Chapter 17
SEVENTEEN
Eric
? Ramble On – Led Zeppelin ?
The rest of the week had dragged on longer than I cared to admit, like one of those half-forgotten dreams you try to shake off, but it sticks with you anyway.
I’d spent the last few hours pacing around my apartment, staring at my phone like I could somehow summon a text or a call just by wiling it into existence. But no—nothing.
It had to be coming soon. The audition was four days ago. It’d never taken this long to hear back from a band.
I’d told myself that I wasn’t going to get my hopes up.
I had already been through enough auditions to know how these things go.
Some nights, you show up and you hit it off with a band.
Other nights, you show up and feel like the odd one out.
If I’m being honest, I wasn’t sure which way it had gone with Velvet Shadows.
The set had been fun and I’d felt the fire that burned between us, but...sometimes it was hard to tell if that spark was mutual or just me trying to convince myself that I hadn’t messed up somehow.
Still, I couldn’t help but replay the audition in my head.
Over and over, I went through the songs we’d played—first that chaotic blast of energy, then the slower ballad that required restraint, and finally that last punk track where I really let loose.
I’d felt like each beat had landed in the right place, but did they think so?
I checked my phone again. Still nothing.
I had just started to convince myself that I wasn’t going to hear from them tonight when my phone rang. My heart stopped for a second as I glanced at the screen, an unknown number staring back at me.
I took a breath, cleared my throat, and answered. “Hello?”
“Eric?”
“Yeah, this is him.”
“Hey man, it’s Josh Calloway from Velvet Shadows. How’s it going?”
I could barely breathe. I forced the words out. “Good. Uh, everything’s good. How about you?”
“We’re doing good,” he said, a small laugh in his voice. “Listen, I’m calling to talk about the audition.”
I swallowed hard, not sure if I was ready for what he was going to say.
“Yeah?” I said, trying to sound casual, but my pulse was racing. “How’d it go?”
“Well, we’ve talked it over and—” He paused for a second, letting the tension build. “We think you’re a good fit, and if you’re still interested, we’d love for you to join the band.”
I felt a burst of heat rush through me, and my breath caught in my throat.
For a moment, everything around me went still.
I wasn’t sure if it was the shock of hearing the words or the fact that it felt like I’d been holding my breath since the moment I’d walked out of that rehearsal space.
Either way, it now felt like the floor had been ripped out from under me, and for a brief second, I was falling.
“You’re...you’re serious?” I asked, just to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.
“Yeah, man. We’re serious. We all think you’ve got the right vibe, the right energy. Max was really stoked about the way you handled that last song, especially. Kevin feels like you’re a good fit with his rhythm, and honestly, I could hear it in your playing too. We all just clicked with you.”
I wanted to scream. I wanted to run around the room, but instead, I stayed still, trying to process what he was saying.
The words felt surreal. Hell, this entire moment felt surreal.
Velvet Shadows. Hearing their name thrown around in local music circles, talking about how they were a band on the rise, and now, they were asking me to be part of it.
“That’s great,” I finally said, my voice hoarse.
“We’re all excited to have you on board,” Josh said, his voice full of warmth. “We think you’ll bring the right energy. We’ve got a lot of shows lined up this summer, and we were hoping you’d be able to start soon.”
I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me. “Of course. I’m in. Absolutely in. When do we start?”
“Sweet,” Josh said. “We’ve got rehearsal on Wednesday night. I’ll text you the address and email you the rest of our songs. We plan to go over some of the new material and work out a set list for our first show. Sound good?”
“Sounds perfect,” I said. “I’ll be there.”
“Awesome. We’re looking forward to it. Welcome to Velvet Shadows, Eric.”
“Thanks, man. Seriously. This means the world.”
We said our goodbyes, and the call ended.
My phone dropped from my ear and onto the carpeted floor as I stood there, almost paralyzed by the rush of emotions that seemed to be hitting me at once.
I couldn’t help but let out a laugh. A full, deep, crazy, wild laugh.
I had done it. I had made it into Velvet Shadows.
I walked to the window and stared out at the city—lights blurring into a warm glow in the distance, but for the first time in a while, the world felt different.
For all the uncertainty, for all the shitty auditions, for all the days I had doubted myself, tonight was the night I had crossed the threshold into something real.
I wasn’t just playing drums anymore; I was part of something bigger.
I checked the time. It was late, but I didn’t care.
I grabbed my jacket and headed out. It wasn’t like I had anywhere to be right then, but I needed to do something.
I needed to celebrate this moment, and a bar seemed like the best idea.
Somewhere I could sit and let everything soak in, where I could drink to the next chapter of my life.
So, I called my siblings and a few friends and told them the news, asking them to meet me for a few celebratory drinks.
By the time I got to the bar, the weight of the call had started to hit me. This wasn’t just some gig—I could be doing tours, getting noticed by labels, maybe even recording some real music.
I ordered a beer and sat down at a small table in the corner, letting the noise of the bar fade into the background as I sank into the quiet joy of the moment.
The walls around me felt a little closer than usual, the sounds a little sharper, as if everything had suddenly come into focus.
I wasn’t just drifting anymore. I wasn’t just looking for my place in the world. I had found it.
A few friends showed up, and we talked and laughed, and as the night wore on, I couldn’t stop smiling.
I thought about the rehearsals ahead, the gigs we would play, the music we would make.
Velvet Shadows was just a name right now, but soon it would be the sound of our music, the way we made people feel when we hit the stage.
The way the crowd would move with us, the way the lights would shine down on us as we played our hearts out.
I was ready.
I had finally reached my goal of being a drummer in a band. Not as a fill-in or just for fun. A real, full-time drummer.
And now, there was no looking back.