See Her (Turn it Up #1)

Chapter 22

22

JACK

A fter checking in at the front desk of the Westin, we were directed up to one of the presidential suites on the top floor. Matt knocks, and only a few seconds pass before we hear footsteps on the other side, followed by the door being swung open by Ron.

"Fellas, glad you could make it. Come in,” he says, turning and leading us into his expansive suite. It has all the upscale amenities, including one hell of a view, and from what I can see, the bedroom is separated by another door. In the middle is a large sitting area. "Come, have a seat, gentleman." Ron gestures to the couches on his way to one of the chairs, sitting with the floor to ceiling windows behind him.Matt and I have a seat on one couch, putting us on Ron's left, while Chris and Josh take the other. After making sure none of us want anything, he gets right into it, sitting straight back in his chair, seemingly relaxed. The rest of us can't seem to bring ourselves to get that comfortable. In fact, we are all literally at the edge of our seats, chomping at the bit to hear what he has to say.

"So, I'm going to start by telling you about the division I'm from. At ECHO, we do things a little differently than most labels. Normally when a label sees potential in a musical act, they dive right in and throw all the necessary funds into helping that act succeed. Three times out of four, this will turn out to be a bust, putting the label in debt instead of turning a profit. And then the one act out of the four that does succeed is the cash cow that gets them out of the red, and back into lucrative territory.”

“Right, I’ve heard of this,” Matt nods, resting his elbows on his knees and clasping his hands together. “So your label doesn’t do that?”

“What we do is we allocate a small percentage of the income brought in by our contracted bands and use it as a slush fund of sorts to invest in new acts, but on a smaller scale. One way to look at it is like we have two different divisions of artists – the ones we’ve contracted that already have a few albums under their belt and are bringing in a steady income, and the new acts we’re not sure about yet. You with me so far?"

After looking between each other, we nod for him to continue.

"So for the time period a musical act is in that beginning stage, we enter into short–term contracts to get the ball rolling, like recording one song and putting it out on the radio. If it does well, we will take the next step and put them on the road as an opening act for a contracted band for a portion of their tour. If that goes well, they can go on to the next leg. Do you see where this is going?"

“Yeah,” I pipe up. “That actually makes a lot of sense. It’s a logical way to do things.”

Ron nods his appreciation before continuing. "So while there is still a risk we take when signing bands with the Silver division, it's not as big of a blow to ECHO’s bank account like the hits the other labels take. Now, let's get into what brings you guys into this."

Yes, finally . I've been dying over here on this couch. I can tell the rest of us have too, especially when I look over to see Chris and Josh taking sharp inhales and leaning in farther.

"At ECHO, we do have a staff delegated for patrolling sites like Y ouTube and Spotify and all the rest, looking for artists that are trending, and you guys have been making a lot of noise on YouTube and social media. You ended up on my desk, so I came out here to check you out." He pauses and looks around at all of us.

"Well, what did you think? Did you listen to the demo?" Chris pipes up, unable to control his yearning to find out why we're here. He's always been the hyper one, which is partly why he does drums and is damn good at it. It's the perfect channel for his energy, and gives him a sense of control.

"Of course I listened to the demo," Ron says, trying to pacify Chris. "I liked what I heard, and after conferencing with a couple of producers at ECHO, we want to buy See Her."

We all collapse in a variety of emotions. Josh drops his head onto the back of the couch he and Chris are sitting on, while Chris's mouth drops open. Matt puts his face in his hands, and I run my hand through my hair.

"Are you serious?" I ask, unable to believe what I just heard.

"Dead serious," Ron says, shrugging like this shouldn't be a surprise. "We want to get it on the airwaves and see what kind of response we get. That's step one. And like I said, if it gets a good response, we will go to the next step. If not, then no hard feelings, you go back to your lives, and who knows, maybe down the road there will be a 'next time'. So what do you guys think of making a real, professional recording of See Her?”This time, Chris and Josh both erupt.

"YES! Yes! We have to! Right, guys? We're doing this, right?" Chris is getting hyped again, and Josh puts a hand on his shoulder, actually holding him down as he starts flailing in his seat. Matt and I look at each other, both laughing in disbelief.

"Assuming everything is fair in a contract and whatnot, it's a go for me," Matt grins, turning back to Ron.

"Yeah, me too,” I say, nodding, unable to wipe the smile off my face. "Thank you, Ron, for this chance. "

"Yeah, man," agrees Josh. "We've been at this a long time, and it means the world, you giving us this shot."

"No need to thank me," Ron answers with a shake of his head, his expression neutral. "You have the talent; you've been doing the work. Now it’s time to get into some details.” He uncrosses his legs and scooches forward in this seat.“One thing we don’t have to waste is time, so hold onto your butts and try not to get whiplash, because we’re jumping right in with this.”

Ron jumps into what to expect from this process in the coming week, starting with us flying out to New York on Monday and staying through Tuesday to record See Her. It will be a long non-stop day, and I can’t help but wonder if it’s how all the new acts do it; showing what they’re up for. The song will then be released the second Friday following the recording.

“Now the last thing to address today is a video to go with the song. I doubt I have to tell you that it helps the fans connect with who the band really is, what they look like, how they play, who’s who etc. We already have a concept in mind at a fairly decent budget.”

“I don’t mean to sound skeptical,” Josh says, tilting his head, “but I’m just curious how you got as far as a video concept when you just met us Thursday.”I stiffen, worried that Ron will think we’re looking a gift horse in the mouth, but I’m curious too.

“I’ll be frank with you; it’s sort of a generalized video concept we’ve had in our back pocket for the next band that came along.It fits the genre you guys play.Over the weekend, we corresponded and tailored it to what we think will fit your band persona. It will be pretty straightforward for the most part, showing you guys playing the song in a couple of different locations. The focus will be showcasing the talent, the emotion behind it, and enhancing the edge you guys have.”

“So far it sounds great, straightforward,” I say. “At this point, it’s important just to get some attention on the song, and I like how you’ve kept the concept simple.”

“Yeah,” agrees Matt. “I think it’s better to give prospective fans a true idea of who we are if we don’t do anything too crazy or dramatic straight out of the gate.”

“Perfect.” Ron claps his hands together. “I just want to include one more component. See Her is unmistakably about a woman, and I think it would be good to feature a female character. Not to overpower the video, but to make noticeable appearances throughout it so that it really brings the lyrics home, reminding listeners what the song is about. Now, I have a few contacts in mind that I’m sure would love to audition…”

“It’s gotta be Mayzie,” I blurt out. Oh shit, I just cut him off. This guy is opening a huge door for us, so I feel like I should be minding my p’s and q’s.I shut up and look down at the floor, resting my chin on my hands.

“Mayzie? Who’s that?” Ron asks, looking around at the others.

“Mayzie is his… girlfriend,” Matt says, trying to tread lightly. I nod, still saying nothing. I’m a little embarrassed. I just took the wheel out of this guy’s hands,but Mayzie is the essence of this song, and if he wants people to realize what it’s truly about, then we need her in the video.

“Okay,” Ron acknowledges, “tell me why she should be in the video.”

I sit up straighter. “She inspired the lyrics, all of them. Plus, she’s one hell of a dancer.”

Ron’s eyebrows go up at that. “I hadn’t considered a dancer, but that can certainly add some artistry to the video.” He nods to himself, considering it for a minute before saying, “I’d have to meet her, see her dance.”

I mentally flip through Mayzie’s schedule before I say, “Have you heard of Dance It Out?It’s a studio in midtown.If you can come by tomorrow morning, I’ll make sure she’s there.”

Mayzie

“Wait, what?”

Jack’s just come over and told me about Turn it Up’s meeting with Ron; how he had listened to the demo, loved it, and had decided to buy See Her and put it out as a single.He told me how the news had gotten even better, that ECHO was going to do a video to put out with the song. I’d gotten so excited and high fived him. And then he told me the rest…

“Me? In the video? I don’t…”

“The song is about a girl – you ,” he gestures towards me, “and the listeners can’t get a feel for the song if they’re just watching four guys standing there singing about a girl. Not without some kind of visual.”

I blow out a breath as I consider this. It’s crazy. It’s sort of exciting, while at the same time it’s kind of… frightening. “I don’t know if I’m ready for this.”

“I know it’s really sudden, but you said when we met that you liked the idea of dancing for a living.This could get you noticed,” he says, giving me a one shoulder shrug.

“I just don’t know if I’m music video caliber. I mean, I haven’t performed since I was in high school.”

“Who cares? You’ve got the skill. You’ve worked hard to keep it at the top.”

I run my hands through my hair, trying to take a minute to process all this. It’s overwhelming.“Do you want me to call it off?” he asks.

“No,” I say, turning to him, surprised at how quickly I said that. “This is just scary. Surreal, even.”

“Look,” he says, leaning into the kitchen counter. “It’s not just your dancing. It’s you and the way you dance.I just can’t see the video with some random chick in it, doing whatever, especially when we can have the person the song is actually about be a part of it and making it real.” I draw in another deep breath and let it out slowly .

“What do you think?” Jack continues. “Will you let him see you dance tomorrow morning?”

I can’t believe this is happening. I always liked the idea of dancing for a job, but I never thought an opportunity would fall in my lap like this.The realization that I have to prove myself hits me. Gathering up all the courage I can in one second, I look up into Jack’s eyes.

“Yeah,” I finally say. “What time is he coming?”

“Nine… thirty, Jack says, almost hesitantly. “Can you get there early? You know, just so you’re all warmed up and have a chance to practice a little?”

“Yeah…” I say, still shaken up.“I think so.” I turn to look for my phone so I can call the studio.