Author: bgi329

Hi! I am music photographer based in Charlotte, passionate about covering and documenting the music scene. Follow me on Instagram: @bethany_grace_creates

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Concert Photography

Ruel’s First Performance at The Underground

Fans at the Underground in Charlotte were “kicking their feet” in excitement as both Ruel and Arthur Hill took the stage to make their first impressions on the city. Everyone welcomed both performers with open arms (and awesome dance moves)! 

Ruel graced us with his entrance by literally opening the door and greeting his fans to set the tone for an unforgettable night. Throughout the night, I was mesmerized. From songs such as “Dazed and Confused” off of his first EP Ready to “Not What’s Going On” from his newest album Kicking My Feet, and a breathtaking cover of Justin Bieber’s “Stuck in the Moment,” I was beyond impressed by how far he has come as the artist we know today. 

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Interviews Music News

The Band Light navigates a different ‘World’ of adulthood

Image provided by The Band Light

2026 has been off to an exciting and hectic start in the world, especially in music. But for The Band Light, it’s gotten even crazier. Konnor Dolberry (lead singer), Garrett Goodrich (lead guitarist), Jack Glenn (bass), and Trevor Young (drummer) kicked off the new year with their hometown show surrounded by fans, family and friends (and the appearance of a Nintendo DS), and teased new music that kept fans guessing. 

In early January, fans from all over traveled to Franklin, TN for the band’s annual hometown show, Lightyear, where the group hosted a wide array of festivities, scavenger hunts, and a performance that keeps growing.

“It ended up probably being my favorite headline show we’ve ever done. The crowd was amazing and it was awesome. The set that we built ended up looking so cool!” Konnor said.

Venturing more into 2026, The Band Light continues to keep fans on their toes as they continuously escalate to new heights in music. Their new song, “Worlds,” is one that has finally made its long-awaited debut at Lightyear.

“It was the first song that we all wrote together,” said Trevor. “It was something we weren’t quite ready for at the time. We had the chorus that we really loved, and I remember trying to write other stuff for it, but nothing really felt right. I’m a big believer in everything happens for a reason, and I really believe this song came out at the right time for the right reason,” he said.

The band has always been dedicated to giving people a voice through their music. After a heartfelt performance of the song at Lightyear, what started as a simple chorus and from being fully written in a college dorm room, had eventually become something bigger than the band, and meaningful for the fans. After a long time in the making, the song has finally made its way into the light and onto their new EP – “Worlds” allures fans and perfectly captures both finding the beauty in heartache and navigating adulthood.

“I listen back and I think about growing up and being in this weird spot in your early twenties where you can be standing in both your childhood and adulthood at the same time, and it feels like you’re just starting out again,” said Konnor. 

“We always talk about wanting people to feel seen, and if somebody can listen to this song and feel like, ‘I wasn’t able to put it into words, but this is how I feel right now,’ then that’s really all I care about. That’s what we’re in this for. ” 

“We’re here for a reason, not a season,” said Jack. 

The past few years have been a roller coaster of success for the band – from playing small shows in their garages to opening for Louis Tomlinson’s Away From Home Music Festival, the group has definitely made a powerful name for themselves and has grown in many different ways in their careers. Looking back, it had not always been an easy journey to get to where they are now. The band even shared with Crowdsurfer a candid, in-depth reflection of navigating the music industry all while continuing to grow up in their early twenties.

“It’s never going to be easy. If anything, it kind of gets harder, the more farther along you get.

Also, what I’ve learned is that you have to be your biggest supporter. Nothing’s going to happen if we don’t move the dial forward every day and if we don’t care more than anybody else. It’s a very cliche thing to say, but it’s so true and it has to start with you,” said Konnor.

Even through the chaos and setbacks, the band continues to strive to keep being true to themselves and their music, all while encouraging others to always do the same, no matter what. 

“The biggest thing is finding your own security with who you are within the industry and finding your own voice, and being able to see yourself and be confident in who you are and in the decisions you make,” said Garrett. 

“Comparison is such a big thing in this industry, and it’s something that I’ve struggled with all my life, but you have to have the mindset of ‘I’m my own person and what I bring to the table is vital and valuable because it’s me.’ It’s not through any filter of ‘I’m making a song this way because I think it’ll please this crowd or this person.’ You have to do it for you.”

While this era ends, a new yet familiar one now begins as the band prepares to hit the road with New Hollow in March.

“We’re really excited!” says Konnor. “I think we’ve been really going back to what inspired us when we first started the band, I think those inspirations are showing on a lot of the new stuff.”

Be sure to follow the band on social media for more updates on new music and show dates!

Instagram: @thebandlightofficial

TikTok: @thebandlightofficial

*Updated on 2/23/26. The article previously stated the release of an upcoming single, but the release information changed.

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Interviews

Matteson Gregory’s ‘Season 1’ in music in the new year

Living in our 20’s is just like starting the new season of a TV show – it can be exciting, questionable, emotional, and full of the most unexpected plot twists. Along the way, we’re even introduced to the most interesting characters as we navigate our own messy, yet transformative stories. 

Matteson Gregory is taking on the first season of her musical journey by embracing her experiences with a bright boldness, and through raw, authentic storytelling. After being booed off stage in her hometown’s rendition of The Gong Show when she was 13, Matteson had two options: to give up entirely or to continue to pursue doing what she loved, proudly and without fear. Years later, after taking vocal lessons, an opportunity arose for her in high school to perform a song she wrote, which gave her the confidence to keep pursuing music.

“I was kind of quiet about writing songs, especially throughout high school,” she said. “But then, I got a chance to sing a song of mine in front of the whole school when I was a senior and everybody clapped and cheered. It was the moment where I was like, ‘I’ve got this!” 

Music has always played a huge part of Matteson’s life and since then, she has marched on proud, channeling her inner rock star through her stylish 90’s wardrobe, and heartfelt and upbeat lyrics, launching her into what she considers the first season of her music career. Her song Phoenix in the 90’s, pays great homage to the The Phoenix 90’s Rock Scene and to her parents. 

“My dad was in different rock bands and would play stages like The Mason Jar. He even played some of the same stages that Nirvana would play, and I believe he even opened up for the Gin Blossoms as well,” she said. “He was very involved in that music scene and my mom would always be out in the crowd doing photos.” 

Her parents have always been her number one supporter, and have always encouraged her to follow her dreams, with nothing holding her back, regardless of others’ negative opinions. 

“One of the biggest things that [my parents] taught me is that people are always gonna have their opinions, but the most important thing you can do is to live the life that you want to live, because you don’t wanna have any regrets. Ignore the haters!”

Matteson is no stranger when it comes to new beginnings. Throughout her ‘season one’ of her career, inspiration struck after watching the iconic TV show Friends. In an episode where Chandler Bing reassures the group that they are no longer in their 20’s, going to parties and staying out late, it brought her comfort that growing up was a beautiful process. 

In her fun and upbeat single, 21 Ain’t So Fun, she reflects on her 20’s, and that the way we have fun can change and to give ourselves permission to embrace it. She also reassures us that we should not be afraid of getting older, as we continue to learn and grow more into ourselves.  

“We kind of live in a world where it’s a bad thing getting older. Adulting is hard, trust me!” She exclaimed. “I don’t think you stop having fun, just the way you have fun changes. It’s not a bad thing. You shouldn’t feel ashamed of getting older, and you’ll learn more about yourself and that’s something to look forward to.” 

With 2026 continuing to unravel, it’s safe to say that we may have a Matteson Gregory summer on the horizon. As she continues to write and release new music that captivates her fans, she has a few new and exciting plot twists of her own – her musical journey has officially been renewed for a season 2! With an upcoming EP and a tour in the works, Matteson is thrilled to start the next phase of her career as accelerates to new heights. 

“I’ve got a lot of big plans for doing more live shows! So, right now it’s the time to really prepare for everything. I’m really excited for that! And I’m releasing the EP where I’ve got a few other songs on that. I’m just really excited for just this next chapter!”

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Concert Photography

Del Water Gap At The Fillmore in Charlotte

All worries were left at the door, and packed throughout The Fillmore were excited fans to see Del Water Gap perform after a few long awaited years since his last headlining tour. Kicking off the Chasing the Chimera Tour in North Carolina with Hannah Jadagu, his show in Charlotte was definitely one to remember.

Each beautiful song such as “Marigolds,” “Small Town Joan of Arc,” and to our surprise “Chastain,” captivated each person that came to the concert. In case you missed it, a special guest was even unexpectedly introduced on stage during his song “Damn”: a sewing machine! It’s incredibly safe to say that Del Water Gap is a man of many talents – a performer and a gifted embroiderer. 

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Concert Photography

Modern Alibi’s Halloweekend at Snug Harbor

This year, spooky season was best spent going to Modern Alibi’s show at Snug Harbor with Charlotte’s own Te’Jani. Along with playing their sold out show at the venue, the band surprised fans the night before when they opened for the All American Rejects at VBGB’s. 

The venue was filled with fans in awesome Halloween costumes, but the band’s dynamic energy was what caught my attention the most. If there is one thing that I’ve noticed about Modern Alibi, it’s that they always give it their all, including when they’re dressed as flesh-eating zombies. Whether it was Christian Sturt going all out on the drums, bassist Josh King and guitarist Carter Ritz jamming together, or lead singer Holden Scott getting up on top of the bar singing a cover of “Sympathy for The Devil,” it was a Halloweekend worth remembering. 

If you missed both opportunities to see Modern Alibi live, fear not. They will be performing along the east coast in December with Nashville-based rock band, The Band Light. 

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Concert Photography

Landon Conrath opens For Cartel’s Chroma 20th Anniversary Tour

Pop-punk band Cartel kicked off their first night of their Chroma 20th Anniversary Tour in Charlotte, NC, bringing the energy of their beloved debut album Chroma to The Underground’s stage. In addition to Cartel’s energetic stage presence and playing a sold out show, indie-pop singer Landon Conrath joined the band for the first part of the tour. Throughout his set, he showed his passion for music through his songs “Cool Guy” and “Mezzanine.” He expressed his love of performing music showed immense gratitude towards Cartel for bringing him on tour. 

“I found the band Cartel a little late!” he confessed. 

“Welcome!” shouted an audience member while the rest of the fans, as well as Conrath and his band, all burst out into laughter. 

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Interviews Music News

The Band Light reflects on their musical journey ahead of new era of music

Photo courtesy of The Band Light.

It’s no secret that Nashville-based pop-rock group The Band Light has has been captivating fans through catchy and hypnotic lyrics, various One Direction covers, and lively content throughout their social media and band vlogs. From opening for Switchfoot, Quarters of Change and Modern Alibi, attending Jonas Con, and to recently releasing new music, The Band Light has been having a very exciting past couple of years

We sat down to talk with the band members – lead singer Konnor Dolberry, drummer Trevor Young, bassist Jack Glenn, and guitarist Garrett Goodrich – about how their band began and where they are now. 

Laughter filled the room as the members reminisced on the band’s beginnings in high school theater. After their school’s production of Footloose was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Dolberry, Young, and Glenn creatively took it upon themselves to make the musical’s soundtrack their own. After a few sessions together, they quickly turned the heads of their classmates and caught their attention. 

“We had these two songs, ‘harmony’ and ‘promise you,'” Konnor told us. “Those songs came out and a bunch of people at school really liked it! We were just kind of surprised by how it caught on with everybody.”

Eventually, seeing that Trevor Young had musical talents of his own, and after various attempts made by Garrett of getting him to audition for the band, Jack and Konnor finally took Garrett’s word and gave Trevor an audition. 

“Garrett saw the vision, and we decided to go to Trevor’s house. We played ‘promise you’ once, and we all looked at each other and we’re like, ‘All right, he’s in!” said Konnor.

As the band began to flourish, the meaning of The Band Light became something more to not only the fans, but to each of the boys themselves.

“I think the biggest thing for me has always just been connecting with people. I wanted to be in [the band] because of the connection to these guys. I thought they were freaking awesome in high school. Now as we’ve grown and as it’s changed, I want this band to be the place where people can connect and develop real friendships and relationships,” recalled Trevor. 

For The Band Light, 2025 has been a rewarding and memorable year so far. Along with opening and playing for various bands and attending Jonas Con earlier this year, the band released two new addicting songs, “Dreamboat” and “All I Need,” which created a major turning point for the band’s music.

“[‘Dreamboat’ and ‘All I Need’] are us stepping into the full evolution of what we’re becoming,” shared Konnor. “We’re building up to something, and we have an awesome team around us that we didn’t have before that’s able to help us with it. It’s just like all hands on deck now and it’s like we’re just full sent in everything!”

In this new era for The Band Light, they continue to leave fans on the edge of their seat, teasing their upcoming single “Turning Red,” out on September 19th. Konnor spoke about the story behind their newest song, which all started with a disappointing text message. 

“It’s about a situationship – this girl that ended things with me 30 seconds before we went on stage for the Quarters of Change show. I literally got a text as we were about to go on stage, and I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s cool.’ I put [my phone] back in my pocket, walked on stage, and wrote the song when we got back.”

And as their music has grown and changed, so has the band and the messages they want to send.

“The way this band started was almost as an outlet for us to create the things we wanted to – in a group without the fear of judgement or being cool. Eventually, that caught up with people in high school and grew into what it is now,” Konnor explained.

“Now, the meaning has shifted to not just being an outlet for us, but as a message to people to be fully themselves, no matter what that means; how messy, or how stupid people may think it looks. We are devoted to encouraging people to be themselves and creating the communities in which they can.”

Be on the look out for more updates from The Band Light on their social media, and be sure to stream Turning Red, out on September 19th!

Instagram: @thebandlightofficial

TikTok: @thebandlightofficial

Categories
Concert Photography

Jake Scott’s Heartfelt Night in Charlotte on Live in ’25 Tour

Jake Scott’s show at The Underground in Charlotte was not only a memorable night for everyone in attendance, but also almost poignant – it was like a love letter. 

Opening for Scott on his heartfelt night in Charlotte was MaRynn Taylor. Although there were many technical difficulties, Taylor was able to prevail. Sharing her music was a love letter in itself: her single “Pretty Much” speaks to the young girls who feel the weight of the world on their shoulders of being a certain standard on how they look. As she sang her new single, I couldn’t help but tear up on how honest and vulnerable Taylor was. It was almost as if she was speaking to a 12 year old me.

As Scott took the stage, he proclaimed, “Man, I love y’all.” Throughout the night, he not only expressed his love and admiration for the city, but he also continuously shared stories of growing up, moving away from his hometown, and marrying the love of his life. In every song that Scott sang and every story that he told, he got up close and personal with the audience. For instance, the story behind his single, “Venezia,” was a memorable one – it was about being whisked away on a trip to Venice with his wife and getting the opportunity to eat spaghetti for breakfast while being captivated by the beauty that the city had to offer. 

The night was overall a love letter to Scott’s wife, and I couldn’t be more happy to be a part of it and to become more excited for what Scott has to come in future projects.

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Concert Photography

The Driver Era returns to Charlotte with ‘Obsession’

With only a handful of shows left on The Driver Era’s Obsession Tour, I’m happy to say that Ross and Rocky Lynch always bring the energy to every show they perform. And as they returned to Charlotte with their fierce opener VALÉ, it was pretty clear that myself and the rest of the audience were about to have an amazing time. 

VALÉ captivated the audience with her beautiful yet fiery performance and mystical stage presence. During her set, I was taken back to the early 2000s as she performed a cover of Hollaback Girl by Gwen Stefani, prompting everyone, including myself, to sing along.

As The Driver Era’s set rolled in, I knew that my younger self was going to be excited based on clips of their past shows I had seen on my TikTok feed. You could have caught me dancing in the crowd step by step as Ross performed “Cruisin’ For A Bruisin’” from Teen Beach Movie. To close out the show, the song I had been waiting for all night began to play. “Get Off My Phone” was the cherry on top to an incredible night. As the show ended, the Lynch brothers walked towards the crowd to autograph fans’ signs and hats to everyone’s excitement.

The Obsession Tour was an obsession indeed.

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Concert Photography

Camisole, Lady Die, and Madisinn at Snug Harbor

The month of May was a month to remember for many Charlotte bands, but for Camisole, it was especially memorable. Kicking off the month, the band performed at Charlotte’s second annual Lovin Life Music Festival, and ended May on a high note by performing at Snug Harbor for the first show of their tour. 

Joining Camisole on Snug Harbor’s stage were two talented musicians, Lady Die and Madisinn. To start off the night, Madisinn delivered what was perhaps one of the most dreamy and mythical performances I’ve seen. For Madisinn’s first time in Charlotte, she had left a lasting and angelic impression on both the venue and the city. 

Throughout Camisole’s set, I expected the unexpected. One eccentric set, an unreleased song, and a cover of a Gwen Stefani’s song later, I was completely blown away by the liveliness of the band’s energy. During their set, frontwoman Briella Violet’s heart of gold had shown when she sweetly surprised drummer Logan Hawke and her roommate and best friend with a cake. It was sadly a bittersweet celebration as it was both Violet’s roommate’s birthday as well as Hawke’s last night of being a part of the band.

Lady Die’s set was the cherry on top for the night. For the band’s first night in Charlotte, I was completely blown away. “It’s also our first show in a couple of months, so we’re a bit rusty,” said lead singer Julia Rothenberger. After attending their show, I can say that I will definitely be listening to their new EP June when it comes out this month.