The Blues Boy

The Crimson Door

The earliest memory Julian Allen has is Blues. It's rooted deep within him. When he was just a young one, his mother had an apartment in a bad neighborhood. It was difficult to raise a kid on her own, and for a long time, they lived off back to back paychecks and generic brand cereals. A bad neighborhood was the best-case scenario for them. No one deserved to live there. Gunshots at night, domestic disturbances- the whole ordeal. The area was known for its nightlife. Bars, huge raves, and a psychedelic drug scene. However, when his ma moved in, she was pleasantly surprised by the neighbors. To her right, to her left, and across the hall were Blues musicians. A crying child was never worth a noise complaint on their floor. Often the group of musicians would jam together and invite anyone who wanted to listen in to their apartments. His mother often told stories about how he would sway to the music as they played next door. How it would calm him, and extinguish any worries. He would cry when the music stopped, which is a habit he hasn't quite grown out of, even to this day. The sound of the harmonica chugging away is the earliest memory Julian has. Blues is in his soul.

It's damp and dreary outside when Julian pulls up to the address on Wednesday afternoon. The address is listed as an artisanal bar, belonging to a row of heritage brick buildings. Julian gets out of his Rabbit. A poor man's Porshe he always calls it, although it has never run that smoothly. The dirt brown color of the car matches the twill button-up shirt he decided to wear for the occasion. Julian has a plain appearance, and brown suits him well, especially with his polished black leather loafers. Shoes that cost him more than he had to spend. He casually walks towards the bar, after locking his car, anticipating to be greeted at the door by the neon "open" sign. A bright yellow sign with a silhouetted saxophone on it sits in the window of the bar instead.

"Blues Auditions Upstairs", Julian reads aloud as he gazes up the flight of fire escape stairs that follows the direction of the arrow. Julian didn't bring anything particular with him for the audition. He had never had to audition for a band before and was hopelessly confused at what the whole experience entails. He had called ahead of time after seeing the advertisement in the bar, and the deep voice of the man who answered said they had a piano available for him. That's at least one thing off the list of worries.

The door at the top of the staircase is a crimson red. Julian can hear the playing of soulful melodies coming through. He must be early. Julian knocks on the door, and almost immediately a tall and wise looking man answers.

"You mus' be the piano man I talked to yesterday!", the man from the phone states as he grabs Julian's hand and shakes it vigorously. He has the voice of a singer, and Julian bets he is. Mostly from the way he holds himself.

"Yeah...", Julian said wearily. "The name is Julian Allen. Am I early?"

The man laughs humbly and guides Julian through the crimson door.

"Not at all. Just on time. The boys an' I were just jamming while we were waiting up for ya. We've been auditioning fella's all day and were gettin' restless ourselves".

Julian is guided into a studio that is set up as a staging area for the auditions. Although it is nothing fancy, it is set up perfectly for the band. Through the cloud of thick cigar smoke, he can see the bassist is sitting on a stool. He wears a newsboy cap and is laughing at a joke the trombone player said. The drummer, who is immersed in a book pays no attention to the environment. These men were known for being the best Blues musicians in the area.

The man from the phone clears his voice and they all look up at Julian.

"Boys. This here is, Allen", he says to the band.

They simultaneously mutter a kind hello in response.

"There is Tweed on Bass. He is as rough as the fabric. Leon is on drums when he is not reading," he says as he walks over and grabs the book out of Leon's hands.

"And William-Joe is on Trombone and other brass".

" And your name is?" Julian asks the man from the phone.

" Call me Blue. Everyone does".

"Blue", Julian repeats to himself. He'd like a nickname one day, but one relating so literally to the genre of music seems a little try-hard to him.

Blue gazes at the group of them and smiles, before looking down at his watch. He then looks overly exhausted.

"We better get jamming men! Bar opens soon and I have to get down to prep for the night. Julian. Set up will ya? Piano's in the corner. You can listen for a few, then join in with some scat in the solo sections. We'll figure out the technicalities later" Blue commands.

Julian pushes past, and into the corner. The piano is already set up strategically so that all of the rhythm section has a clear view of one another. He runs his hands over the keys. There is nothing like the feeling of being comfortable on an instrument. However, those damn nerves set in fairly quickly.

Nerves. He has always had problems with his nerves, he thinks as the band gets rolling into some soulful blues. It's odd how they work; nerves. Julian Allen has always had a certain comfort performing. Hours of practice and a high self-confidence aid in his ability to sit in front of audiences and share his passion for the music. However, that doesn't change the fact that nerves get the better of him. They make him shake with anticipation. The flutter in his stomach, that is very similar to the one when he is attracted to someone. He becomes ludicrously sweaty and doubtful of his abilities. Hands fumbling and mind racing at a million beats per second. No matter how many times he plays, this feeling never goes away. Maybe it's what makes him good. He always gets compliments on how comfortable he looks in the spotlight. He must do good with the facade he puts up.

Julian Allen soon tunes into the rhythm, and he is able to join in. This must be an original piece they are playing because he has never heard anything quite like it. He is a little standoffish as they flow into the first solo's, but he gets a look from Blue. A look of encouragement. They are all giving him that look. So, Julian takes the cue. Soloing in the rhythm. He has never played this tightly with anyone before. He starts to feel a whole new groove. A new perspective. However, it ended just as soon as it started, because the song was cut short when the crimson red door slammed open.

The slam was loud enough to shock the musicians and make the music fizzle out. The drums the last to play. Blue quickly puts down his harp and runs towards to commotion. His footsteps fade away and there is silence.

"You've got some talent, Allen," Tweed says to Julian, breaking the silence.

"Apparently so..." Julian exclaims amazed, " I have never actually played quite that way before".

"It's amazing ain't it? The way we fit together as musicians. A perfect puzzle?", Leon comments with the same awe in his voice.

Julian goes to answer, but before he can he is cut off by a woman yelling.

"You said you wouldn't be late again! I can't run this business alone, while you play around with your group of whistler blowers! Break it up and open the bar. You better have the entertainment set-up too, or I'll have your head!"

Blues muffled response is heard. Then some heels stomping away. Then the harsh crash of the crimson door.

Blue sheepishly walks back into the room, wiping his sweat beaded forehead with a handkerchief.

"Let me guess," William-Joe says. " You never set up any entertainment, and you need us to play tonight so your wife doesn't have your head on a stick."

"Precisely," Blue begged.

Julian liked the sound of performing. He hadn't done that since that summer. Had he gotten into the band though? He was so confused by how this whole audition worked.

The band started to pack up, so Julian took the audition as a loss, and started walking towards the crimson door.

"Allen! Where are you going? The stairs to the bar are this way!", William- Joe yelled to him, with a twinkling wink of his eye.

He was in the band. And this was the start of a new chapter in his life.