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Post by Nigel Barksworth on Oct 8, 2012 23:51:47 GMT -5
Nigel had always thought of the bass player as the backbone of a band, just as the bass line was the backbone of a song. Its steady undertones ran beneath the flashier guitar melodies and pounding drum parts and held the song together. The bass often went unnoticed, but it was there, solid and reliable. So it had been with Saul, the Wrackspurts' bass player. He was quiet, but steady and calming. Always there, blending into the background. Unnoticed, but not forgotten. That was how it had always been, until the one day when it was not. When he wasn't there.
Nigel didn't know what happened. No one did. But one day, when they were supposed to begin recording the new album, Saul just simply wasn't there. They made calls and sent owls, checked anywhere they could think of, but to no avail. Saul had simply... vanished. Gone without a trace. There was no reason for it, and since Saul had rarely spoken even when he was here, Nigel soon found that his bass player was nearly a stranger to him, even after all these years.
Nigel waited a week, then two, until it became clear that, where ever Saul had gone, he wasn't coming back any time soon. And it was time to make the hard decision to replace him... even if only on a temporary basis. They were already behind schedule with the new album, so they needed a bass player.
And so it was that he notice went out in the Daily Prophet, and was posted all over Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley, that the Wrackspurts were looking for a new bass player. Nigel had hoped that news of the auditions would somehow reach Saul and lure him back, but still there was no word. So the auditions would go on as scheduled.
Since Nigel's house had a huge recording studio, the auditions would be held there. He set everything up and waited for the other band members to arrive.
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Post by Sylvia Lambert on Oct 14, 2012 8:39:58 GMT -5
Sylvia was prompt, as always. This whole matter with Saul had been stressful for her. It was messy and complicated, and for a woman like Sylvia, who liked everything just so, this had her quite frustrated. This was messy and complicated and frightening. She knew Saul about as well as Nigel did, which was to say, not at all. But she ever would have guessed that he'd just up and vanish like that. She would have expected it of Ink, and maybe even Tobias, but never Saul. He was just supposed to be there, and she had no cue whether he'd taken off willingly, or if dome kind of foul play was responsible. Should she be worried or angry?
She knew Nigel wasn't happy about replacing Saul. But he also wasn't willing to let the band die, so he had to do what he had to do. And Sylvia would certainly be there to support his decision.
"Nigel!" she said, breezing into the room. "Bloody shame we've got to do this... Am I the first one here?"
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Post by Robert "Ink" Atwell on Oct 16, 2012 0:59:10 GMT -5
Ink had been decidedly quiet on the subject of Saul's disappearance. It was a shock to all of them, and definitely a stunt that Ink felt like he was most likely to pull. No one expected it from the mysterious bass player. He cracked a small smile to himself as he crossed the street, drum sticks in the back pocket of his muggle jeans. The bloke stole his thunder- now he couldn't ever pull that stunt.
He opened the door to the studio where the audtions would be held and did a quick count of the two people there. Looked like they were just missing Tobias now.
He made a quiet hello, kissing Sylvia on the cheek and nodding to Nigel. "Tobias never shows up after I do. What is this?" In fact, Ink was often the one giving Sylvia fits because no one knew where he was until mere seconds before they walked on stage. "No line outside yet. When do we start this brouhaha?"
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Post by Nigel Barksworth on Oct 29, 2012 15:17:37 GMT -5
Nigel had gotten to his feet when Sylvia walked in, giving her a hug and a very French kiss on each cheek. Touring with the band had taught him much about other cultures, and he tended to adopt such customs as his own.
"I almost hope the git shows up for the audition, just for a lark," Nigel replied to Sylvia. "I just hope the others show up soon, so we can get this over with."
Almost on cue, Ink walked in and greeted the two of them. "I dunno," Nigel said in reply. "The world's gone topsy-turvy, it seems. Glad you could make it, though, mate. I'm sure Tobias will be along soon."
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Post by Tobias Pace on Nov 6, 2012 12:48:29 GMT -5
Tobias strolled in the room with his sunglasses on. He kissed Sylvia on the cheek in greeting. It was strange that he was a little late, but sneaking out of the apartment he stayed in last night was a little harder than usual. Plus, he had just a light headache from last night's activities, but he took a little potion to make sure it would disappear.
"'ello Love," he said to Sylvia with a smile. "Oi, Ink, you're here early." Tobias gave a grin as he turned to Nigel. "'ello mate," he said giving a greeting to his best friend. "I can't believe there wasn't already a line out there, but I think I saw one bloke stopped at the door just as I closed it behind me."
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Post by Nigel Barksworth on Nov 30, 2012 0:44:52 GMT -5
"I bloody well hope there's going to be more than one bloke auditioning, or this whole affair's going to be awfully short," Nigel said wryly, his lips quirking upward in a half-smile. "Glad you're all here, though. I wish we didn't have to do this at all, but there it is. Maybe we'll get lucky and Saul will show up after all."
But even as he said this, Nigel didn't really believe it. He felt fairly certain that, as much as he hated to even think about it, something terrible had happened to Saul. Nigel generally didn't think in sch negative terms, and the world of rock and roll was a bit insulated from the rest of the world outside, but he did know a little about this Lord Voldy-character and the war that was starting to build in the wizarding world. He and the members of his band were fairly prominent, especially considering that most of them were muggleborn. That could make them enemies of the Death Eaters. Why Saul would have been targeted and not Nigel himself was a question Nigel didn't have an answer to... but he had his theories.
Nigel sighed, then sat up. His manner turned serious, and he became all business as he began to talk about the auditions. "Well, since we're all here, and there's not a crowd beating down the door, we may as well go over the audition process. I figure we should talk to each one for a minute first... ask them a couple of questions so we can see if they'll mesh with us. Then we let them play bass on whatever song they want to play on... And we'll call back the ones we like later. Any thoughts?"
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Post by Troy Wexler on Nov 30, 2012 23:25:01 GMT -5
Troy was actually the first one to show up. He had heard about the auditions, and he immediately jumped at the chance to join a popular band like the Wrackspurts. Sure, he preferred to play the piano, but he could play pretty much any instrument he could pick up. And playing in a band like the Wrackspurts would give him the financial boost he needed. But most importantly, Troy was actually a fan of the band, and he thought he'd fit in well with them. And of course, even if he wasn't selected, at least he'd have the chance to be seen by professionals, especially their manager Sylvia Lambert, who might be able to help him get a recording contract on his own, if he was good enough.
At the moment, he was sitting on the front porch, silently picking at the strings of his unplugged bass guitar, his legs bouncing nervously. Despite all of the reasons why Troy knew he'd be good for this job, he was, as always, completely convinced he wouldn't get it. The difference this time was that he was trying out anyway, when many times in the past, he wouldn't have dared to even try.
Now, if only they could get this over with... Was this even the right day? Where were the other people for the audition? Surely he wasn't the only one...
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Post by Cameron Wilder on Dec 4, 2012 1:38:06 GMT -5
This was a terribly bad idea. In fact, he couldn't remember how Nina had actually convinced him to do this, and she wasn't even here now. In truth, it wasn't even Nina's urging that got him here- it was his mother's. When Janet overheard Nina, she started in on him too, and he couldn't bring himself to tell her no. Whatever idea she managed to put in his head, he'd followed it through by himself.
Auditioning for the Wrackspurts. Music was his thing... private and intimate and he never saw himself performing for other people, especially not in a band. He wasn't comfortable with being here, but he knew once his fingers started creating music, he'd be all right. That always calmed him. Music... music was just for him.
Coming to the area where the flier said to show up, Cameron noticed only one other person. He almost asked if this was where the auditions were, but being observant answered this question, considering the man was holding a bass. Fantastic... was bringing your own instrument a requirement? He didn't have a bass. He'd borrowed a friend's a couple days prior to this to get a feel for the sound and the instrument, but didn't think to bring it with him. He was more than half tempted to turn around and bail, in all honesty.
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Post by Troy Wexler on Dec 11, 2012 23:32:57 GMT -5
Troy glanced up at the newcomer, giving him a light nod. Of course he was checking out his competition, it was only natural. He was young, that much was obvious. Probably just out of school. He was also nervous as hell, but trying to pretend otherwise. Troy knew the feeling, because he felt the same way.
Most notable, however, was the fact that he didn't have a bass with him. Troy was sure that the band would have bass guitars for auditioners to use, but in a case like this, you mainly needed to have one just so you could be doing something with your hands while you waited to be called in. That was actually all Troy wanted his for--it was an old, third or fourth hand bass. It looked pretty old, but it sounded good... and that was all that mattered.
"Hey, mate," he said. "Want to borrow mine for a bit while we wait?"
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Post by Cameron Wilder on Dec 13, 2012 2:59:30 GMT -5
Cameron was still considering turning around and just telling Janet and Nina that he'd auditioned when the other man spoke up, tearing his attention away from his negative thoughts.
He glanced at the man, then at the man's bass. He was brutally unprepared for this, and it was becoming more and more obvious to him. "No, thank you," he managed to say, though his attention stayed on the older man. He looked calm- a lot calmer than Cameron was feeling, and it would have helped to know that they were equally nervous.
He didn't want to take this bloke's bass. He'd show how amatuer he was with it, and it would give this guy too much time to watch him and study him. More importantly than that, though, it just didn't feel right.
Unable to help himself, while Troy's eyes were still on him, he asked, "They'll have a spare in there, right? I didn't think to borrow one for today."
A little too much honesty went into that question, and the sentence immediately following it, but Cameron didn't realize it at the moment.
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Post by Robert "Ink" Atwell on Dec 13, 2012 3:38:18 GMT -5
Ink shrugged, listening to Nigel. "Sounds fine," he said, tossing the words in without much conviction. How they auditioned didn't matter so much to him. It was the talent that came through, and making sure they really saw what these musicians were capable of. He was happy to let Nigel take the lead on the logistics of it.
"I can't promise I won't ask horribly inappropriate questions, though," he added with that smile of his.
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Post by Ilsa Richmond on Dec 13, 2012 3:44:29 GMT -5
Ilsa was quite excited by this whole thing, but then, she wasn't auditioning. She had no reason to be nervous. The extent of her skills today were going to be put to use flirting with Ink, the so called "bad boy" of the Wrackspurts, and, more importantly, their drummer. Since Ramon already signed off on this, she decided to see if she could at least weasel a free drumming lesson from the guy. All things considered, it shouldn't be too hard.
Her focus at the moment, however, was on Ramon, whose fingers were laced with hers as they arrived at the audition site. There were only two others present, one older and with an instrument, and one who she recognized quite clearly. Her head tilted as she looked at Cameron Wilder, a Slytherin boy who'd just graduated with her. They gave each other a nod of acknowledgment, but that was about it.
Turning to Ramon, she smiled warmly. "I'm excited. Are you excited about this?"
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Post by Ramon Salvatore on Dec 15, 2012 0:31:03 GMT -5
Ramon really was only doing this for Ilsa. He didn't even want to play bass for someone else's band... he had his own vision. Nevertheless, he was here and he was going to give it his best. After all, there were more opportunities here than just becoming a member of an established and successful band. There was, of course, the potential for Ilsa to get in good with the drummer and score some lessons. And there was the chance to be seen and heard by the Wrackspurts' manager, Sylvia Lambert, who could possibly sign him even if he wasn't chosen for the band. It was mostly her that he wanted to impress.
If he was honest with himself, Ramon wasn't incredibly excited about Ilsa flirting with Ink to get some drumming lessons. He didn't want to admit that he was the jealous sort... but he was. He trusted Ilsa, of course... it was the other guy he didn't trust.
He was not carrying an instrument, either, but that was because his sometime-bass player, Steven, who was also auditioning, was bringing it with him. Steve was a pretty laid-back guy and had actually been pretty cool about the whole thing. Just because they were competing for the same gig didn't mean they had to actually compete, after all.
He nodded at the others as well before slipping in next to Ilsa. "I'm excited," he replied, smiling at her. "I'm gonna blow their minds."
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Post by Tobias Pace on Dec 24, 2012 1:30:59 GMT -5
Tobias laughed at Ink. "If they can answer Ink's horribly inappropriate questions, I think they might be half way there." He turned to look at Nigel. There was no telling what happened to Saul, but Tobias didn't really want to think about it.
"I think the Q and A should come first. If they're comfortable with that, then they can play the bass. I think we should also maybe let them play a little of their own. It's always good to see their own style before call backs."
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Post by Troy Wexler on Jan 2, 2013 22:58:31 GMT -5
Cameron was still considering turning around and just telling Janet and Nina that he'd auditioned when the other man spoke up, tearing his attention away from his negative thoughts. He glanced at the man, then at the man's bass. He was brutally unprepared for this, and it was becoming more and more obvious to him. "No, thank you," he managed to say, though his attention stayed on the older man. He looked calm- a lot calmer than Cameron was feeling, and it would have helped to know that they were equally nervous. He didn't want to take this bloke's bass. He'd show how amatuer he was with it, and it would give this guy too much time to watch him and study him. More importantly than that, though, it just didn't feel right. Unable to help himself, while Troy's eyes were still on him, he asked, "They'll have a spare in there, right? I didn't think to borrow one for today." A little too much honesty went into that question, and the sentence immediately following it, but Cameron didn't realize it at the moment. Troy nodded at the new arrivals, while of course checking them out. They were a couple, clearly, but it wasn't immediately clear which one was auditioning. If he had to take a guess, however, he would say the man was auditioning, and the girl was there for moral support... and perhaps something else. Troy could read people pretty well when he wanted to. The first kid wasn't hard to read at all. He was trying his best to talk himself out of doing this and had himself all but convinced that he didn't belong here. Troy knew exactly how that was. He'd been there himself. When he auditioned during one of his manic phases, he'd been known to deliberately tank auditions just because he expected to fail. "I'm sure they will," he said, smiling kindly. "I hope so, actually... you see I didn't bring an amp." He nodded at his own unplugged bass, which he was just using to practice his fingering. "The bass isn't really my usual instrument. I prefer piano. How about you?" |
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Post by Nigel Barksworth on Jan 3, 2013 23:33:31 GMT -5
Tobias laughed at Ink. "If they can answer Ink's horribly inappropriate questions, I think they might be half way there." He turned to look at Nigel. There was no telling what happened to Saul, but Tobias didn't really want to think about it. "I think the Q and A should come first. If they're comfortable with that, then they can play the bass. I think we should also maybe let them play a little of their own. It's always good to see their own style before call backs." Nigel laughed. It was a moment of much-needed levity for Nigel, because he still felt the heavy pall of Saul's unexplained absence hanging over them, and it threatened to drag them down. But leave it to Ink to lighten things up. He didn't realize it, but he was rapidly becoming an integral part of the band. "Works for me, mates," he agreed readily. "Anything you want to add, Syl?" He turned to the blonde with his eyebrow raised in query. |
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Post by Sylvia Lambert on Jan 3, 2013 23:41:42 GMT -5
Sylvia had been uncharacteristically quiet during all of this, just watching the boys (her boys, as she liked to call them) as they talked with each other. Like Nigel, she felt the shadow of the missing Saul hanging over them. She had considered him one of her boys as well, and now he was gone. But there was nothing to be done about it, and they would have to move on somehow. This was the right step, of course... but it was still sad.
"No, not at all," she replied, smiling brightly at Nigel. "This is your show, boys. I'm just here to observe. And to see if I can spot any raw talent among the crowd.... even if you don't want to use them, I might be able to find a place for them, you know? But I'm mostly going to sit back and watch."
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Post by Cameron Wilder on Jan 4, 2013 0:13:08 GMT -5
Troy nodded at the new arrivals, while of course checking them out. They were a couple, clearly, but it wasn't immediately clear which one was auditioning. If he had to take a guess, however, he would say the man was auditioning, and the girl was there for moral support... and perhaps something else. Troy could read people pretty well when he wanted to. The first kid wasn't hard to read at all. He was trying his best to talk himself out of doing this and had himself all but convinced that he didn't belong here. Troy knew exactly how that was. He'd been there himself. When he auditioned during one of his manic phases, he'd been known to deliberately tank auditions just because he expected to fail. "I'm sure they will," he said, smiling kindly. "I hope so, actually... you see I didn't bring an amp." He nodded at his own unplugged bass, which he was just using to practice his fingering. "The bass isn't really my usual instrument. I prefer piano. How about you?" The kind tone this man was using was almost too much. Cameron could be a pretty smart kid, at least when it came to dealing with people, and it was pretty clear that this guy had zeroed in on all of Cameron's doubts. Thankfully, he was being rather subtly encouraging about it, but it was taking some of Cameron's drive to run for the hills. Godric forbid he actually stay and see through this audition. But then he mentioned the piano, and the base not being his usual instrument, and Cameron's interested suddenly piqued. More than that, it was an open conversation that distracted all of that self doubt and refocused his energy- still on music, but in a more positive way. Cameron knew music. It was himself that he wasn't so sure about. "I like the piano," he said, one nod to accentuate the statement. "I'm typically a six string though," he offered, nodding towards the base, which indicated that guitar was his instrument of choice. At least for now, when it still mattered that he needed to be cool and accepted, and guitars were just cooler than pianos. He was assessing this bloke, trying to figure him out. He seemed clean and almost too professional to be in a rock back, but what did Cameron know? "Are you a... big fan of these guys?" |
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Post by Ilsa Richmond on Jan 4, 2013 0:33:37 GMT -5
Ramon really was only doing this for Ilsa. He didn't even want to play bass for someone else's band... he had his own vision. Nevertheless, he was here and he was going to give it his best. After all, there were more opportunities here than just becoming a member of an established and successful band. There was, of course, the potential for Ilsa to get in good with the drummer and score some lessons. And there was the chance to be seen and heard by the Wrackspurts' manager, Sylvia Lambert, who could possibly sign him even if he wasn't chosen for the band. It was mostly her that he wanted to impress. If he was honest with himself, Ramon wasn't incredibly excited about Ilsa flirting with Ink to get some drumming lessons. He didn't want to admit that he was the jealous sort... but he was. He trusted Ilsa, of course... it was the other guy he didn't trust. He was not carrying an instrument, either, but that was because his sometime-bass player, Steven, who was also auditioning, was bringing it with him. Steve was a pretty laid-back guy and had actually been pretty cool about the whole thing. Just because they were competing for the same gig didn't mean they had to actually compete, after all. He nodded at the others as well before slipping in next to Ilsa. "I'm excited," he replied, smiling at her. "I'm gonna blow their minds." Ilsa smiled widely at that response, her own excited energy quelling for a moment. The grin at her lips spoke volumes of just how proud of Ramon she was. "You already blow mine," she told him, her tone more quiet and more assuring that it was just seconds ago. They were both so openly passionate about each other that Ilsa, in a moment of naivity, really didn't think twice about flirting with Ink. She didn't think Ramon would be jealous, because by now, he had to know that Ilsa absolutely adored him, and she was loyal as a puppy sometimes. That was supposed to be reassuring enough- that while she had no problem batting an eyelash at a famous drummer, she was always, without fail, going to go home with Ramon. Diverting both their attentions, she nodded towards Cameron. "He was in my house last year. I didn't know he played anything." As an afterthought, she added that she had no idea who the remaining auditioner was, but Ramon could have guessed that. |
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Post by Ramon Salvatore on Feb 14, 2013 0:44:10 GMT -5
"You're the only one that really matters," he told her, leaning in for a kiss. Really, when it came right down to it, Ramon didn't give a damn what anyone else thought of his music, as long as Ilsa liked it and believed in him. He would have been perfectly happy sitting on a beach somewhere with nothing but his guitar and Ilsa for the rest of his life. That was his definition of paradise.
He was glad for the distraction, because Ramon was tempted to kiss her until she was breathless and had forgotten all about her pplan to flirt with the drummer. Instead, he looked over at the other two auditioners, whom he had only given a cursory glance when they came in. The younger of the two, who looked nervous as hell, was not familiar to Ramon. The other, however, was someone Ramon had crossed paths with on several occasions in the past.
"I know him," he said. "His name's Troy. He's good. He was playing keyboards in one of the other bands at that competition I entered last year. He looks a lot better than the last time I saw him... I think he was in the middle of a breakdown."
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