More Than Music (12 page)

“Sorry,” I said. “Jared was just giving me a pep talk before the show.”

Kyle looked back and forth between us, like he didn’t believe that was all there was to it. I’d promised him I wouldn’t get involved with his brother, but I wasn’t doing a very good job of staying away from Jared. No matter how much I tried to fight it, I was attracted to him. Unfortunately, so was every other girl who laid eyes on him. Being in close proximity to him all week had definitely not helped me get over it either—if anything, it had only made it worse because now I knew Jared a little better. He’d stopped being an impossible fantasy in my head and become a real person I actually liked to talk to, and that was even more dangerous. If I wasn’t careful, I’d get my heart broken or get kicked out of the band. Or both.

Kyle informed us were scheduled to go on in fifteen minutes. Commence panic mode. I ran to the bathroom to check my outfit and makeup, and then the band was directed to the edge of the stage to wait for our cue. The Static Klingons were taken to the other side, and Sean waved at me as he walked past. Jared raised an eyebrow at me, but I ignored him. I didn’t have time for any more guy drama, not with so much riding on this next performance.

Ray Carter walked onto the stage, this time in a dark red suit, and it was time. “Now we have a battle between two bands on Angel’s team! First up, from Nebraska, The Static Klingons!” The band walked out from their side of the stage while the audience cheered. “Versus…Villain Complex, from right here in Los Angeles!”

We rushed out, smiling at the crowd of 7,500 before us—yes, last night I’d looked up how many people the Nokia Theatre held. It was hard to see anything with the bright lights blinding me, so I focused on getting to my spot without tripping. As I threw on my guitar strap, I caught Angel eyeing us from her chair with a smirk, no doubt plotting our demise.

Once both bands were in place, Ray continued. “They’re both performing ‘Somebody Told Me’ by The Killers, and now we’ll flip a coin to see who goes first.” He flicked it dramatically. “And the first one up is…The Static Klingons! Here we go!”

He hustled off the stage while the lights over us went out, leaving our band in darkness while The Static Klingons were illuminated. Sean gave the audience a boy-next-door smile before starting the opening guitar riff. As the band rocked out, we stood on the other side of the stage and watched, knowing we would be next, performing the same song for a mentor who hated us. And the worst part was…The Static Klingons were good. They’d barely tweaked the song at all, but it worked for them. Basically, we were screwed before we’d even started playing.

The song ended, and everyone cheered. I clapped along too because it seemed like the polite thing to do, and the other guys joined in with me. Sean gave a little bow, and from the center of the stage, Ray said, “And now, Villain Complex!”

The lights flashed over to us, and my heart pounded as I looked out into the theater, at all the faces staring at us. They’d already heard this song once, and it couldn’t possibly be as exciting to hear it a second time. Going first definitely would have been better.

Jared grabbed the mic, pulling it close as he surveyed the crowd, and the theater went quiet. “Somebody Told Me” had a killer opening with great build-up, and we nailed it. Our version was darker and edgier, and when Jared sang, he twisted the lyrics into something beautiful and tortured, full of longing and regret.

My focus narrowed down to the guitar in my hands, and the rest of the world faded away until it was just me and the music. We got to the bridge and Jared held the last note, turning it into an anguished cry that rang across the room. We let it hang over the crowd for a heavy pause and then dove back into the chorus, with me singing backup behind him. I loved this song and the way we’d made it our own, and once again I felt like I belonged here, on stage, with these three guys. Playing with them gave me an energy I’d never experienced anywhere else.

We ended strong, and the sound of the audience’s cheers washed over us, like a blissfully cold wave on a hot day, but I couldn’t tell if they screamed more for us than they had for The Static Klingons. The mentors clapped, too, but it was hard to know what they really thought. None of them had used any of their rescues yet, but that didn’t mean they’d use them on us either. Even though, in my opinion, we’d totally owned this song.

Ray Carter moved to the center of the stage again. “That was great! I love that song, and tonight we had two amazing performances of it. Dan, what did you think?”

“I thought both bands did a really amazing job. The Static Klingons got the crowd going, but Villain Complex has such a killer sound and they did something really unique with the song. I’m glad I don’t have to pick one as the winner.”

“Thanks, Dan,” Ray said. “Lissa, what about you?”

“Like Dan said, both performances were strong. I do think the song was a little better for The Static Klingons and their sound, but Villain Complex held their own, too. I’d probably go with The Static Klingons myself, but definitely a tough decision.”

Damn, guess we weren’t getting a rescue from Lissa tonight. Still, we only needed one.

“Lance?” Ray asked.

“I agree. They’re both talented bands. I wouldn’t want to let either of them go.”

As usual, Lance kept it short. Ray turned the mic over to Angel. “Well, these are your bands. It’s your decision, Angel.”

“I know,” she said with a dramatic sigh. “I shouldn’t have paired these two together. They’re both so good!” She was really playing it up tonight, like we didn’t already know who she would pick. I wished she’d just get it over with already.

“It’s time to make your choice, Angel,” Ray said. “Which band stays on your team?”

“I don’t know.” She tossed her bleached hair, her brow furrowed like the decision was really difficult. “This is just
so
hard.”

Here it came. Our final moment on the show. I took Jared’s hand for support, then realized everyone would see that on TV and quickly reached for Kyle’s hand, too. Jared grabbed Hector, and the four of us all stood linked together on stage, united against our mentor.

Angel’s eyes narrowed at the sight of us together, and then she plastered on one of her big fakey smiles. “I choose The Static Klingons!”

I squeezed my hands into a death grip around the guys’ as the audience cheered. It was over. Our fifteen minutes of fame were up, and now the entire country would see us get kicked off on week two of the show. If only I hadn’t spilled coffee all over Angel, if only Jared had kept his mouth shut, if only we had picked a different mentor at audition, if only we’d practiced more… I wanted to rewind the last week and do everything all over again.

Ray went over to The Static Klingons, who were all jumping up and down and smacking each other on the back. The mic was thrust into Sean’s face, and he grinned at the audience. “Thank you, Angel!”

They left the stage, and Ray made his way back over to us. “Any last words for our mentors and the audience?”

He shoved the mic in my face, but when I opened my mouth, nothing came out. I was frozen, blinking back tears, wishing this wasn’t the end. What was I going to do now? I’d given up everything to be on this show, and now we were going home.

Jared leaned in, saving me. “We’re really happy for The Static Klingons. They’re great guys, and they deserve to be here.”

A loud buzzing rang out, and something around us flashed red and blue. The audience erupted into frenzied cheers. What was happening?

“A rescue from Dan!” Ray yelled into the mic.

Dan wanted us on his team! We weren’t done yet! I started laughing and wiped at my eyes. Kyle shouted, “Yes!” while Hector grinned and thumped Jared on the shoulder. Jared just looked shocked and squeezed my hand harder. We were still holding on to each other, even though the other guys had let go.

“I think this band has a lot of potential,” Dan said. “I wanted them from the beginning, and now that Angel was dumb enough to let them go, I have my shot.”

“Hey!” Angel said, glaring at him.

“What? You made the wrong choice.” He shrugged, and I already loved our new mentor. “Anyway, they’re really talented, and I’m excited to have them on my team.”

“Thank you so much!” Jared said into the mic.

“And that’s Villain Complex, the newest member of Team Dan!” Ray said, and our time on stage was over.

We ran backstage and had another group hug with lots of laughter, the relief making us all giddy. We had no idea if things would be better or worse on Team Dan, but at least we were still on the show for another week.

M
onday morning we took a shuttle to our new recording studio, which was a bit too far to conveniently walk to. This studio was a big, boxy concrete building, with tiny slits for windows and no other distinguishing features. They sure didn’t like to advertise these places. Inside, the lobby was sparse except for modern white furniture and a display of all the awards Dan’s band Loaded River had won—Grammys, MTV Awards, and many others I didn’t recognize. Along the wall were photos of the band, plus shots of Dan and his husband, who was the drummer in another grunge band.

There were three other bands already there: a folk band with a bazillion people in it, a Christian heavy metal band, and a reggae band. They all gave us the side-eye when we entered. I got it—we were the new kids, the outsiders, taking the spot of someone else on their team. Even though the show liked to pretend there was camaraderie between team members, the truth was, we were competing against each other. With each episode, one band went home from every team, so in a way these people were more a threat to us than anyone else on the show. Until the final episode anyway.

“Tough crowd,” Jared muttered while we sat on the last remaining couch.

A camera crew was already set up around the room, and Steve, that producer from our recording session with the giant watch and expensive suits, supervised everything from the side. It still creeped me out that everything we said or did here could be aired on the show.

Dan arrived and handed out our schedules himself. “Everyone welcome our newest team members, Villain Complex.” The other bands grunted or let out a weak hello. One older woman with dreadlocks from the reggae band gave us a warm smile, but she was the only one. “Make sure you check your schedule for the week,” Dan continued. “You’ll notice you have a lot more interviews and all that crap, so don’t miss those or the producers will be on my ass. The live shows start next Monday, and each week has a theme. This first one is ‘Sick of It All,’ whatever that means, so start thinking about your song choice.”

“He lets us pick the song?” I whispered to the guys. I thought the mentors always chose.

“Remember for the live shows, it’s all about appealing to the audience at home,” Dan said. “If you have any problems, let me know. I’m going to meet with Villain Complex now, and I’ll see the rest of you in rehearsal tomorrow.”

The other bands took off, and we stared at our schedules while Dan talked to Steve for a minute. I could already tell that being on Dan’s team would be a very different experience from Angel’s. Dan was friendly but direct and acted like a real person instead of a diva rock star. He also smelled like pot and had long hair that looked like it hadn’t been washed in a month, but hey, no one was perfect.

“He seems a lot more involved than Angel,” Kyle said.

“Let’s hope so,” Jared said. “Either way, the mentors don’t have a say anymore in who stays. From now on, viewers vote for whoever they like the most.”

“So we just need to appeal to all of America somehow,” I said with a sigh. “Piece of cake.”

“All right, let’s head into the studio,” Dan said, waving us over. We followed him into a soundproofed room where our equipment was already waiting for us, like magic. “This will be your room for the rest of the time you’re on the show, so go ahead and get settled in.”

“Thanks for rescuing us,” Jared said. “We really appreciate being given a second chance.”

“Hey, I wanted you on my team from the start.” Dan grabbed a stool to sit on. “Besides, I heard you got in a fight with Angel, and I’m a fan of anyone with the balls to stand up to her.”

“Maddie threw coffee on her, too,” Kyle said.

I scowled at him. “I didn’t throw it. She bumped into me.”

“Yeah?” Dan asked. “I need to hear this story.”

Kyle told him all about it while we got set up, and Dan laughed along with us. “Damn, I knew she was neglecting her team, but I had no idea how bad it had gotten.” He shook his head. “Well, you’re on Team Dan now, so forget all that. Today we’ll pick your song for the next episode, but mostly I want to talk about who you want to be as a band and how you can be better at that, both on stage and off.”

For the next few minutes, we all brainstormed a song for that week’s theme of “Sick of It All.” Ultimately, we decided on “Uprising” by Muse, since it would give viewers a good idea of our sound and the kind of band we wanted to be. Even better, I already knew how to play it.

“That song has already been approved by the producers, so you’re all set,” Dan said, as he put on reading glasses and checked some papers in front of him. “I’ll have the sheet music sent over tonight, but for now I’ll give you some tips I wrote down after watching your other performances again. First, Jared, your voice is incredible, but your bass playing could be better. Did you start out on guitar, by any chance?”