Crescendo

by Laurie Larsen

  Robbie nodded and looked from Jake to Blake.

  Blake said, “It’ll mean re-prioritizing some things in our lives. The band is number one. You might have to change your day job work hours, take more time off, to make time for the band. Are you guys going to be okay with that?” Excitement welled in his throat. He desperately wanted them to want it as bad as he did, but he really needed them to think about what they were agreeing to. If they were to take off, life was going to change.

  “I’m good with it. The band’s my priority, and always has been,” Robbie said.

  “Me too, man,” Jake said.

  Blake held up both hands and they grasped them, creating a triangle. “Ace in the Hole. Let’s let it roll.”

  They all gave a war cry, raising their joined hands to the air.

  “So, where’d this list come from anyway?” Robbie said.

  “Haley did the research and pulled it together.”

  Jake gave him a pointed look. “That was nice of Haley, but she does realize that Lindsay does the bookings, right? Is Haley okay with turning this list over to Lindsay to work?”

  Blake’s mouth went tight. “Dude, we need to talk about that. I’m not sure Lindsay has the contacts or the skills to get us up to the next level.”

  “And Haley does? You’ve known this girl for all of, what, five minutes? Lindsay’s been with us for two years.”

  Blake held his tongue and shook his head. “Yeah, and we really appreciate all of Lindsay’s help booking our gigs. But, like we’ve already said, this is new. This is different. This is our new direction.”

  Jake huffed out a frustrated breath, but Blake could tell he was thinking about it. “Maybe Lindsay and Haley could work together on this?”

  Blake was tempted to agree just to keep the peace. But knowing how unwelcome Lindsay had already made Haley feel, he knew it wouldn’t work. “I don’t think so. I say we either give Haley a chance to do what she can do, or we hire a professional to take Haley’s list and move it forward.”

  Jake’s eyes went wide. “Lindsay’s out then regardless?”

  Blake paused, looking at his friend. “Yeah, man.”

  Jake went still. Then, “She’s gonna be pissed.”

  Blake waited. They had to be smart about this. They couldn’t keep someone in place, especially someone who wasn’t performing up to expectations, just to avoid hurt feelings. He just hoped Jake saw it that way too. “Do you want to talk to her? Or do you want all of us to talk to her together?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t want her to feel like we’re ganging up on her.”

  Blake nodded. “But can you support this decision to her?” It wouldn’t be successful if Jake didn’t buy into the decision. He couldn’t take the easy way out and just blame Blake or Haley.

  Jake stood and walked a few steps away, running a hand through his longish hair. “Yeah. I think so.”

  Blake watched his friend for a moment but knew not to push it. This would be hard on Lindsay, but it would also be hard on Jake. “Let me know if I can help.”

  The previous jubilant mood had dampened a bit, but Blake was excited, nonetheless. This was a big step for their little band. They may fail, or they may succeed, but today marked the first step of the journey.

  In the quiet of his car on the way home, a seed of doubt invaded his mind. Making the band his top priority, and committing to extending their reach was awesome and all, but it meant more time away from home. Which by itself, was not a bad thing. But it meant less time for his family.

  They were a tight-knit little group, him, his brother and his aunt. And they each had their place, their role. He was the supporter, the cheerleader, the eternal optimist who took on the others' fears and took care of them. Wiped them away so they could move on. How would he do that if he were gone more?

  On the other hand, he was also one of the breadwinners, helping Aunt Gloria with the costs of caring for a kid with so many financial needs. It was the least he could do, under the circumstances. And he'd taken on that role willingly. From a purely monetary perspective, this change would be a good thing.

  He'd have to work through it. Every change had its good and its bad. But fear of the unknown was not the way to go. He couldn't avoid a big exciting move like this just because it meant changes to his daily routine.

  He had goals. And it looked like Haley could help him achieve them. Let's go.

  WHEN BLAKE CALLED TO give Haley the green light to work on her list of venues, she went a little crazy, even she had to admit that. But she was so excited! She had so many ideas, and now she had free rein to try them all.

  She quickly realized that she’d need to record the band, sounding their very best, to entice these bigger bars and theaters to book them. Ace in the Hole was entirely unknown to this crowd, and she needed to introduce them the best way she could – by letting the places hear how great they were. She started doing research on how to best record them and quickly her head was spinning with terminology such as pre-amps, convertors, FOH console and microphone placement. She had no idea what she was doing.

  But ... she knew who did. She placed a phone call. “Daddy?”

  “Hi, sugar plum.”

  She smiled at his nickname for her. Growing up in the south, her father had a multitude of corny monikers for her, which he rotated at will whenever they spoke. “I have a favor to ask. I want to record a song that a live band will be playing, and I want to create a musical file that I can attach to an email and send it out to people who need to hear it.”

  “Okay,” her father said.

  “I realize there’s a lot of technology behind that simple request. Would you mind if I work with someone from your audio/visual department to help me with that?”

  “Well, they’re busy working on a new ad campaign ...” He let the thought hang, but she knew he wouldn’t turn her down. Surely he could spare one person to help her with recording one song. “But, yeah, I think we can probably help you out. Let me send an email with the A/V person’s name to introduce the two of you.”

  “Oh Daddy, thank you so much! I appreciate your help.”

  They chatted for a few minutes about things that were going on inside the family, and she ended the call. Just as he’d promised, when she pulled up her email account, there was her dad’s note with the contact person’s name.

  A week later, Haley showed up at the band’s gig location an hour early. Her dad’s employee, Rachel Murphy, joined her in the parking lot and they walked in together.

  “How’s work going?” asked Haley.

  “Busy. But busy is good.”

  “Sorry to bother you with this.”

  “No, actually I’m excited. I’ve never recorded live music, so I’m looking forward to trying it. Of course I’ll do your editing and automation too. A new challenge!”

  Haley was glad Rachel was enthused. Together they unloaded the trunk of her car. Her equipment was not big and heavy like sound equipment of times past. A compact little sound board, two special microphones, a laptop and several heavy duty cords.

  “The miracles of modern technology,” said Haley. Rachel laughed and got to work setting everything up. When the band arrived and began preparing the stage, Haley pulled Rachel up for introductions. “This is Rachel. She’s a sound expert, and as I told you guys, she’s going to help us create a digital file of you guys singing one of your best songs, that I can share with the venues where we’re trying to get booked. Once those places hear you, they’ll clamor over signing you up.”

  Jake and Robbie chuckled, and Blake put an arm around her shoulders, grinning and pulling her close. “Did I tell you she’s amazing?” he asked the guys. He turned to Rachel. “Thank you for your help. Do we need to know anything, or do anything different?”

  “Nope, you just do what you normally do. The only thing I’d suggest is, let’s record one practice song, then the second song in your line up will be the one we want to keep for good.”

  Blake tur
ned to his bandmates. “What song do you think we should use to impress everyone?”

  They threw out several suggestions, and then agreed on a Jason Dean number that started slow and soft and crescendoed to an impressive finish.

  Minutes passed, and it was time to start. The band took their place on stage, and Haley took her place beside Rachel, who was standing behind the sound board. Haley glanced over at the girlfriends’ table, where Helen and Lindsay sat, drinking beer and glowering over at her. Well, maybe she was imagining the glowering part. She hadn’t seen or talked to Lindsay since the first time she’d come to see the band. She knew Jake had broken the news to her that Haley would be taking over the managing of the band’s schedule, and she fancied that Lindsay wouldn’t be happy with that news. She needed to put on her big girl panties and go over and say hello.

  But not now. Now, the band was warming up and it would almost be time to start the recording.

  “We’re Ace in the Hole. Let’s let it roll.” The music started, a perfect blend of strings, keyboards and percussion. When Blake’s sultry voice started, along with harmony by the other guys, Haley got goosebumps on her arms. Rachel had on headphones and she was busy pushing slider buttons on the sound board. She held a thumb up to Haley about halfway through the song, then moved over to the laptop and clicked on a few buttons on the recording software. They were ready for the real song.

  The band paused just a couple seconds between songs to alert Rachel, and they were off. The familiar song that graced the country music radio stations started out with Blake picking on his guitar, then Jake joined in with electric guitar and Robbie started tapping the beat with his drumset. When Blake started singing, it was an audio blend that made her heart race and her breath catch. They sounded so good. She held her breath throughout the entire song, and when it ended, she glanced over at Rachel, eyebrows up in question. Rachel gave her a big smile and a vigorous nod. She got it.

  Rachel was done with her work, but Haley got her a beer and they hung out together through the rest of the first set. When the band took a break, Rachel and Haley disconnected all the recording equipment and carried it back to her car.

  “Thank you so much. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your help and expertise.”

  Rachel waved a dismissive hand. “My pleasure. These guys are good. I’m glad you’re helping them get to where they need to be.”

  They made quick plans about when Rachel would send her the edited file, and she drove off. Haley went back into the bar and before her nerves could get the better of her, she hiked straight over to Lindsay and Helen’s table. “Hi, ladies,” she said, as friendly as she could.

  Helen glanced at her with a small smile and said, “Hi Haley.” Lindsay determinedly looked straight ahead as if she hadn’t approached.

  “The guys sound great,” Haley threw out there, trying to keep the conversation light.

  “Yeah,” Helen said. After a few minutes of silence, Helen asked, “What were you doing over there during the first set?”

  Haley slid into a barstool at their table, although she wasn’t invited. “That woman is a sound engineer and she recorded the band singing a couple songs. Once it’s edited I’ll have a sound file I can send electronically to the venues I’m trying to book the band into.”

  At that explanation, Lindsay turned her back pointedly toward Haley and rolled her eyes. But Helen responded, “Good idea.” Lindsay’s attitude was enough to convince Haley that she’d rather sit by herself for the second set than join the two of them, so she gave a friendly wave and left the table.

  AT THE END OF A LONG work day, Haley trudged to her car. The late nights and long days were starting to get to her. Maybe she should take a night off of band work. But she couldn’t. She had so many ideas, and she was having fun getting them done.

  She heard her name on the breeze and turned. “Carly!” she said when she saw her friend.

  “Hi. You must’ve been in a daze. I’ve been chasing you.”

  “Sorry. I’m a little braindead.”

  “What’s going on? Are you coming down with something?”

  As they walked to their cars, Haley filled Carly in on her latest project. “I have the recording file now and it sounds great. I designed a logo for the band and now I’m working on putting it on all kinds of promo items, you know, t-shirts, coffee mugs, notepads, that we can sell at the shows for additional revenue. I’m working on upgrading all their social media accounts and their website, which has been sadly neglected for way too long.”

  Carly stared at her, mouth open. “Are you serious? You know how to do all this stuff?”

  Haley grinned. “Some I do. Some I’m learning as I go.”

  “I am totally impressed.”

  “Want to stop by on your way home and see some of the stuff?”

  Carly peeked at her wristwatch and agreed. “I can stop for a few minutes.”

  Carly followed Haley home. Haley’s kitchen table was covered with merchandise featuring the new Ace in the Hole logo. “I love it!”

  Haley grinned. “Thanks. They didn’t have a logo before. So now it’s plastered all over their online presence, look.” Haley tugged the laptop over and pulled up newly designed Facebook, Twitter, Instagram accounts, as well as a refreshed band website.

  “Wow. Everything looks so good, Haley! Modern and colorful and impressive. Man.” She looked up at her. “If I had a band, I’d want you to manage it.”

  “Thanks, buddy.”

  “I’m not kidding. You really need to consider doing this full-time. You’ve found your niche, girl.”

  Haley playfully stifled a yawn. “I feel like I am doing this full-time, on top of my other full-time job.”

  Carly planted a look on her. “Take care of yourself. But isn’t it fun to find your passion?”

  “The hours I put in fly by. I love it. Oh, and listen to this.” She clicked a few buttons on the laptop, set the volume to High and soon the band’s magic filled the apartment. Carly’s eyes went wide, and then she closed her eyes, swaying to the music and soaking it in. When the song ended, she grabbed Haley’s hands and squeezed.

  “I can see why you’re so excited! These guys sound good! They’re the real deal, and you’re on the ground floor helping them escalate to the top.”

  She loved Carly. Carly was her girl.

  “I’m going to get one of the grandmas to watch Grace and treat my hubby to a night out. I want to see this band in person.”

  “Oh, Carly, it’s so fun. Let me know when you go and I’ll meet you there. We can dance and let loose and have a great time.”

  “Will do.” Carly said her good-byes and left. Haley ate a quick sandwich for dinner and got back to her tasks. She had scheduled a photographer from Rachel’s department to do a photo shoot of the band. She’d found a rustic barn outside of town a half hour or so and thought that’d make a great backdrop for the shoot. They’d do a variety of shots with instruments, without, and a couple different wardrobe choices. They were building a brand and needed high-quality photos to enhance it.

  With all that in place, Haley had an arsenal of justification to entice the nicer venues to hire Ace in the Hole. She couldn’t wait to start setting up their schedule.

  Chapter Four

  “DO YOU HAVE ANY MORE of the pink t-shirt? Size medium?”

  They were flying off the merchandise table. Haley squatted and peered into the boxes of extras underneath. “Hold on, I see more pink.” She pulled out a stack and started studying the labels. “Here’s one! Medium!”

  The young woman in front of her did a fist pump in the air and squealed. “Okay, I’ll take that, as well as this stuff.” She shoved over a can huggie, a band CD and an autographed 8 x 10 glossy of the band. Haley entered them all into the cashier app of the laptop and announced, “Fifty five dollars.” The girl handed over her credit card and Haley swiped it. “Want your receipt?”

  The girl nodded.

  Haley moved the gadget ba
ck to her. “Enter your email address. We don’t print paper here.”

  She tap-tap-tapped and finished.

  “Thank you for your purchase!”

  “I love this band. Especially the lead singer. Blake’s a hottie.”

  Haley hid a grimace in a forced smile. “He sure is.”

  She took care of the line of rabid fans and when they were all gone, it was two forty-five in the morning. She fell into a chair and closed her eyes for a moment. But only a moment. If she allowed herself longer, she’d likely fall asleep right here at The Loft in Charleston.

  It had been a great night. The gig was only ninety minutes from home, much closer than some of their extended reach had taken them over the last four months. Because of that, and because it was a Saturday night, they’d decided not to book hotel rooms. They’d drive home late and sleep in their own beds for a change.

  The Loft was on the top floor of a four-story historic brick building in a touristy section of Charleston. The crowd was crazy big, rowdy and supportive. The bar opened onto an outdoor stone patio with sparkly lights and potted plants. The bar staff had opened the doors mid-way through the first set, so Haley knew the skies had filled with Ace in the Hole’s beautiful strands of music, and the loud applause and sounds of appreciation from the fans. She could just picture it in her mind – a wave of sound floating up to heaven.

  The bar manager stopped by the table as Haley scrambled to fold and replace the remaining merchandise in the box. “Thank you,” he said. “They really pulled in a big crowd tonight. We appreciate the business.”

  Haley beamed a smile at him. “And we appreciate you booking us.”

  “Happy to do it. In fact, can we talk about another night? I’d love to see this kind of crowd again.”

  “Sure. Let me look at the calendar and give you a call on Monday. We may have a few free nights in the next month.”

  “Awesome. I transmitted your payment a few minutes ago so it should’ve hit your account by now.”

  “Pleasure doing business with you.”