by Finn, Thia
“Is that really your name? Your parents must have a shit sense of humor to stick you with the whole rhyming-name thing?” Gunner smirked. “So, you know one of our songs, and you obviously have the fucking keyboard mastered. How many of our songs do you think you already have down?” He doubted too many after he got a good look at her.
KeeMac stood back, observing her, looking her over from top-to-toe. She was young, and attractive, but how could she possibly know rock music by an Austin band? In his mind, she was simply too crisp, too stiff, and he was sure she would never fit in on stage. Her hair pulled into that tight bun and her bland ballerina flats were out of the question, too. Her prim and proper, virginal look would, in no way, work for them. She belonged in a library where they still shushed you if your shoes squeaked on the marble floors.
He did notice her shockingly aqua-blue eyes, though. Who wouldn’t? They were such a contrast to her black-as-night hair... that looked completely natural? He wondered if the eyes and hair were really hers, or if they were fake. Personally, he thought the contrast was stunning, and he loved it. But the package was just too tightly-wrapped and stuffy to ever work in a rock band.
“Oh, God, I am so out of my league with this bunch! But I’m not backing down now.” Chandler had auditioned and played for some of the toughest judges and musical groups while at Juilliard. A bunch of tatted-up, street-wise guys were not going to get the best of her so quickly. She would not tuck tail and run - at least, not just yet.
“Yes, I do, in answer to your question about your songs and my ability. Not only do I already know most of them, but I am a quick study when it comes to picking up music.” Her tone was a little more arrogant than she was trying for but the way he posed the question to her, she wanted to wipe that smirk off his face and replace it with the shock she’d seen on the faces of all the non-believers before him. He was sizing her up based on just a single glance, and she was having none of that either.
“OK, then, let’s see what you got. We’ll play and you join in, assuming you know the music well enough,” KeeMac suggested, knowing that if she could perform this way, with just the music for pickups, then she really did know their music. They were willing to work with the new person to teach the quirks about their live music that couldn’t be done the way it was on their recorded music, but if that person didn’t already know most of their music, it was never going to happen in the short amount of time they had.
When the band was in position, Gunner raised his heavily-muscled arms above his head and hammered his sticks together, counting out the beats to the initial song on the play list for their first set. Carter’s deep bass came in next. When Ryan and KeeMac’s guitars began the melodies that started the song, Chandler jumped in with the keyboard. She knew music. It was built into her soul like nothing else. Playing was the only time she felt complete, and the universe moved around her like it was supposed to. Her life wasn’t floundering when she was in the midst of a melody; she was at home and where she belonged. It didn’t matter if it was on a stage, in a music hall or alone in her apartment. If she was involved with the playing of music she was good. No, she was perfect.
The band progressed through the play list for the next hour, and she only had a couple of spots that she felt were a little off and needed tweaking to be perfect. Overall, though, it was a good first round of an audition, at least in her mind. She was anxious to hear the members’ reactions though.
“Damn, girl. You fucking know our music!” KeeMac altered his earlier comment, recognizing she was, indeed, not a dude. He looked around at the other guys before saying any more. The silence in the room from the other three was surprising as obviously meaningful looks were being exchanged between them. It appeared they were having a private conversation amongst themselves, without an audible word in the room. This added to Chandler’s earlier anxiety, which was coming back with a vengeance.
“Yeah, so, I guess I’ll just head out and let y’all talk or whatever.” Chandler knew it sounded lame but she couldn’t get a read on any of the others after KeeMac’s comment. Turning off the keyboard, she quickly picked up her guitar and started for the door. It killed her to not look back over her shoulder, but the silent conversation left the air in the room too thick for her liking. She needed to escape.
“So, uh, Chandler Chatam, thanks for coming in. Someone will be in contact with you, one way or the other. We won’t leave you hanging.” KeeMac was at the door before she could get it closed. By the time he finished his statement, she was already at the end of the hall. She just waved over her shoulder because looking back wasn’t an option for her at that point.
Chapter Four
“Holy fuck, that girl can play! I’ve never seen anything like it. She even added some flair to make it her own,” Ryan raved at the other three who were staring at the door dumbfounded. “Why the hell didn’t you just have her wait outside for a few damn minutes so we could vote and then really get down to rehearsing with her like we need to? Shit, it’s getting to the final hours before we load in and go, man.”
“I wanted to make sure we were all onboard with this kind of change.” KeeMac’s response hung heavy in the air. He wanted them all to get a strong grip on how the addition of a female bandmate could change the dynamics of the group before anyone got too excited about this particular keyboardist. “Have y’all even thought about what kind of shit we are going to have to deal with trying to include a woman in with the bunch of douchebags I know we can be on the fucking road? And how fast do you think shit’s gonna explode when all of us turn into manwhores with the groupies?” His frustrations with the probable changes of bringing Chandler along were plain to see, and it was starting to sink in for the other guys too.
“My first thought was this whole fucking flair thing you brought up, bro,” Carter hit a few random chords on his bass as he talked. “We sure as hell aren’t trying to change our sound or Jacoby’s way of doing things. We need her to play it his way for the few weeks she will be with us.”
“Fuck that. I liked her. But dude, she looks like a Catholic school kid in those clothes. Who dresses like that anyway?” added Ryan. “No way in hell will people take us serious if she is part of our fucking band looking like that. She probably doesn’t even like the idea of being around a bunch of dudes covered in tats that end up shirtless every show. And then there are the panties that end up thrown all over the stage. She’ll probably faint the first time a double-D hits her in the head.” He laughed at the mental image he had conjured in his own mind.
Their manager, Cash, whipped the door open and charged in, obviously looking around for Chandler. “I’m guessing you bunch of pricks scared her off before you even had a chance to hear her play?”
“No, man. She played and blew us the fuck away! She can fucking keep up too, and she damn sure knows our music we’re starting with on tour.” KeeMac looked straight at Cash. “What we want to know is why you didn’t warn us about her looking like a fucking straight-edge, twelve-year old private school brat? The girl has a stick up her ass that must go all the way up her spine.”
“What difference does that make? She knows her shit when it comes to that keyboard, and why did little prim and proper show up with a guitar case?” Gunner asked. “We don’t need another fucking guitar player.”
“OK, ok. I hear what you’re saying, but I think the group needs to look at the big picture here. Can the girl play? Does she know AD’s music? Y’all have auditioned a bunch of fuckwits that couldn’t play a damn thing, and a shit-load of douchebags that only wanted to latch on for the fame they might gain from your tour with Frission. They’ll end up trying to worm their way into the remainder of the tour or cause a lot of problems while we’re on the road. Hell, we would probably spend all of our time keeping their noses clean.” Trying to reason with them, Cash pointed out the obvious. “You know Chandler’s clean and she has probably never so much as tasted a glass of wine with dinner. But let’s not forget the most important thi
ng, she can play, right?”
The four guys looked at each other. Cash was right; probably half the people that auditioned fell into one of those categories that would only cause problems on the road. AD didn’t need trouble, they needed a damn good keyboard player and Chandler did fill the bill.
“You’re right,” KeeMac started, “call her and tell her to get her ass back down here at one, ready to rehearse. Do you all agree with this decision?” The group agreed with nods. Replacing Jacoby was hard on the band, in more ways than one.
“I’ll tell you one damn thing. That little prissy bitch isn’t getting the bedroom on the bus. She can have a bunk just like the rest of us, and I am not missing out on all the groupie pussy on the road, so you better warn her to load up her iPod with music to drown out the fun. With the places we’ve been playing over the last six months and all the groupies we’ve had in that damn van, I’m not missing the chance to fuck them loud and proud in a real bed for a change.” Carter once again stuck a few chords on his guitar to drive his point home. “But she’s perfect on that fucking keyboard so, let’s do this.”
The other two knew he was right. They had all enjoyed their share of women while playing around the Austin area. Women flocked to them from the beginning and what they were willing to do anytime and anywhere, the men’s restroom, up against the brick walls in the back of the bar, and even against the side of the van, amazed the three single members. Everyone but Ryan had all dodged bullets on relationships with any of these women with their one and done attitude.
KeeMac stopped Cash before he could make the call. “First thing, dude. You have to get someone in here for a fucking makeover. She cannot go on stage with us looking like that. Did you even consider she might say no to that?”
“Who could say no to this friendly bunch of dickheads?” Cash left the room shaking his head, knowing he was probably going to have a battle on his hands.
****
Chandler’s mad dash from the studio still felt too slow in her mind. Her emotions were all over the grid. She kept her head down as she all but ran passed Peri and through the reception area. Peri seemed like she wanted to chat her up about the audition, and Chandler didn’t think talking was possible for her at this point.
“Whoa, there Flash! You’re not getting away so easily. I don’t see any blood or bite marks, so obviously they didn’t devour you on the first visit.”
“I really have to go. Nice meeting you.” Chandler’s built-in manners forced the comment.
“No, what you really need to do is calm down some.” Peri practically hurdled over her desk to get to Chandler. “You were in there with them for over an hour. That’s the longest anyone has made it, so that tells me you must be good. Really good?”
Peri eyed her with a wild, eager look. Just trying to focus on anything, Chandler stopped mid-stride and looked at her interrogator. “I don’t know what to say. I thought I did ok. And KeeMac’s initial reaction was great, but then it seemed to go downhill rapidly. The only thing I got was a typical thanks-but-no-thanks line from him on behalf of the whole group.”
“That’s OK. It’s the same thing they tell everyone who’s auditioned. They have to talk as a unit. They’re family, and they make no decisions alone. That’s just how they operate. You’ll see.”
“Yeah, thanks for the pep talk. It was so intense and we were into the music and then, BOOM, ‘uh, you can leave now’. I was pumped from the sheer intensity of playing with them and then they burst the helium right out of my balloon in a heartbeat. It’s not exactly how I had pictured it ending.”
“So, you think you did an awesome job with their music, only to be turned away? Hey, it happens all the time. Don’t think twice about it. They’re typical musicians, and I know for a fact they are typical guys, which guarantees they will all act like asshats at some point.” Peri laughed at her own comment while rubbing Chandler’s back trying to offer some comfort.
“I guess you’re right. I’ll be OK. Thanks for everything. I’m going to head out. Take care.”
“Hey, you know, it’s almost my lunch time, and I know a great food truck with the best of the best tacos. Let’s walk over and have some lunch. I have a feeling we need to get to know each other better.” Chandler shrugged and accepted Peri’s impromptu invitation because it wasn’t like she had anywhere else to be.
Typical for late May in Austin, they were hot by the time they walked to Torchy’s Tacos truck three blocks away. It was a good kind of hot though because Chandler felt better sweating out some of the frustration she had bottled up in the studio. Peri was a good listener and she knew what Chandler was getting into auditioning for rock bands.
“So, what were you doing before you decided to audition?” Peri tried to get Chandler’s mind off the morning.
“Nothing, really. I just moved back to Austin after living in NYC for the last four years while I was going to school. I grew up splitting my time between here and D.C., so I call both home. But I like Austin, it suits me, or at least the person I want to be, though that may not the person my parents want me to be.”
“I love it here. My boyfriend, Sawyer, and I lived in LA before and decided we were ready for a change. Austin seemed like the obvious choice. The music scene here is huge and growing, and we wanted to remain in the business but not at the pace LA requires to keep up. We both worked for Cash and when he said he was relocating, we jumped at the chance to come with him.”
“Sounds like as good of reason as any. Austin’s a great place for so many reasons. My parents still live here most of the time so I at least have a support system. They would love for me to lean on them more but I don’t want to fall into that trap again. They would take my life over if I let them. They’ve always controlled my life until now.
“Oh yeah, I can see it.” Peri could easily see that happening with Chandler. She didn’t seem all that independent in a lot of ways. She decided this might be a good time to bring up the makeover. “You know, if you are going to be on stage, you’re going to need to make some changes, right? Especially with these guys, really, no offense, but your look won’t go with what they are going for on-stage.”
“I was afraid of that after the looks I got when I first met them. This is the type of thing we were always expected to wear for auditions and performances. I guess I should have given more thought to who I was auditioning for. I’m OK with a new look though. I know I’ll need it if I’m going to keep playing around here anyway.” She smiled when she said that. Playing music to make enough to live would require a lot of rethinking since she decided to call Austin home permanently.
“That’s great then. If you get the call, I know Cash has a lot of contacts and I’ll help all I can. Holy shit! Shopping with someone else’s debit card is my idea of a great way to spend an afternoon!” Chandler laughed at Peri’s enthusiasm, but mentally she was already cataloging the things she was not willing to change. She would stop them in their tracks if they wanted different hair. That was NOT happening. Of course, she realized, putting her foot down on her list of will-not-do’s might be her getting ahead of herself.
The two finished their tacos and made their way back to the studio where Chandler hugged and thanked Peri, then followed her new friend inside to retrieve her guitar from behind the receptionist’s desk. When she stepped through the door, a tense, irritated-looking man spotted them and stormed over. Chandler was a bit alarmed, and looked to Peri for reassurance.
“Where have you been?” He directed at Peri and then turned to Chandler. “Are you Chandler Chatam?”
“Chill Cash, we went for lunch. I do get lunch around here, you know,” Peri snarked back at him. She never put up with Cash’s bullshit. “And yes, this is Chandler Chatam. Chandler, this is Cash Strickland, AD’s manager. What’s going on, Cash? Was it something that couldn’t wait?”
“Not you, her. I’ve been trying to call you for over an hour,” he looked pointedly at Chandler.
“I apologize, sir. I was
with Peri. I must have forgotten to turn my phone back on after the audition.”
“Well, I’m glad you came back. The guys would like to have a short meeting with you, and now is good for them since they are all still here.”
She hesitated, “OK, I guess.” They did tell her she would hear one way or the other, so this must be it. Chandler didn’t hold out much hope. Oh well, there were lots of other bands and venues. She would just have to pick up the pace on her search.
“Let’s go back to the conference room. It’s big enough for all of us.” He ushered her back down the same hall as before but this time it felt like the walk of doom. He closed the door behind him, her leaving her alone in the room empty, just like she had been in the rehearsal room.
Chapter Five
The band was busy rehearsing when Cash got their attention over the speaker from the control booth. “Wrap it up and take a break guys. She’s in the conference room.” The band looked through the glass and gave brief nods. They didn’t need to rehearse the play list; the songs were ingrained in their minds.
KeeMac was the first through the conference room door, followed by Cash carrying a stack of papers.
“Great to see you again so soon, Ms. Chatam,” KeeMac greeted her with a wink. Chandler didn’t want to be happy to see a flirtatious side from any of these guys, but she was glad to see something other than an asshole-side from them like she’d gotten at the end of her audition. After the abrupt send-off she’d received, she had no clue what to expect from them. Her brain ran in overdrive while she sat alone in the conference room anticipating what they would have to say. She steeled herself for the delivery: “here it comes, the let-down...”