Dierks Bentley Feels ‘Very Grateful’ to Contribute ‘Hold the Light’ to ‘Only the Brave’ Soundtrack

"I’m just very grateful to be associated with a film as important as this one,” Bentley explained about his track, 'Hold the Light.'

Written by Kelly Brickey
Dierks Bentley Feels ‘Very Grateful’ to Contribute ‘Hold the Light’ to ‘Only the Brave’ Soundtrack
(L-R) Actor Josh Brolin, tech advisor Pat McCarty and singer-songwriter Dierks Bentley; Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images for Columbia Pictures

As an Arizona native, Dierks Bentley jumped on the opportunity to work on a song for Only the Brave, a movie based on the true story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots.

Only the Brave captures a dramatized version of the actual events that the Granite Mountain Hotshot crew from Prescott, Arizona, dealt with in their day-to-day occupation. Saving thousands of homes and families from the destruction of devastating wild fires throughout the wilderness in Arizona, the 19 men put their lives on the line and sacrificed it all when it came to ridding of the flames. The movie shows the camaraderie and brotherly bond between the men as they face their fate toward the end in the Yarnell fire.

Josh Brolin, who plays Eric “Supe” Marsh, felt as though the film portrayed and represented the Hotshot team with respect for their resilient approach to their jobs and shined a light onto who these men truly were beneath their firefighting exteriors.

“What I appreciate at the end is as quickly as it happened was really as quickly as it happened. It was the same kind of feeling. You didn’t get to tie it up in a nice Hollywood bow—it just happens and you feel the loss immediately. To me, why you feel that is because you spent two hours really getting to know these people. It’s not just in firefighting situations, you get to know their families, you get to know their wives and I think that that was very important in finding a balance between the two,” Brolin said to Sounds Like Nashville and other media members at the Nashville movie premiere.

Brendan McDonough, the only survivor from the original Granite Mountain Hotshots team, seconded Brolin’s note and appreciated the authentic depiction of his friends from the squad throughout the film.“Definitely a full range of emotions,” McDonough said. “We get to, me and Pat [McCarty], we get to see some of our brothers’ stories come to life and some of our greatest memories with them. It’s just a phenomenal tribute to who they were and what they did.”

Although Bentley came in from an outsider perspective, his music still left a mark on viewers as “Hold the Light” plays during the end scene of the movie, which shows actual photographs of the men who lost their lives while trying to help many others. Feeling honored to give his own craft to a disaster that was close to home, Bentley took on the honor of representing the heroism through song as best as he could.

“It’s a great song and I can say that because Joe [Trapanese] was here, who started that song with Sean Carey and allowed me to jump in on it. I tried to write a few other things, but I couldn’t beat that song. It was just too good and too perfect for the movie in a time of darkness to hold the light, hold on to hope. Obviously having it in that part of the movie is a one plus one equals three type of scenario, where the combined good of this is greater than their sums and it’s just a very powerful spot. I’m just very grateful to be associated with a film as important as this one,” Bentley explained.

Only the Brave comes to theaters on October 20.