Aspiring musician Hazel Hill runs into the successful musician Remington Leith of Palaye Royale on Valentines Day 2019
THE ONLY A/N I WILL EVER LEAVE:
The first 6 or so chapters were written mid 2019 by a very awkward 17 year old me who was too scar...
It's a Friday and we're about to play on stage. It's not just any gig though, a few scouts from different labels are here. We need to be perfect. I'm sitting in my car warming up since it was the only place I could get any privacy. This is far from our first show, but it is the first time we know that scouts are here. This could be the beginning of everything for us. We're playing the 5 songs on our EP and will be on the album if we get that far.
I'm pulled out of my thoughts by Asher knocking on the window. I get out of the car, "Hey uh we start in 2 hours and 30 minutes, how are you doing?"
"Fucking nervous" I half-laugh, I'm terrified, "What about you?"
"Nah I'm cool. Not nervous at all. I could do this in my sleep." Asher gives me a look to make sure I know he's just being sarcastic before we both start laughing a bit, "Anyways, I just thought you'd like to know, someone wants to do a quick interview in case we get signed tonight."
"Fuck yeah let's do it!" I run towards the back door for the venue with Asher.
We get inside and I quickly check my outfit in the mirror to make sure I don't look like roadkill in our first interview. First impressions man.
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A few minutes of small talk between the three of us pass by, before a woman around 28 with long. dark brown hair and thick-rimmed glasses approach us, "Are you guys Paperweights?"
I smile and nod eagerly. We go stand in a corner that isn't busy and she starts by asking us, "How did you guys get the name Paperweights?"
"I'm about as useful as one so it fits." I laughed, she didn't seem to find it so funny.
"Well, where are you guys from?" She asks another genetic question.
"Alright, um..."She pauses flicking through some cards. I think this might be her first interview too, "Oh, sorry do you want to introduce yourselves?"
"I'm Hazel Hill, I sing and play guitar," I answer looking towards the ground 10ft in front of me.
"Damien Anderson, I play bass," Damien speaks his first words since this started.
"Hi, I'm Asher Smith, and I play the drums." He smiles big, waving (almost) obnoxiously at the camera.
"Alright um who are your biggest inspirations, and before you answer, can I ask if Paramore is on that list?" She doesn't look up from her cards until she hit the Paramore part, so I'm assuming she winged that one.
"Oh um, I really like Paramore a lot, but I wouldn't really consider them one of our main influences. We come from slightly different musical backgrounds. So mine are stuff like Fall Out Boy, Joan Jett, Green Day, and All Time Low." I love Paramore, but just because I'm a female lead singer doesn't make me them.
The interviewer looked slightly taken-aback by my answer, but Asher leads in front of me and puts his face in front of the mic and answers from his perspective, "Um mine are like, System of a Down, Guns 'n Roses, My Chem, Twenty One Pilots, um and Sleeping WIth Sirens!"
She catches on, and gives Damien his chance to talk into the mic, "Uh, just some stuff like AC/DC, Fall Out Boy, and some of the stuff they mentioned."
She continued to ask us basic questions for another 10 minutes before she thanked us for our time and left. Eventually, people start to fill the area in front of the stage. We're the last small band to play, then a bigger artist I don't listen to goes on; so we go and practice all 5 songs in the backroom for the bands. Finally, a worker comes to tell us we're on after this band finishes their last song. Quickly as the lights are off we plug our instruments in and I adjust the mic to meet my height. Before the lights come up I give Asher and Damien one last thumbs-up.
The lights blind us for a second, but I waste no time to Introduce ourselves, "Hey Los Angeles, we're a Los Gatos band called Paperweights. This song is called Hurt Feelings, and it's off our EP called Tissues for Issues!" and we start.
I truly believe this is the best we've ever played, everything was perfect. Every note, every beat, just perfect. Finally, the last note of our last song rings out, and I end it by shouting, "Again, we're Paperweights, and thank you SO much for your time!" The lights dim, and we quickly collect our equipment and get off the stage.
"That was...Amazing," Is all Damien has the energy to say.
"That was fucking AWESOME!" Asher yells, full of adrenaline.
I just laugh and hug the boys, even though we're all sweaty and gross, "That was perfect."
We go out into the (cooler) night air, and pack all the equipment into my car, before going right back into the venue's back room. I think I chugged 2 and a half water bottles when we finally sat down. There are the other 2 bands sitting back here. I know what you're thinking, "3 opening bands, damn, isn't that a lot?" And yes, but this is a venue built specifically to expose small bands. We've been playing here the past year, so we got the most time to perform our songs. The other two bands got 15 minutes each, while we got 25.
"Are you Paperweights?" A blonde-haired man dressed in a nice white t-shirt and black jeans asks, walking up to us.
"Yep!" I stand up and shake his hand, "I'm Hazel, that's Asher, and that's Damien," I point to my two friends on my left.
"Nice to finally meet you guys, I'm John from Sumerian Records," John said before pulling out some papers from behind his back, "We're very interested in signing you guys."
I can hear Asher practically choke on his water, I felt like I was about to faint, and I'm sure Damien felt like he was dreaming. This is dreaming, we're all dreaming because we chased it so far we live in it now. This is dreaming, and it's real.
John continued, "We'll start small with a contract to produce your first album, and tour but we hope you'll decide to stay with us after. So?" he studies us for a response.
"I mean- Yeah" Is all I'm able to choke out before I was able to regain my composure because the boys clearly wouldn't be able to for a bit, "That sounds great! Um, so I'm in." I look back at Asher and Damien. Damien just slowly nods while holding a look that shows he's contemplating his whole existence.
Asher looks at me, then to Damien, then to John then shouts, "Fuck yeah we'll do it, what and where do we sign?!"
John smiles giving us a confirming nod, "Well, we'll sign some papers tonight just saying that you won't accept another offer from a different label, but then tomorrow we'll go into the big paperwork. Does 9 am tomorrow at 1234 Address Ave work?"
"Yep!" I respond as he hands me the contract he just mentioned. I read over with Asher and Damien on either side of me before signing my name on the first x. Am I selling my soul right now? Maybe, I'm too hyped from the show and this whole situation to really make sense of a legal document written in legal words. Damien follows suit, the Asher. Finally, I write Paperweights on the very bottom line.
