Paisley The Birth of a Star

Chris was right; they were what the people wanted to hear. Number one for the lead track was almost a forgone conclusion. On the back of that they were off to Australia to do a long tour and promotion.

The girls and I settled into our lives. They grew out of their malaise and life slowly became a better place. Apart from work, and playing my music late at night, I was a bit lost. It was by chance as I ate my lunch at a cafe not far from the office, that I stumbled across an ad in the local paper. It was a young woman looking for somebody to jam with. There was a number, so on the off chance, I gave her a call. As I listened to the dial tone, I thought. "What the fuck, dude? What are you going to say?"

I was about to chicken out when this sweet sounding voice answered. "Hey, this is Daisy."

"Oh, um hi, Daisy. My name's Jake. I was answering your ad in the paper about wanting somebody to jam with."

"Oh right. Where bout's do you live Jake?"

"Ngaio, actually."

"Hey that's great. I live in Broadmeadows. What sort of stuff do you play?"

"A bit of everything I suppose. What about you?"

"Oh, I guess I like sort of alternative stuff, folky, blues, a bit of Indie."

"Sounds cool. Would you like to get together some night?"

"God, I would love it. I just moved here from Hawkes Bay. I have been hanging out to meet some musos."

"I have a couple of young girls, so it would have to be after seven thirty, unless you want to share some dinner with us?"

"Dinner sounds good. I'll bring some wine, I guess it's going to be acoustic."

"Yeah, sorry. If we do it over the weekend, I have a music room and we could use the amps."

When I told the girls we were getting a visitor for dinner they were excited. When Daisy turned up, they were even more excited. She was a few years younger than me. Maybe not beautiful in the normal sense of the word, but very attractive. She had a bright, if husky voice, which seemed to suit her waifish body. Diminutive might be a good description, boyish, lithe, all of the above.

She walked in after a handshake chucked her guitar on the sofa and handed out some cheap little gifts for the girls. They played together making Lego statues as I served up dinner.

Daisy was a chatterbox. She talked a lot and the girls seemed to thrive on her exuberance.

It was hard to convince them to go to bed, that's for sure. Getting them to settle down was even harder.

After they were gone, Daisy and I settled down to play some music. She unzipped her case and pulled out a baby Taylor acoustic. Ah damn, it was beautiful, dark Koa, and a rich vibrant sound.

I was almost embarrassed to pull out my Takamine.

We settled into playing a few contemporary numbers that we both knew. Her voice was a natural harmony for mine, and she sang harmony beautifully. A fifth above and an octave higher, our voices blended so well. It immediately had us both smiling.

We drank our wine as we worked through a few more songs. "Jake, you're really good. Do you play in a band or anything?"

"Nah, not now. I used to, but with the girls, that's a bit difficult. What about you."

"No, not really. I have played, like jammed with people, but never in a band."

As we played she saw my folder sitting on top of my guitar case. "What's in the folder?"

Following her finger, I replied. "Oh, nothing. Just some songs I was working on."

"You write?"

"Yeah, nothing special."

"Can I hear them?" She asked with a questioning smile."

I was pretty proud of them, so I said. "Yeah, why not. But they aren't that good."

I played the first one and she looked stunned. "Wow, I thought you said they weren't good. Shit if the others are as good, wow, they'll be sensational."

I played another, she leaned closer so she could see the words and started to sing along. It sounded incredible. Her natural feel for not only the songs, but how to fit her voice around mine, was perfect.

We played on and the wine was gone. "Sorry, all I've got is beer, if you're interested."

She nodded. "Yeah, that'd be cool."

I got up to go and get a beer. When I got back, she was flipping through my other songs. As I sat down, she gave me a funny disbelieving glance. "Are all these songs in here yours?"

"Yeah, all mine."

"But these are from that new band. That song Midnight Desire, that's on the radio all the time."

"Yeah, and?"

"Well, you said you weren't in a band or anything."

"Daisy, I wrote the songs a long time ago. My ex-wife is the singer."

"Wow, holy shit. Paisley is your ex. Holy shit, dude. Fuck."

I pointed to our wedding photos on the wall and she jumped up and walked over for a quizz.

"Holy shit, Jake, I'm jamming with a celebrity."

"No, you're jamming with the ex of a celebrity."

"But these are your songs."

"Yeah, just a song writer. Nothing special."

We played all the songs and she was amazed when I played the older songs. She shook her head in dismay. "That is so much cooler than the way they perform them."

We put away the guitars and finished our beers. We talked into the wee hours of the morning. She was good fun and easy to talk to. Without even trying, she had weaselled my story out. I guess I wanted to talk about it.

Over the next couple of weeks, Daisy became a bit of a regular at our place. She fashioned a really good relationship with the girls. They enjoyed having a female around.

Daisy was studying at polytechnic where she was studying sound engineering. I was a bit shocked when she asked. "Jake, would you like to perform at MIT? We are having a barbecue on Saturday. When I told them I was jamming with you, they asked if we could play for them?"

With a non-committal shrug, I replied, "Yeah, I suppose we could. It would be fun to play in front of people again."

She turned up every night and we practised late, getting all the songs down pat and putting together a set list.

Dusting off the old PA gave me a shiver of anticipation. I gave it a test run Friday night, and it still worked. I tested all the cords, mics and effects pedals.

We rocked up at the Polytech, where we were playing in the small auditorium. We were swamped with helpers as we unloaded and set up in a corner. I put on some background music through the system as we enjoyed the food.

Daisy and I took the stage soon after, and we started with one of my new songs. The sound was really great. The old PA was working a treat. Daisy, a little nervous, took a while before she managed to get past her little bout of stage fright.

Soon her voice soared and she was into her stride. The songs sounded completely different with Daisy. When Paisley and I performed, it was all about her. She was the one with the spectacular voice and the amazing stage persona. In short, she took over the stage. She just had that star quality, she wanted to be the front, she desired the spot light.

Here, Daisy pushed me to take the lead and she sensuously wrapped herself around me. Her voice a harmonious companion.

The crowd loved it. They swayed and tapped their feet. To the ones that were now popular, they sang along. At the end we got raving applause. As we were handed beer after beer, the crowd encircling us, we were barraged with questions and requests.

It was a fun day and it started something special.

As we were packing up, one of Daisy's fellow students came out to the car. "Dude, would you guys be interested in doing some Sunday sessions at the Junction?"

I gave him a bit of a confused glare, and he said, "Dude, My brother manages the Junction Hotel, and he's always looking for good acts for Sundays. He normally has a jazzy band, but he has told me he's looking for something different."

Daisy gave me a friendly encouraging glance. "What do you think?" I asked her.

"I would love it, but only if you're up for it."

So, there we were, a week later on a Sunday afternoon, playing the garden bar at the Junction. The crowd was buzzing, lots of people gathered around listening. I couldn't believe they were so into it. It sort of pumped up Daisy and me. I am usually not that dynamic when it comes to performing. That day, though, I found a new gear. Daisy was into it, as well and we got this little thing going. We moved in unison, totally natural, un-correographed, but the more I moved around, the more vibrant and flamboyant Daisy became.

In no time flat the crowd was up and dancing, and there was a hot little crowd in front of the stage dancing and swaying along.

It was the most amazing gig. To top it off, the manager invited us back. Apparently, that was the longest any of the acts he hired had managed to get the crowd to stick around for. Plus we made five hundred bucks.

Driving home, Daisy was like, "Wow, what a fucking rush. Oh my god, that was incredible. I have never felt that way before; they were so into us."

I dropped her off at her place and she said wistfully. "Hey, Jake. Thanks for letting me be part of that, I mean. You didn't have to."

"Get off the bus, I wouldn't have even got the gig if it wasn't for you. They weren't into me. They were into us. You're a great, singer Daisy. Really good."

She blew me a kiss. "Thanks, Jake, you're a nice guy. See you Tuesday night?"

"Looking forward too it already."

I picked up the girls from Mum's on the way. They were full of questions, and of course, stories of what they did at Nanna's.

Our Sunday sessions became a bit of a thing around Wellington. We developed a little following and that led to some other gigs. Mostly Sunday lunchtimes, although as our reputation and popularity grew, the options broadened.

It was after one of the Sunday lunch time sets, a guy wandered up as Daisy and I were having a beer. He reached out his hand to shake. "Jake, my name is Grant Stevenson. I'm a journalist with the Dominion. I wondered whether you would give me a little interview?"

Glancing at Daisy, I said. "Yeah, no worries, Bro."

He sniggered. "Really, Bro?"

"Sorry mate, just trying to be cool."

He laughed. "Yeah no probs, man."

He disappeared to the bar and returned with some beers. As he sat down, I said, "You know we get a rider right?"

"No, perhaps you could have told me that before I went to the bar."

"I figured you would realise."

"Nah, I thought riders were a thing of the past."

As we sipped our beers, he said, "Can you tell me why you only cover Silver Dream Express."

"We don't cover anybody. These are my songs. It is they who cover me."

I could see the disbelief in his eyes. He thought I was bullshitting. "Hang on a mo, you're saying that you wrote all these songs?"

"That's right, Grant. Check their discography. You will see that the majority are written by me."

He pulled open his IPad and started scrolling. As he verified my answers, he nodded, his gaze changed from disbelief to one of respect, and he asked for the story.

I gave him a not too personal run down. "Can I quote you on this stuff?" He asked.

"Sure can."

"All right. Well, my column runs in the Saturday edition. Can I take a couple of photos?"

Daisy and I stood up, guitars in hand and he took a few snaps.

That column drew a few responses. The most notable was from Failsafe Records. They were interested in recording me. We had a meeting and they explained that they were always keen to explore the unexplored. They wanted to record me. Their angle was going to be the songs the way they were meant to be, which they wanted to be the name of the album.

They planned to use The Silver Dreams popularity in the charts to promote our records. I did say I didn't have a lot of spare time.

We agreed on a price and the deal was sealed with a beer. These guys were rebels, and liked the idea of sticking their fingers in the face of the mainstream music industry. Obviously I wasn't going to make a lot of money from it, but I was pleased that audiences would hear my songs the way they were always intended to.

Daisy and I went into the studio on Monday, at eight in the morning. By Thursday night we were finished. Daisy had friends at Uni who were interested in designing a cover for the album.

The release was a minor affair held at the Junction, where it all started. Grant turned up to take photos and run an article in the Dominion.

Okay, the release hardly created a tidal wave of interest, but we did make a ripple. BFM student radio put us on regular rotational air play. We even got a three minute slot on TV.

Daisy and I were tight friends, and I started to develop a few romantic thoughts. She was pretty, young, vibrant and we spent an inordinate amount of time together. Pushed together as we were, it was hard not to feel something.

I was shit scared that if I made a romantic approach and she wasn't interested. It would fuck up everything. I had feelings, the question was, did she?

I toyed with the idea for weeks, and finally dug up the courage. I was saved from embarrassment at one of our spots at the Junction. We were half way through our first set when I noticed a very pretty young girl sitting close to the stage watching. Her eyes never wavered, her stare was fixed on Daisy, and the stare was reciprocated.

At our break, Daisy and I sat together and the girl sauntered over to our table. Daisy stood up and they fell into a very sensuous kiss.

As they parted, Daisy turned to me, red faced and embarrassed. "Jake, this is my girlfriend, Sabrina."

I stood up as well, and we shared a hug. "Hey, Sabrina. Nice to meet you."

As we all sat down, I asked, "So, how long have you two been in a relationship?"

Daisy jumped in. "Jake, I'm sorry I didn't say something earlier. Sabrina and I are both a bit nervous about coming out. Nobody knows."

"Hey, you don't have to explain. I understand."

"No, I feel terrible. I know I should have trusted you. It just never seemed like the right time. I understand, you must feel like I deceived you."

"No, it's okay. It would have been nice to know. But you can trust me, Daisy."

"I wanted to, Jake, I honestly did. Sabrina and I made a decision this week, that we had nothing to be ashamed of. We're going public, and we wanted you to be the first to know."

I leaned over close and we hugged it out. "Thanks, Daisy. I appreciate that."

She almost whispered. "Are we going to be okay?"

"What? Of course. I don't care about this stuff. I'm just happy that you've found love."

We played out our second set with Sabrina and a bunch of fans dancing up a storm in front of the little stage.

At the end, Sabrina came up and helped us pack up. Our relationship changed after that. With any chance of a romantic attachment gone, Daisy and I became steadfast friends. Sabrina, as well, became a regular at our home. Every night that Daisy and I jammed, Sabrina came over and spent time playing with the girls. It was a perfect match. The girls loved Sabrina, she was a bit like a little girl herself, so they got on great.

Our happy home was thrown into turmoil with Paisley's return.

She turned up at home on a Saturday morning. I was mowing the lawns, so I didn't see her at first. It was a hot day and I was pushing the mower up our steep front lawn. As I broached the top of the crest, there was Paisley, her arms full of bags. I flipped off the mower and lifted off my ear muffs. "Hello, Paisley. How have you been?"

She placed the bags down and held open her arms. We slipped into a tight embrace.

"Oh god, that feels so good. Jake, I have missed you so much."

"Yeah, we have missed you as well, Paisley. How did the tour go?"

"Good, I mean really good. The crowds have been huge. Byron Bay was awesome."

"Choice, good to hear. The girls are inside."

I helped her with the bags and we walked in. I think Paisley was shocked at the girls disinterest. I guess she was expecting them to come running. I don't think they even recognised her, at first. It wasn't until she knelt down and opened her arms that they walked rather than ran to her. Once they were wrapped in her arms, there were tears and kisses, cries of "Mummy."

From there it was over to the sofa where she handed out the presents. She had it nailed. The gifts were perfect, and the girls were won over with pretty new dresses, dolls, makeup kits and some Legos. They both loved Legos.

I made some lunch as they played together. Listening to the girls open up too Paisley was interesting. It started slowly, they were hesitant and awkward. There was a reluctance to say too much, like when you meet a stranger. By the time lunch was served, they were beginning to feel comfortable enough to talk more freely. Stories about school, new friends, what Gran and Pops were up to. It was slow. Watching Paisley I saw the pain on her face. The girls loved her, it was the unconditional love that children give their parents. That was never in question.

You can't, however, abandon children, and expect them not to notice or change the way they treat you. Now their connection with their mother was more like meeting an absent relative. Paisley saw it, felt it, and the anguish was so evident on her face. The furtive sorrowful glances she gave me. She had never been one for hiding emotions. She wore her heart on her sleeve. A true Cancerian.

Over lunch, I tried to help, to mediate, get the girls to open up. It did happen, but slowly. After lunch the girls ran off to their bedrooms and left Paisley and I sitting quietly. That was awkward, as well, but Paisley dived in.

"So, how have you been, Jake?"

"Yeah, okay I guess. Keeping busy. Work has been full on."

"Yeah I bet."

"What about you, Paisley, how was the tour?"

With a little shrug she replied. "It was great, actually. I mean, it was successful. We managed to get our name out there and we established a reputation. The songs have been doing well in the charts. Chris thinks the album may even be the top seller here in NZ."

"Good, I'm glad."

"Are you?" She snorted. "Doesn't feel like it."

"I don't know what you want me to say Paisley. Did you want me to jump up and down, beat a drum?"

"No, but, I can see you're just saying words. Trying to be nice."

"Look, that bloody band destroyed my family, stole my wife. You can't expect me to be happy. I never wanted you to go. The fact you could just walk away from your family. Your daughters who you say you love so much."

Her response was a bitter snarl. "Don't you dare criticise me. I love those girls. If I thought I was welcome here I would have come home earlier. Taken breaks, but Christ, Jake, you couldn't even talk to me."

"I was angry. You chose a band and superficial friends over us. Just like the girls, I feel abandoned."

"I never abandoned you. If you had worked with me, rather than turning everything into a huge fight, maybe we could have done things differently. Damn it, you could have come over and travelled with us. The girls would have loved seeing Australia."

"They had school, I have work. Not all of us can just pack up and disappear. Some of us have responsibilities."

There was no holding back the tears. It started as a trickle, but soon, as fast as she wiped them away more streamed down her face. Her mascara ran, her cheeks smudged and stained black.

Hannah came into show us something she made. When she saw Paisley crying, she grabbed at Paisley's arm and climbed into her lap. "Don't cry, Mummy. It will be all right."

Paisley crushed her in an enveloping hug. "Thank you, darling. Thank you."

When Leah saw she was missing out she ran over, jumped up on Paisley's other knee and the three of them hugged.

I stood up. "I need to finish mowing the lawns and clear up. I'll leave you guys to catch up."

By the time I finished, I was worn out. Our lawn wasn't big, but it was steep. I cleared away all the crap and went inside. The three of them were back on the rug with the Lego blocks and dolls.