Jerry, Ian, Linus, Sunday Knight do their first band practice.
Log Info
Title: Jamie All Over
Emitter: N/A
Characters: Jerry, Ian, Linus, Sunday Knight
NPCs: N/A
Place: Seventh Street Mission
Time: Late at Night
Summary: The band has their first real practice session
//Seventh Street Mission - Cove City
A large open area above and to one side of the soup kitchen operating downstairs. High windows let in light to the bare-floored area which has a small raised place at one end, and four doors - two at each end.//
Jerry is here first and.. he's honestly not sure if anyone is coming or not, given the events of the past couple days. In fact he's simply been GONE for over 24 hours, and only an email from him this morning seeing if anyone wanted to practice that night. He's here, though, on a stool on the 'stage' area, quietly picking out a tune on his guitar.
[Roll] Jerry rolls 1d20+12: 20+12 = 32
For the last … oh, two or three days Ian had been rather sequestered from the rest of the world. But in this school, two or three days were a lifetime and a half. He is a bit belated in Emailing, but email he does - showing up tastefully late to the soup kitchen. Wearing a camo hat, half jacket and baggy jeans, the young man steps in as Jerry plays a tune. "Wicked," he murmurs, clearly impressed by the little he heard already. One thing is clear - He's actually had some sleep. He was standing a bit straighter, and his voice was clearer, more defined. Slipping off the POS he calls a bass, he unzips, and pulls out a few sheets of parchment. "Brought lyrics juts in case. So where are the lovebirds?"
Linus comes in with some difficulty. He's got a drum set with him, you know. It doesn't look very good, or very impressive, or even very painted. It's missing a lot of that stuff, and there are suspicious lines running across the impact surfaces, but this is apparently what he got. "Hey, guys." He's lugging them in boxes, and it's not easy. "Sorry. Am I late? I can't check my cell because it's in my back pock…et. Holy shit, Jerry. " He's avoiding eye contact with Jerry, though he's not about to be quiet about what he's doing. He turns towards Ian and mouths, "Wow." then sets the boxes down and starts pulling his drum set out. "Taylor hall will be relieved that I've moved these over here."
Sunday is, as all girls usually are, fashionably late. Of course, being something slightly other than a typical girl, this fact is absolutely MORTIFYING to her! She takes music VERY seriously, and when she dashes up the stairs lugging a small amp with a guitar case strapped to her back, she is red-faced and clearly winded. "Ohmigod, I'm SO SORRY! The bus ran late and I-" Stop, blink. "/Wow/, Jerry! That sounds awesome!" She spares a smile for Linus that still manages to look sappy and cute, and even steals a kiss from him as she scurries by to get her things set up. It won't take long, and when she's done, if Linus is still working, she helps out. All the while, once again like a typical girl, she talks. "Alright let's get this out of the way! Jerry, Linus! Hug or fight." She's plugging her amp in and not even bothering to look at either of them as she says this. Just get it over with so we can play!
Jerry finishes his piece and looks up, smiles when he sees Ian. "Bro, hey; sorry I was incommunicado. Everything OK with you, dude?" he says, concern edging his voice as he slips off the stool and places the guitar carefully against it. He holds out his hand for the lyrics, but then Linus comes in and he hesitates.
He looks.. ashamed, is probably the best word to use. "I have to apologize to you, man. I hope you'll accept it," he says, head down a bit, looking through his bangs at Linus. Hopeful, perhaps. He flashes a smile at what Sunday says. "Hey, I'll hug. Won't be the first time," he says, humor in his voice.
"Here, lemme give you a hand with that," Ian murmurs to Linus, taking one of the boxes before moving to help schlep what pieces are left. Reb notices Linus' eyecontact, or more precisely lack thereof. It's noted with a frown, but little is mentioned of it for now. At least until Sunday makes her little ultimatum. "I must have missed something." Then again, that wasn't unusual these days was it? When Jerry asks his questions, he shrugs lightly before murmuring: "I've slept. Put a bit of perspective on thing. How about you, man?" The lyrics as slipped before he pats the other man shoulders, turning back to the others.
Linus's face brightens the moment Sunday walks in. He can't help it. He offers her an equally nausea-inducing smile as she walks in, then goes back to assembling the drum set. It's when Jerry says something that Linus finally looks up, "Oh… no, Jerry. It's cool, man. I… know how my brother can be. It was just a family thing. I mean, you did what I should've done a bunch of times, but you know how it is." This is the same kid who screamed 'asshole' and rushed Jerry to take a swing at him. Go fig. "No need to apologize, bro. But it's cool. We're, you know. Cool." He flashes a quick smile, and then gets the drums mostly where he wants them.
Amp plugged in and band harmony restored, Sunday pulls out her guitar from its hard-side case - what looks at first to be a black Fender Strat. But when she turns it outward and the light hits it.. yeah. You might have to look twice to be sure because that big sparkly Hello Kitty face on the front will BLOW YOUR MIND. And she doesn't even say anything about it! Like it's normally normal! She just pulls the pick out of the case, slides the strap over her small frame, plugs the sucker in and starts to tune. Glancing up to Ian, she nods once at the idea that he missed something, then arches a brow. "You weren't sleeping? You look okay now, at least."
Jerry looks relieved as Linus speaks, and Ian seems better. He smiles at Ian and looks over the lyrics, returning to the stool, then listens to the others as they tune up and test - he's impressed, deeply, and maybe for the first time.. he starts to think in terms of 'holy shit, we might could do this…' He quirks a smile at Sunday's guitar. "OK, so we've definitely ruled out the death metal genre. Check," he grins. "Holy the crap, people, I think we're going to kick some serious ass.." he says, looking at them in turn. "We still need a name, but.. it will come. Don't push it."
"Jeeze, you two sleep together and get it over yet. Any more blushing and I might start feeling Madonna." Ian's voice is wry, with a touch of amusement. His grin belies the joke in his words though. It was clear that he wasn't even remotely trying to pass judgment as much as cause a bit more of a blush. He quirks a brow when he notices the guitar, unable but to help chuckling. He pulls out his own instrument - A Peavy P-Bass that couldn't have been more than two hundred bucks. Then again, it looked also third-hand. He sound checks with an ease that hinted that this wasn't his first rodeo, adjusting before beginning a quick bassline to get his fore, and middle fingers limber. It wasn't his preferred instrument, but it'd do. Looking up to Sunday, he nods: "Just broke last night. But I feel better now. Didn't think I'd miss clarity so much." As for the sound. "So, what's our poison for today?"
Linus does a little warmup. Little, as it happens, turns out to be a bit more than a 4:4 time signature beat. Linus was asked to just provide a beat to keep the band on the same page and he's apparently attempting to do a bit more than that. In this case, his warmup's actually rather elaborate, considering the drums he has available. He even finishes by tossing one of his drumsticks in the air and catching it. OK. SO he only threw it -2- feet in the air, but is that not the same number of feet as a man? Is this not a metaphor for the evolution of humanity on this world, from fish to primate, to homosapien to the neohuman crew of mutants and such forth assembled within? I dare say that yes. Yes it does. Also Ian's words make him blush even more, but he says nothing in reply to his commentary on he and Sunday. "This really isn't so bad, actually."
Sunday laughs outright when Jerry mentions death metal. "Hey! Kitty could rock some hard-core German death-metal." Looking down at her guitar, she coos "Couldn't you, kitty?" She hms as the tuning becomes some idle plucking of strings, opening her mouth as if to say something.. only to have Ian ask his question. The girl chokes, blushes, looks over at Linus blushing, and then looks back down at her guitar. Still blushing. The tune she's strumming becomes the beginning chords of 'I Hate Everything About You'. But only for a second. She almost misses Linus's little performance, but upon catching the tail end of it she does offer a little clap. Yay! "Yeah, we're gonna kick /major/ ass. So, um.. We should do something that won't be too demanding on the drums, to start. Wanna do something from there," Her chin tilts towards the papers Jerry was given, "Or stick with a cover?" Yeah. Somebody else make a decision. Or she might pick something sappy just to get back at Ian.
Ian pages: Ian moves to you and whispers: "Know Jamie All Over? Start her off."
Jerry scans the lyrics, works out a probable series to go with them - then Ian bends close and he smiles, nods. He picks out a few test notes, then.. starts off on a song, foot tapping to a strong beat.
I had a dream last night we
Drove out to see Las Vegas
We lost ourselves in the bright lights
I wish you could have seen us…
he sings, his voice clear and rich and with just that brassy tone for this song. He motions the others jump in when they can, going slower to get the feel for the song, something he's done before but not a lot y'know? He does OK, though. More than OK.
"Let's start with something we know. My pile of crap can wait til later." There's a half grin before he shakes his head, moving to Jerry and whispering something in his ear. A moment later he backs up to Linus, murmuring in a very soft note. "4/4 buddy. Give a four measure in, before Snare-Crashing to the interlude. When you get through that go wild man." Is he going to tell Sunday what he chose? Hell no. "This one's for the lovers and dreamers. Eat your heart out."
And then Jerry begins to sing, a strong vocalist and his guitar filling the room. There's a mental count in his head, before he begins to pick up in the bass a moment after mouthing: "NOW!" to Linus. And then Ian closes his ears, and lets himself remember. To be alive. To be a dreamer. To be in love.
"Begging for chance to get home
Or at least San Fransico
Let's Put a Ten on the High Card
I spent a summer on the West Coast."
He then drops off, taking harmony while someone picks up: "Down and to the left…"
Linus' eyes get a little wide as Ian tells him what to do. "A four m…" He nods, "Sure." He takes a deep breath, counts '1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4' to himself, both mouthing it and almost hitting his drums to every number, and then starts up with his snare drum, a cymbal hit, and then does just what he was told, hitting the drums in an accurate, but wild sequence of strikes before settling down to a 4:4 beat. Nervous? Yes. He looks very nervous, but he's not making any mistakes yet.
Sunday knows it from the moment Jerry starts to strum those first few notes, a bright grin breaking out on her face. She looks straight at Ian and shakes her head, giggling a bit, and begins to count beats with the tap of her finger on the guitar. When Linus gets through the 4 count, she jumps in. For her, and likely Jerry as well, the song is not all that complicated, but that doesn't stop her from clearly enjoying the feeling of playing with other people. Especially other people who all know what the hell they're doing. As Ian sings the harmony for the chorus lead-in, Sunday picks up, voice clear powerful without losing the feminine quality of it. Down and to the left.. "Here's the map and the pen, the place you pointed at.." Be California's Best.. Sunday belts, "All I ask, all I ask!" Then takes the lead in the chorus.
"And please don't tell me that I'm dreamin'
When all I'd ever wanted was to dream another sunset with you!
If I roll over when it's over,
I'll take this Cali sunrise with me, and wake up with the fondest memories."
From there, she looks up at Jerry and lets him take the next verse. Grinning like an idiot.
Jerry grins as he sees where this is taking him, and he continues to play, beat for beat, sliding in easily in tune with Linus, with Sunday, with Ian like they'd practiced more than they have up until this point. He gets a mischievous smile on his face and turns to Ian.
We made love by the ocean
As the waves crashed around you
Sunsets never were so bright
And the skies never so blue…
He smiles, keeps his tune, doesn't skip a beat.
It was an easier song to play, which made it perfect for their first practice. But more importantly, it was something that was heartfelt. Something that any of them could get into. As the song hits the chorus, Ian once again takes harmony, lifting his voice to complement Sunday's. He knew the runs well, having to listen to the song to times innumerable. And more importantly… he was playing again. As the second verse begins, he turns to Linus, mouthing: "Awesome!" He even thumbs up before the bassline begins again. And as Jerry turns to sing to him, Ian can't help but to roll his eyes, but does wink for a moment. But when they get to the next bars, his eyes close his eyes. And when he sings, it's with a heartfelt emotion - pretending he was alone in the room, speaking to someone only he could see, barely recognizing Jerry pick up behind
You opened up into my arms!
And we laughed as I held you.
I'll never go back to Florida
Not at least 'til I have to.
He is so into the song, he doesn't even notice he replaced 'Georgia' with his home state.
"Down and to the Left…"
Linus keeps up with the four four rhythm, steady and right on target. He's not noticing anyone mouthing anything to him, looking at him, or anything else in the room, because full concentration is on the drums. He doesn't even the know the song, which is why it takes him a moment to realize that he's reached a good point to mix things up, by the time Ian starts singing 'Down and to the left'. He goes from 4:4 to something much faster, though still in time, with a rhythm that pierces the prior monotony with a staggered bit of controlled chaos. He's a nebie, but he's a newbie with talent… or quite possibly raw LUCK on his side, but he stays directly on time the whole way. The embarassing part is that if one could see into his mind, they'd see 'Perfect!' 'Perfect!' 'Great!' 'Perfect!' floating over the drums with each beat. Oh god. He's playing Rock Band. IRL.
"Here's the map and the pen, the place you pointed at,"
Be California's Best
"All I ask, ALL I ASK!!"
Sunday actually jumps and swings the neck of her guitar back, ripping in to the next note. When she pulls her head up to sing again, she too has her eyes closed - but it's not to imagine she's alone. Quite the opposite. In Sunday's mind, they are on stage in front of a packed house, bright lights shining down and sound-system deafening, the crowd in front of them jumping with hands in the air as they sing the words back. It helps her not feel so foolish as she channels the emotion necessary to really sing the song. With Ian singing the backup, she goes into the chorus once more.
"And please don't tell me that I'm dreaming
When all I'd ever wanted was to dream another sunset with you!
If I roll over when it's over,
I'll take this Cali sunrise with me, and wake up with the fondest memo-RIES! Memories!"
As her hand comes off the guitar, she motions quickly to Linus, beaming a smile at him and waving her hand downward while mouthing 'Cymbals'.
Jerry picks up the rest of the song along with the others as they trade parts back and forth, throwing lyrics at each other like beach volleyball. Finally, they wind down and Jerry beams. He looks at the others like he's seeing them for the first time in some ways, and just shakes his head in awe. "We are the greatest band on Earth. Admit it," he chuckles. "Seriously. Holy shit, we blend. We.. blend good," he says, getting off the stool and pacing, guitar slung off his shoulder, pace pace pace. "Holy shit.."
Ian sings in a way he hadn't really tried to in a very long time. And is somewhat surprised at the results, even as the three stringed players take turns taking the lead. He keeps the bassline simple and true, letting distortion and percussion shine before finally finshing in an arpeggio, fingers slapping against the bass like an old friend. When the song finishes, he looks up, before running a hand through hair with a rueful expression. "Not bad, not bad kids." Enthused? Very happy, but it took a lot to get Stoker looking giddy. "So why didn't anyone tell me you lot had talent, and I was holding the band back. I better bring a gimmick. Tap dancing maybe." He even pantomimes the steps slightly, half grin forming before disappearing for a moment. "I guess that means we're semi official. We've played. A. Song."
Linus notices nothing but the music. It could be that the experience has teleported his mind to another world… a world of sound, where the only currency is harmony and rhythm, a world where wars are not fought with weapons or even words… in fact, they are not fought at all. In this world, disputes are settled with the beauty of energy, of music itself. Of a magic so profound that as certain philosophers of the 21st century put it, one cannot even hold it, for it is simply there in the air. In this world, there is no Sunday to advise him that he has neglected the cymbols. No Jerry to gush about the band. No Ian to sing the highest note. Nay. In this world there is only their music….
….But that's not really why Linus doesn't look up. He's just struggling to make sure he doesn't fuck any of this up. When it's over, he actually goes on another measrue, and then exhales. Deeply. "Wow. That was… awesome."
When the song finishes in its three-beat crescendo, Sunday, breathing a little heavier for the effort, begins jumping up and down like an excited ferret on crack. "Ohmigod!! Ohmigod!! Ohmigod!!" Pulling off her guitar quickly so it can be set down on the case, she bounces her disgustingly excited self over to Jerry and throws her arms around him, giving the man a big firm peck on the cheek. "Ohmigod!" Ian's turn next! "Ohmigod!!" And Linus, um.. The other boys might wanna look away, because Sunday actually scurries around the drums and practically leaps into the boys lap, lashing her arms around him and kissing him full-on like an excited girlfriend kisses her boyfriend. It's at least brief. A small mercy. "OHMIGOD!! We are SO AWESOME!!"
Jerry looks around the playspace, violet light momentarily rippling over him. "Yes. Yes we are," he grins at the others.