London Harmony: Roctoberfest (15 page)

She hopped up and faded to the back of the stage as he sat and looked at his kit then exploded into a fantastic heavy metal run.  If there was a time a roll wasn't going while he was working the cymbals or booming out the syncopated rhythm of his twin bass drums, I didn't hear it.

This was the type of thing I was about to do, but something inside me screamed at me to showcase my restraint and control instead, when my first down stroke began.  Now I was worried after what this guy was showing us.  He ended with a dual rimshot release that sent his drumsticks flipping into the air and onto the ground behind him.  I grinned and pointed at him, he smiled and pointed right back.  The man was fun.  We cheered with the crowd.

Tabby stepped out and gave a crooked half smile like she was so full of mischief it was about to spill out all over the stage.  She looked between the bands then blurted out, “The winner is the Blue Diamonds!”  Everyone was silent, then she asked, “Green Clovers? No...”  Then we started to celebrate as the crowd laughed then she held up a finger like it had just come to her. “The Purple Horseshoes everyone!”

The cheering was deafening and we jumped around hugging each other and we met the Jackhammers who already on their way to congratulate us.  We fist bumped and half hugged.  The drummer grinned.  He was a big man, but we were eye to eye.  He yelled into my ear to be heard over the crowd, “That was inspired.  I thought I had you until you pulled that off.”  I smiled then we separated and started tearing down our equipment for the next bands.

Behind the stage, we were all grins.  I cocked an eyebrow at Mick. “Where have you been hiding that?  You were awesome.”

She smirked and retorted, “Apparently the same place you were hiding that performance String Bean.”  We were swarmed by Hammonds as soon as we started dragging our gear toward the trucks.  It was all sort of a blur to me because I only had eyes for my girl, who had a hungry look on her face.

She worked out all of her energy and anxiety from the performance, on me that night. 
No complaints here.  None at all.  I mean... never mind, stop looking at me like that.

The next day was anticlimactic in comparison.  We played with Teri Blue in a Jazz inspired pop number.  The other band was technically perfect.  But that was the problem.  Jazz isn't something you play, it is something you feel.  The emotion colors the music.  So we found ourselves moving on to week six.  The Hammond barbecue was becoming a weekly habit with us, like going to church.  I even heard Doc talking to Becky about making it a monthly institution.

The next week we had canceled our one gig to concentrate on practice.  Never in our wildest dreams did we ever think we'd make it this far in Roctoberfest.  There were already management firms and a couple labels sniffing around.  Caroline had to turn down at least four gigs a day, informing people that we were concentrating on the final week of the competition.

Sheet music was sent by special messenger, along with the rules for the final week.  We thumbed through the music, most we had covered before but there were a few surprises, like a new J8 song we had never heard, and an Amber LaLanie song.  Was she one of the surprise artists?  If so, Mei was in super drool mode, we may have found one of her crushes.

The rules were pretty simple.  It was a one-day event on Saturday.  Like the prior week, it was single elimination.  The six bands would be whittled down to three in the first hour of the event.  Then the three would play a number together that would not be judged.  Then with all three bands on stage, we would all play with the same artist.  The two winners of the Roctoberfest Battle of the Bands would be announced at noon.

The first place winner would play a full concert, free to the public an hour and a half later with J8 herself.

The competition was already being hailed as one of the biggest things to take London by storm in the past fifty years.  All of the superstars that have been performing for free had people coming in from even Ireland to watch.

We were so keyed up by Friday that we were all worthless in practice, we needed to decompress or we would be all nerves for the competition and that would be a very bad thing.   Mei suggested from where she laid on the floor at Mick's with her head on my lap and her feet up on Carol's lap on the couch, “What about we all take the afternoon off?  Go have some fun.  The cinema?”

She liked movies, since even though there were more people than she was comfortable with, it was dark and felt secluded.  Darin grinned and asked in an almost embarrassed tone,  “Heartsong Warriors Two:  Space Vampire Revenge?”

We all chuckled.  That campy, tongue in cheek, star-studded musical mockery of all things Hollywood, had a huge cult following all around the world.  Babette Stevenson had created one of the most sarcastic and hilarious movies I had ever seen.  Which is odd when compared to the other award winning Indy movies her studio, Cornfed Potatoes has put out.  Most were emotional and had a depth to them that was hard to explain.

Though none of us out and out admitted it we loved Heartsong Warriors, we all just played it off cool.  “Sure, I guess.”  “Yeah whatever.”  “I could go for popcorn.”  “Feed me first.”

I chuckled at the last one and stopped running my fingers through her hair long enough to give Mei an upside down kiss. “Yes, my bottomless pit.  We will feed you .”

She played it off well. “Yay!”

Mick asked offhandedly as we all started rising, “I'm curious what would happen if she ever got full.  Would like, the Earth stop spinning, or would San Marino win the World Cup or something.”

Mei said flatly, “Mean.” Mick put on a pouty face and pointed at her cheek and Mei grinned and kissed her cheek.

I hurt so much when we got home that night.  I haven't laughed so hard or for so long in a long time and my chest muscles and diaphragm ached. The bloody movie was brilliant.  This was one of the cases where the sequel surpasses the original.

Mei was still spontaneously giggling as she remembered certain scenes.  Like when Conrad Chase, reprising his Lieutenant Fischer character, performed a spacewalk to repair the space fold engines with space duct tape while singing a Katy Perry song to keep the space vampires at bay.  I mean, come on, you can't just dream that stuff up.

I got Mei out of her shirt, kissing a trail up the exposed flesh as I went then handed her one of my t-shirts.  She preferred them to her nightshirt, well on her my tees were nightshirts as they draped to her knees.  She always made me blush when she said she liked them because they smelled like me.

We spent almost ten minutes laying in the dark, staring into each other's eyes, with only the little nightlight by the loo casting a pale glow on us.  Mei broke the silence. “I love you, Kacy.”

I smiled and said, “I love you too.”  I meant it and I hope she knew that.  She had turned my world upside down and I felt as if she had been by my side, dragging me around by her belt loop my whole life.  It was a warm, fulfilling feeling.  I whispered to her, “Cuddle?”  She just nodded and turned her back to me and I pulled my little spoon into position and held her until we both faded off to sleep.

***

The next morning I woke up to the cat batting at my ear.  I blinked the sleep out of my eyes as I batted the cat away while my mind caught up to me.  I hadn't had a cat since I ran away.  I really missed Velma, I wondered if she was still alive, she'd be like seventeen.

I looked up and Mick was tickling my ear with the dust rag.  She had a shit eating grin on her face as she asked, “What did you two do last night?  You were lost to the world.  We've been calling for over an hour now and neither of you was answering your phones.  So here we are.  Wake your sorry asses up and get ready or there won't be time to eat before the competition.”

It was comical really. Mei, who I could have sworn was still asleep, curled up on my belly, shot her hand out and grabbed the collar of the all leather ensemble Mick chose for the competition and yanked her toward her.  She opened one eye and said, “Don't even joke about not having time to eat.”  Her bedhead and snarl making her about as threatening as a teddy bear with pom poms.

I looked around and blinked.  The whole band was in the studio with grins that matched Mick's on their faces.  I mumbled, “We only cuddled last night.”

Carol grinned, not believing me and pulled me off the futon by my leg.  “Shoo, woman.  Get ready, we'll keep the cute one occupied while you get cleaned up and dressed.”

I looked at her with mock hurt on my face.  “I thought I was the cute one.”

She shook her head.  “Not with Manga Girl here.”  Then stuck her tongue out at me because I couldn't argue the point.  I grinned and got ready for the most terrifying day of my life.  Then they released the tiny velociraptor into the depths of the loo.  She returned to us a few minutes later looking like a rock queen.

She wore a sky blue tee with a sequined skull and crossbones, tight capris that looked painted on, with a wide belt with silver loops.  Then to my dismay, one of her knit sleeves to cover the scars on her arm like she always wore.  But it worked with the look.

We hurried out to the waiting vehicles and were spirited off through a carryout window.  I counted my fingers after handing Mei her food.  Which earned me a playful slap on my shoulder.  Then we were unloading the truck for the last time in the competition.

The city was almost gridlocked because of the Roctoberfest final and the promised free J8 concert afterward.  We almost panicked thinking we wouldn't make it on time.  We had left with an hour to spare, but we were just getting our equipment behind the stage with ten minutes before the event began.

We all stayed with the equipment while Carol ran up to the judges table to get our draw.  She came back a minute later looking dejected.  “Did we miss the check in?”  Mick asked, “What is it Car?

Our blonde leader said with a sigh, “Someone already drew us.”

Darin asked, “Who.”

Then my blood went cold as a familiar voice behind me said,  “We did.  Prepare to go down Caroline.  Oh, wait you probably already do.”

I turned to see Matt with a black eye and broken nose, the skin under his other eye the sickly yellow-greens of an almost entirely healed bruise.  He looked like complete shit. 
Oh, that's funny seeing as how he is complete shit, the bloody wanker.

Mei had her hand firmly on Mick's chest,  she had been moving quickly toward Matt.  Mei said to her and us, “He's not worth it.  Let's just all do our best.”  Then she said to him as she still stood in front of Mick, “Sod off before I let her loose on you.”

Matt was smart enough to stay out of arm's reach this time. He sneered as he walked off, saying to Caroline, “With your gimp as lead, you're all going down in flames.”

I gritted my teeth but then relaxed, we couldn't let him rile us up like this.  He probably did it just for that reason.  I mused out loud, “I wonder just when he turned into such prick.  I used to like him and he was a genuinely nice guy.”

Mick started checking our gear, roughly, working out her frustration as she answered,  “That's easy, it was right after Caroline shut him down when he tried to force himself on her after our first Ronnie Marx gig.”

I spun on Caroline almost yelling, “He what!?”  She just shook her head and patted the air, trying to get me to calm and lower my voice.  It all made sense now.  He wanted Carol and she denied him, then he started to try to take control of the band after that.  He was like a poison to our family.

I clenched my fists and turned and started to stalk after him, but Animal stepped in front of me and held my arms to stop me.  “Whoa, there killer.  Things were already... explained... to him.”  Oh!  That's why Matt hates Darin so much!

Then I looked around and asked in a hurt voice, “Why didn't anyone tell me?”

Caroline said, “Because I asked them not to.  I knew how you would react and you love the band, it would have eaten at you.”  I hissed at them and shook my head.  Then relaxed and Mei took my hand.

I rolled my eyes and grinned. “Fine, whatever.  Let's send Ratchet packing.  When we up?”

Carol grinned and said, “We're next.”  And the first match began.

We peeked under the backdrop as the two bands played with Tabby Cat.  Violet Rose took the round almost effortlessly.  From everything we have seen throughout the competition, I had them pegged as the band to beat.  And they were fun and super friendly, I liked that.

We set up on the stage with Matt taunting us the whole time.  The entire clan Hammond was in the second row waving at us, I couldn't help waving back.

We pulled J8 for our match.  June was such a commanding presence on stage.  We were to perform with her first.  We weren't three measures in when Mei's guitar went silent, the song stumbled to a halt.  Bloody hell!  It was all over!  She looked back with fire in her eyes and we followed her gaze.  Matt was back by stage left, behind his band.  Where all the electrics were.  Mei's amp cord was unplugged at his feet.

I had never wanted to physically harm someone to the point they needed life support, but I was at that tipping point now.  I glanced over to June Harris-West, who had a fury in her eyes that could have melted battleship steel, bloody hell!  It didn't carry over into her voice or hand signs as she said smoothly with a smile that would have fooled anyone who couldn't see her eyes, “Sorry.  Hang on a minute everyone.  Technical difficulties.”

Then she made a hand motion and all the mics went silent.  She pointed at both bands and at the back of the stage and we all gathered around her.  One of Matt's band mates was pushing him.  June said to him while meeting the eyes of each member of Ratchet one at a time.  “Ratchet has forfeited this round for violating the rules of conduct laid out in the contract.  Purple Horseshoes move on by default.”  Then she locked eyes with Matt. “That was a reprehensible thing you did.  It shows a lack of maturity and professionalism that cannot be tolerated in the music industry.  I'd threaten to blacklist Ratchet, but you've effectively managed that all on your own.”

Matt went to argue, but she held up a finger to him with a glare that would have frozen an ocean. “I'm just informing you now as a courtesy, so you don't react unprofessionally when I announce it.  Take it with humility and dignity.  Now everyone, back to you places.”

To hell if I didn't follow her orders.  June Harris-West just showed that she was nobody to mess with.  I found it sort of impressive that someone who looks so happy and content all the time has enough fire in her for four people.

June nodded and I heard the hiss of the mics going live again.  She had a sweet smile on her face when she said and signed what she told us, “Ratchet forfeits this round and by default, Purple Horseshoes moves on the to the final round.”  Then she left the stage with the crowd murmuring in confusion.

After breaking our gear down and moving it behind the stage, we sought out the Hammonds and explained what happened.  We weren't sure if we should celebrate it or not since we didn't really do anything to move on.

After the final band to compete in the finals was announced, the Bluebonnets, we got hugs and fist bumps from the oddball family who seems to have adopted us. We started moving our gear back on stage at that time.  We got center stage, sandwiched between The Bluebonnets and Violet Rose.

I swear I almost went deaf when Marjorie McClellan announced us three finalists, and that we'd all be performing a group number with... she strung the name out almost like a professional boxing announcer. “Amberrr LaLaannnie!”

Oh dear lord.  I was fangirling out and Mei looked like she was about to pass out as Amber LaLanie bounded up on stage with her famous smile and her brunette hair with its white splotches that matched the other splotches on her skin, and the pink shock of hair that had replaced the pink wig from her early years.

What was she, almost forty?  She still looked like a pop princess, well she is one I guess.  But she didn't look any older than us.  She skipped across the stage speaking into her microphone, amping up the crowd even more, “Hello London!  How are we doing today!?”  She smiled and bobbed her head and then said, “Are you ready for the time of your lives?”  The screaming and shrieking and the applause got even louder.  We were cheering like bloody gits too.