Realistic or Modern In the Band

[pasta_warlord]

Avery drummed his fingers against the steering wheel, staring through the rain-coated windshield at the standstill traffic before him. About an hour ago, he’d gotten a call from the lead vocalist of his band who “regrettably had to go his own way with the smoking hot record deal he’d just been offered”... which was fine. The guy was a pompous prick without a spec of respect for the work all of them did. If anything, this was something to rejoice over. Or it would be if being short a lead singer hadn’t entirely derailed their chances of successfully competing in the Battle of the Bands they’d signed up for.

And to think the day had started out so promising.

But it was fine. He and the lads (or what remained of them) would put their heads together at the bar and figure something out. After all, it was karaoke night. If they could survive all of the drunken renditions of whatever obnoxiously chirpy pop tune was popular nowadays, they might be able to find some real talent. Or at least something close to it. And then aaaall Avery would have to do is turn on the charm, maybe buy them a drink or two, and wham.

One brand new lead vocalist. It was as easy as that.

A small smirk turned up the corner of his mouth as he gripped the steering wheel. And since he was still liberated (temporarily, he reminded himself firmly) from his boyfriend, then if things... progressed from there, who was he to say no? That would just be rude. A disservice to his future bandmate, really.

The vehicles in front of him began their slow, but determined, crawl forward, and he followed suit, turning on his windshield wipers at last.

Oh yes. Tonight would be productive, indeed.

 

[Tiff the Odd]

Adakias had lived in London for a year without a single break. He was sure that Annie was getting tired of him freeloading in her house. Annie was the only person who Addy had ever told that he was gay. She was very excepting and Adakias thought he had found a friend but it turned out that she lived in London. They were 15 back then.

Their friendship grew and when Adakias decided he needed to get away, Annie opened up her home even though she was busy with her son, Tommy. She had been a single mom for two years and Adakias had to admit that he was soft on the toddler. Annie insisted that he wasn’t a bother but he wasn’t sure. Still, he needed to find a way to pay her back.

That’s why Adakias sat in this loud bar and it was karaoke night and he was next. He went up to the mix and sat down on the keyboards. He played a few notes before he started to play a family song “Your Song” by Elton John. His voice had pretty good range and it could be soft and gentle but also loud and clear. His face didn’t convey much emotion but his voice did. When he was done, he stood up without a single word and made his way over to the bar.

 

[pasta_warlord]

Avery buried his face in the crook of his arm, smothering his frustration into his leather jacket. It had been. hours. And they hadn’t even gotten close to finding someone. He couldn’t even get a good buzz going because he had to be able to focus and be on his a-game for later. Failure was not an option.

“Cheer up, Ave.” Devin, his drummer and friend since childhood, said with a light pat to his shoulder. “We’ll find’m. Next guy looks promising, at least.”

It was with an overdramatic groan that Avery looked up, snide comment poised on his tongue. It died in his mouth as he took in the young man at the piano. He didn’t have that massive of a stage presence, but as he sat at the keyboard, it was obvious he knew what he was doing. This wasn’t some stupid alcohol-fueled stunt. This... could potentially be a performance. He felt a rush of euphoria when he actually began singing (not only could he sing, but he also apparently has excellent taste in music). Stage presence could be nurtured over him, it was a trivial detail at best. This was exactly the type of person he was hoping to find. Naturally talented.

And not too hard on the eyes either, from what he could tell.

Which is why he paid no mind to his bandmates’ laughter when he practically leapt from his chair after he was finished. He reeled in his excitement to a less visible level and straightened out his jacket as he walked to catch him at the bar. “That was quite the performance.” he commented as he pulled up beside him with what he hoped looked to be a genuine smile. “What’s a talented songbird like you doing in a place like this?”

 

[pasta_warlord]

bump

 

[Tiff the Odd]

Sorry! Can we move this to PMs? It’s hard for me to keep track of what I have and haven’t replied to if it’s not in the PMs.

 

[pasta_warlord]

Oh yeah, of course. That’s totally fine