Graffiti Casanova

On The Offence

"Doesn't sound right."

Jared pivoted back from his pedal board, releasing his guitar to throw his pick across the room. It skittered across the hardwood and landed in a patch of sun that streamed in the window of Otto's storage room. The shadows were longer, the streaks of sunlight were that blinding bright that happens just before sunset, and we were getting nowhere.

"We can run tracks--" Davey started.

Jared shook his head. "But even then, we're missing so much. Our band will basically be tracks."

"We need--" I tried again.

"We need Brett." The guitar strap mussed Jared's hair when he pulled it up over his head and sat heavily in the leather chair.

The room was silent for a moment.

"Anyone talk to him recently?" I asked.

"You think I haven't tried?" Jared released a frustrated huff and leaned forward, gripping the neck of his guitar. It looked like he was about to play it like a cello, which gave me an idea.

"What if..." I started. "What if that wasn't necessarily a bad thing, Jared?"

He looked at me, not understanding.

I began to pace across the room, sliding my fingers over my guitar strings as I thought.

"I mean, what you said-- having our band be tracks. The label rep will know the recordings are all us, that's not the problem. The problem is having an interesting show, something to catch people's attention. Right?"

Davey leaned forward at his drums. "So what are you saying?"

I stopped and faced them both. "Instead of having tracks to fill out the sound, what if we used a loop pedal for our guitars, and did something unique onstage? Like using a violin bow on an acoustic guitar and feature the synth?"

"It's been done before."

"So has this," I gestured to the three of us and our current setup. "We just have to do it our way. Better."

No one spoke. I watched Jared, knowing he was hesitant to try new things. But I knew he couldn't deny that was what would catch the label rep's attention.

Davey shifted at the drums. "Worth a try."

We looked at Jared. He was slumped back in the chair, his head tilted back and staring at the ceiling as he considered. He released a slow breath.

"Alright. But if we're doing this, we're going all the way. We're doing it well and I'm gonna make sure it's perfect, I don't care if it makes you guys hate me."

I looked at Davey and we exchanged a smirk. "That's the Jared we know and love."

"Where are we gonna get all these extra instruments and another loop pedal?" Jared sat up and turned to me. "Now that you offered us up to play free shows, we don't exactly have a band budget anymore..."

I smiled. "I know a guy. Tomorrow, we meet at my house."

This was totally stupid.

I sat in my car, still in the V-Bar's parking lot. But I hadn't started it, because I was a total idiot.

I was actually considering what Bennie had said. Be available.

The guys had all left, promising to meet me at my place in the morning. For the first time since feeling blackmailed into joining the band again, I was feeling excited for the prospects. We could really do this.