Chapter 3 #2
Santiago Arteaga joined the Dusty Brooms back at the end of September, and he fits in wonderfully.
Ray was ecstatic when Gene had told him he found a friend who could play bass, and right away they’d scheduled an immediate rehearsal that same weekend.
With his energetic and lively personality, Santiago does well as a good balance to the more coy and introverted demeanors of Mick and Gene.
To be honest, Ray thinks Santiago seems more fit to be a guitar player than bass, shining brightly and in-your-face.
But Gene is already on guitar, and as co-founder of the Brooms, he doesn’t want to give up his position.
Ray has thought of picking up bass himself, but he isn’t really confident in his skills, whereas Santiago already seems like a master of all sorts of instruments.
So Ray sticks to vocals with the occasional harmonica, freeing up his hands to jive and dance to their music.
It’s more entertaining for girls to watch an attractive guy like me shake my body freely, anyway.
Ray smiles at the band, and specifically makes eye contact with Gene. The guitarist’s hazel eyes sparkle and his mouth forms a smile, as Ray says, “To think, we met each other a little over a year ago, and now here we are. This is just the beginning.”
“For sure.” Gene nods.
“Nobody knows who we are—yet. They aren’t here to see us, so that should help cool our nerves,” he says to Gene, then looks over to the others, squaring his shoulders to appear more like a leader—the leader he wants to be.
“They might not even be paying attention most of the time, so if we mess up, that’s okay.
It is our first gig, after all, so I’m not expecting it to be perfect.
But that’s not to say we shouldn’t strive for greatness.
This is our opportunity to prove ourselves.
And there’ll be many more opportunities after this one, too. Let’s all do our best. We can do it!”
Ray raises a fist into the air. As he does, so do the others, cheering and shouting praises for each other.
The bar manager walks into the room and tells them they’re on. And so, they head on stage.
Ray takes the front mic, Santiago to his right, and Gene to his left.
Mick sits behind him at his drum kit. The bar isn’t very large; the Dusty Brooms are stationed on a small raised platform in the back, while about fifteen tables full of people are spread out in front of them, the bar lining the left wall.
The wood-paneled walls and the smoke clouds floating from people’s cigarettes give a sort of cozy atmosphere.
A lone person coughs. There’s a slight mugginess of sweat from all the bodies in the room and alcohol in their cups, yet only a few heads from the crowd are even turned their way. He can definitely do this.
A member of the bar staff steps onto their small stage and grabs onto the microphone in front of Gene and pulls it from the stand.
He gives a short introduction, “These young men are here for the first time, and promise to give you a good show. Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you: The Dusty Brooms!”
The audience claps—their first round of applause. Not everyone on the floor claps, but that’s to be expected. The staff member secures the mic back onto the stand, and now—
It’s time to shine.
They’d chosen their set list prior, and because Ray thought it would be rather hilariously ironic—Gene strums the opening riff to the Rolling Stones’ song ‘19th Nervous Breakdown’.
Ray comes in singing the opening lines, his voice shaky at first. But soon after, Gene joins him in a harmony on his own mic. With two voices combined, it’s harder to notice any imperfections, and it gives Ray confidence. He looks over to Gene.
It’s honestly a little adorable seeing Gene sway to the music, moving his body side to side as he strums along to the beat.
He’s wearing something a bit dressier than he normally does: a dark blazer and dress pants, paired with a white pressed button-up shirt and black leather boots.
Ray thinks he looks rather classy, feeling his cheeks grow hotter and his mouth turn up in a smile.
Mick’s drum beat stalls for a moment at the beginning of the chorus, but Ray knows not to worry.
Santiago’s bass powers them through. As it gets louder, and louder, and louder—Ray nearly shouts the next line into the mic, hyped and energized by the energy of his bandmates.
It’s exhilarating. The audience is a bit hard to see with the colorful stage lights shining on them, but he thinks he can see a few people bobbing their heads.
Their next song is ‘I’m a Man’, originally by Bo Diddley.
A majority of their songs tonight are covers, but that’s alright.
This first show is the warm-up to something bigger; they’re just getting started in their career.
This is to test the waters, to become used to performing, and for the audience to recognize their sound.
Which apparently—they like. As they move onward to more songs, more people are clapping as they finish each number.
For their second-to-last song, they perform an original: ‘Fly High’. This is the moment where he bares his heart out to the crowd—singing the first song he ever composed with Gene.
“She flies me up like a plane, higher and higher,” Ray sings with a smile. Then on the next line, Gene joins him in a harmony:
“There ain’t no way I can deny her.”
Gene’s guitar notes glisten in the air around them, Mick’s drumming stays steady, and Santiago’s bass hums strong.
Even if their audience has never heard this song before, that’s what makes this moment all the more special.
A world premiere. As Ray looks to his left again, he sees Gene staring back at him, giving him such a gorgeous grin.
It stirs up butterflies in Ray’s chest. He’s right here, with me.
To think, it all started in Gene’s bedroom, and now here they are—singing that same song in front of a real audience.
As the song wraps up, the crowd cheers. They like it. They really like it! A few people even stand up from their seats and whistle. It’s a wonderful feeling like no other, boosting Ray’s confidence in not only himself, but the band as a whole.
“Thank you everyone!” he says into the mic. Sweat drips down his cheek. “We’ve got one more song for you, the one that gave us our name. Here’s ‘Dust My Broom’.”
With a slower tempo, Mick’s drums take a back seat, and Santiago’s bass rings deep. Gene’s guitar plays a harmony that matches the melody Ray sings. It’s all coming together, and Ray can feel it in his bones, vibrating a steady rhythm.
Even if the entire audience hasn’t been paying attention, if the genre they play isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, Ray knows this entire gig has been a success.
The fact that many people have been listening, perking up, turning heads, and even cheering—that can only spell good news.
There’s so much potential in the Dusty Brooms. There are other venues to try, more people to play to, hell, even other cities they can travel to.
Ray’s ready to explore it all, with Gene at his side.