“Hell yeah,” Lon said, drumming the beat on the table.
Brand’s fingers playing an imaginary keyboard.He looked over at Ry, grinning and whipped out a pencil to note a few things, possibly making adjustments.Good thing Alex still had the originals, but Ry trusted Brand to know the music well enough to sense something off, even if just on paper.
After a few minutes of testing out their respective parts, and Ry humming his, Alex appeared in the doorway and beckoned them to follow.Brand and Lon exchanged a look, but they all headed down to the basement.Ella ushered them inside.
“Well, are we all ready?”Ry said as they filed into the studio space.
Ella double-checked everything.“Okay, looks like it’s all set up properly.We’ll do an old classic for the sound check.How about Bring Me to the Edge?”
Brand grinned.“I’m game.”
They all headed to their spaces, put on their headphones and tuned up.Ella gave them the signal, and they performed the song.Afterward, she played back the recordings, and they talked about changing a few things.As this was the first time they’d all recorded in here, they needed to assess the sound quality.Alex and Ella, along with Ry for the guinea pig, had done most of the initial testing.
“What do you think?That sounds pretty clear to me.”Alex smiled at his sister.
“Yes!”Lon said.
“I’ll be doing backup vocals.”She blushed.Though it might take a while for her to be prepared for the stage, they had the time.
“Come on, join us too.At least for the first recording, so we can all hear how it’s supposed to be.”
Resigned, she agreed.
Ry looked at Alex.“This one is called Wanderer.Ready?”
Everyone nodded.
“Let me get it started,” Ella said, pressing some buttons and hurrying back to her mic.
With a deep breath, Ry pulled up the lyrics that he’d been working on.Brand led them in.The pulsing bass vibrated through the floorboards.Brand’s fingers danced along the keyboard.
Shadows dance, echoing in the dark
and here I am, lost among the neon lights
I wander the boulevard, heavy heart
the siren song of empty nights
I’ve locked away my edges
in the city of broken dreams.
Lon built the beat, the snare drum sharp and insistent, pushing the tempo to a breathless peak.It was a raw, driving energy, almost too much to bear, but with his skill he only pushed the edge.Then, Ella's voice, clear and soaring, joined Ry's for the swell of the chorus.
Desire jagged and jaded, never satisfied
Wanderer, give up your blackened heart
start something new, reclaim your soul
I need your hand to pull me up
instead of these pills and tears
offer no solace in these dark days
nights bleak without your arms
