We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Konnor Dolberry a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Konnor, thanks for joining us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?

I did not grow up around music at all. I only overheard the 90s country songs that my dad listened to in the car, or the occasional Bon Jovi song from my mom. As a child I was obsessed with sports, and played every single sports my parents would allow. When I was not at a practice or a game however, I was watching Disney Channel. When I would innocently sing the songs I heard in High School Musical, or Camp Rock, my family would always say things like, “you need to sing more” or “you have a gift,” but being the stubborn athlete kid I was, I never listened and proceeded to play sports.

When football became too time consuming, and basketball just became a hobby, I was left with no real direction in my life, and that was when I stumbled upon my love for music. My freshman year of High School I began to listen to music more frequently, which lit my creative flame, so I started trying to imitate what I heard. Ever since then I have been trying to recreate that feeling that you get when you hear a new song you like, or replay an old favourite that you keep going back to; and give that feeling to others.

So in short- I don’t wish I had started earlier. I know that God uses things in our past to orchestrate our future, so I would not be where I am now if I did not start making music when I did. However, I do wonder what would have happened if I discovered my love for art at an earlier age.

Konnor, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Thank you so much for having me! My name is Konnor and I am a songwriter and the front man of “THE BAND LIGHT.” I have been writing my own music since early High School, but the band didn’t form until Garrett (Guitar), Jack (Bass), and I became friends through our school’s theatre program. After our Spring 2020 production of ‘Footloose’ was cancelled due to Covid-19, we decided to reproduce the soundtrack as a way to let the show live on in the only way it could. Jack, Garrett and I immediately clicked in the studio, so we decided to make a few original songs. ‘light.’ was the original title of the studio project, only being two songs that we had no real aspirations for. But when Garrett insisted we audition his drummer friend Trevor, that is when the trajectory of the project changed. It only took Trevor playing through one song with us to unanimously agree that could join. Thus THE BAND LIGHT was now officially more than just a project, but now a true band. Since then we have been playing shows in the greater Nashville area, striving to bring love, fun, and rock and roll everywhere we go.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I think I speak on behalf of the entire band when I saw our mission is to bring back rock n’ roll. In one way or another we all grew up with classic rock music, yet we have noticed that the feeling that that music brings us is nearly lost in today’s landscape. We are set out to bring back that feeling in a new, repackaged way that music fans young and old can enjoy.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

By far the most rewarding part of it is hearing stories of how my art has spoken to people. Emotionally, I am a very private person and writing songs is how I express those emotions. Hearing how the songs connect with other people makes me feel less alone because it shows that other people deal with those things too. I will never truly be able to express the pure joy that it brings knowing that the words I write can help people work through the same feelings I felt when I wrote them.

Contact Info:

• Website: thebandlightofficial.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kdnnor/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCx80C8O3mMgBKzn4ZVhUgfw
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@thebandlightofficial

Image Credits
Elizabeth Marsh