A Loud Voice For Quiet Hearts - Chapter Eight

[thep0rnfairy]

2008

Taylor smiled brightly at the camera, beginning the portion of the show she'd clearly been looking forward to- the start of the now-legendary tour with Our Lady of Perpetual Astonishment and Your Heart and I blazing a trail across the country. “The Infinity Tour was ambitious for the time, even considering the limitations put on such a huge band with the opener they had. Theaters, amphitheaters, stadiums, and even their signature small bar shows under fake names were scheduled to take place over a period of two years, with only a day or two in between monster shows.”

Taylor continued, talking about the first show the bands played together in Houston at the White Oak, a month after the last episode of the show had aired. Tickets had been sold out for months before the winner was even announced; there was so much interest in the two bands that both labels were already discussing adding additional dates and cities to the tour, potentially even extending Your Heart and I’s involvement to the overseas dates, if the momentum of the two bands continued.

Alex’s voice played over footage of the crowds waiting to get into the theater, then walking around and buying merch and standing in large groups both on the lawn and in the assigned seating area, waiting for the show to start. “We were playing to 30,000 people that night, and I for one was scared shitless.” The footage switches to Alex sitting on a sofa next to Taylor, gesturing with his hands and talking animatedly about the first show they’d played as a major band.

“There were so many people! And I know they weren’t all there to see us, not by any means- But it was amazing to ride in on the tour bus and see the parking lot packed, and so many people walking around, waiting for us to play.”

“And how did it go, meeting the members of OLoPA that night? What was your first impression of them?”

‘’Oh, they all seemed like super nice guys. Chris showed us how to get as much beer as we wanted from the catering services table, and Mike and Tom showed me which groupies to avoid.” Alex was smiling so earnestly at Taylor, she wasn't sure whether he was being serious or not.

“Uh-huh. And Ross? Where was Ross while all of this was happening?”

“Oh, he was in the green room talking to Jared about writing. Or something. I don’t really know, for sure- I just remember Jared blushing and stumbling over his words a lot, and Ross doing that thing where he rubs the back of his neck like a kid.”

“Right. Well, how did the first show go? Tell me what you remember about it.”

“Oh, it was awesome. We did our usual round of insults, and then Our Lady went out on stage and announced us themselves, to get the crowd excited to see us, you know? And Jared and Chad did such a good job coming up with a set list, something that would get the crowd going. Everyone went crazy when we started playing the piano version of How Did You Love before me and Alona joined in, and in the space we were in, we were able to get crazy big and loud with that song. It was awesome. And playing Far From Perfect for the first time was amazing- Jared kept saying it was a risk because it was so different from our other stuff, but Chad kept telling him to shove it because the Chad is capable of singing anything, and you know what? He kind of is.” Alex said this last bit with a slight awe to his voice, and Taylor is just staring at Alex while he’s talking, trying to keep up with him.

“And then the guys came out and played our last song with us, and that? It was EPIC. The crowd went crazy when Chad and Chris and Jensen sang Dig together, and Jared was amazing on the guitar, even though he hardly ever plays it in front of people, and Mike and Tom were crazy, singing and playing and doing stage dives. Yeah, that was a really good night. And it was so much fun, they started coming out to play our last song with us for the rest of the tour.”

It’s finally their time to take the stage, and Jared takes a moment before walking out to center himself, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes. He can smell the popcorn and soda from the concession stands, the warm, slightly salty evening air, and feel the anticipation from the audience. The other three are standing there with him, each taking their own moment to pause and feel the mood in the air before walking out on stage, and Jared is so grateful for the people standing there with him that it wells in his heart, chokes him up.

After their set, YHI went backstage to towel off and watch the roadies running around, wheeling Jared’s piano off the stage and setting up Mike’s drum kit where Alex’s had been. Jared was amazed by the fluidity of it all; they were all seasoned roadies, and each one seemed to know exactly where to be and what to do to get everything perfectly in order. Jared noticed a short, brunette man standing off in the corner of the stage near them, stroking the guitars lovingly as he tuned them.

“You’re so pretty, aren’t you? So lovely, so perfectly created for the job you do so well, aren’t you?” The man crooned, running his hands up and down the neck of the guitar he was holding in a way that made Jared distinctly uncomfortable.

‘“Dude, what. The. Fuck,” he said, turning to see if Chad was seeing the same thing and finding Chris standing next to him instead.

“Long story, son. You’ll hear about it eventually, don’t worry. Just don’t take any baked goods Misha offers you, and you’ll be fine.” Chris smiled widely, and clapped Jared on the shoulder as he ran out on the stage to join the rest of the band before Jared could ask any questions. OLoPA does their pre-show ritual in the center of the darkened stage; it seems to consist of a lot of back slaps and shots brought out by a member of the street team before they take their spots on the stage and the curtain slowly starts to rise.



They opened the show with "Stellar," which was still getting heavy rotation on the radio, and then launched immediately into "Best of You." The crowd never stopped cheering, clapping and singing along to the music, and Jared found himself singing along to the songs as much as the crowd was.

Chris and Ross stopped to banter with each other occasionally, and played the good sport when song requests are shouted from the audience in between songs, but for the most part it was just nonstop rock for two hours. Jared noticed half-way through the first 60-minute set that Chris was the one talking to the crowd; Ross would join in on the banter if Chris prodded him, but for the most part he was content to stand to the side and simply react to the things Chris said.

Ross, for his part, used the whole stage while he played, prowling like a cat while playing his guitar. He had a Madonna-style wireless mic on to keep singing with Chris when he went to play with Mike on the drum dais, and he and Tom got into an epic back-to-back at one point, and Jared loved to watch the expressions flit across his face as he played. Chris stayed at his mic for most of the show, raising his hands and clapping during a drum solo or encouraging the audience to sing along with the songs they played. They were a perfect team, and Jared was so happy that Ross finally found his Band.

Jared understood why they were being heralded as the return of alternative to its rock 'n roll roots, and why they managed to get the guest judges they did for the show- They have a loud, almost joyfully chaotic sound about them, but Ross's guitar reminds Jared of the Eagles and Seger, and Chris's voice is something out of a 1970's rock groupie's wet dream.

They finish their set with “I Am The Highway,” a single off their upcoming album that is scheduled for release in another week. The crowd hooted and cheered for ten minutes before the band retook the stage, and their encore was some of their older stuff, songs that Jared immediately recognized from the first EP they released before touring together- "Hand in Hand" and "Keep On Running.”

For the last song of the evening, four stools were brought to the front of the stage and the lights were dimmed even more, making the theater seem small and intimate, a neighborhood bar or a house party. They played "The Parting Glass," and Jared was mesmerized by the way all four voices blended together to make something hauntingly beautiful. It wasn't an original, but they made it their own, and Jared was excited to learn every little thing he could from OLoPA before the tour was over.

After the show, Chris was the first to be truly friendly with Jared, high-fiving him for such a great show and walking with him to the green room, where refreshments were waiting, along with record execs and a few carefully screened fans that had won the night’s contest to meet them.

Chad and Alexander trailed behind, talking excitedly with Mike and Tom, asking questions about the set list and choices that had been made with songs played during their set (different tempos, key changes, etc.). Mike and Tom took it all in stride, excitedly answering their questions and asking questions in return about the set Your Heart and I had played. Chad and Alex were at first too starstruck to answer, but a few beers later and they were all hanging out at the card table in the green room, swapping stories about the crazy things they'd seen while doing shows.

Jared tried to talk to Ross right after the show, eager to meet his idol, but Ross was trailing behind Mike and Tom, paying no attention to his surroundings as he scribbled frantically in a notepad he pulled from his back pocket once he was off stage. At one point, Jared had to grab his shoulder to stop him from walking into a wall; Ross turned around with an annoyed expression on his face, but his face softened when he saw the concerned look on Jared’s space.

“Sorry, man- I got an idea while we were up there, and I didn’t want to lose it. You know how it is.” He said, turning back around and walking on down the hallway towards the dressing room without waiting to see if Jared was following him or not. Jared decided to follow, parting ways with everyone in the hallway and going into the dressing room with Ross.

Jared tried a few times to make conversation with Ross, who was now frantically typing away on his phone, but didn't get more than a few grunts in reply before he gave up and went back to the green room, where the rest of the band was playing poker and drinking beers before they had to get on the busses to leave. Chris shot him a sympathetic look when he mentioned he was trying to talk to Ross, and explained that Ross tended to get in his own head after a show, and usually needed an hour or two to cool down before he was ready to “people” again.

Jared nodded, thinking about his own after-show rituals, and contented himself with sitting on the couch for the rest of the hour or so they were waiting for the crowds to die down so the busses could leave.

That night, Jared logged into his private LJ and tried to capture everything he could remember about the night, feeling overwhelmed and wanting to document everything. He still couldn’t believe it all happened, and felt so lucky to get to work with the people he was with. He took a moment to type out the lyrics he’d been playing with during the course of the day, and made notes in his notebook of other ideas he had while doing so. It was a system he worked out years ago, after losing a notebook full of lyrics, and it had worked out well for him ever since.

***

The next few weeks were an exhausting blur of shows and interviews; the tour made its way east through Texas and Louisiana, Alabama and Florida; by the time they made it to the show in Miami, the album Your Heart and I recorded in LA had been mixed and pressed and was being sold at the shows, alongside autographed copies of previous OLoPA releases.

The night air was muggy and soft when Jared left the amphitheater and climbed onto the tour bus after the show in St Petersburg, his hair hanging in tangled curls around his face. He pushed it back with an impatient gesture and flopped down onto the little kitchenette bench behind the driver’s seat of the bus. He was restless, antsy, fingers itching after a night of playing the piano and guitar. He reached over and took his journal out of his bag, grabbing a pen from the cup on the table and starting to jot down lines of a song that was just starting to come to him.

At some point the other three climbed on the bus and they headed back to the hotel; Jared was buried deep in his journal, and only realized they’d come to a stop when the driver cleared his throat, startling Jared out of his writing headspace.

He sheepishly apologized to the driver and got off the bus, taking a deep breath of warm ocean air and lifting his arms high over his head, rising onto his tiptoes and feeling the stretch throughout his body. There was a choked sound to his right, and he turned to see Ross standing between their bus and his, staring at him with an expression Jared couldn’t read. Jared blinked, and the expression was gone, replaced by the usual smile Jared had gotten used to seeing. Jared walked over to where Ross was standing, nodding towards the dark ocean stretching out in front of them.

“It’s beautiful out here, man. Hey, good show tonight!” Jared said earnestly, tucking an errant curl behind his ear.

Ross’s eyes tracked Jared’s movement before he shook his head, turning his eyes towards the water. “Thanks, man- You guys just keep getting better and better. At this rate, we’re going to be opening for you before the end of the tour.”

Jared threw his head back and laughed, clapping Ross on the shoulder before taking a deep breath and shaking his head. “Naw, man. Your headliner status is secure, for this tour at least. As long as Chad keeps getting confused about what city we’re in, you guys are safe.”

“Good evening, Orlando!” Ross shouted in a fairly good Chad impression, swaggering a few feet forward and taking hold of an imaginary mic stand.

“Dude, I still can’t figure out how he didn’t notice we’d left earlier today.” Jared said ruefully, thinking back to the number of times over the years that he’s had to remind Chad of seemingly basic things like reality versus porn and what day of the week it was.

“I’m honestly more impressed that he not only remembers the lyrics to your songs, but he also sings all of the right lyrics to the songs when he’s up on stage,” Ross quipped, elbowing Jared in the side gently.

“Oh, come on. He’s not that bad!” Jared argued, leaning against the railing that separates the parking lot from the private beach down below. He took another deep breath of evening air, letting the sound of the waves wash over him.

Ross leaned against the railing to his left, still chuckling. “So, I hear all the late night hosts are wanting you to come on their shows while we’re in New York.” He said it casually, as if it wasn't still mind-blowing to Jared what their little band was becoming. “You guys gonna do it?”

“Eh. It’s up to the PR team which ones we do, but I’m sure we’re gonna do at least one of them. I’m just glad we’re going to get a break from doing interviews for a bit. I’m kind of tired of being treated like some kind of novelty, you know? I also don’t want to be one-hit wonders, but I can worry about that later. No sense borrowing trouble.” Jared shook his head. “Sorry, man. I didn’t mean to get all deep on you. You’ve probably got some awesome party to get to at the resort, and here I am whining about petty shit to you.”

“Naw, no party. At least, not any I feel like going to tonight. Hey, you wanna go sit down on the beach for a bit?” Ross nodded to the beach chairs clustered not too far from where they were standing, and Jared nodded. They made their way down the stairs, pausing to remove their socks and shoes before walking out onto the cool sand. Jared noticed for the first time that Ross brought his guitar with him when he set it down on the table, and he smiled to himself before sitting down on one of the beach recliners.

They sat in companionable silence for a bit, the only noise the sound of the waves gently crashing on the beach and the far-off sounds of a party getting into full swing in the courtyard of the resort they were staying at for the night.

“So, how are you doing, really?” Ross turned to look at Jared, and in the light from the stars Jared could see the concern on Ross’s face. The rest of the world seemed far away, the only remaining space the quiet beach, and the chairs they were reclining on. It was familiar, in a way- Late night conversations in the glow of your car’s instrument panel, dashboard confessions you’d never give in the light of day.

“It’s a lot, man. I’m afraid we’re not going to be able to keep going at this pace for the next six months, especially when Chad is forgetting the name of the city we’re in. Al is taking this all in stride, but she’s always been one to hold everything in until she can’t anymore. Alex is treating this like one big adventure, a road trip during a summer that will never end.” Jared took a breath, shaking his head. “I’m so glad I’m here with them, but all this anxiety and stress I keep feeling isn’t good for me, I think. I worry about writing more songs, getting more stuff recorded, working with Ruth to make sure there isn’t something more we should be doing.”

“I remember that feeling, and man I don’t miss it.” Ross turned to look out at the water, and there was a long pause before he started talking again, almost as if he was debating something with himself before continuing. Jared was content to wait; Ross would share if he was ready, or change the subject if he wasn’t there yet. “My old band, Northwestern Line. We got really big really fast, partly because we were good, but also because of the connections my aunt and uncle had in the music industry.”

“One song on a movie soundtrack, and all of a sudden you’re uprooted and sent to Germany for boy band training. I can see how that would mess with a guy.” Jared said without thinking about it, and Ross turned to look at him sharply. “Shit.”

“You know about Germany?” Ross said, and Jared thought to himself that there was more to the question than he was seeing.

“Well, yeah. You guys were sent to Germany by the label to be rebranded into some sort of boy band version of Fall Out Boy, weren’t you?”

Ross settled back down in the beach chair, and Jared couldn’t shake the feeling that he was missing something, something huge given Ross’s over-the-top reaction.

“Yeah, we were. We could all play instruments, but they wanted to market us as some kind of rock and roll Backstreet Boys. It.. kind of sucked, to be honest.”

“But you did it for four years! Why did you keep doing it, if you hated it?” Jared sat up, staring at Ross in confusion.

“Dude, you know way too much about this,” Ross said, and Jared took the hint to back off.

“Yeah, well, I may or may not have geeked out a bit more than I let on when I found out who we were going to be touring with.” Jared said, laying back on the chair and staring steadfastly at the ocean.

There was silence from the other beach chair, and Jared was worried for a moment that he may have said the wrong thing again. Ross sat up and swung his legs to the side of the beach chair, now fully facing Jared, who was still resolutely staring at the ocean and not the face that used to hang on his bedroom wall.

“Jared. Jared, look at me.” Ross reached out and shook Jared’s shoulder gently, chuckling. “Jay, come on man.”

Jared finally turned to face Ross, feeling his cheeks flush hotly and so very glad for the lack of lighting where they were.

“Jay… Were you a fan of Northwestern Line?” Ross tilted his head to the side, and his face lit up when he saw the expression on Jared’s face. “Oh my god, you were. You still are.”

“Dude,” Jared said uncomfortably, shaking off the hand Ross still had on his shoulder. “You don’t have to be a dick about it.”

“No! Sorry, I'm not trying to be a dick about it. The opposite, actually. Everyone gives me shit about it, and it’s nice to talk to a fan.” The last bit was said with amusement, and Jared gently punched Ross in the shoulder.

“Yeah, well. Don’t let it go too much to your head. There’s a lot of other bands on my iPod besides yours.”

There was a companionable silence for a few moments, then Ross cleared his throat. “Is that so? How much of our stuff do you have, Padalecki?”

“I might as well just show you. It’ll be easier,” Jared reached into his backpack and handed Ross his iPod, and Ross squinted at the illuminated background as he scrolled through the albums Jared had added.

“Dude, some of these are only available in the Philippines!” Ross said in awe, continuing to skip around through the different menus.

“I know- Thank God for eBay!” Jared chuckled, taking the iPod back from Ross and turning it off before putting it back in his backpack.

“I had no idea I was in the presence of such a bona fide superfan,” Ross jibed, and Jared laughed.

“Yeah, well we all can’t be awesome at 15, Jensen.” Jared shot back, laughing.

“Hey now. Ross sounded cooler, older. Jensen’s a 15-year old wet-behind-the-ears Texas kid that doesn’t know what he wants out of life.”

“Sure, there’s that. But you go by Ross because it makes your eyes greener. Don’t forget that part.” There’s a crashing noise in the parking lot above them, followed by raucous laughter and shouting. Jared thought about getting up and looking to see what happened, but didn’t want to break the spell of whatever was happening between Ross and himself.

When he turned to look at Ross, he was staring at Jared with such a fond expression that Jared’s cheeks flushed all over again. It reminded Jared suddenly of a teen summer movie; the moonless night, the stars shining above them while they sat in the dark on the beach. His eyes darted down to Ross’s full mouth, and he found himself wondering what it would be like to kiss Ross, actually kiss him the way he wanted to. It almost looked like Ross had the same idea, because his tongue darted out to touch his bottom lip for a moment before he shook his head and stood up.

“We should get going to the hotel, man. I’m beat, and you’ve gotta be exhausted from the show.” Ross turned and picked up his guitar case, walking to the stairwell near the parking lot and waiting patiently for Jared to grab his backpack and walk back with him to the hotel.

They walked in companionable silence back to the block of rooms reserved for them, each lost in thought. Ross’s room was the one closest to the courtyard, and they stood awkwardly by the door for a moment before Ross nodded to himself, seeming to have come to a decision. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow, man.” He turned and opened the hotel door, walking inside and closing it before Jared had a chance to reply.

“Yeah, see you tomorrow,” Jared whispered, turning and walking down the hallway to his own room. After opening the door and setting down his backpack, he flopped down onto the bed and stared at the ceiling, wondering what the hell just happened.



2010

Back in the studio, Jared was talking to Taylor about how the relationship between the bands started to grow after they’d played a few shows together and found a rhythm.

“So, Jared. Tell me about an average day for you guys. What did that look like?” Taylor asked, leaning over the arm of her chair to chat with Jared.

He laughed. “Well, first of all, there is no such thing as an average day when you’re doing a tour like this. Usually, though, we’d wake up around 6 in the morning and climb into the bus to head wherever we were scheduled to play next, although some nights we didn’t stay in a hotel at all, we’d just sleep in the bus if it was going to be more than a 7 or 8 hour drive to the next venue. We’d roll into town, get to the venue in time to do soundcheck, then have a couple of hours to chill before it was time to play. I’d usually use that time to catch up on email, work on songs-”

Taylor raised a hand. “Sorry to interrupt, but I heard that it wasn’t too long before other artists were reaching out to you for song writing, is that correct?”

Jared nodded. “Yeah, I started hearing from different bands after we played SNL. At first it was just a few, and then Ruthie told me I was starting to be in pretty high demand for songs. I started working on different themes and ideas I was being sent, and divided my time between that and working on songs for Your Heart and I.”

“I hear that you and Ross started collaborating right around the show in Charleston.” Taylor smiled, crossing her legs and resting an elbow on the arm of her chair. “How was that? Was it hard, working with one of your biggest idols?”

“No, actually- It was amazing. Ross had years of experience in the industry, but he never lorded it over me. He treated me like an equal from the beginning, and the rest of Our Lady of Perpetual Astonishment did as well,” Jared said, ducking his head.

“I understand that you wrote a song together when you were in Raleigh. What was it about the city that inspired the song, and how did you decide which band it was going to belong to?”

“Funny story. We were talking one night after a show about how much being on the road can change a person, and how sometimes all you need is a little bit of time to reconcile the two people you are before you can love someone the way you did before the trip started. That’s how ‘Take Me Away’ came to be, anyway.”

“And how did you decide which band was going to keep the song? Did you split songwriting credits right away, or was there some debate?”

“Oh, no. Any song Jensen and I worked on together was always split when it came to the writing credits, no question. We’d both seen what happens when egos get too big, so that was the first thing we agreed on. And we decided by coin toss, believe it or not.”

“OLoPA has ‘Take Me Away’ because of a coin toss?” Taylor seemed shocked by this, and Jared throws his head back and laughs.

“Yep. They have ‘Take Me Away’ , and Your Heart and I have ‘Hanging By A Moment,’ although that one had to be settled by a best three out of five because we both really wanted it.” Jared shrugged, still smiling at the memory. “It seemed like the simplest way to settle things, and it’s not exactly like we could do rock-paper-scissors for the songs- We both have too many tells for that.”

“So, after the shows in Florida, what was next on the schedule?”

“Oh, the entire Eastern seaboard,” Jared laughed. “Let’s see. Savannah and Charleston were next, then Wilmington, Charlotte and Raleigh. Norfolk and Richmond, Baltimore, and then Philly,” Jared recited, closing his eyes as if picturing the road map that had hung in their tour bus. After each show, the clear push pins were switched with blue ones, a visible countdown of how many shows remained as well as a reminder of where the tour had taken them so far.

Jared explained that he found himself stealing more and more time in the small studio on the OLoPA bus, recording vocals of the lyrics he was working on, as well as simple playthroughs of the songs he thought might be worth working on after the tour is over. Some of the songs didn’t quite fit the sound of either band, but they also weren’t not songs he wanted to sell to another artist yet, either. He found himself thinking about what it would be like to be in a Savage Garden-type partnership, with one person in the band writing the music, and another writing the lyrics and singing the songs. He knew he had gotten better at singing since starting the tour a few months earlier, but his voice was such a low pitch that trying to make it as a solo artist could prove to be a problem unless he could find someone to harmonize with.

“So, what was it like working in a studio yourself? You’d already worked with Dave Cobb on your first album; what was it like doing all of the recording yourself?”

“Oh, it was light years better than the tiny tape recorder I was used to using in my bathroom in Austin, that’s for sure!” Jared laughed, shaking his head. “The acoustics in that room were really good, and the soundproofing was amazing. There were some days I’d hole up in there for the entire time we were driving from one town to another, only surfacing to grab something to eat or stretch my legs for a bit, and everyone had completely forgotten I was back there banging away on the drums.”

“So, what was your inspiration while you were on this tour? A lot of artists talk about missing family or lovers, or even the city they left behind. What was it that drove you to write so many songs while you were on tour that year?”

Jared smiled. “It was really the experience of seeing so many places for the first time, and sitting in bars and cafes across the country. People-watching has always been one of my favorite pastimes, and sometimes a song came to me while sitting in a place watching a group of people interact. This one time, we stayed in this small town just outside of Knoxville, and we had an entire morning and afternoon before we had to play a show. I ended up finding this cafe to hang out at, and stayed there all afternoon mainlining espresso con pannas and writing. I’d  wonder about the lives of the people that passed me on the street, and write down lines of songs as they came to me.”

“But was there someone special that inspired you to write all the love songs you wrote on the tour? A song like “For Me, It’s You” doesn’t come out of nowhere, and what about “To Whom It May Concern”?

Jared shook his head, smiling wryly. There were fine lines around his eyes however, and some viewers noted the change in his body language, noting how stiffly he was now holding himself. “Taylor, I hate to break it to you but those songs weren’t written to anyone in particular. I’ve always tried to write songs that anyone can relate to, depending on the point a person is at in their life. Hopes, dreams, even love don’t have to be inspired by any one person in order for the song to mean something to everyone.”

“Nice dodge, Padalecki. I’ll allow it- this time.” Taylor turned back to face the camera fully. “When we come back from break, we’ll be talking with the man, the myth, the legend- Chad Michael Murray.”

***

“Welcome back to the show. We’re talking with Chad Michael Murray, lead singer of Your Heart And I. Great to have you, Chad.”

“It would be great, wouldn’t it?” Chad leered at her, and Taylor laughed nervously.

“I’m sorry?” She asked, forehead furrowed.

“To have me,” Chad replied, speaking slowly while leaning closer to her.

“I guess. So, tell me- What was your favorite part about going on the tour? Getting to see different cities? Meeting other bands?” Taylor asked, trying to keep the interview on track.

“The chicks, baby. It was all about the chicks,” Chad said, leaning back against the chair with his arms hanging off the sides.

“That’s what you’re going with? The chicks?” Taylor questioned, looking at Chad like he was something she’d stepped in, not that he noticed.

“Well, yeah I mean, that’s the best part of being the lead singer in a band- You get the buzz from being up there on stage, everyone watching your every move. But the after parties? That’s where it’s at.”

“Huh. So, how did your life change after you started touring? Other than the chicks,” she said, cutting him off when he started to reply.

“I mean, having the money was nice, I guess. And the travel was pretty sweet, too- Getting to see so many new places, meet so many people and go to so many righteous parties was pretty sweet.”

“Did you make a lot of new friends on the tour,” Taylor asked, clearly relieved that Chad was once again behaving himself.

“Oh, yeah. So many. But then, y’know- the chicks always dug the Chad.” He said with a smile and a wink.

“So, tell me a bit about how, if at all, the dynamic of the band changed once you went on tour and started getting so much attention,” Taylor asked, rolling her eyes.

“So, here’s the thing- We entered the contest because we wanted to know if we were good, you know? And when we made it into the finals, it was like, yeah okay, we’re good. But the thing is, we never expected to get as far as we did. We hoped we’d win, but we never really expected to. And then we did.”

“And how did that change things,” Taylor asked, clearly intrigued now. “Did the dynamic of the band change at all?”

“Alona picked our manager Ruth’s brain every chance she got, about everything from the way our contracts were written and why, to the way our trusts had been set up, and how Ruth had worked everything out with the lawyers. She’d always been the business part of our band, though- That was the part that interested her the most, other than performing,” Chad explained, shaking his head. “She even started working with our PR and merch teams to get stuff developed and produced before we arrived in some cities for shows, so our merch was fresh and always improving over whatever we had on the previous parts of the tour.”

“And Alex, your drummer. He’s the youngest member of your band, and had just graduated college when the Infinity Tour kicked off- How did his life change?”

“Oh, Alex took to it like a duck in water. He and Mike really bonded on the tour, and I think Mike taught him a lot about not just fading into the background, the way he did before we went out on tour. Alex really came into his own that year, I think,” Chad said thoughtfully, scratching the bridge of his nose.

“When Jared started being more in demand as a songwriter, did that change things at all?”

“Oh, you could say that. I ended up having to sit down and have a serious talk with my boy Jay,” Chad said, pushing his right index finger into the arm of the chair.  “I mean, I was the lead singer, he was the pianist with mystique! Page, Plant, Mick, Keith… That was the dynamic we agreed on!”

Taylor laughed, then realized Chad was being serious and coughed. “So, tell me about the show in Baltimore?”

Chad stiffened. “Yeah, I don’t know. Things changed for a while after that show, and not for the better,” he said, truly serious for the first time during the interview.

Taylor leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees and clasping her hands in front of her. “How so? What happened?”

Chad paused for a long time, then shook his head. “Not my part of the story to tell.”