by T. J. West
“We really appreciate it, thanks.” I can’t seem to get this damn grin off my face, I must look like a complete doofus. Next he introduces us to the rest of his band, Jude, Rusty and Gray.
“Dude, you have no idea what a trip this is!” Wayne exclaims. I can’t say that I blame his excitement.
Jet chuckles, “It’s definitely gonna take you on a wild ride.” Jet leads us to our green room. “So this is the room you’ll be waiting in before you go on stage. Someone will come back here when they’re ready for you.” The room is nothing special; a few couches, chairs and mirror—looks good to me. Jet continues, “The tension can get pretty crazy, but man there is nothin’ like being out on that stage, in front of thousands of people, singing your songs, and have them scream your name. It’s fucking fantastic.”
“So, where are the chicks?” I can see Slim is almost ready to slap Wayne, but he holds off. “What? Just asking.”
Jet scratches his head and chuckles again. “There will be plenty of those before you know it. We get a lot of VIP, backstage groupies every night, so you’ll have your pick.”
Wayne slaps his hands together, “That’s what I’m talking about!”
Guess he’s already forgotten about Harmony? Didn’t take him very long.
Jet led us to the stage; I couldn’t quite get a breath in, seeing the stadium as a musician, looking out into the audience was. . . . indescribable. What a feeling this was going to be; thousands of seats will be filled with screaming fans, listening to our music, hearing us—JINKS—for the first time. . . . .It was emotionally overwhelming and I wanted to cry.
Gathering around my band and Kings Fate, we had group shots taken on the stage. I couldn’t wait to show Faith my copies of the pictures. Slim was all over those shots; he’s a Twitter and Facebook freak. He’s the one that does all the social networking for the band. Good thing he loves doing it because it’s not for me. I couldn’t care less about the social media—although I have a feeling I’m going to have to make a Twitter account—the fans love that shit.
After my emotions settled down and before we had to start rehearsals, Jet and I talked for a few minutes. “Been a fan for a really long time.”
“Thanks, man,” Jet replies. “How long have you been playin’?”
I shake my head and shrug. “As long as I can remember, but as a band we’ve been together for about five years.” I can’t believe I’m sitting next to Jet Master discussing my life with him; he talks about how he got into music, getting married, handling the fans, dealing with the press—I take it all in and will never forget it.
“I’ve heard your stuff. It’s pretty fuckin’ sweet.”
I chuckle from the nerves—he’s actually listened to my songs—I’m on cloud nine right now. “Coming from you that’s quite the compliment.”
“No joke though. You guys are goin’ somewhere and I’ll be there to help.”
“We’ll take all the help we can get. Thanks.”
The day had become a very long, exhausting one; song after song, press release shots, interviews and getting prepped for tomorrows show. I just wanted to crawl into my bunk and zonk out. Yet, my stomach was on the brink of starvation so we all went out for pizza. Let’s just say going out for a quick bite, in the middle of LA, was not a simple evening. Kings Fate was constantly hounded by fans, giving autographs, having pictures taken, giving hugs to the screaming ladies. Man, this was gonna be my life someday; it won’t be easy to go grab a coffee anymore. If I wasn’t with Faith, I’d happily be hugging all those ladies back, maybe grabbing an ass or two, but now? Things have definitely changed. I have no interest in those women—not sexually—not anymore. I’m more than happy to sign their t-shirts, but no more signing their bare chests. Those mindless days are over. As for Wayne, Slim and even Jason? They looked like they were in a midst of a big women feast—the hunger on their faces showed all kinds of drool. Danny, on the other hand, had his nose in his phone, texting someone. Who the hell is he talking to? He’s been extra quiet lately. I miss our times together; we used to be brothers. Unless it’s about the tour or music, we barely speak to each other anymore. I really wish he would let the grudge go with Faith and talk to her.
We are finally able to sit down and eat our grub; a nice darkened corner where no one would notice us. I inhaled my six slices of pizza and downed a couple bottles of beer. Then it left me feeling both exhausted and full. By the time we got back to the bus I was ready to pass out. I think the others were experiencing the same. No one said a word to one another; we all hopped into our bunks and started snoring. Before I fell asleep I texted Faith to let her know that I loved her and sorry we weren’t able to talk today. Being this busy makes me worry I won’t have time for her. I don’t like not communicating or not hearing her voice—I just hope she understands. She wrote back to me saying she loved me too and she understood my life is now going to become hectic. She’s not thrilled about it, but she’s happy all in the same. Without her, my life would be so different right now. Instead of screwing every girl that crosses my path, I’m missing her more than I could ever possibly imagine, and it’s only been a day since we said our goodbyes. I really need to sleep. I text her goodnight and zonk out.
We got called back into the arena bright and early for more sound/stage rehearsals, interviews photo shoots and the list continued. In the beginning, when we got hired with June, Danny appointed himself as manager; he was always able to take care of everything, keep us in line and got us gigs. However I believe his management is going to have to take a backseat. June hired a manager for us, someone she trusts and sent this person up to LA to us Her name is Lyric. Danny wasn’t too thrilled about having her here, but he knew it was the right thing for our band. He just won’t be able to handle everything anymore. Our lives will no longer be established going to bars, doing small gigs; we’re rising up and it’s time he let someone else take control.
The backstage is one crazy place to be; people every where, coming and going, yelling for something or for someone. No one could catch a break back here. The guys and I are getting antsy; we can hear the stadium filling up with fans so we know our moment is coming. Our first real concert—it’s insane! Before we know it we are told we have fifteen more minutes left until it’s our turn. There is some comedian guy out there talking to the audience, getting them ready for the first gig—us. I can’t stop bouncing my legs, wringing my hands together, I’m terrified for the first time in this business. There is only person who can help me calm my nerves. I quickly open my iPad and Facetime Faith. I need to see and hear her voice.
The moment she answers I can feel my heart rate slow down. She can see it on my face, how worried I am about screwing this up; I don’t want to let anyone down, especially Faith. “You’re going to knock it out of the park, so don’t worry.”
“You really believe that?”
“Yes, with everything I am, I know you’ll be out of this world. Have faith in yourself, in JINKS. You can do this,” she reassures me, comforts me to no end.
I relieve a hard breath and swipe a hand through my hair. “Miss you baby.”
She smiles. God, that fucking smile lights up everything. “Miss you more.”
“Hey, lovely!” I grin when Jason suddenly makes himself be known.
Faith giggles and responds back. “Hi, Jason!”
Shit. We just got notice to get ourselves on stage. “This is it, Faith, we’re being called out.”
“You’re going to do great. Break a leg, rockstar.” Rockstar. . . . love when she calls me that.
I immediately shut down my iPad and make way for the stage. The guys and I huddle as if we’re on a football team and tell each other to kickass out there. We take our places; once that curtain opens up and I see the stadium filled with thousands of people, my nerves turn into adrenaline—I completely forget about how terrified I was. The moment becomes powerful, energized and unlike anything I have ever experienced.
“How’s everybody doin
g tonight!” The wave of screaming and whistling is deafening, it blows me away. Holy shit this is badass! I Introduce myself, along with JINKS then say, “We want to thank Kings Fate for taking us on this journey with them. We hope you all enjoy the show! Now are you ready to have a good time!” More screaming continues, it’s a riot. I laugh with excitement. “Kick it up Jason!” Soon after Jason starts beating his drums, then Slim, Wayne and Danny get into action. The first song we sing is Shattered; it’s one of my favorites from our album.
Playing my guitar, singing the song, I watch the crowd as they go insanely wild. The girls I see in the pit are suddenly screaming my name, getting blocked by the bodyguards so they can’t run up on stage. I turn toward Danny, he’s rockin’ and playing his heart out while Wayne and Slim are soaking up the screams and Jason is beating those drums with a huge ass grin on his face.
My God, the energy contained in this enormous arena is explosive, it overtakes my voice, and my body—I am loving every second of it.
We tore the house down! After we played and finished our gig we couldn’t believe the crowd was yelling at us to come back on stage. I wonder how often that happens to new bands? Whatever it was, we were beyond ecstatic.
We ran down the hallway and back into the green room. Wayne hollered, “Holy shit yes! That was the most amazing experience ever!”
All of us were soaking wet from sweat and the droppings of the lights on stage; we discard our shirts and open a bottle of vodka to celebrate.
Lyric enters the room and congratulates us. “You guys sounded incredible out there! Great job!” We say thanks and continue our celebration while Lyric quietly exits. I feel sort of bad we ignored her and not offering her a drink. Yet, at the same time, she’s our manager not a drinking buddy. In due time I’m sure we’ll get used to having her around.
We spent the remainder of September in LA, repeating what we did in the first concert—and the feeling and energy never got old. The last night of our LA tour we had a ton of fans backstage with us. Wayne couldn’t get enough of the girls hanging all over him, we thought he would die of a boner. We knew what he was up to when we saw him drag a pretty blonde chick down the hall, grinning the entire time—he was finally getting laid. Slim was talking to a couple girls on the couch, Jason, surprisingly, was making out with a very hot redhead and Danny was quietly drinking alone.
Kings Fate just left the room to do some publicity interviews when I was approached by a fan. “Hi, I’m Heather.”
She extends her hand for me to shake. “Heather, I’m Lucky Jones.”
Her face is beaming red, blushing and at a loss of words. “Wow. . . . um. . . . can I give you a hug, if that’s okay?” She giggles.
“Sure,” I smile. She squeals as I wrap my arms around to give her a hug. I chuckle at how shy she is.
“I really loved your songs. Is your cd on iTunes yet?
“Thanks, that means a lot. The cd will be online in a couple days.”
“Oh, I can’t wait to buy it!” She squeals again.
I cross my arms. “I appreciate that.”
“One more thing . . . I don’t ever do crazy shit like this, but . . . will you take a selfie with me?
“Not crazy at all, sure,” I chuckle.
We take a couple selfies until she’s satisfied with the best one.
She covers her mouth and squeals again. “Thank you! My friend Dawn will never believe this!” She gives me one more quick hug and moves on to the next guy.
I sit back down onto the small couch and text Faith to tell her I love her. The first week of being away from her and it seems like forever. We’ve both been so busy we haven’t had the time to call one another. From what Faith has described the hotel seems to be booming with guests and is doing great. Her mom has decided to stay a bit longer and help out until things start to settle down; I think it’s good Helene is sticking around. I believe Faith needs her more than she lets on.
By the end of the night most of us were ready to hit our bunk. Wayne was no where to be found. Maybe he was still with that chick, who knows? I just know it’s 2am in the morning and I’m wiped.
Our next stop was Seattle, Washington at the Key Arena where we met an all lead female rock band, Dollar Settlement; they’ve been touring and opening for Undead Society for the past month. Soon they’ll be going overseas to continue their tour.
Everyone we’ve met so far on tour has been way cool and accepting; it’s been great getting to know their side of the backstage madness and how they handle negative tabloids. Soon enough I’m sure something ugly will show up in the tabloids about me. I just hope Faith doesn’t believe everything she reads. I’d never do anything to jeopardize our relationship.
Seattle pretty much rocked. I loved this city and cannot wait to come back and visit; the crowds were amazing and enjoyed all the songs we played for them. Since our album, Forbidden, came out the other day we already had some fans screaming for us even before we hit the stage. It amazed us how fast our name had gotten around in just a matter of a few days—it’s pretty incredible.
For the last couple days we’ve been traveling to Denver, Colorado. It’s been a really boring ride; nothing to do other than sleep, or play video games. To be honest I’m tired of playing games. I’m just tired period. I sleep most of the time or text Faith. She’s been super busy while I’ve been wasting away in this bus. I’ve been going a bit stir crazy, wanting her when I know she’s not here. Damn, I want her here. Over two weeks of not being with her has been tough, especially when we’re on the bus doing nothing.
The guys and I are in the sitting area, doing our own thing, when Slim takes out his ear buds; he’s been listening to talk radio shows, getting his fix on celebrity gossip. He suddenly shouts out, “No way! No way! Guys, listen!” He plugs his iPad into the speakers and what comes out of those speakers is the most amazing sound I’ve ever heard.
“We made it! We fucking made it on the radio! Holy Shit!” Wayne exclaims.
Danny and I look at one another; at this moment in time there are no words to be had—it’s emotional. We grab one another and slap each other on the backs, almost in fucking tears. This is truly happening for us. It’s real and it’s happening to us. After we let go from our hug, Danny howl’s, grabbing each guy, giving them a hug as well.
The guys are ecstatic with excitement as Jason passes around beers to celebrate. We chug our beers down while Shattered is being played in the background—we’re on top of the world.
Once the song is over, the announcer on the radio informs the public that we’re touring with Kings Fate and that everyone should download our album. He also mentions our names—Lucky Jones is now a known name—shit, I’m on such a high right now I need to call Faith right away.
“Faith. We’re on the radio!” I say in a rush.
“You’re what?” she gasps. “Oh, my God baby, I am so proud of you!”
I go toward the back of the bus and sit on one of the bunks, swiping my hand through my hair. “I wish you were here with me, celebrating.”
“I know, I know.”
“Can’t you come out next month?” I ask, wishing more than anything she’ll agree to come out.
“I’m not sure I can get away.”
“Please,” I beg. “I need to see you. I need to be with you. A month gone and I’m already going crazy without you.”
“I’m going crazy without you too.” There was a soft choke that came out of her voice. I can tell she’s trying to keep her emotions in; from crying. I can hear her clearing her throat, sniffing as if she let those tears escape. If only I could hold her and make those tears disappear. “Go to your bed for me,” she orders me.
Whoa, change of pace here.
I quickly jump into my bunk and make myself comfortable. “Okay,” I breathe out, anticipating her next command.
“Unzip your pants and pull your cock out.”
Shit, she didn’t even have to ask twice. I close my bunk curtain and release my alr
eady hardened dick. “Done. What about you?” I huskily ask, stroking myself, feeling the pain of wanting to come.
I can hear water—fuck, she’s either in the hot tub or in her bathroom. She playfully whines in a sing song voice, “I’m in my bathtub, naked, surrounded by bubbles, touching myself, pretending they’re your fingers and tongue; stroking my folds, licking me.”
Just fucking shoot me now. She has no idea—okay no, she knows exactly what she’s doing to me. In a low growl I playfully tell her, “You are being a very naughty little girl right now.”
I can hear her breathing accelerate, “I want to make my man feel good. What’s so naughty about that?”
A long, low growl escapes deep within my chest. “Keep talking,” I hoarsely prompt her.
She pulls her naughty ways even more and takes me over the edge. Lets just say my loud grunt, when I combust onto my stomach, allows the guys to hear me, which leads them to laughing their asses off—I don’t give a shit. They can hear me all they want. When you have no other place than a small cramped bunk on a bus full of dickwads, you’ll do anything to get a rise. My woman did not disappoint—she went over the edge with me, giving me the pleasure I needed so badly.
After the last Denver concert the guys and I go to the city’s local radio station for our first live interview; Kings Fate was already on the road, heading for Vegas. Lyric set us up with this interview just as we were about to head out of the city. We wanted to get on the road as quickly as possible, but the interview is something we need to do. What’s a little detour? It’s great publicity and JINKS is more than happy to take it.
The interview was going great. The guys ate it up, thrilled as fuck, having their voices be heard all over the city. I thought Slim was going to burst out of his skin he was so pumped—Twitter and Facebook exploded with pictures of us talking to the DJ.