Brantley Gilbert knows that tomorrow is no guarantee. Just over five years ago the talented singer/songwriter was ignoring his deepest ambition of becoming a country singer and was just going through the motions of everyday life. It wasn’t until a nearly-fatal car accident that Brantley opened his eyes, realized the importance of living each day to the fullest, and decided to pursue his love for music as a career.

Brantley was born and raised in the small town of Jefferson, Georgia, just outside the Athens city limits. It is that upbringing and small town influence Brantley credits toward allowing him to cultivate his unique sound. With well-known rock bands REM and the B-52’s having roots nearby, Brantley’s taste in music always swayed toward a rock feel, but his true-to-life testimony of heartache, trials, triumph, and success found a home in country music.

After taking the stage night-after-night with just his guitar and opening for other country artists throughout the southeast, Brantley began to notice familiar faces in the crowds. A group of believers who shared Brantley’s passion for life and music had developed, and pretty soon the following had taken-on a life of its own. Brantley quickly realized that his acoustic shows—however intimate—didn’t satisfy his audience’s thirst for his rock-infused country music. In order to meet their demand, Brantley formed a band.

“We went from these acoustic shows to a bona fide country-rock-soul show that is wide-ass open,” says Gilbert. “Even when we play a ballad it’s high energy.”