The Music Between Us

9

Willow, Jackson and Gunnar had practiced hard for the competition. Their harmonies were good, the guitar parts were beautiful. Yet, they felt like something was still missing. They booked rehearsal sessions for two days a week at Diamond Sound Studios and decided to reach out for bassists and drummers. Jackson had come up with the idea, stating that if they really wanted to put on as good a show as possible, they needed to have a real rhythm section. That nothing got a crowd going more than a solid bass player and groovy drummer.

So, they were to hold auditions during one of their rehearsals. Reggie and Mimi had tagged along, simply stating that they could give outsider perspectives on any potential new member. Reggie had also – reluctantly – offered to bring his own bass guitar in case the people auditioning didn't bring one.

They didn't think anyone would try out but managed to book in six different people – which, they thought, was a decent number. Six was quite enough to hopefully find someone suitable. However, as the day dragged on, they realised that half of the people they'd booked in didn't even bother showing up.

The first person had come in – a guy in his late 20's named Michael. He was a casual bass player, merely dabbling in different licks and slap bass. Willow handed him the chords to a song, and they'd started playing. They waited for him to join in, but noticed that he was wincing, glancing between the bass and the chord sheet, trying to figure out what note was where. They'd stopped and started the song twice before he gave up, packed up his bass and left. So, that was unsuccessful.

Reggie picked up his bass while no one else seemed to be looking and started playing a random lick that came to mind. Willow instantly listened, noticing the notes seemed to match perfectly to the ones used in the audition song. Yet, Reggie seemed to place his own spin on it and it suited the whole vibe of the song.

Willow walked over to him and spoke in a hushed tone. 'Okay, I'm sorry, but that sounds amazing. Please play it with us.'

Reggie looked at her like she was crazy, while Gunnar and Jackson tuned into their conversation, picking up on the vibe. 'C'mon man, we haven't played together in years,' Jackson adjusted the strap on his guitar. 'At least, give it a shot.'

Reggie sighed, glancing between the three of them. They all stared at him expectantly. 'I'll play this one song with you guys, but I'm not cut out for full-time music, okay?'

Willow pumped her fist in the air before tapping the microphone shield. She reminded Reggie of the tempo before he counted them in and they all began playing. Willow, Jackson and Gunnar had spent some time going over Willow's original song 'Whisper in the Wind', ramping it up a bit and turning it into more of a power ballad. She couldn't help but feel like, with Reggie now joining them on bass, everything started to fit into place.

During the instrumental, Willow turned and noticed Reggie was really enjoying himself. He seemed to be in his element, shaking his head and stomping his foot to the beat, even going so far as to pull what could only be described as a 'stank' face. Gunnar and Jackson were too, the riffs and chords flowing between the bass groove like they had a deep connection through music. As the song finished, they were all smiling.

'Fuck yeah, that was awesome!' Jackson exclaimed.

Reggie smiled, almost sadly. 'Yeah, that was amazing, man.' He didn't want to admit to himself how great it felt to play music with them again. Willow's voice had crushed him in all of the best ways. He could almost feel the words on his tongue: I want to play music with you guys all the time. But he was too uncomfortable with it. What if they made it? He couldn't imagine himself enjoying the famous lifestyle to the fullest. No way.

Willow and Gunnar chatted excitedly about how great they were. They all faced Mimi, who was gaping at them all. It was probably the quietest she'd ever been since they'd known her. She looked between them all, shaking her head. Her eyes finally settled on Reggie. 'Please, please, Reggie. You have to understand how good that is.'