There were no seats, no stands and no people, just a metal barricade about three feet away from the stage with nothing but a field behind it. Four boys were on the stage. Two setting up guitars and pedals. One testing the drum kit. And one adjusting the mic.

Less than ten minutes later, those same four boys came out with lights, energy and confidence.

In Charlotte, N.C., at Lovin’ Life Music Festival, Stevie Nicks was going on in thirty minutes. As people made their way to the main stage, they passed this group of guys who looked in their early to mid-twenties.

Most of them stopped to listen to the band standing on the stage only a foot above the ground.

All of them stayed until their closing song.

“It felt like there were people as far as the eye can see – it was incredible.”

Their rise has not happened by chance. Every song, every sound and every show reflects a band with a clear vision and an unwavering commitment to its craft. Yet, embarrassing moments on stage, playful banter and laughter are what shape their identity.

A combination of discipline and personality has defined the band’s sound, framed their performances and fueled the momentum that has audiences nationwide taking notice.

Originating in Charlotte, Holden Scott, 24; Christian Sturt, 24; Josh King, 22; and Carter Ritz, 18 found their way on stage together. Each member brings skill and wit to shape the unforgettable band: Modern Alibi.

Meet the Band

Carter Ritz, lead guitar, is the newest and youngest member of Modern Alibi. Bringing melodic riffs, Ritz adds the mystery to the stage. His bandmates describe him as their silent, yet confident little brother and make sure to point out his “brain rot” and “nonchalant-ness.” On stage, Ritz’s hair covers most of his face, so you can never truly read it while he is performing. His cover adds to his mysterious image that his bandmates describe.

Josh King, bass, posted stage right, brings the groovy bass lines that have audiences humming them for days. Sexy. Amazing. Pocketed. So many pockets. An incredible number of pockets. The other band members make sure they appreciate the pockets on their bassist’s cargo pants.

Christian Sturt, drums, keeps the beat and rhythm of the show, arguably the most important job. Out of the four, he is described as the handyman. He fixes everything and makes sure things are running smoothly. If something goes wrong on stage, everyone turns to Sturt, and he is the man with a plan.

Finally, the one who started it all.

Holden Scott, lead vocals, guitar, founder… the list goes on. He brought together the band, Modern Alibi, and has kept it on its feet. Doing all the songwriting and producing, Sturt, King and Ritz only have one way to describe him: kindhearted genius.

To start, Scott had been going around Charlotte doing open mic nights or playing with friends. He first met King when he needed a bassist and asked him to substitute. Then Christian in the same way. A little bit later, Ritz was subbing in for someone else.

All three guys met and joined Scott by randomly subbing for another person or bailing Scott out of a situation where he needed a musician. They were all in bands or doing music on their own, but when filling in, something just felt right to Scott about each of them.

The Name and Sound

In Latin, the word “alibi” is an adverb meaning “elsewhere” or “at another place,” which is what inspired Scott to use it in the band’s title.

“When I make my music that’s modern, I feel like I am elsewhere,” said Scott.

He didn’t want people to associate the words with anything except the band when they heard the name Modern Alibi. The words alone have meaning, but together, the only meaning they hold is the project Scott has been breathing for the past five years.

Their specific alternative rock sound has audiences able to hear and think “this is Modern Alibi.”

Not quite being English like Arctic Monkeys – although they did fake an English accent in an early interview once – Modern Alibi has a similar sound. Incorporating deep bass lines and vocals that can be compared to Alex Turner’s smooth transatlantic voice.

Twenty One Pilots’ style can also be found in Modern Alibi’s tracks. With Scott sometimes almost rapping lyrics like Tyler Joseph, and Sturt’s energetic solos on the drums like Josh Dun, they create their “alternative” sound.

The Killers. A favorite amongst the band. Modern Alibi’s alternative rock sound takes the “rock” part from The Killers. Tapping into a sort of 90s rock n’ roll mixed with 2010s alternative pop; Modern Alibi draws audiences across generations.

Still, each member of Modern Alibi has listened to many bands over their lives, each incorporating tips from their individual experiences to create something new.

On their 2025 debut album “American Radio,” the closing track shares the title of the album. It has their biggest, as they say, “drop.”

Instead of a typical pause, their drops consist of a surge of energy from the guitars, drums and oftentimes vocals that hit all at once. It shifts the song’s atmosphere and creates an unexpected climax in the track.

The “drop” concept is found in most of their songs and has become part of their signature. While many songs today consist of a “beat drop,” Modern Alibi’s has a unique alternative sound that they have incorporated into their discography.

Songwriting and Creative Process

Songwriting is one of the hardest parts of creating music. Paul McCartney started with a melody. John Lennon started with the lyrics. Scott has tried everything.

“My favorite thing is picking up an instrument, and searching for a feeling,” he said. “It feels like I’m just digging. Sometimes it takes hours and sometimes it takes 20 minutes.”

When he finds that feeling, he says it’s like striking gold. He leans more toward starting with a melody because he can always find the words that feel like the new song.

When Scott first started writing songs, he was just writing to write. He knew growing up he was going to do something with music. So, he started writing to see what he could create. The first song that Modern Alibi released was a track called “Seventies.” Scott had no intention of people connecting to it; he was just messing around and wanted to see if he could write a song.

“Not knowing what you’re doing is a beautiful thing,” laughed Scott.

Immediately starting with an upbeat electric guitar riff that will be stuck in your head all day, “Seventies” feels like an evolution song. First, you’ll start tapping your thumb on your leg, then your heel on the ground. Eventually, after the layered vocals, bass solos and hi-hat hits, you’ll find yourself at the turning point: the drop.

At this point in the song, Scott is practically screaming the lyrics, and you find yourself wanting to join him. So, your nose scrunches and your eyebrows furrow as Scott’s voice yells and everything stops. Then all at once, Sturt’s drums, Ritz’s riff, and King’s bass enter back into the song. Now, you’re dancing.

Over the years, fans have told the band that their songs resonate with them in special ways. One fan even told Scott that she couldn’t listen to a song anymore because her and her boyfriend broke up, and the song reminded her of him.

Scott still aims to make art that people can relate to no matter who they are.

“That’s why a lot of the lyrics I write are…very…vague,” said Scott.

I’ve been taking my time as it ticks away

Broken pieces on the floor and it’s here to stay

Now isn’t this a little fast for the interstate

‘Cuz I’ve been thinking about it, lately

He wants his audience to be able to relate to them and interpret them in infinite ways. The less detailed he is, the bigger audience it can reach.

Sometimes songs with vague lyrics are overlooked because they don’t feel as deep or emotional as other songs. But for Modern Alibi, their vague lyrics are unique because of the way Scott writes them. And they never fail to resonate with fans.

After finding the melody he likes, Scott eagerly brings the song to King, Ritz and Sturt.

“I think we’re all pretty much on the same page,” said Scott. “There really isn’t a lot of disagreement.”

They workshop how it would perform live together, each putting their own personality into the sound resulting in a beautiful art.

Once they find the sweet spot, they play it live. Scott focuses mostly on the studio version while Sturt is the mind behind making the live performance immersive.

The live experience is what drives each of them to continue to be Modern Alibi.

Stage Presence, Live Moments and Milestones

Onstage, what looks like four teenage boys rocking out is exactly that but with a raw, unscripted honesty that makes every show one-of-a-kind.

They really are just four guys that came together by chance at different times, and now they share unforgettable moments onstage.

Some of these moments are when a Ritz riff hits perfectly, or a King bass line brings a song in smoothly. Other moments result in Scott stumbling over lyrics through his laughter.

A show that changed the momentum and gave more exposure for the boys was their first festival appearance in May 2024 at Lovin’ Life Music Festival in Charlotte. This was their first time playing an event this big.

The smallest stage at Lovin’ Life was where the local bands at the festival played, it was still one of the bigger stages Modern Alibi has played on.

With more than 80,000 people at the three-day festival, the band played for old and new fans, attracting people who had never heard of Modern Alibi before.

Almost a year later, they released their first album, “American Radio” in April 2025.

Their album release show on April 11 is amongst the shows they list as most memorable. With support from Sweet Spine, Modern Alibi sold out Amos’ Southend in Charlotte.

To get to Amos’ Southend, the entrance winds around the Gin Mill brick building through an alley that is barely one person wide.

Two industrial navy-blue doors hold back the roughly 700-person music venue. With a balcony overlooking the stage, Amos’ Southend has become a known venue for local bands.

During their show, Modern Alibi performed every song off the new album, and a few oldies.

The crowd absolutely loved it. Not only singing along to the old songs but singing the lyrics of songs that were released only a week earlier. The band was in awe.

They brought unique live versions of songs from their recent album, including the ending track “American Radio,” which Scott started by playing a piano ballad himself.

The band is not typically accompanied by a piano on stage, so when the audience saw the clean black piano, something special was coming. Scott sat down at the piano by himself; no one else touched their instruments.

He played the intro to “American Radio” with nothing but his voice, the piano and the deep blue hue from the spotlight. The fragile, pure acoustic sound echoed through the packed windowless room. After about a minute, the band joined in, and the energy was even higher than before.

At one point, Scott went into the crowd standing on the wooden balcony when they performed their iconic cover of “Sympathy For The Devil” by The Rolling Stones.

After the first chorus, the audience knows how Modern Alibi changes the beat and is ready to jump with them.

Jump. Pleased to meet you.

Jump. I hope you…

Jump. Guess.

Jump. My.

Jump. Name.

This cover is played at almost every Modern Alibi show, and they always have the energy through the roof. It will also be the only way you sing the song the next time you hear it.

One thing the band agrees on is their favorite show of all time: the night after Halloween in 2025.

On Nov. 1, 2025, Modern Alibi played at a local live music bar in Charlotte called Snug Harbor.

The little brick building is hidden on Gordon Street in Charlotte. Tucked behind a tree twice its size, it has a capacity of 150 people. A drum set takes up half the small stage in the corner of the single room. Add speakers and cords and only two people would be able to fit alongside them.

With barely a stage and a sold-out show, Scott was forced into the crowd making it even more memorable.

“It was just 150 of the most loyal fans packed into a little sweaty room,” said Sturt. “And they just went super hard, and the energy was just unreal.”

From releasing singles to EPs to their first debut album, Modern Alibi has made a name for themselves.

So much that they opened for The All-American Rejects at a secret location house party in October 2025 put on by 106.5 The End. Playing with a band as well-known as this put Modern Alibi in a new realm of live music.

Walking into the wrong green room and awkwardly running into The All-American Rejects did not stop them from putting on a thrilling show.

A few months later, Modern Alibi went on their first headlining tour. With support from The Band Light, Modern Alibi traveled to Philadelphia, Pa., New York, and Washington, D.C., over the month of December 2025 – and they had a blast.

At concerts, artists typically address the crowd and city they are in.

When the band hit their last stop in Washington, D.C., the lead singer of The Band Light, Konnor Dolberry, addressed the crowd. Only this time he called them Philly.

“I was thinking, man that’s so embarrassing,” said Scott.

After The Band Light exited and Modern Alibi’s stage was set, Scott ran out full energy. The crowd cheered as the band joined him. He made a quick lap around the stage waving to the audience. “What’s up Philly!”

He meant to say “D.C.”

Scott recalls that being one of his most embarrassing moments on stage. He had just made fun of Dolberry for calling them the wrong city, then went out and did the same thing. Although the crowd seemed to not even hear him over their cheering, Scott would remember it forever.

While he sometimes mixes up the cities, Scott also occasionally gets mixed up in the crowd.

“Nine times out of ten it goes well, and I am safely carried,” said Scott. “But this one time they didn’t have me.”

Throwing his body into the crowd, he missed the “surfing” part of crowd surfing but luckily wasn’t hurt.

Sturt having the best view of the band on stage got to watch this happen along with other memorable moments.

“He just vanished,” laughed Sturt. “He was above the crowd, and I saw him go in and then he just disappeared.”

Scott isn’t the only band member who has had laughable moments on stage.

King has played whole songs after unplugging himself. Being the focused bassist he is, he never noticed until there was a specific bass line, and he accidentally hindered the audience from hearing it.

Sturt has had poorly timed drumstick flips where the lights go out, and the stick comes down in an unknown location. All he hears is the thin wooden stick ricochet off the stage. Sometimes he spots it in the next song, and sometimes never again.

Ritz has influenced change on stage because of a golden moment he had in one of the first shows he played with Modern Alibi.

On stage, subwoofers sit by Ritz. They have mats intended to keep them in place, but at one three-hour show, they ended up doing the exact opposite.  

Toward the very beginning of the show, Ritz was in the zone, then suddenly tripped over the mat and faceplanted into the subwoofer, literally becoming part of the sound system. He got back on his feet and recovered with a laugh as if it were choreographed.

The rest of the band watched this happen and genuinely did not think he was going to get up from the fall.

“I’m the reason the mats have Velcro now,” said Ritz.

After each of their shows, the band makes sure to thank the fans. Not only do they thank them on stage but no matter the venue, they go to their merch stand or the exit to talk to fans.

Masses of fans line up almost out the door to meet the four sweaty, exhausted boys.

They spend time with each fan taking pictures, signing posters or just getting to know them. The fans feel connected to the band and the band feels even closer to their audience. They don’t leave until the last audience member has left.

By now, the band recognizes their early fans no matter what city they see them in.

“When you’re having fun on stage, that translates to everybody else in the audience,” said Scott. “Because when they can sense you’re having fun, they’re going to have fun.”

Seeing fans post their recent concerts on social media and having Modern Alibi in the mix makes the boys feel like they are a part of something special.

Having true fun on stage motivates everyone, especially King.

“I just want to play music with my boys,” said King.

On or off stage, these four boys are family, and they are continuing to find the success they have been working toward. More music, larger audiences, bigger tours.

Offstage: Brotherhood

After shows, Scott, Sturt, King and Ritz are finally able to take off their shoes and relax.

This is the side that audiences don’t get to see.

The side that proves they are just normal guys doing something they love.

After their show in New York in December 2025, the band headed back to their Airbnb to relax. Scott and King share a couch while Ritz and Sturt take chairs in front of the TV and put on the horror movie “Evil Dead Rise.”

Enjoying the movie, Scott’s phone rings. He pauses the movie and goes out of the common room to talk.

“I have an idea,” said Sturt. “Let’s prank Holden.”

He pulls out his phone, opens YouTube and mischievously starts typing. Finding the exact video he wants he clicks on “10 hours of silence occasionally broken by a fart.”

Hearing Scott wrapping up his conversation, Sturt slides his phone between the couch cushions where Scott was sitting.

Scott comes back in, sits down and clicks play on the remote. The movie starts back right where it left off and again has the attention of all four boys.

A fart comes from underneath Scott. He looks at King thinking it was him and blames him. King denies it.

A few minutes later, another one.

“Okay that wasn’t me,” said Scott.

Ritz looks away so he doesn’t break character.

Another one.

Hearing it come from right below him, Scott is losing his mind.

“I was sitting there almost crying trying to hold in my laughter,” said Sturt.

Scott got to the point where he paused the movie and walked across the room to prove it wasn’t him.

Silence.

He sat back down. A fart noise.

“They were getting mad at me, like Josh was trying to make me accept it,” said Scott.

Even when he reached into the couch, he couldn’t find the phone. Finally, when he did, they were all hysterical.

“It was psychological warfare that these guys put me through,” said Scott.

Off stage, these four are just dudes being dudes hanging out.

As the band continues to tour, play local shows, make festival appearances and work on new music, they keep their ambitious attitudes when thinking about their future goals.

“How many shows did Harry Styles do at Madison Square Garden? I want to do one more than him,” said Scott.

By Meredith Buckanavage
Published 03/30/26