Back To The Viper by Antara Mann Read Free Book Online
Authors: Antara Mann
lovers! How are you tonight? Are you ready to rock?”
The club resounded with a wave of wild cries. The Viper Room, where the whole of the Hollywood elite gathered, had nothing in common with the much smaller club where Wayne had played a week before.
“We are The Jackal and tonight we’ve prepared a special song for you,” Ashley said. Wayne and Craig began to play. Ashley started singing “Where is Your Lover,” with Chad backing her vocals. If the members of The Dragon’s Circle could have heard or seen them at that moment, they would have probably sued them for plagiarism. The audience, however, not suspecting the similarity between the track and another from the future, accepted it with enthusiasm. In the end, the applause wouldn’t stop. They had decided to play only one song, but the audience’s wild cheers and cries of “We want more” made them go on with another song.
“I told you they were going to like ‘Where is Your Lover!’” Ashley was screaming, overexcited. The rest hugged her and covered her in kisses.
“They want more! I can’t believe it! We made it at The Viper Room!” Craig was crying.
“We better focus on what we are going to sing now, as we haven’t prepared another song. Do you remember any of our old songs?” Wayne asked.
“Yes, “We are Young” – the first song I wrote that we rehearsed in your garage,” Ashley replied. She was sure Chad and Craig would remember it because all three of them had been back to the time of their first rehearsal, when they had played that song.
Wayne began to play his guitar, trying to remember it. Soon after that, the melody rang out, confident and compelling. Again, it was received with wild applause that wouldn’t calm down. The producer was looking at them with obvious approval.
The Jackal was encored several times. Joyful and pleased, they played “Where is Your Lover” twice. When the showcase was over, they joined Mark Harris at the bar. Wayne almost downed a whole glass of whiskey. Craig and Chad followed his example, but acted more moderately.
“Guys, you did great!” The producer spared no superlatives. “You… you are just born to be stars!” He laughed and took a drag of his cigar.
Encouraged by his approval, Ashley offered:
“If you really like us, as you said, can you get us a contract with a music label?”
The producer fixed his eyes on her and for a moment, she lost her breath. The boys, surprised by her boldness, also riveted their eyes on her in anticipation of what the producer would say. At length Harris broke the silence:
“I like your lead singer! That’s a very practical and direct question. What’s your name, darling?”
She mumbled, slightly uneasy, “Ashley Greendale.”
“Ashley.” He put out his cigar in the ashtray. “If I’m honest, I knew almost nothing about your band before I listened to your live performance here. Now I’m aware of what your possibilities are, and I believe you’ll achieve success if you record an album with a label. That’s why I’ll talk to a friend of mine as soon as possible; he’s an A&R at one of the major labels.”
“And when exactly? ‘As soon as possible’ sounds too vague,” Ashley asked him insistently.
The producer fixed his eyes on her again and said, with a hardly discernible smile at the edges of his lips, “Miss, aren’t you too young to worry about time? How old are you?”
“Please, excuse Ashley, she’s been quite nervous because of the showcase, but she’s an introvert by nature,” Wayne interfered, giving Ashley a reproachful look meaning “Be careful what you’re talking about; Harris is a bigwig.”
“She’s right,” Mark Harris said, lighting up another cigar. “Time is money and the sooner you sign a contract with a music label, the better.”
“That’s awesome!” Chad cried excitedly.
“I’ll try to talk to that friend of mine from Warner tomorrow; I also have an old acquaintance at Sony, so let’s see
The club resounded with a wave of wild cries. The Viper Room, where the whole of the Hollywood elite gathered, had nothing in common with the much smaller club where Wayne had played a week before.
“We are The Jackal and tonight we’ve prepared a special song for you,” Ashley said. Wayne and Craig began to play. Ashley started singing “Where is Your Lover,” with Chad backing her vocals. If the members of The Dragon’s Circle could have heard or seen them at that moment, they would have probably sued them for plagiarism. The audience, however, not suspecting the similarity between the track and another from the future, accepted it with enthusiasm. In the end, the applause wouldn’t stop. They had decided to play only one song, but the audience’s wild cheers and cries of “We want more” made them go on with another song.
“I told you they were going to like ‘Where is Your Lover!’” Ashley was screaming, overexcited. The rest hugged her and covered her in kisses.
“They want more! I can’t believe it! We made it at The Viper Room!” Craig was crying.
“We better focus on what we are going to sing now, as we haven’t prepared another song. Do you remember any of our old songs?” Wayne asked.
“Yes, “We are Young” – the first song I wrote that we rehearsed in your garage,” Ashley replied. She was sure Chad and Craig would remember it because all three of them had been back to the time of their first rehearsal, when they had played that song.
Wayne began to play his guitar, trying to remember it. Soon after that, the melody rang out, confident and compelling. Again, it was received with wild applause that wouldn’t calm down. The producer was looking at them with obvious approval.
The Jackal was encored several times. Joyful and pleased, they played “Where is Your Lover” twice. When the showcase was over, they joined Mark Harris at the bar. Wayne almost downed a whole glass of whiskey. Craig and Chad followed his example, but acted more moderately.
“Guys, you did great!” The producer spared no superlatives. “You… you are just born to be stars!” He laughed and took a drag of his cigar.
Encouraged by his approval, Ashley offered:
“If you really like us, as you said, can you get us a contract with a music label?”
The producer fixed his eyes on her and for a moment, she lost her breath. The boys, surprised by her boldness, also riveted their eyes on her in anticipation of what the producer would say. At length Harris broke the silence:
“I like your lead singer! That’s a very practical and direct question. What’s your name, darling?”
She mumbled, slightly uneasy, “Ashley Greendale.”
“Ashley.” He put out his cigar in the ashtray. “If I’m honest, I knew almost nothing about your band before I listened to your live performance here. Now I’m aware of what your possibilities are, and I believe you’ll achieve success if you record an album with a label. That’s why I’ll talk to a friend of mine as soon as possible; he’s an A&R at one of the major labels.”
“And when exactly? ‘As soon as possible’ sounds too vague,” Ashley asked him insistently.
The producer fixed his eyes on her again and said, with a hardly discernible smile at the edges of his lips, “Miss, aren’t you too young to worry about time? How old are you?”
“Please, excuse Ashley, she’s been quite nervous because of the showcase, but she’s an introvert by nature,” Wayne interfered, giving Ashley a reproachful look meaning “Be careful what you’re talking about; Harris is a bigwig.”
“She’s right,” Mark Harris said, lighting up another cigar. “Time is money and the sooner you sign a contract with a music label, the better.”
“That’s awesome!” Chad cried excitedly.
“I’ll try to talk to that friend of mine from Warner tomorrow; I also have an old acquaintance at Sony, so let’s see