Another Goo Story
By: Rebekah Parham
-1-
"I will mom...ok...I love you too...bye." I hung up the phone and glanced at the clock. 10:27 am, I had to be at Artie�s at 11:00. Artie was suppose to be talking to this new band he found a couple of nights ago. I stood up off the bed, grabbed my book bag and headed toward the door. I just couldn�t see me carrying a brief case after all I was only 22 years old.
I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror as I walked by. Four years ago nobody would have thought I would have made it in New York. I had to laugh when I thought about everything that had happened. Here I was, small town Kayla Jones, making it on her own. Of course I wasn�t really on my own, Reagan had come with me. We had been best friends since that first day of kindergarden, and as different as night and day. She was always quiet, not really shy, it just that she didn�t talk unless she had something to say. I on the other hand would talk to anybody that would listen and even some that wouldn�t. We looked completely different too. She stood around 5� 5", I was lucky if I was 5� 1". Reagan had short brown hair and brown eyes, I had long blonde hair and blue eyes. All of our differences never seemed to matter, we were good for each other. I brought her out of her shell, while she sort of became my conscience over the years.
The day after graduating high school, Reagan and I left our small town lives and moved to Buffalo, New York. I wanted to live in New York City, but Reagan thought it better if we started out small. Not that we hadn�t been in a small town for the past 18 years but I finally agreed to Buffalo. It wasn�t really that bad, but then anything was better than Anderson, South Carolina. Anderson made Mayberry look like Miami.
I walked out of my bedroom in the apartment that Reagan and I shared into the living room. Reagan had already gone. She had her last mid-term this morning. In little over a week she would graduate from Buffalo State. I had graduated the year before because I had taken college courses in high school. That allowed me to finish my first year of college before I even finished high school. I was so proud of her. She had struggled through this last year with all of her business courses. I couldn�t wait to watch her walk across that stage.
I walked into Artie�s building at 10:50 am and hit the button for the 4th floor. I was bar tending at Kellerman�s bar near the college when I met him. All the Buffalo up and coming bands wanted to play there because the stage, acoustics, and crowds were always better than any place else. Artie had been trying to get the owner, Jason. to let one of his bands play that night but Jason kept telling him no. I looked at Jason and said "You know our usual band isn�t playing tonight, so really there is room for them to play a set."
Jason let out a sigh and said, "Do you want them to play tonight?"
I gave Jason as well as everyone else at the bar one of my smiles that I knew could turn any man to putty in my hands and replied, "I just want to see how they play."
"Well if they suck, then you handle the pissed off people," and he turned around and went into the office.
I look at the guys sitting at the bar and say, "So it looks like this may be your night to shine after all."
After their set, which the crowd had gone wild for, Artie came up to me and offered me a job. At first it was just basic secretarial stuff, but then I became more interested and involved he made me his assistant. We would find new talent and book them in local and sometimes not so local bars and clubs to get their name and music out there. When the bands had made enough noise record executive would come and watch them play to decide if they were good enough to sign to their label or not.
I became good at my job, and I loved what I was doing. So when I finished college last year I decided to stay. A decision that my parents still hadn�t forgiven me for. It�s not that they didn�t support my decision, they just were not ready to let me grow up and have a life of my own. I had an ear for music. I knew when I heard a band play if they were going to make it or flop.
Artie had become one of my best friends. We were never drown to each other sexually but more like he was my big brother. When I first went to work for him, he couldn�t get over how worked up and excited I would get. I have always had more that my fair share of energy which is probably why I use to get into so much trouble as a kid. Artie would always tell me that he had to keep me occupied because once I got bored I started getting into mischief. But Artie and Reagan were the two people that I knew completely understood and accepted me no matter how much trouble or mischief I got into. They had become my surrogate family.
As Artie had become accustomed, I walked in his apartment with out knocking. I heard voices in the living room as I was taking off my coat.
"I think you guys have real potential, but I am going to let my assistant listen to you first because she is the one that has the ear for musical talent," I heard Artie say.
I was about to say �thank you� when a voice I didn�t recognize said, "Didn�t you tell us this girl was from South Dakota? How much can she possibly know about what music is good and what�s not?"
The smart ass comment sort of got under my skin because I was always having to defend myself to men that I could do this job just as well as they could. I waked into the room and noticed their were four guys already there. Artie and the three guys in the band I was guessing. I don�t know what it was about musicians they always seemed to have this cocky attitude about them. Maybe that�s why I got along with all of them really well. I had a smart ass mouth myself. I walked into the room and everyone had their back to me, and not knowing which one had just made the comment, I addressed them all saying, "Actually, it�s South Carolina, an the music thing, lets just say I have an intuition about that."
-2-
Upon hearing my response everybody turned to look at me. Artie was the first one to break the silence, "This is Kayla, if she likes what she hears then you boys could be well on your way," Artie said pulling me over to meet them. "Kayla, I would like you to meet our new clients. This is Robby. He is the band's bass player"
Robby stuck out his hand and with a huge grin on his face said, "It�s nice to meet you. I think you worked with my cousin Tony�s band a while back, The Blue Birds."
"Yeah, I did. How are they doing now? Last time I heard from them they had all moved out to LA," I replied, glad that at least one of them was going to be friendly.
"They did move out to LA but once they got there, they all gave up on music and came home," Robby said with a laugh.
"That�s to bad, they all had a lot of potential" I said.
I looked to the guy who now stood beside Robby and he introduced himself, "I�m George, the drummer."
"Nice to meet you as well," I said. Then turned to look at the third person I had yet to meet. He was standing by the mantle. I walked over to him, "I don�t believe we have met yet. If I am correct, which I usually am, I believe you were the one that had his doubts about my ability to perform my job," I said in a friendly yet sarcastic tone.
He was about to say something to me but Robby jumped in before he got the chance, "This is John..."
"And let me guess, you are the lead singer, right? I said in an accusing tone.
"What makes you think that?" John asked in a curious tone.
Crossing my arms over my chest and taking a step back so that I could look up at him without breaking my neck, I said, "Because there is something about lead singers. They all possess a self centered, ass hole quality."
The room had become silent. Artie, not wanting me to make a scene, walked over to us saying, "I thought maybe you could set them up a gig at one of the clubs in town I would really like for you to hear them play, to you know, tell me what you think."
I had turned to look at Artie, and I could tell from the look on his face that he really did like these guys. So of course I agreed. "Sure. Do you have any particular club in mind or just whatever has an open set tonight?" I said.
"You know what�s best Kayla, but tonight I just really want you to hear them play," Artie said
With that I went into the kitchen to start making some phone calls. I managed to get them a 9:00 time slot where they could perform a 90 minute set. I told Artie that I would make sure that all of the equipment was set up when the guys arrived. They needed to be there before the club opened at 5:00 to do a sound check. Then I left with the promise that I would see them all again later tonight.
-3-
I called Reagan and told her that I was going to hear a new band perform and asked her if she wanted to come. She said yes and that she would meet me there. When I arrived at the club, crowned of people were already inside. I had pretty much become a regular at the clubs so I knew a lot of people. I made my way through the crowd to where Artie and Reagan were sitting at a table. As was my usual response, "Am I late?" To which the answer was always �yes.�
"We started to think that maybe you have gotten a better offer," Reagan joked. "The band is fixing to go on. I met them earlier, they all seem pretty nice."
I agreed and took my seat because the owner of the club had just announced the next band was ready to perform. At that moment it occurred to me that I didn�t know what the name of there band was. I tapped Artie on the should and whispered in his ear, "What is there name?"
He laughed and said , "Sex Maggots"
"Your kidding right? Who in there right mind would call themselves something that stupid?" I asked sure that he was joking.
Artie just shrugged his shoulders and smiled "Only musicians I guess."
I knew from the time they took the stage that they were going to make it. Robby ran around on stage bare foot, while John would jump into the crowd and they would catch him. They sang some classics but then they sang some of there own. I was really impressed with that. It usually took us months to try and get musicians to start writing there own songs. As much as I hated to admit it John really did have that musical talent that little boys dream about while jumping around playing air guitar. They all did. It seemed that John and Robby would play off each other and that just set the crowd off even more. The crowd seemed to really love them.
When there set was finished the owner came over and asked to book them again soon. I set up another gig for the next week and went to talk with Artie. He was sitting at the same table with Reagan, but now John, Robby and George had joined them. Artie looked up at me and said, "Well did you love them or what?"
"I have to say it, you guys are really good. You really know how to work a crowd." I said pulling up a chair from a near by table to sit down between Robby and Reagan.
"So when are we going to be able to play again?" George asked looking to Artie.
"Kayla, What do you say, think your ready to handle this one on your own," Artie said with a grin. He knew I had been waiting for this for such a long time.
I didn�t want to seem too excited so I just said, "I these guys are willing to let me try I will give it 100 percent."
Artie looked at each of the guys knowing that they were having there doubts he said, "She is the best at what she does. She hasn�t failed yet and I see no reason that she would start with you guys."
I didn�t realize that I had been holding my breath until Robby looked at me and said "I would love for you to work with us and I know that George and John feel the same, right guys?"
George and Robby were more that nice to me but John just said, "Whatever."
I was too excited to get angry over his response just then. I sort of knew where he was coming from anyway. I knew that it would be hard for me to ever put my dream in someone else�s hands. But I was going to prove to him, to all three of them, that I could do it. They would never regret this decision.
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