And I think there's value to that and, and legitimacy to that. But I also think, you know, the willingness to have conversations and put stuff on the table, you know, when we don't do that, we're cheating each other out of making

[00:17:32] each other better as husbands and, and dads and businessmen and partners and friends. Iron sharp, sharpens iron. Yeah. A hundred percent. Which, uh, the, the album we've talked a lot about, um, is there any song on there, you know, besides some of that we've already talked about that is one of your favorites? Cause we're talking about, you know, some of the things that, uh, you've really liked about putting this to get together, the album and the songwriting of it. But what's the one song that you're like, okay, you step back from that project and, and you're like, wow, this is, this is something that I'm really proud of.

[00:18:03] Man, there's, there's several of them right in their own way. Um, there's a lot of reasons I'm, I'm proud of this album. Like 15 songs is stepping out on a limb when you're not coming from strength or, or, uh, momentum at, at radio. Right. So we're kind of out on a limb there. We're out on a limb with only having one feature on the entire album. Yeah. There's not a lot of, there's usually a lot more features in the modern country. So I appreciated the fact that it was just that one. And like you already described how it kind of came to be, it was very natural for that to pop up.

[00:18:31] It wasn't forced at all. Like it was the opposite. And man, I wanted a, a, a no skip album in the age of not consuming music that way. You know, something that the, the people that have sweat equity invested and blood, sweat and tears invested in supporting us through the years could go dudes back, you know what I mean? And that, that is, I do have that feeling. And there's a, there, you know, it's kind of one of those, like a, an energy that's kind of spread through our

[00:18:57] entire organization is, you know, we're back. Yeah. That's, that's, it's definitely exciting for fans, I think to, to be able to dive into this album. And like you said, not a lot of people are listening to albums from the back. I always personally have loved to do that. I know Brendan's probably the same way. Like, I think we're both the type of person to get the vinyl record, put it on, you know, listen to it and flip it. So I don't know how you feel about that, but man, I would, I, vinyl is already kind of on a, on a come up again, but it would be nice if,

[00:19:25] if we could just somehow everybody get back to that form of music consumption, I think. A hundred percent. You know, everything kind of trends and comes in and out. I hope that's on its way back. Yeah. Because man, you know, country music has always been notorious for, or well known for the, the storytelling aspect. It's like now that it's, it's kind of consumed on a song by song basis. It's cool if that song was a story, but you kind of lose a lot of sting. I always liked the albums I could listen to and try to figure out what they're talking about. You know, what's the

[00:19:54] theme here? What's the, you know, what are we accomplishing with this album? And we wanted it to be that while being its own playlist. And that's why you hear like the most country song on the record right next to the heaviest song on the record. Yeah. We were, we were talking about that actually. It's like, there is a, there is some variation from song to song. So that's it. That was an intentional move. A hundred percent. Okay, cool. Just like we do need shock factor. Like, and if you look, so it starts off with the addiction and ends with live forever. Right. And addiction is not what you think either when you, when you look at the song, right. So,

[00:20:24] you know, nothing's what it seems to an extent on that album. There's a couple of my small town, you know, what small town is when you look at it, but there's, there's a lot of things on there that are not what they seem because I feel like that's a big aspect of me as an artist and us as a, a, a band and an organization is, you know, we're, what you see is what you get. But sometimes you see something a little different, you know what I mean? You, you know, people have preconceived notions

[00:20:53] just to face value, which I understand. It's like judgment is what it is, man. It's like any of us tell us, say that if anybody says they don't judge people, I call bullshit. It doesn't even say in the Bible, not to judge people. It's like, don't judge unless you be judged. You know, don't judge people for doing shit when you know you're doing the same shit or worse. Yeah. It's like, you know, um, but yeah, it starts with the addiction ends with live forever. The addiction

[00:21:20] is not what historically we've led with. Like we've always come with like a banger, you know, shock value. Oh shit. It's party. You know, we're wide open, but this one, I wanted to start with substance and addiction is one of those. I have a deep personal connection to in a bunch of different ways. That song is actually written in the room that we lived in as a family. That's my favorite place we've ever lived is while we were building our house or in this little

[00:21:44] three, two thousand square foot, basically two bedrooms. Amber and I slept on in an area right between the two rooms, the security freak. Uh, but you know, I never had to worry or wonder where the kids were and we were right on top of each other, but man, I loved it. Like I, I love our house now. It's beautiful. It's my wife's dream. Cool with it. But if I can move back in that

[00:22:10] little room, I'd do it at a heartbeat. Um, but we designed that specific building on the farm to be for, uh, writing retreats. Oh, cool. So I was supposed to be working four rooms and I walked into that room and they were on the chorus melody and Drew Parker were singing it. And I mean, you guys know it's insane vocalist and man, it was so strong. It was like, I didn't even know what he was saying, you know, and I heard it before the

[00:22:36] doors all the way open and man, it just grabbed me. And then as the song developed, it was like kind of when I came into the room, you know, a lot of times we're all personally invested. We bring all our own stories to the table. So it's all, it's personal, all of us in a way, but it'd be my album. And they kind of let me get in there and kind of drive for a minute and, and make sure it was in a, you know, told my story and hit home for me. And man, it did in the, in the biggest way

[00:23:01] that as an addict, like it's not a popular opinion in that world, but in my opinion, bro, addicts replace addictions with other addictions. And my addictions not, you know, it says she a lot in that song. So obviously my wife's a big part of that, but a lot of times when it says she, it's not just her, it's the life that came with her. Right. And it's the kids, but it's not just the life that came with the kids. It's, it's the, the chapter of life as a whole,

[00:23:31] like how much I've, how much different I am now than I was in, than the chapter of my life where, you know, I wasn't planning on being anybody's dad or anybody's husband. I wanted to be a biker, a real one and play music too, you know? Um, so that's the big trick on the album is, is looking back from this chapter, right. And doing three things, looking back and going, oh man, that was cool. That's a good memory to man. That sock, man, that was hard. I learned a

[00:24:00] lot from that. That was miserable or three. How the hell do we make it through that? Right. Reflective. Yeah. Yeah. Those are the three tricks. So, you know, and the, the, the intention was to be able to grab, you know, people of all ages and all backgrounds and all demographics that, you know, appreciate the kind of stuff we do, like putting something on there for everybody. And, and meeting them in the chapter of life they're in. Yeah. And the chapter of life you're

[00:24:28] in right now, you're, you're juggling being a husband and a father and then being someone out on tour and entertaining fans. How has that been? Because I know you just said a second ago, like you never necessarily imagined that for, for yourself. And now you're kind of living both. I don't want to sound a cliche, but the best of both worlds, right? Yeah. Yeah. It was the best, but we're trying to make it the best, right? Like that's, that's the hope. It was like I say, when I walked in here and like, the minute I'm done, I'm out. I'm going to the house.

[00:24:58] Yeah. One of the things I've noticed is, you know, when we have kids, we all want to be the best dad. They could ask for it. Right. And I kind of got in the habit of saying that and just subconsciously thinking I was doing it. And, uh, my wife's really good about holding me accountable, man. And brought some things to my attention as far as being present. And, uh, you know, not just being there, but being there, being there. And I want to do and I was not doing a very good job of it and thought I was.

[00:25:27] So it's, man, that's, that's the story of being a dad too, though. Right. It's like thinking you have, thinking, you know, some shit. And then an eight, six and one and a half year old remind you on a daily basis that you don't know a damn thing. You know what I mean? So it's like, yeah. And on the road, I think I spoke earlier, it was like, when I'm at home, I feel like I'm supposed to be out earning and spending time out here with these folks that have helped us build this crazy thing over 20 years. And when I'm out there, I feel like I'm supposed to be at home being present.

[00:25:57] And the only time I truly feel like I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be is when they're out on the road with me. Right. Which is few and far between right now. Because my wife started, uh, started like a homeschool school three years ago, like a faith-based thing. Um, and she outgrew the building they were in, in three years. So we bought a church and kind of reverting it into their new building. And, man, I work harder at home than I do here. I have a boss.

[00:26:24] And that was something I swore against early in life. When I turned into music full time, I was like, never again will I have a boss. And then I got married. And it was like, yeah. But it sounds like she's, she's a good boss. I would, I would hope. Or she's a good, a good boss is, is someone who motivates you and, uh, who keeps you accountable. It sounds like she's doing both of those things. Uh, but like you said, you, you, you were definitely staying busy. It sounds like around the clock with every, every aspect of your life. So. For sure.

[00:26:54] Um, and we find some balance in that at some point. Sure. In the near future. And, and how hard is it to, you know, be out on the road and feel that, that it's, it's a feeling that I think everyone's familiar with here. It's like, I'm not supposed to be here. I'm supposed to be somewhere else. Uh, I'm sure once you get up on stage, it might not come through like that as much, but just when you're on the road part, cause a lot of fans don't realize it's like a lot of being out on the road is just literally being on the road, not actually performing.

[00:27:23] So there's, there's definitely a lot of time where you're, you're probably like, man, I just wish that, like you said, you wish that they could be out there on the road with you all the time, but there is some stuff that is going on at home that she has to, she and the kids have to stay home for. Yeah. She's in the trenches, man. That's another thing when you can't, you can't come home and just be the fun dad. You know, you're stoked to see them, you know, absence makes art grow fun and are stoked to see you. And she's been in the trenches all week. It's like, that's not fair to her either.

[00:27:49] There's a lot of times I have to come in disciplinary and almost immediately. And that's tough. So finding a balance there is interesting. It's like, man, you know, one of the things that helps is, you know, one, the familiarity of these people that have supported us through the years. Like I said earlier, like if you've listened to my albums, it's like, you have a good idea of who I am and how I feel and where I stand. And, you know, so I'm around like-minded people that, you know, in one thing that was

[00:28:19] important to us as far as our road family was, is for it to be a road family. You know, if it's a nine to five, you can ask a guy to leave home at home for eight, nine hours a day. When you live with each other sometimes for months at a time, I can't ask my guys to do that and wouldn't, you know, it's kind of the back to what I've talked about, about the people that I surround myself with intentionally. You know, we started making that a big part of the hiring process.

[00:28:47] We bring in anybody new, you're going on a run first and we're going to see what the hangs like just to make sure the culture fits. Cause man, you know, and not to say that that's everybody out there is like-minded politically or none of that shit. It, you know, it's, it's, it's more about being able to, being willing to put your stuff on the table and not carry stuff around from home. If you're having a rough time with something, don't bottle that shit up because, you know,

[00:29:16] you're walking time bomb and when it goes off, it will affect and bleed all over everything you do professionally. It's like, bro, get it on the table. Cause by not doing that, you may be cheating me out of a, an opportunity to become a better dad or better friend or better business partner. You know what I mean? And you don't hear me say I, me often because it's not a thing. It's like, we are a team and a family and, and the people around me have major sweat

[00:29:44] equity and, uh, you know, blood, sweat and tears in this thing. So it's like, you know, it, we did want to make it a culture and, and a family where, you know, you're comfortable sharing things and kind of helping each other through the time away from your families. Yeah. Yeah. And the, uh, you know, that aspect, I feel like you've talked a lot about mental health today, which is, which is really cool. Um, is that a situation where like you're encouraging others to do therapy or are you in therapy yourself?

[00:30:14] Or my therapy is a little different. My cousin is, uh, is a Christian counselor and really good at it. Um, and he's a phone call away. So more than going to sit with him for an hour or two, if I run into something, a lot of times we're having conversations like the dog house is like our man cave. Right. Um, and that's one of the points there. A lot of, a lot of men around me, we could have a couple of rules is like no new women.

[00:30:42] Like he has to be in kind of a, uh, relationship that's been solidified for a minute. Uh, just, just so nobody's wife has to worry about anything. Yeah. Same thing on the road. Like if I can control my environment, I need to do so out of respect for my wife and everybody else's wife. So like, um, women that come in most of the time, uh, long-term relationships or wives. Uh, but most of the time it's, it's a bunch of guys. It'll stop. There's a revolving door, man.

[00:31:10] And it's kind of, you know, it's, it's, uh, it's our, our man cave, but talking through stuff and having hard conversations is, is a form of therapy. I think, you know, and if I ever run into something that we don't know the answer to, you know, whether you call a pastor, uh, my wife drug my butt back to church and the dude that he and his wife are the pastors there and I play ball against him and he's a little younger than me.

[00:31:38] So that was a little weird for me at first, you know what I mean? But he's cool. I think he's still trying to navigate me. Cause I mean, it is what it is. You know, every now and then something slips. I'm like, my bad dude. I want you to be you. I want you to get to, you know, my, my prayers at some point you get to a place in your life where, you know, you don't want to use a different word, but for right now I want you to do you, which is. That's cool. It's a nonjudgmental type of relationship.

[00:32:07] It is, but I feel like it's also loaded. It's charged. All jokes aside, he really is a solid dude. I know I can call him at the drive of a hat and he can give me direction. And man, not long ago there was a body of mine that was really going through some stuff and I didn't have the answers. And that's one thing in my adult life that I've tried to do is, man, I do have some experiences, some areas and I can relate to certain things.

[00:32:33] And, you know, we all can kind of relate to certain situations and I did this and this happened. Not saying that's right, but this helped. But if I ever run into something that's over my head or I feel like it's a major problem, like if somebody's having like suicidal thoughts, something like that, like I go directly to him or Doug. And one of my buddies who I, man, this dude's a good dude. He's a good dad by choice.

[00:33:02] Like took in another little girl. He's a dad to her. And he's just a solid man, dude. He was really having some trouble with stuff. And I called my pastor and I was like, hey, man, like I'm in uncharted territory here. And Doug confides in me. I don't want to, you know, violate his trust. But at the same time, I don't know what to tell him. Yeah. He's like, well, dude, if you'd be comfortable, tell him to call me. I called and asked him if he was. He did. And, man, he called me like two, three weeks later.

[00:33:30] And he was like, bro, that dude saved my life. Yeah. So it was like him being willing to do that, like that's still the small town. Like I kind of got away from church because of church people. I get that. You know what I mean? It's like when you were raised in it. Yeah, exactly. Not that I ever got to a point in my faith where I thought God wasn't real or anything. I feel like some of us go through the track of his life where we stray. Yeah. And you can be pushed away. But, you know, him being willing to do that, my cousin being willing to jump in,

[00:33:59] and the way he is has been a big help. So I've been a little more careful about handing out advice in this chapter of my life. Just because, you know, that eight, six, and one-and-a-half-year-old reminded me that I'm not as smart as I think I am a lot of times. You know, and it kind of carried into other chapters of my life. You know, working in the veteran community like we do, you kind of expose yourself to some situations. Like, and this happens when you think.

[00:34:28] One in particular, it was an acquaintance. I knew him kind of coming up, and he called me one night and said, hey, man, I'm about to be one of the 22 today. And I just wanted to call and tell you thank you for talking to me the times you did and for writing songs that got me through to this point. But, you know, there's nothing you can say or do. I'm ready to go. And I was like, whoa. Like, hold on. The panic attack immediately. I know this dude's parents, right? So I called.

[00:34:57] There's actually a guy named John Lovell who runs Warrior Poet Society. He's an incredible dude. Like, I tell people if there's a man that's pursuing like a Ph.D. in, you know, faith, unapologetic masculinity, and, you know, he's a retired ranger, the dude's good with a gun. And he's that guy. And I called him, and I was like, bro, what do I do? He was like, man, you know, if somebody reaches out to you with that,

[00:35:27] it may be more of a cry for help than, you know, an actual, like, life or death situation. But just in case, let's treat it like it is. He said most of the time when guys really get to that point, call somebody like me or somebody that they served with and kind of go there before they make the call. You know, he said, but, you know, try this. Tell him, call me, or here's the contact information for this veteran suicide organization

[00:35:56] or, you know, this drug and alcohol clinic. Because he was in that space. And I said, tell him you'd be willing to help him monetarily if he'll take the incentive to go. If he'll check himself in, if you can do it, tell him you pay for it. And he didn't work. So now that's kind of the standard operating procedure. Somebody calls them something like that. It's like, I know where to point them. They kind of just networked a couple places to give people direction in instead of trying to give advice I don't understand. Sure.

[00:36:26] Yeah, that makes sense. And it sounds like you're getting a lot of these calls. Is that a normal thing, like that you're getting a lot of people that confide in you and want to share some of these heavier thoughts with yourself? Yeah, I mean, you know, and here's the thing. Like, in working in the veteran community especially, like, that's something I'm passionate about and something I was passionate about before I met Toby.

[00:36:54] You're inspired to kind of get into that space too. So, like, my mom's side of the family was a military family. Okay. And one of my uncles was, you know, Vietnam guy that came home and had some trouble. But we didn't travel up there much. Like, I wasn't exposed to it a whole lot. But one of the guys I went to high school with was a really close friend of mine. He came back from his second tour. You know, first tour he came back was more like a boy becoming a man type thing. Second tour he came back, dude, and it was bad.

[00:37:24] Like, he was in really bad shape. And we were really close, so I was around to watch a lot of it. Like, he went to the VA and came home with, like, a big zip lock, like, the big zip lock bags, like, slapped full of medication and stuff. And I was like, I take some of that shit by choice. You know, this is just a more troubled chapter in my life. But I knew what some of them were. And it was an obscene amount. And it was like, man, that is, like, wild amounts.

[00:37:53] And that was the first time they really hit home, so to speak, because I knew who this dude was before he left. And this was a different human being and, like, deeply troubled. And, you know, that kind of inspired me a little bit. Because, dude, my goal in the music business was to sell out to Georgia Theater. It was, like, 20 minutes from my house now. I still live at home. And that was kind of passed on from Corey Smith. Corey said that he wanted to sell out to Georgia Theater. And if he did, he was going to quit his job as a teacher

[00:38:21] and focus on music and do it full time. So I was like, man, that's cool if he pulls it off. And he did. And it became my goal. But, you know, after that, I didn't know any of this was going to happen. I wasn't a kid that grew up wanting to be famous necessarily or uber successful. It was more of a thing. I sunk all the ships and kind of fucked all the other options off, if that makes any sense.

[00:38:49] So what I ended up with was way more spotlight and platform than one I ever asked for and two knew what to do with. And when that happened, it was like, all right. And at the same time, you know, Toby Keith is out there doing, like, God's work. Like, and that dude, man, when I finally met him and got to know him a little bit and went on tour with him, I was like, this dude isn't doing this because it's a good look. Or a good look. He's doing it because he wants to.

[00:39:17] And then I realized later on he's doing it because he needed it. Yeah. I guess it was part of what made him tick. Sure. I mean, the number of USO tours he went on is obscene. He set the bar really high for everybody else. I hadn't done that. I hadn't put a 10 in that bucket, man. Kelly Pickler was another one that was just insanely involved. And, I mean, they set the bar really high. But Toby was just somebody, man. And, dude, I thought that dude on the moon. Still do. He was just a good man.

[00:39:47] I still talk to his wife every now and then. And she's as sweet as she can be. And, you know, I really looked up to him, man. And seeing that that was, you know, he wasn't a spotlighter. You know, he was doing it because it mattered. Because, like I said, like he wanted to. And then later I found out he needed it. Like, it's one of the things that made him who he was. And, man, that was contagious. It was like, bro, all right, hell yeah, let's go.

[00:40:15] So, you know, you end up making relationships with some of them and signing up for things that, you know, I didn't. In the back of my mind when I started forming friendships and, like, communicative relationships where you're, you know, kind of back and forth with these guys on a regular basis, they get to the point where they confide in you. Yeah. And I'm not at all educated on how to help. So it was like maybe I need to learn more.

[00:40:42] And what we ended up finding out was a lot of times, you know, when we were doing things to raise awareness we thought were helping, like a lot of times the last thing them dudes want was a loud room and a bunch of lights and loud noises and stuff. And we started figuring out that, man, they got a lot more out of us going without a camera, hanging out with them. One of my favorite things to do is go to these dudes, like special ops guys

[00:41:11] and guys that saw combat and let them teach me stuff. Yeah. You know what I mean? It's fun. They're teaching me. I'm learning, you know, in more ways than one because that opens up conversations. Like, hey, dude, what actually helps? Like, what can I do with my platform that would actually be beneficial and not like, you know, and that's been Justin Patterson's a dude. He gave me a purple heart. First dude to ever give me a purple heart.

[00:41:41] Didn't know what to do with it. And, man, we really formed like a friendship. But I'm trying to talk him into moving to my farm right now. This dude has a servant's heart, and he has become like a nonprofit guru. If you follow him, I'll give you stuff. It's worth taking a look. That dude is always doing something for the veteran community, for out-of-duty guys and girls. And, like, he's been an invaluable freaking, you know, vessel for me

[00:42:11] into that world because he sees it and he, you know, he knows how to communicate with me and doesn't cut corners. And just watching him go through, man, when he came home, he went through a pretty wild phase and then a divorce. And, like, really hit rock bottom for a minute and spent some time buying bars and ended up recovering. And, dude, he's in a really cool walk of faith. Like, so he, the script flipped.

[00:42:38] You know, there's a lot of ways now I look up to him and kind of, like, you know, he's got faith like a child, man, in a servant's heart, and that's hard to not love, you know. So, well, and the veteran community is one of the communities that's like, how can we not be helping them more? I mean, they sacrifice everything for the rest of us. The least we can do is help them once they're done with what they were, the sacrifice itself. And so props to you for helping with that. And it sounds like you're doing a lot of good things.

[00:43:07] And, you know, obviously having Toby Keith as kind of an inspiration and a leader in that aspect's got to be, you know, like, you couldn't have really picked a better role model in terms of trying to help out the veterans and give back to the troops and things like that. And it's like meeting Toby Keith, like, how would you describe, you know, not even meeting him, but just your friends with him? How would you describe that to someone like, you know, the average country music fan who I would say most people love Toby Keith?

[00:43:33] Yeah. So, man, I was talking to his manager not long ago and he said something that was pretty wild. He was like, man, you know, everything's so politically charged now and Toby kind of got sucked into that. He was like, Toby was way less concerned about left and right than most people knew. Courtesy of Red, White, and Blue wasn't an anthem for the right, you know what I mean, political at all.

[00:44:02] It was just a freaking American anthem. You know what I mean? He said, you listen to a lot of those songs. That was the case. He wrote it for the boys and girls overseas and he wrote it for us at home to rally support and patriotism. Like, that was a big deal because, you know, as my career progressed, you know, there have been certain situations that have kind of flipped political on me and it's my least favorite thing on the planet.

[00:44:29] But with him, like, he was what you get unapologetically. Right. When you meet people that know me and spend time with me on a daily basis, you know, until then, you think what you won't do and it is what it is. Man, the world's turned into a giant comment section. It has. Which is kind of wild. And, bro, I ain't gonna lie, kind of funny. I had somebody. I don't really frequent social media much, but every now and then people would send me stuff. And my buddy sent me one the other day.

[00:45:00] I thought he was sending it to me because it was one of the new songs we put out. Good old boys. We played it live. Yeah. And I'm on stage and I'm singing. And two of the comments that were right next to each other, one was like, this dude is a living, breathing affliction shirt. Dude. It was like, oh, man. And then another one was like, this is nails, this dude's voice is nails on a chalkboard.

[00:45:28] It's just like, bro, it's just brutal. It's funny. It's funny. And it's good that you can laugh about it. And I know Brennan, I think, wanted to ask about the whole thing that happened between you and Zach Bryan and Jason O'Brien and all that stuff. So I guess for listeners, Zach Bryan did a parody of your big hit that Jason Eldene covered, Dirt Road Anthem. This was around the Super Bowl. So how did that get on your radar? Corey. Corey, in fact, we were,

[00:45:57] I think it was a media day. And he was like, check this out. And man, like, I think everybody expected me to kind of... Be angry. Fuck four. Dude, it was funny as shit. Yeah. It was funny as hell. And at the end of the day, you know, I know he's had some back and forth with Gavin and stuff. Gavin's around from where I'm from. I don't really know that dude all that well. I don't know. I don't,

[00:46:26] I've never met Zach Bryan. I know that, you know, he has some opinions different than some people I know who care about. But, I mean, dude, I don't know you. You know what I mean? Like... So why would you get upset about what he has to say? Yeah. I mean, and what are we doing? What is internet beef, dude? Are we East Coast, West Coast shit? Yeah, exactly. I don't, what is this country music? Mm-hmm. You know, at the end of the day, to be completely honest, is his music my favorite?

[00:46:58] Not necessarily my cup of tea, but I have a deep respect for some, like, as a lyricist, saying some wild shit. Like, there's some shit there to be respected. And he served his country, and I didn't. Yeah. You know what I mean? Yeah. Yeah. So, I'm gonna hand you respect until you give me a reason not to. Yeah. And him writing a parody, wasn't really, and even when Aldean chirped in, it wasn't like a catty bullshit. Yeah, no. It was just everybody, I think everybody took it more literal than we were about it.

[00:47:28] Yeah. You put out a video yourself like eating a chili dog, right? Yeah. It was funny as shit. Yeah, that was great. It's like, man, I mean, I don't know. Part of it, I'm not an internet beef guy. Yeah. I don't see the value in it. Man, I'm a married dad of three. Like, I've been in fights and shit. Yeah, probably more than most people have seen on TV.

[00:47:59] Dude, also, I will put, to give this to him, that motherfucker climbed a chain link fence with barbed wire at the top of it to fight somebody. Absolutely insane. He ain't no bitch. No. Yeah. Not at all. You know what I mean? I gotta give him his roses where his roses are due. You know, like I said, he's supposed to do stuff politically that I see different, but it doesn't make me hate the dude. Sure. You know, all of us have stories about us, and like I said earlier, we may have a preconceived notion about him, you know,

[00:48:28] when people say we don't judge people, we're lying like hell. We do, but until I meet the guy, you know, if I meet him and he spits in my face, then you might have a... We don't go, but that's John Smith too. You know, that's anybody. Yeah. I mean, I don't see that ever being a situation, man. Dude, the dude's selling out fucking stadiums good on you, bro. Like, that's not easy to do. So, yeah, that was the thing that went way further than we thought it would. Sure. That's what I'm like, like,

[00:48:58] how did this get this far in the stages? But I think you handled it great. Like, when I saw you with the corn dogs, I'm like, this is perfectly how you handle beef. I'm like, A plus. Yes. I feel like at this point in your career, it's like, you don't have time for beefs. Like, you see all these artists online beefing Charlie and Gavin Adcock, Charlie Crockett, Gavin Adcock, everybody else. Is that a thing? It's like, yeah, that was a whole thing. There's been, yeah. Yeah, there's a whole lot of beefs. I feel like Gavin's kind of a magnet for some of that shit at this point. Yeah. I mean, he can probably

[00:49:28] lean into it a little bit, which, you know. Well, there's that saying that any publicity is good publicity. But, man, I also understand myself enough to know that if I do develop some kind of dislike with somebody, it's not good. Sure. Like, it will pop off. Like, I need to respect that too. Yeah. And, you know, as far as I'm concerned, it was pretty fucking funny. I think it's just another situation where it proves, like, you can lean into it and have fun with it and,

[00:49:57] you know, create some laughter and some joy in the world. And another way that you did, and correct me if I'm wrong, I think you were a part of a Guinness World Record recently. Do you want to tell people who are listening like how that came to be and the exact story? I don't want to ruin any sort of, you know, surprise factor here whenever you say what the Guinness World Record was. Yeah, so, Ross Smith and my manager made contact a couple years ago. We ended up hooking up. He came on a duck trip with us

[00:50:26] and he and his brother. Super cool dude. And that's the grandson. So his grandmother is Granny Smith. She's 99 or 100, like literally 100 years old. And he called and was like, man, we have this idea. We think we'll get Granny in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the oldest person to ever crowd surf. And I was like, I totally thought he was fucking with me. I was like, yeah, I hear you do. What are we doing tomorrow? And he was like, okay,

[00:50:57] so one, I'm serious. Oh, God. All right. Well, you know, I will say there for a minute, I looked over side stage when they were putting her on the board. Like, I thought I saw fear in her face and it just destroyed me because I was like. So they put her on like a, almost like a stretcher, right? Yeah. So she could crowd surf. But it wasn't a very good stretcher. It was,

[00:51:25] safety was not paramount at all. Setting the record was important. And then, but you know, as she's going by on the thrust, if she would have looked scared at all, I think I probably would have just grabbed her and pulled her on stage. But when she came by, she was having the time of her life. So it was like, bro, you know what? I hope my kids do some crazy shit like that with me. Yeah. You know, don't stick me in a nursing home and let your daughter in there have fun with me. And she's, dude,

[00:51:55] she's awesome. When they started chanting her name, she was riding with it. She was having the time of her life too. So it was super cool to be a part of. Somebody sent me some comments on that too. It was like, this shit is really crowd surfing. And I was like, well, I almost chimed in there because there was a big thing that went back and forth for a couple weeks on like, what would qualify as crowd surfing? So one of the things was the same people couldn't just tote her in a circle. She had to be passed.

[00:52:25] Yeah, passed. And I mean, that's normal for your shows. And I know it's especially normal for some shows that you've already performed and you already have some coming up. Before we get you out of here, we do have to talk a little bit about Rock the Country. You've already played at the South Dakota and Kentucky shows and you still have the Michigan one to go.

[00:52:55] Is that correct? Yeah. How has it been being a part of that whole event? Hell yeah, man, they're a lot of fun. We go out, if we put the show on that we perform like on a nightly basis, if you didn't have a preconceived notion of who we were, didn't have a, you know, zero exposure to us whatsoever, you're not going to leave there going, dude, he's a right-wing extremist. You know what I'm saying? It was a note that I took from Toby after his manager said that. It was like,

[00:53:25] Toby was patriotic and he was more American than left to right. Like, that's what mattered to him. And that's what matters to me at the end dude. There are some things that send me one way or another. One of those major things is guns. You know, but again, I was raised around them. Yeah. Like, it's not weird to me. To, you know, all that stuff, man, I, you know, we played shows with Kid Rock.

[00:53:56] Dude's a freaking superstar. You know, how he chooses to, you know, be politically is on him. I don't know that, that, you know, that, that promotion as a whole was geared that way. I think it's something it turned into. Yeah. Without a doubt. Yeah. You know what I mean? But they never called us. hey, we want some, some Republicans to play this. You know what I mean? That wasn't the deal. Who'd you vote for in the blah, blah, okay, now you come on out.

[00:54:26] Yeah, you had to vote for Trump. Like, no, that should never happen. I don't know. The conversations had backstage there are not what are being made to happen. Like, we were there to play music, dude, and have a good time. One of my biggest, you know, hurts about our society as a whole right now is we've lost the ability to have a conversation and we lost the ability to coexist and enjoy shit together regardless of where you stand politically. Right and wrong is a fucking thing, dude.

[00:54:58] And music was, music was always the, you know, you could be on different sides of an idea and still enjoy a show. You know, so, you know, I said that the other day and man, just to be transparent and honest, somebody, you know, brought up the turning point thing when I said that and it was like, and asked me, do you not feel like that was divisive? It was a valid point. Those weren't my intentions, you know, 110% was like, my kids got to watch two quarters of football

[00:55:28] and then watch their dad perform. I'm an entertainer. That's what I do for a living. People pay me something when we signed up for it. Did I know it was going to be a direct competition, pitched as a direct competition to the Super Bowl halftime show? I didn't know who the fuck was playing in the Super Bowl halftime show until it was closed. I don't watch a whole lot of NFL ball. I'm mostly a college ball dude. So, yeah, man, you know, hindsight's 20-20. You know,

[00:55:57] and I'd be lying to you if I said I didn't know that going in or that I didn't know that it was going to be kind of a thing going in. Whether I did or not, man, I can tell you, like, I was a Charlie Kirk fan. You know, I feel like you could disagree with that dude and where he stood on things, but, you know, his commitment to the First Amendment, in my opinion, was kind of unrivaled. If you have a platform and you're willing to share that with people

[00:56:25] that have opposing arguments and you're willing to set the microphone down and let them speak, I don't know. I just thought he was a champion for the First Amendment and I thought the dude was extremely well-educated. I mean, he knew his shit. But, and two, when we were around, man, that dude was super, like, when we did a Turning Point event years ago before it was, you know, before that made you a terrible person. And he was at the event

[00:56:55] and, man, that dude was so, like, just super nice and respectful to my wife and I without knowing who the hell we were. Yeah. Because he didn't know we were there in an entertainment capacity and it's like, I watched the dude talk to the people around him and you're just super genuine and super kind. So I have a personal experience with somebody. Even when they start taking heat for this, that, and other and get painted in a certain light. You met them before you know. Instinctually, I go back to that moment and it was like, I didn't see that. Right. And maybe that's ignorance

[00:57:24] on my part, but I don't feel that way. No. You know what I mean? I wouldn't say so. I catch a lot of shit for being unapologetic, but, dude, at the end of the day, it is what it is. We were all, raised. We all had the childhood trauma that we had. We all, you know, we were, you know, a result of our experiences and our choices and a lot of mine were fucking bad. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? By no means. You know, and also,

[00:57:54] bro, I'm in a learning season of life right now and that's wild for me. Like, my grandfathers, the men who I thought really hung the moon, were really stern and really setting their beliefs and really forward with that, right? So, inherently, like, that was kind of a thing. And right now, dude, again, with an eight, six, and a one and a half year old showing me on a daily basis that I don't know shit. Like, you know,

[00:58:24] some conversations that are being had lately just, you know, I'm in a learning season of life. Yeah. I feel like we're all trying to be better people, better dads, better husband, better friends. You know, the effort you put into doing right, right? Sure. Just trying to be on a continuous path of being better. That's where I'm at and I fail at it daily. Like, you know. But recognizing that and continuing on, that's what it's all about. Yeah. A hundred percent. Well, and sitting across from you,

[00:58:53] I feel like we've got nothing but the genuine Brantley Gilbert sitting across from us and talking to us today. So we appreciate you being open and talking about all the things that you were able to touch on today. And we just want to tell the fans, right, to go out, listen to Sins of the Father, anything else that you want fans to know about you or go listen to or anything like that before we wrap up? Hey, man, give it a shot at being a full listen. You know what I mean? Not just my album, but, man, I miss the days of, you know, back when it was CD tapes,

[00:59:23] I was a liar for tapes, right? Like, you ever remember hearing a band was coming out with a song and having to go stand in line for it? Nope, that was before. Bro, both of our time. Bro, it was terrible to wait in line, but once you got it and got it in the truck, man, you spun that thing and you lived with it for days in a row. And that, you know, you became, you know, you earned sweat equity with that artist and you kind of developed a relationship with these songs that only you knew. And that's something, man, I wish,

[00:59:53] I wish you guys more of those experiences. It makes my heart feel good to know that y'all weren't from the generation that waited in line to buy them and you still listen to them front to back. Yeah. Because there's, you know, when you define an artist by one song that you heard that you didn't like, you cheat yourself out of something that may help you or something that you may dig. And it could be inspiring in a way if you're a musician or a songwriter or just if they touch on something in life

[01:00:22] and look at it different. So yeah, man, go front to back on it and, you know, in the world we live in today where you can download one of the songs and try to make a point to make it all the way through. That's right. You heard the man do exactly what he just said. Brantley, thanks so much for taking some time out of your busy schedule to be on the Whiskey Riff Raff Podcast. We appreciate it. Absolutely, dude. Appreciate y'all having me.