Some stories are not about the moment everything goes right. They are about what happens when it doesn’t—and how you choose to respond.
That was the feeling sitting backstage with Southern California resident Greg Gilman at this year’s BeachLife Festival.
A few months earlier, Greg in Good Company had won the 2026 BeachLife Battle of the Bands, earning a coveted spot at the festival. For Gilman and his bandmates—Marty Vites on lead guitar, Jon Sarna on drums, and Joseph Snyder on bass—it was a breakthrough moment years in the making.
They were ready. Then, hours before they were scheduled to perform, everything changed.
An incident at the Redondo Beach Pier delayed the festival's third day by nearly two hours, forcing organizers to reshuffle performances. Greg in Good Company's set on the Riptide Stage was ultimately canceled.
“It was a pretty big gut punch,” Gilman admitted.
For hours, the band had waited as schedules shifted by the minute. At one point, they were told to prepare for a 2 PM set. Then came the final call.
“We were about to get on stage, and then the stage manager got the call that they decided to cancel us,” Gilman recalled. Tears filled his eyes as he added, “Sorry. I just got hit with the emotions. I feel like I’m being hit right now with my bandmates’ emotions.”
When asked if he had been trying to stay strong for the rest of the group, his answer was immediate. “Absolutely. They worked… to get to this stage and to have it end like that is pretty brutal.”
Still, what lingered wasn’t frustration—it was perspective. “You never know what comes from one gig… from one opportunity,” he said. “That’s all we can do is show up and play.”
That mindset has shaped Gilman’s path from the beginning.
Raised on a farm in Pennsylvania, Gilman attended Temple University for film school and eventually found his way to California in 2011. “I just always had a calling to come to California,” he said.
Music wasn’t the plan at first. “I was a closet singer-songwriter until 27,” Gilman shared. “I finally started going out to open mics and got a really good response.”
That encouragement led to the formation of Greg in Good Company in 2014. The band built a steady following through local radio, touring, and festival stages with people drawn to their self-described “rock ’n’ roll full of heart and soul” sound.
But Gilman’s growth didn’t just happen on stage.
Inspired by Nashville songwriter circles, he created Writers ‘Round: Los Angeles in 2019, a weekly showcase designed to bring artists together in a more authentic and welcoming way.
“In LA, [community] was seriously lacking,” he explained. “I just wanted to create a space where it could be about, let’s just hang out and cut all the standoffishness, and let’s just be real.”
What began as one local gathering has since expanded into multiple chapters across the country. For Gilman, it reinforced something simple but powerful: people don’t just need opportunity—they need encouragement.
“This world can be such a dark place,” he said. “I just want everyone to know that they can and should bring their light.” That idea is also embedded in his music.
One of the clearest examples is “Carrie’s Song,” a crowd favorite, which Gilman wrote as a wedding gift for his friend Carrie—someone who supported him long before there was anything to support.
“I had a band in high school that never played,” Gilman said. “And she would come to all the rehearsals and just watch us play.” The song became a reminder of how powerful early encouragement can be.
In many ways, it became a blueprint for how Gilman sees the world—the idea that belief from one person can change the trajectory of another. And that thread—community, encouragement, persistence—eventually led to the most personal shift of all.
After the pandemic hit, Gilman struggled with motivation. Then, on Christmas Eve 2023, Gilman’s wife Andrea told him they were expecting their son, Bodhi.
“That was the perfect kick in the butt,” he said with a laugh. “Now you got your motivation… fatherhood.” From that moment forward, everything sharpened.
Gilman talks about his son with unmistakable pride, sharing videos of Bodhi dancing and clapping after Greg in Good Company won Battle of the Bands at The Venice West. “He loves music,” Gilman said. “He understood we won something. He was super stoked.”
Then he beamed again as he spoke about role modeling for his son what it looks like to pursue something wholeheartedly.
“A lot of musicians will go, ‘Well, I'm not making enough money doing this… I'll just do it for fun.’ I made a decision. I don’t want my son to think that way. I want him to go for it.”
That perspective reframed everything—including the BeachLife setback.
After the cancellation, moments of encouragement surfaced. The band was offered a stripped-down set at the VIP Surf Club Lounge, and fans reached out on social media asking if the band would still play.
As Gilman packed up his guitar, a fan approached. “You were one of the bands I wanted to see. I listen to your music… I’m going to go on this journey and you're on my playlist for this journey when I retire.”
Gilman reflected: “You have to trust that it’s going to play out and work out in your favor.”
Because at its core, this is not a story about a set that didn’t happen. It is a story about perseverance—and about recognizing that all good things don’t arrive when everything goes right, but when you keep going and let it play out.