Don't Tell Me Twice: Chapter Six

Ziggy stood in the sound booth, looking at the members of Jems and Jamz through the thick glass. She hadn’t expected to get called up for an audition, and even after sending her audition CD, she hadn’t expected the band to want her to do a live audition. Ziggy had contacted other bands in the past, only to find out that they had found someone else before she could even send a sample in, and she had ended up feeling disappointed. But now there was a band that thought that she was good enough to play, and she wanted to show them that they were right. Ziggy took a deep breath and began to strum her guitar to “In Your Eyes”, one of the group’s more popular songs. She could feel her nerves dissipate as she continued to play, and without noticing it, she was singing into the microphone while she played.

Ziggy closed her eyes and let the music flow through her, forgetting that anyone else was around, and when she was finished, she was surprised to open her eyes and see the members of Jems and Jamz staring at her and smiling.

“You did an amazing job,” Jemma, the band’s drummer, called into the sound booth.

“I agree,” Ralph, the group’s agent replied. “Why don’t you try playing with Spike and Jemma, and we can see how you guys sound together? Since Buck isn’t here, we will have you sing, Ziggy.”

“Sounds good,” Ziggy chirped back. She waited for the other two to enter the sound booth and get comfortable and for Spike to tune her guitar. The band members finally ready, they began to play. Ziggy was apprehensive that she wouldn’t mesh with Spike and Jemma’s style of playing at first, but she surprised herself when the three of them got through the first song without having to stop once. After that, the audition with the band flowed smoothly, and when they had gone through four songs together, Ralph had them stop.

“I think that she’s a great fit for the band,” Ralph told Spike and Jemma.

“I agree,” Spike replied.

“Me too,” Jemma said.

“Well, it looks like you are in,” Ralph told Ziggy. “I need to speak with Buck, and we can get back on the road.”

“That sounds great,” Ziggy replied, her emotions going a mile a minute. She felt happier than she had ever been, and as Ziggy discussed further details with Ralph, she knew that she had made the right choice to audition. She headed out of the building after everything was said and done and to her car. She was glad that the band had liked her and happy that they didn’t fly to her hometown just to see her fail miserably. Ziggy had sent in her first audition CD only a week before, so getting a call to audition had surprised her and left her feeling elated. Ziggy had known that she was good, but she was never sure if she would be good enough to play in a band, especially one as big as Jems and Jamz. But now, it was confirmed. She was about to achieve her dream, and she didn’t want to let anyone down.

Ziggy had studied the band’s music extensively before creating her audition CD. She had played so much prior to her final recording that she had calluses on her thumb. Ziggy had wanted to get every note right. She wasn’t sure if she would ever get a chance as big as this again, and so, she had wanted everything to be on point. Now, sitting in her car and driving home, she let it sink in that she had finally made it. All that work that she did wasn’t for nothing, and she was about to be touring the nation and playing for thousands. She looked around and wondered if she would miss her hometown. She knew that she would miss her friends. However, leaving meant a chance to start over, a chance to create a new life and new memories, and it gave her a chance to get away from her past relationship with Lana. Even though it had been years, everything reminded her of the other woman, and she needed a place where she could concentrate on herself and her music. Going on tour would give her a chance to create new experiences and memories, and at the moment, that was exactly what she needed.