A Song for Ezra (ONC 2021)(manxman)✅

When the Levee Breaks

The Mountain View Music Center recently re-opened after a major renovation and expansion. Once one building, it was now three. The largest was a one thousand seat concert venue. The other building held a three hundred seat amphitheater and a recording studio. The initial building still remained, which held classrooms and other rooms people used as rehearsal spaces.

All day I contemplated my dilemma: should I or shouldn't I go? I waited until six forty-five in the evening to make up my mind. Levi told me to be there at seven; I showed up closer to seven thirty. I walked into five rooms, interrupting several lessons and rehearsals before finding the right room.

In the room, I found Levi behind a drum kit, as usual, and Isaiah at the keyboard. I didn't recognize the young man and woman. Each held a guitar. I vaguely recognized them from their videos on YouTube.

"Sorry I'm late," I said. "I got lost."

"I can't believe he came," Isaiah whispered, but loud enough for me to hear.

"I'm glad you made it," Levi said. He proceeded to introduce everyone, starting with the cool-looking woman. "This is Memphis, our bassist. She graduated with a degree in music production and engineering."

In a tight-fitting t-shirt with Cookie Monster in the center, a black long-sleeved shirt underneath, the ends of Memphis's platinum blond hair were dyed flamingo pink. If she added light blue, she'd look like the Birds of Prey Harley Quinn without the funky makeup.

"Nice t-shirt," I said to her.

"Thanks," she said, her fair cheeks turning pink. "It's nice to meet you, Ezra."

"You know Isaiah," Levi continued. "Sean is our lead guitarist. He graduated from Berklee, too. Actually, we're all Berklee graduates."

"I take it that's when you formed Imperfect," I said.

"You've been checking us out," Levi said. "We've been on and off again for a few years. Sometimes life got in the way."

"Levi says you can sing," Sean said. "Did he tell you we've been looking for a new singer?"

"Is that why you haven't posted any videos in three months?" I asked.

"That's part of it," Isaiah said.

"What happened to your old singer?" I asked. "He was pretty good."

"He chose to go his own way," Levi said.

"He ditched us for his own record contract," Isaiah said, "which was a real shitty thing to do."

"Yeah," I agreed. "I brought my guitar. I wasn't sure if you had an extra."

"We're not a country folk band," Sean said.

"I don't play country," I stated. "I can play an electric guitar, too."

"Whatever. I think you know what I mean," he said.

"What kind of day is it?" Levi asked.

"What kind of day?" At first, I wasn't sure what he meant.

"Yeah. You seem to have a song for everything."

"Oh, yeah. Well, I... I... I don't know," I said, suddenly very nervous, taking out my phone to check my playlist. My mind totally blanked. "Hmm.... When the Levee Breaks."