Brantley Gilbert coming ‘home’

‘Hard Days’ singer reveals softer side with Peak Living licensed upholstery

HIGH POINT — Product licenses can involve a considerable markup reflecting their use of a famous name to drive consumers to a brand. Brantley Gilbert has a dedicated following and critical success in country music circles, but in partnering with Peak Living on a new line of upholstery, a priority was making it affordable for his fan base’s demographic, whatever music they listen to.

With his trending single “Hard Days” touching themes appropriate for these times — American Songwriter called it a “rough around the edges,” “stirring ballad” that “narrates the good and the bad of hardship, hope and healing” — and a Netflix special in development, the singer songwriter is front-and-center in his field.

His recent single “What Happens In A Small Town” with Lindsay Ell, marked the Georgia native’s seventh No. 1 song. That said, he’s not looking to cash in on that with the “Kicking It at Home” upholstery collection.

“We worked really hard to keep the price down,” Gilbert said during an interview in Peak Living’s showroom at Premarket, and it reflects his attitude toward making his music accessible on tour. “If you compare us with a lot of people in our business, our ticket prices are at the lower end because we know our demographic, we know who’s listening, who wants to come, and we want them to afford it.”

A comparison on seatgeek.com proves that out, with average ticket prices showing Gilbert’s at anywhere from 40% to 60% of many other comparable artists. That approach suits Peak Living Owner Chad Cunningham just fine.

“The kind of furniture we make, the people we’re serving is for people like Brantley’s fans,” Cunningham said.

Gilbert is all about “what you see is what you get,” but the linebacker’s build, tattoos and decidedly Southern accent aren’t the whole story. He looks like he’s lived hard and he’s done his share of that: “I spent a lot of time with fast motorcyles and fast cars.”

He still looks like and is a biker (“some of the nicest people you’d know”), but personal growth out of tumultuous earlier years, his faith, marriage and fatherhood have smoothed some edges, adding thoughtfulness that belies the rough exterior.

Take how his experience in his craft shape what he wanted in the furniture collection: creating a sense of family closeness emerging from his songwriting approach.

“I thought about being in the studio or writing songs,” Gilbert said. “When we’re writing a song, we’re in there for hours, people are getting up and down, sitting, going back and forth with each other. A big part is being on the same page, looking people in the eye and talking.”

That’s one reason big sectional pieces are a major component of “Kicking It at Home,” including large extended chaises.

“It’s about something livable, family closeness,” Gilbert said. “I wanted furniture you could crash on with your family or with five of your friends. I didn’t know all the terms, but I knew what I wanted.”

Home furnishings had been more on Gilbert’s mind well before he partnered with Peak Living. Gilbert married his wife, Amber, a school teacher, five years ago, and she had her own ideas about their homes. The family lives in Maysville, Ga., near Gilbert’s hometown of Jefferson, and has a farm in east Alabama with two houses and an apartment that he set up as a deer-hunting range catering to military veterans in particular. He and Amber have completely redone the interiors in both locations.

“My wife and I have completely different styles, and I had to get a sense of what she’s looking for,” Gilbert said.

That collaboration, along with the ideas he brought from his own creative process, reflect in the collection with Peak Living, which has clean lines and a contemporary feel designed for relaxed living. The timing was good for such a project considering a pandemic-enforced slowdown of Gilbert’s tour schedule.

“I never would have had time for this before,” he said.