BY ALISON RICHTER
AUGUSTA, GA – Trying to get singer/songwriter/guitarist Brantley Gilbert to take credit for his accomplishments is no easy feat. Nudge him about his success and he’ll immediately give the credit to his band, management, label, publicists, fans and street team.
Offer praise about his talent and he’ll humbly describe himself as “just a guy who wrote a couple of songs and thought my mom and close friends would hear them. I’m still in shock over what has happened to us.”
Brantley Gilbert
Talk to him about second chances, like the one he got following a near-fatal car accident, and he’ll defer to his faith in God and the support of friends and family. Gilbert seems almost ill at ease talking about himself.
His comfort level rises when he can share the spotlight with those who stand by him.
Gilbert’s sophomore album, “Halfway to Heaven,” was released in March by Average Joes Entertainment, launched by the rousing first single, “Kick It In the Sticks.”
Like much of his music, the track reflects an artist with one foot planted firmly in his country roots and the other in rock ‘n’ roll. Despite the dichotomy, or perhaps because of it, within a month of release, “Halfway to Heaven” was No. 1 on the Billboard Heatseekers album chart.
Gilbert is from Jefferson, Ga., outside of Athens.
“This is home and I’m pretty happy here,” he says, “so I reckon I’ll hang around for a while. I have no desire to relocate.”
He spends half his time on the road, and the other half either in Nashville or at home, where his days are consumed by telephone interviews, songwriting and, when possible, sneaking away with his “girlfriend” — a ’99 Harley-Davidson softail custom.
With literally millions of views on his Web pages and a loyal fan base that began compounding itself daily with the independent release of his 2005 debut, “Modern Day Prodigal Son,” Gilbert is in demand. It’s the result of hard work, diligent planning and the power of the Internet, which has allowed him to reach fans worldwide and expand his itinerary while carefully targeting the right markets.
In June, Gilbert and his band participated in Nashville’s annual CMA Music Festival, which grouped him with other country artists. Onstage, however, he puts on the type of high-energy, high-volume performances that lean more toward Mellencamp and Springsteen than today’s “country lite” fare.
“The songs on this album turned out the way I wanted them to when they came together,” he says. “What’s important to me is that it is honest, and that you know it is honest when you listen to it.”
That quest for integrity prompted him to do the unthinkable: turn down major-label deals in Nashville, where stipulations of contracts included recording outside material tracked with session players.
“I have nothing against Nashville,” he says. “Their business model has worked for years, but I am not going to let go of my band and get guys that I don’t know. It’s a brotherhood. We are family. We’ve been through a lot together, and I’m not built that way.”
The “brotherhood” includes John Merlino on lead guitar, Jonathan Waggoner covering bass and background vocals, Jess Franklin covering rhythm guitar, keyboard and background vocals, and Ben Sims on drums. And while it’s Gilbert’s name that appears on CDs, concert listings and interviews, creating and performing the music is always a collective effort.
“I just write the songs,” he says. “I played football in high school as a quarterback, and now I quarterback with my band. Everybody’s got what they’re good at and, when that comes together, it makes us a tough team to beat.”
Brantley Gilbert
The Country Club
Friday, July 9
Doors, 7 p.m.; show, 9 p.m.
$12 in advance
