Chapter 8
EIGHT
Sam
The weekend is over way too soon, and now I have some hard decisions to make.
I knew the sex, and the connection between us, would be intense.
I had no idea it would blow my mind and make me rethink everything I thought I knew about my plans for the next couple of years.
Head down, focus on the band and the music.
Release an album, tour, and make money.
There was nothing in there about falling in love.
I had no intention of going on the road with a girlfriend back home. Even if home in this case is her college in New York City.
Now everything is a mess, and I’m struggling when I get to the studio on Monday morning.
“How was prom?” Tate Jeffries, my rhythm guitarist, smirks when he sees me.
“It was awesome,” I reply. “And fuck you.”
He laughs. “I seriously can’t believe you took her.”
“If Kirsten was interested in me,” our singer, Jonny Gold, interjects, “I would’ve taken her too.”
Tate rolls his eyes, but I know he’s just fucking with me. My band is pretty great, both as musicians and as people. I wouldn’t be embarking on this journey with them if they weren’t.
“Did she have fun?” Mick Lips, our bassist, asks, perching on the arm of the sofa in the lounge of the recording studio.
“It was a good time,” I say, giving them an overview of our evening.
“Oh, nice. Cruising down the strip in a limo.” Our drummer, Angus Jeffries—no relation to Tate, they did that by design—nods. “Next time get one of the ones that has a hot tub. That’s something I’ve always wanted to do.”
“When our album goes platinum,” Jonny says, “we should do it. Maybe even do a music video with that. We’ll go old school, like Motley Crue in the eighties.”
We all chuckle.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Sasha Petrov, our manager, comes in, her heels clicking on the tile floor. “All right, I managed to get you close to five weeks of studio time to get this album done. It’s a tight timeline, because you’ll be leaving to go on tour pretty much the following day, but you got the first song done in two days so I’m hopeful we can knock this out and release it in late July or early August. I plan to release the first single immediately, though.”
“Is that the one we’re doing with Lexi?” I ask, referring to the lead singer for Nobody’s Fool.
She nods. “Yes, ‘Living on the Edge’ will be the first single. Then we’ll test a few live and see how the crowds react. My gut says it’ll be ‘Rough Around the Edge,’ but we’ll see. You just have to get them recorded—leave the rest to me.”
“We’ve been working on and playing these songs for over a year,” Jonny says. “We’re ready to get this album done ASAP.”
“Excellent.” She looks at her phone. “All right, well, that’s all I have for you. Let me know if you need anything while you’re here. And I want you guys to come for dinner one weekend.”
“I like food,” Mick says, rubbing his hands together.
She chuckles. “I’ll be sure to make extra.”
We talk for a couple of minutes and then she’s gone and the five of us get ready to record. We have a three-song demo tape that we recorded in two days, so in theory, five weeks to do the remaining nine songs shouldn’t be hard, but everything is different when you’re in a big studio like this with an actual producer.
Sasha found him and after meeting with him, we decided he would be a good fit. After how smoothly things flowed on Thursday and Friday, I’m hoping the rest is equally easy.
“I want you guys to jam first,” the producer says. His name is Jimbo Barnes, and he’s a middle-aged guy with long, stringy, salt-and-pepper hair and a pencil mustache. He’s pretty no-nonsense but that works for me because we need this album done as soon as possible.
The opportunity to tour with Nobody’s Fool came up unexpectedly but it’s a waste of time and money if you don’t have an album to promote, so everything came together quickly.
“Let me hear you play ‘Rough,’” Jimbo continues. “Play it like you do live.”
So that’s what we did.
Over and over, trying a few different intros, a handful of random guitar licks, and tweaking the lyrics on the fly.
This guy is good.
Really good.
It’s like he knows our vibe already.
Which is exciting.
This album is going to be great. The only trick will be getting people to listen to it. That’s always the issue with art, whether it’s music, books, or movies. There’s so much to choose from these days, and almost everything is accessible online, so it can be impossible to stand out in a crowd.
That’s why we’re going on tour with Nobody’s Fool.
They have a huge fan base, and it’s looking like their latest album is about to go platinum. If we can win over their fans, it’ll be a huge step toward our overall success and the success of this first album. Getting airplay helps, of course, but it’s the live shows where people who’ve never heard you before rush home to buy the album.
It’s a lot more complicated than that, but that’s a simplified version of the process
We have the songs, now we’re going to record them, and then we’ll support the album on tour.
It should be easy, but it never is.
And we have to be prepared for disappointment.
It’s part of the business.
I put my guitar on its stand and pull my phone out of my pocket, wanting to think about something else.
Like the gorgeous girl I’m falling for.
There’s a text from Kirsten and I open the app to read it.
KIRSTEN: If you’re done in time, Sydney says you’re welcome to come to dinner. If not, just let me know. Maybe I can stop by the studio and say hi?
SAM: I think we’re about done for the day. I can have someone drop me off in about thirty minutes and then maybe you can drive me back to my hotel later?
KIRSTEN: Sure. See you when you get here.
I stuff the phone back in my pocket.
“Going to see Kirsten tonight?” Jonny asks.
“Yeah.”
“Are things getting serious?”
I hesitate. I really don’t want to talk about this with the guys until I’ve talked about it with her . But maybe a little perspective will help me figure out the next steps.
“I don’t know,” I say finally. “I mean, I’m crazy about her. I always have been. I thought we’d only be here a week or so, but now that we’re going to be here four or five weeks, she and I need to figure out what we’re doing.”
“She’s in high school, man.”
“Graduation is in two weeks,” I say. “It’s not like she’s still underage.”
“Yeah, I know. I just…” He meets my gaze. “You know what this tour is going to be like, right? I mean, none of us are hardcore partiers, but this is going to be different. Something none of us have ever experienced. At least, not on this level. How are you going to manage having a teenage girlfriend in the middle of it all?”
“I’m a grown-ass man—I think I’m capable of keeping it in my pants if I’m in a long-distance relationship.”
“It’s not about that. It’s about missing out on what’s out there—for both of you. What will she be missing out on when she goes off to college but has to stay faithful to her rockstar boyfriend who’s on tour? Do you remember what it was like for you in college?”
“Yeah, but Kirsten isn’t me. And she’s already had a good bit of success. She has a hit single under her belt, she’s been on tour with one of the biggest bands in the world, and she has resources that other teenage girls don’t have. She can afford to fly out and see me, to?—”
“And that’s the other thing. Have you even discussed the fact that you’re dead-ass broke?”
“She knows I don’t have any other way of making money. She’s not stupid.”
He eyes me carefully. “Look, I’m not trying to be a dick. You’re my bro, and I don’t want you to miss out on what’s coming. I also don’t want her to end up with a broken heart. I mean, we’re going on tour with her brother-in-law’s band… that could impact us if things go sideways.”
“I’m not going to let that happen.” I know he’s just trying to be a good friend, but this line of questioning is pissing me off.
“I’m hungry,” Mick announces, interrupting us. “You going over to Kirsten’s?”
I nod. “Yeah.”
“I need a Vegas girlfriend,” Mick mutters.
“No one wants to be your girlfriend,” Tate says, laughing. “You’re too much of a man whore.”
“I’m young and single—why shouldn’t I sample what’s out there?”
“There’s no reason,” Tate says. “I’m just explaining why no one wants to be your girlfriend and feed you every night.”
“I have a date later tonight,” Angus says, “so it’s possible to find ladies who like us enough to feed us. You just have to know where to look.” He winks as he grabs the car keys off the table. “Who’s ready to go?”
“You need one of the cars?” Tate asks me. “You can take it tonight. I’m gonna get something to eat and chill. I have a couple things to do anyway.”
“Yeah, take it,” Angus says to me. “I can drive the rest of us back to the hotel. Maybe pick up pizza on the way? I’m not going out until late.”
“Pizza sounds good.” Mick follows after him.
They disappear and I stand there for a few seconds, Jonny’s words echoing in my mind.
He’s right that I have a lot to think about, but more than that, Kirsten and I need to talk.
I just don’t know what I want to say.
I’m fine making sacrifices for us to make a go of things.
The question is whether or not she is, and since I’m older and have more experience, I don’t want to influence her or push her in one direction or another.
I need her to want this as much as I do.