Never Signing Off

  The Show Must Go On We're impatiently waiting in the dressing room of the venue in Cincinnati. We still haven't heard from Frankie. His now-assistant manager is consistently checking reports from Detroit. She's calling the hotel every couple hours. She's even started calling random numbers in the Detroit phone book with the hopes of finding him. So far, she's had no luck and there's only an hour before we're heading on stage. Between phone calls, she's asking me if this is typical behavior for Frankie. If he's often gone missing in action. She's been on this tour too. She knows he hasn't taken off before. But she's a representative from his new label. She doesn't know his typical behavior. I ignore her rambling about how much trouble we're going to be in if he doesn't show up. I leave the worrying to her. The rest of us are getting ready for the show. The opening band is some local group that was able to come ...

  Wait We were all so sure he would show up on time. He would be alive and well and ready to get going. But two hours after the bus was supposed to leave Detroit, we're stuck waiting. The first hour, only Crystal seemed to be worried. The rest of us figured he just was running late. The second hour, Jared seemed to be on edge. Then, our driver, Christopher, started complaining about the schedule. Frankie knows the schedule we're on. He knows we have to get on the road. But, he's still no where to be found. I tried calling his cellphone, but every time, it went straight to the machine. That means he has his phone turned off, which is useful. Crystal tried calling the hospital, but it wasn't any help. Besides, there have been no reported accidents in the city. So, it seems like Frankie is still alive and well. We even called the hotel to see if he had gone back at any point. The receptionist informed me that he had checked out in the early hours of the morn...

  Berries We played an amazing show in Detroit yesterday. I didn't mess up a single note. I was proud of myself. We went out after to celebrate, before checking into our hotel. Today, we have the day off, so everyone has gone their own ways. Frankie went to meet a local friend of his, James. He was the drummer of Frankie's first band. The two kept in touch, but haven't had many opportunities to see each other. Since James has a typical job, it's hard for him to get time off. He wasn't able to come to the party last night either. So this morning, Frankie jumped up and headed out to his place. I would have gone along with him, but I wanted to give them privacy to catch up. I know having a girlfriend around can put a damper on a dude-only outing. Besides, James will be joining us later this evening. He's going to be filling in on the drums. Crystal wants to play guitar and Jared is going to take over the bass. I've made it clear I don't want to be o...

  Wallpaper We had a day off between Greenville and Tampa. Instead of staying in Greenville, we decided to keep driving. We booked a hotel in Tampa for the following night. I didn't even think about where we were staying, but we ended up in the exact same hotel. I know there are other places in Tampa, but I always seem to end up at this one. I head to the reception desk when we arrive. I grab keys for the two rooms and toss Crystal's to her. After checking in, we head to our separate rooms to drop out suitcases off. Jared is in his own room this time, while Frankie and I are booked in the room next to his. Crystal and Charlie are on a different floor entirely. Within minutes, Crystal is down at our room, knocking loudly on the door. Frankie opens it, letting her into our room. “ I want to go to the beach. I want to go swimming, I think.” She announces, looking around the room. I raise my eyebrow. “ It's the first week of May.” I remind her, but she shakes her he...

  The Industry If you've ever been in a band, you know the industry can be fickle. Music is a living creation. By itself, it can be a world of magic, transporting the listener to a different place. The writing process can do the same for its' creator, allowing the expression of feelings that might otherwise be bottled up. Music itself is a gift to all. But the music industry is nothing more than a monster. It feeds off the souls of those foolish enough to get close enough. Those who aspire to be musicians; take note. The industry isn't looking for creative individuals. They aren't looking for words that come from the heart or music the comes from the soul. They aren't interested in ideas or concepts. They are looking for products. They want music that can be manufactured. Names that sound good on the radio or in print. A look that fits with the style. They want a product they can sell . If you arrive with your heart in your hands, they will take it from you....

  Family Matters Frankie agreed to have an album concept by the time the tour was done. The songs and melodies will all be written. He wants to record the rough drafts on his laptop as well. Once home, we're going to New York. We're going to get into the studio right away and record our parts. Then, the label will have the album. They can hold onto it for a little while, creating a buzz. Then it will come out with a bang. There are three people in this band who understand the industry. We figure it'll be easy to make the most of the contracts. Jared knows a lot about working around album execs and unrealistic time lines. After all, he did have a career of his own. Even if I read his contracts at first, I wasn't always around. At some point, he learned for himself. He learned how to dance around the red tape. Since Frankie managed to screw over his old record label, I assume he's skilled as well. When we got to Winnipeg, Frankie bought me a saxophone. ...

  War With Words It's only been four days since Frankie made the band announcement. Charlie has been spending every minute practicing his guitar. He is really fine-tuning his sound. I give him another day or two before he'll be ready to join Crystal and Jared on stage. Charlie laughs every time he messes up a chord, but I feel like I'm wasting my time. I am not getting the hang of the bass. There was a day off between Boise and Portland, which Jared dedicated to showing me the basics. I understand the idea, how to make the sound, but putting it into practice has proven difficult. I didn't really expect I'd catch on that quickly. I haven't even learned what the notes are called. But I still hoped I'd have a better sound by now. Charlie tried to make me feel better by saying he already played his instrument. I countered him, saying I learned to play the bass when I was living with Luke. Frankie believes my heart is in music. I asked him why he w...