London Harmony: Roctoberfest (14 page)

We were all instantly huddled in a group as we moved into the crowd for two reasons.  To strategize and to shield Mei from the people around us.  No matter how comfortable she was with us now, she still had mini anxiety attacks being out in public.  Reading my mind Mick asked, “You doin' okay Munchkin?”

Mei squinted an eye and pouted, “I'm okay so far...  Michaela.”  She crinkled her nose in cute challenge.

Mick just grabbed her into a walking hug.  “I love the scrappy ones.”  Then released her back into my care.  I had the impression of a park ranger tagging and releasing a rare animal, and suppressed a giggle at the imagery.  I didn't want to get backhanded by my love after all.

Mei started the discussion, “Jackhammer is appropriately named.  Their drummer has a heavy stick and is a living metronome.  The keyboard is their only weak spot.  They do a fair job with the backup vocals in most registers though they are an all male band so it would be best if we attack on two fronts...”

I smiled at how seamlessly our little Asian Flower;
don't let her know I called her that
; has assimilated into the group.  We all rallied around her suggestions and input our own.  And somehow, as only we can do, the planning session spiraled into talks about some of the countries Mei visited with her parents when they went on humanitarian missions; and just how cute was that emo girl, Isabelle, over at Broken Note. 
So sue us if we aren't laser focused.

Oooo... “So like why don't those laser pointers that they sell at the pet store not blind the cats?”  Ooops, that just sparked the sharks with frikin' lasers debate.  “Doesn't water bend and diffuse light?  So wouldn't it do the same with lasers?”  Oh dear lord we were hopeless.

It was about when Caroline was saying, “Zombie apocalypse survival?  That's easy, just go to Mick's.”  When the first bands set up to play.  We located clan Hammond, who were two heads short this time, just the young ones and the Doctors Hammond.  Angie crawled over a couple of us to get to her favorite jungle gym.  Mick was more than happy to offer her services to the overly cute girl.  An odd thought hit me.  She would make a brilliant mother.

We watched as two bands duked it out over Rayleigh's edgy, bluesy hit, ‘Forever’.  I was breaking out into a cold sweat as I watched the drummers.  Bloody hell, how could I compete with that?

Violet Rose took the round by the slimmest of margins.  The judges were split so Rayleigh had to break the deadlock.  She had the bassists duel it out so she could make her decision.  I smiled at that because Mick could lay down a bass line better than either of them.

Haunted Lullaby was next with Teri Blue, and we made as much noise as we could for Robbie's band.  It was another split decision and it came down to harmonizing with the backup vocalists and the lead guitar.  We all held our breath.  It looked too close to call, Robbie was brill.  But Mei knew before any of us.  She shook her head and mumbled, “Shit.”

I looked at her then Caroline seemed to get it too and nodded.  Mei explained, “He should have adlibbed instead of re-hashing the same riff from the song.  Go with his strengths, but he simplified one chord progression and that's going to cost them the competition.”

I blinked, I hadn't even heard it.  But Teri had and she pointed over to the other band and the crowd went wild.  The Lullabys crossed the stage to give fist bumps and shoulder hugs to the others.  They had nothing but smiles on their faces.  I was sort of proud of Robbie for being so mature about a stressful competition.  It is a hell of a charged situation, but they seemed to be in good spirits.

After the breakdown of gear, the Lullabys came out to join us.  Hugs were passed around and Robbie looked down at Mei with a hand on her right shoulder.  “It looks like it is up to you now big sis, show them what a Hammond can do.”  She nodded then patted his arm.

Becky was melting into a puddle, telling her boy and his bandmates how very proud she was that they made it that far and now the band has made a name for themselves so only good things would come of it.  She was such a great mum, even for a Yank.  I grinned.

We gave restrained applause as Ratchet won a couple rounds later.  Then Mei sat with me to watch the equipment while the rest of the band went foraging for sustenance during the ninety-minute lunch intermission.  I looked at her as she started getting more and more nervous.

I pulled her to me and said softly, “You don't have to do this you know.  I know it triggers your anxiety.  None of us wants you to be stressed.”

She snuggled in and spoke into my arm.  “I know, but I'm a Horseshoe, this is what we do right?  Take care of family?”  I kissed the top of her head.  Then snorted when she added, “We really need to do something about the band name.”  I nodded, though to tell the truth, I was quite fond of it now, and everyone remembered it.

I mumbled into her hair, “I love you Munchkin.”  She just felt right in my arms.

She looked up with a cute grin. “Love you too Stretch.”

A brown paper bag, with fish and chips in it by the smell of it, was pushed in front of us on the back of a bass.  We looked up.  Mick had the stance of a zookeeper feeding the lions as she held the neck of her bass using it as a platform on a stick.  Mei gave her a super toothy grin and grabbed the bag as the rest of the band beside Mick chuckled.

Darin said, “Carol mentioned we should feed the beast before we performed.”

Mei just nodded as she stuffed half a fish filet into her mouth then offered the rest to me.  I shook my head at her antics then made a show of taking a small, human-sized nibble of the fish in her hand.  After Mei and I had eaten or fill with Caroline nicking some of the chips, we started hauling equipment onto the stage.

As we were tuning up, I saluted Jackhammer's drummer with a drumstick, he grinned and did the same.  The boys seemed to be happy blokes.  I loved how most of the bands were like us and just there to have fun and do our best.  Unlike Ratchet, though even most of them seemed a decent lot.

I pointed to the row of Hammonds, who were comically waving boxes of Lucky Charms at us.  Though Angie seemed more intent on eating the sweet contents of her box.

I was sweating profusely, after Mei's assessment of the opposing drummer, I needed something I could cut loose on.  I had no fear of Animal or Mick not dominating keyboards and bass.  So it was going to hinge on vocals, drums, and guitars.  My girl could hold her own just fine.

Then my heart sped up and I looked up to the heavens and mouthed a “thank you,” when Tabby Cat came strutting onto the stage.  She announced both bands and that we'd be playing the smash hit, Against the Current, with her. 
Yes! Fuckin-A!
  I celebrated internally.  That was possibly her edgiest song, which leaned toward the metal side of rock.

I had noted a pattern with the song and artist selections in the competition.  It was brilliant really.  The spectrum went from blues to country, to pop, to rock, to metal.  They were gunning for a multi-purpose band that could be flexible enough to adapt to any of their current or future artists with the label.  The other pattern I noticed was that today, the artists were calling out more challenges of single instrument duels at the end.  Five of the first matches of the day had them.  I think they are getting a closer look at individual capabilities. 
Sneaky bastards.

We played first and I was mesmerized by Tabby as she bounced around the stage, her copper hair swinging.  I smiled at Mei who seemed to be having a great time, she was in her element.  We were all spot on with our backup vocals.

Tabby stepped back and pointed at Mei when the freestyle guitar solo came up.  I watched her live the music, then my eye was drawn to the side of the stage.  James and his sister were there.  She was rocking out and James was animated, sort of bumping his body forward with the beat.  When Mei looked at me with a truly happy grin, I nudged my chin toward James.

As Mei wound down, she stepped to Tabby and whispered in her ear as she played, and nudged her chin.  We broke into a holding pattern as Tabby missed the bridge.  She asked into the mic, “James?”  As she stepped to the side of the stage.  His sister held his shoulders as the bloke lit up like a Christmas tree.  “Can you come up here and help me out with the vocals?”  All the Horseshoes were looking around in confusion and I just grinned and nudged my chin toward the boy.

Tabby held her hand out and James started rocking then put up a hand and she helped him onto the stage and put an arm around him as we played.  She ushered him to center stage then said into the mic.  “James everyone!”  The crowd cheered as he rocked and looked at his feet with unfocused eyes.

Tabby smoothly started up on the next iteration of our holding pattern.  And James became animated as his rocking matched my beat and he sang with that angelic voice of his with Tabby, who was nothing but smiles at his voice.  She lengthened the song some more to add another bridge before the refrain to let the boy shine.

Then it went to the final instrumental as the instruments restrained themselves for me to hit that rockin' drum solo that punctuated the end.  I threw everything I had at it and found myself out of my seat and half standing as I stepped through the drums and cymbals in the controlled euphoria of the piece.  I stood up straight at the last beat and flung my sticks roughly to the ground in a challenge to the music gods.

The crowd exploded and all of us Horseshoes mobbed James to congratulate the now unanimated boy who was only holding his fists to his chest as he rocked.  I shouted over the crowd, “Up high James!  You were brilliant!”  He looked at my hand then his fists then gave me five.  The others did the same, including Tabby Cat.

She looked to the crowd and said again, “James everyone!”  The crowd roared.  Then she had her arm around his shoulder as she led him to the side of the stage where his sister was all tears as she helped him down then hugged him.  She mouthed at Tabby, “Thank you.”  Tabby just put her hands together in front of her and gave a mini bow.

Caroline said, “Bloody hell Kacy, you really attacked the skins on that one.”  She looked at Mei. “Is is wrong I found it hawt?”

Mei shook her head and said, “No... I almost went back to tear her clothes off on stage myself.”  I blushed profusely as Tabby Cat quieted the crowd and we faded back as much as we could for the next band.

Jackhammer was spot on their performance and I noted a couple tricks their drummer was using that were pretty inspired, I'd have to try them out.  And Mei was right, the man was a metronome.  He nailed the end solo and we clapped and whistled for them at the end.  I have to say, Tabby Cat is super cute with this dangerous air to her.   She scratched her head like she was confused, then Marjorie handed her a paper, she looked at it and then to the crowd with a grin.  “Deadlocked, sounds like it is up to me.”  There was some cheering.

She walked between the two bands like she was thinking.  Then she stepped over to Mick and cutely hopped up onto the main amp speaker and kicked her feet like a kid.  “Lay me down a sweet bass line would ya?”

Mick smiled and took a step forward and gave us an adlib that you could feel thrumming up through your feet.  Then she choked down and played the part of the guitar lead.  Cheeky bird.  She ended with a sweet, mellow bass line.

Tabby hopped up with a cocked eyebrow and Mick wiggled her eyebrows at her.  Tabitha just chuckled and rolled her eyes and looked to the crowd as she held a hand palm up toward Mick and asked into the mic, “Huh?”  The crowd cheered.  Tabby crinkled her nose at Mick then almost skipped over to the other bassist. She comically leaned against the big man like she would a tree and she said into the microphone to him, “So... what ya got for me?”

I couldn't stop a chuckle, she certainly knew how to put on a show and keep the crowd entertained.  She stepped back and let the man do his thing.  I was absently thumping to his beat.  The man was fantastic.  We cheered with the rest when he finished.

Then Tabby went to the middle of the stage and did a couple penguin steps as she cupped the mic in her hands and bobbled her head then looked back at me.  “You find your sticks?”  I grinned and blushed and held them up.  Then she just sat down in the middle of the stage cross legged as I nervously twirled my sticks.  Then she just said, “Impress me.”

All the adrenaline in me was ready to burst out of me explosively.  But I had already showed her explosive.  I almost screamed, “One, two... a one, two three, four!”  As I slammed my sticks together, but then surprised myself and everyone else as I lightly tinged the bell of my crash cymbal and started a slow, jazzy beat.

I was feather light with my sticks and muted the strikes using a hand on the heads of the drums as I played.  I let it build up like and ocean tide just to ebb away again.  Letting my light double bass thump lead it, like the heartbeat of a lover.   I built to crescendo with a slow roll on the snare that I walked through all the drums and then dropped to a whisper of a tinging on the bell of the cymbal to counterpoint the crescendo in the end.  The crowd cheered, but in a subdued manner, like they caught the vibe my piece had sent out to them.

Tabby blinked and said, “Shit.”  Then covered her mouth as the crowd chuckled, and she looked over at Marjorie and spoke comically into the mic again, “Can I say shit here?”  Gaining more chuckles.  The look Doctor McClellan shot her was one a mother would use to scold her daughter.

She nodded at me then went over to the other drummer who was standing, running his hand along his goatee as he looked at me.  Tabby sat on his stool and spun once then looked up at him and asked, “So big man.”  She looked back at me.  “I wasn't expecting that.”  He shook his head.  Then she grinned. “What you got for me?”