Street Find Ch. 05-06

Chapter 5 What's In A Name?

I let the girls know about the Tri-Cities booking and they were very pleased with it. I gave them the dates and Fran marked them on the calendar that she was using to map out our engagements. I liked her sense of organization. I had a feeling it was going to be very important in the future.

I met with Stan and Bud at Stan's home, a nice suburban bungalow in North Spokane. It had a finished basement where Stan had his drum kit and some other instruments. When I looked more carefully, I saw it wasn't his regular kit. This one looked different. But first, on to the purpose of the meeting, deciding to get my main concern out of the way first.

Stan's wife, Doreen, was an attractive woman and greeted me warmly.

"Nice to meet you, Ed. Stan's told me a lot about you. I'm looking forward to seeing the guys move into something more than an old fashioned club band. Stan seems to think you are helping them in that direction."

"Well, that's the thing I wanted to talk about tonight," I said. "Stan, the reason I wanted to have this meeting was to apologize to you ... and you Bud. I've been making some decisions I had no right to do. I feel like I'm influencing the direction of the band and it's not my right to do that. This is your band, Stan, and it's your name on the billboards and the contracts. I'm kicking myself in the ass for not remembering that. Once again, I apologize."

Stan looked at me, then at Bud, then back to me. "Is that it, then? That's what you wanted to talk about?"

"Yeah. It's been bothering me. I wanted you to know."

"You've got it all wrong, Ed. I'm not the least bit upset and what you've been doing. Look at what's happened since you've come on board. Our bookings are solid, we're getting noticed and that's bringing invitations to the various county fairs. That's never happened before. A lot of that has to do with what you bring with you. You've brought versatility. You've brought us our first, and maybe our second, quality female voice. Overall, you've changed the sound of the band in a good way.

"You have a better idea of what we are capable of than I do. I'm not much of a risk-taker, but I can see that you have some great ideas about how we can present ourselves. I don't know where those come from, but I know that you are proving them to be right for us. I don't want you to stop doing what you are doing. Sure, I want to know about it, but your sense of what's possible is uncanny, right Bud?"

"Absolutely, Ed. Stan's right on. I'm thinking quite differently now about the mix we have. I think we can be more up-to-date. I know we have to cater to our audience mix, but I think we can spice up our play list and keep moving forward."

"So you see, Ed," Stan continued, "we don't have any problem with your suggestions. And if what I see of Gina is any indication, we can really add some texture to our music. Duets and even trios aren't out of the question."

I sighed. "Thanks, guys. I was worried. The last thing I wanted to do was to piss you off. You've given me a new life and I'm really enjoying it."

"We noticed," Stan laughed. "Now, on to the next problem. We need a name. We can't go on just being Stan Foxwell and his band. We need something that will catch the imagination of the public. I'm open to suggestions."

"I haven't even thought about a name change, but ... considering where we are going this summer, I think you could be right. I guess calling ourselves 'The Beatles' is out," I chuckled.

"Yuh think?" Stan laughed. "But that's what we need. Something simple and memorable. We need to put our thinking caps on."

"Nothing comes immediately to mind," I said, "but let me bounce it off the girls and see if they have any ideas. We can use all the help we can get."

"Great, go ahead. I'll take a good suggestion from anyone."

"I wonder, Stan, if we shouldn't be planning to rehearse more. We've got a lot of new stuff and more to come. Is there a place we can use to get together a couple of times a week?"

"I know we can use Al's garage, Ed," Stan said. "It's a double and set back from the house. It should be big enough. It's also secure. We could leave our instruments at his house and that way we wouldn't have to transport and set up every time. I'll ask him if he thinks we could use it. But it brings up a good point. We need a place no matter what."

"Okay," I nodded. "I'll check at the store and see if anyone has some space that would be secure and adequate for a band of eight to practice."

"Yeah. Great, Ed. I'm glad you brought this up. I've been thinking we're weak on rehearsal and that's a risk, especially with a lot of new material."

That ended the meeting and we spent another half-hour reviewing our upcoming dates before Bud and I split. I was satisfied that Stan and Bud were okay with my input, but I would be a lot more careful to keep them informed of my thinking in future. No more going off on my own with them not knowing what I'm up to.

~*~

I posted a notice on the big bulletin board at the music store looking for a practice location. Now it was a matter of wait and see. On Wednesday, I remembered about naming the band, and after dinner that evening I told the girls what we were thinking.

"This summer is going to be really important to us. We've now got five county fairs booked and there's a chance for another one on Labor Day. We are going to be very busy for three months. We've got two important things to do in the immediate future. One, we need a place to rehearse. We can't go along the way we have and expect to put on a polished performance every night. It just doesn't happen. I've posted a notice at the store to see if anyone knows of a location we could use. It needs to be clean, secure, and large enough for the eight of us.

"Second, we need a name for the band. It's never really had one and we need something that will identify us and be memorable enough that when they see the name, they'll know who we are. These summer fairs are going to be attended by people from all over, including talent scouts and booking agents. They are always looking for fresh faces, so the best we can perform won't be good enough if they can't recall our name."

I saw Gina look at Fran. "Fran has an idea, Ed."

"Let's hear it," I said immediately.

"Well, uhhm, you know how you found me when we first met. I wondered if something like Frozen Sister was a possibility. Actually, Gina and I have been playing around with names. We weren't thinking of them for Stan's group, but just as a joke, you know?"

"Well, that's not a bad start. But isn't there a Twisted Sister band somewhere?"

Gina nodded. "Yeah ... that wouldn't work then, would it."

"How about Street Girl?" Fran asked.

"Not bad. I can't think of any conflict with that name. Any others?"

"I don't like that name," Gina said. "It makes us sound slutty. Besides, it's mostly guys in the band. But when Fran talked about how you rescued her, I wondered about Street Find. You know, like it's not too specific, but it's easy to remember."

I sat for a moment, considering the name. The more I thought about it, the more I liked it. If anyone asked about the origin of the name, there was a story there. "What do you think, Fran?"

"Gina's right. It's better than the others. It isn't specific, yet we know what it relates to. Yes ... I like it."

"Okay," I nodded, "that's three votes. Let me phone Stan and bounce it off him."

I called Stan and got almost immediate approval for the suggestion. "That will work, Ed. That will work well. Let me call the other guys and make sure everyone is on board with it. Who came up with it?"

"Gina and Fran did. Somehow we got from Frozen Sister to there," I laughed.

"Thank the girls for me, Ed. I think we've got what we want. I'll call you if there's any strong objection."

"Okay. Good luck," I said as I hung up.

It didn't take long. Less than two hours later, Stan phoned and announced that the new official name of the band was Street Find. I let the girls know and they gave each other a high five. Well, at least that was one problem solved.

The girls worked on refining the songs they were already performing and I could hear the difference. They were even more in synch than before and Fran was being more assertive with her part - not being dominated by Gina. If there was one thing that worried me it was Fran being left behind and feeling out of the group. She had a wonderful voice, but as a lead it only fit in certain circumstances. Gina, on the other hand, had a voice that demanded you pay attention to it. I wondered what I could do to help Fran be more forceful.

By themselves, the girls were working on a song I hadn't thought about at all, Call Me Maybe. It was a song that demanded a strong voice and assertive stage behavior. Naturally, Gina was the lead and Fran was a forceful harmony. The way the girls were presenting it was a pretty edgy, full-blast rock version. I wasn't sure that was suitable for the club scene, but outdoors on a fairground, maybe there. It was interesting to see that when with Gina, Fran was much more aggressive with her voice and that told me she needed to be encouraged to use her full range and step up to the needs of the music. It looked like Gina was leading her in that direction.

I had a thought that we were going to have to carefully manage our play list for these county fair dates. You only got, on average, twenty minutes or so for the lead-in acts. We were there to warm up the audience for the main attraction. Depending on the size of the fair and their budget, the main act could be a former star, an up-and-coming act with some national recognition, or a middle-of-the-pack performer. The audience usually didn't grow very large for the lead-ins, but were at their peak when it was time for the main attraction. So, in twenty minutes we were going to have to really rock it to make people notice us. No room for soft and easy in that venue.

I decided to consult with Gina and see if I could get her to encourage Fran to continue to open up and use her full voice.

"I hope she'll listen to me, Ed. She does have a great voice and she can use it if she wants to, but she needs to have the courage to try it and see that it doesn't fail. That's what I'm trying to do with Stronger and Not Ready to Make Nice. She can do it, but she has to try and succeed to convince herself."

"Well, that's our challenge," I said. "If we can have both of you capable of high impact performances, it really opens up some great opportunities for the band. She looks pretty loose and willing to try when she's with you by yourselves. If we could record something at rehearsal, maybe she'd understand just how much more she can add to the song."

"I'm willing to try. I think it's just a matter of confidence. If we can show her that she can do it, I think she'll be more likely to take the chance."

"Let me know what I can do to help," I said, hoping that there was a way to bring Fran out of her carefully constructed shell. When I thought about it, it was surprising that she agreed to perform in front of a live audience, so there was hope that once she knew she could do something, she might accept that it could be part of her performance. Both Gina and I would have to work at building her confidence, and then hope it brings about the change we want.

When I looked in the mirror, I almost laughed. Here was I trying to get Fran to open up and achieve her potential when I was the first to admit I didn't want to take any chances with my voice either. I still had a very negative opinion of my sound and only diluting it with the voices of the girls gave me any sense of confidence at all. In the meantime, I would keep a low profile on the vocal front.

The girls had settled in at home. I wasn't charging any rent, of course. I couldn't do that to them. They were looking after most of the grocery shopping, so in truth, I wasn't spending any money on them. They were probably a net benefit to me, financially. But there was more to it than that. I was rooming with two very lovely young ladies who had made my life a good deal more entertaining and pleasant. They did ninety percent of the cooking and cleaning. When I heard them playing and singing, they added that much more to my existence. All told, they were a welcome addition to my little household.

Gina continued to flirt and flaunt, as I called it. She loved to tantalize me with her bra-less t-shirt and panties as the house uniform. Fran wasn't as well endowed as her sister, but she wasn't without a shape. Her breasts were medium as I recalled, and her butt was tight and nicely rounded. I'd seen her naked, of course, so there were no surprises, but she was a completely different body type from her more voluptuous sister.

Gina had taken to rubbing up against me whenever the opportunity arose. And that wasn't the only thing that arose, either. I'd long past quit trying to hide my reaction to her playfulness. I assumed that's what it was, anyway. I had no intention of messing up the situation by making an overt move on her. That could backfire with disastrous results.

I think Gina saw me as a personal challenge. She knew she could get a rise out of me (pun intended) quite easily and did so often. But, beyond that, I didn't get any other direct messages from her. There were a few suggestive comments, the odd less-than-subtle hint, and a few subtle moves on me when Fran was not around. She did enjoy rubbing her boobs on me whenever she could, and to tell the truth, I liked it too. Otherwise, I would just have to tough it out, it appeared.

Now and then, she would join me on the sofa when I was watching TV, or just goofing off. She'd lean on my shoulder with her legs curled up beneath her. Once in a while, I would put my arm around her, but no more than that. She was worming her way into my heart, but I was still reluctant to make a move on her. I was still weighing the positives against the negatives.

~*~

It was two weeks after posting the notice at the music store before we got a response to our search for a suitable rehearsal location. It was a visitor to the store who approached me.

"Mister Murchie, my name is Ray Shellburn. I saw your notice looking for a suitable space for your band to practice. Perhaps I can be of help."

"Oh ... that would be great ... but it's not my band. However, I've been given the task of finding a space. What do you have to offer?" I asked.

I have a partially empty warehouse attached to my business. At one time it held my finished product prior to shipping. I no longer need all of the building since we've modernized, and I have about three thousand square feet to let. I've had it advertised for some time, but so far there has been no interest. I guess it's a case of too much inventory in the warehouse business," he chuckled.

"Can you give me some of the details? Is it clean, does it have power, is it secure?"

"Yes to all of those things. I manufacture packaging for food products, so it has to meet proper standards. It is serviced with both 110 and 220 power. It's also heated. It's quite secure with full deadbolts on all the access doors except for the power operated shipping door. You'd have a very difficult time getting into the building without a key."

"Well, all that sounds ideal. How much are you asking for rent?"

"Would five hundred a month be within reach?" he asked, tentatively.

"I don't know. It sounds reasonable to me if it's as advertised, but I'll need to discuss it with the boss."

"That will be fine. I'm not desperate to rent it, but when I asked about who you were and whether you were responsible adults, the store manager gave you a solid recommendation. When he mentioned the Stan Foxwell name, I recognized it from the Palomar Club. My wife and I have been going there a couple of times a month lately. We really enjoy the type of music you offer."

"Well, thank you very much, Mister Shellburn. It won't take me long to get a yes or no from Stan, so if I can have your phone number and the location of the warehouse, we might be able to conclude our business fairly quickly."

I noted the phone number and address, as well as the name of his business. I called Stan at his workplace and told him about the possible location.

"I think five hundred is doable, Ed. I wouldn't want it to be much more, but with all the bookings we have, this will be an expense I can write off on my taxes. When can we see the building?"

"Why don't we arrange to see it this evening? I'm sure Bud will want to have a look too. I checked out the address and it's not out in the sticks at all. In fact, it would be pretty convenient for all of us."

"That's great, Ed. Let me know if we can see it tonight."

I made the return call to Ray Shellburn and we confirmed a seven-thirty meet at his plant. Another call to Stan and we were set. Now I had to keep my fingers crossed that the place was as he described it.

~*~

"This is ideal for us, Mister Shellburn," Stan said. "If you'll rent it for five-hundred, we'll sign a one year lease, with an option to renew."

"That's fine, Mister Foxwell. As I told Ed, my wife and I are regulars at the Palomar and we're both fans of your band. We were particularly impressed with the young lady you added to the group. She had a lovely voice."

"Thank you. Yes, Fran is a great addition, brought to us by Ed. She has a sister who is equally talented and has joined us. The two have really changed the sound of our group."

"I can look forward to hearing them this weekend then?"

"Yes indeed. By the way, when can we begin to use the warehouse?"

"Right away. I'll have my wife draw up a simple memorandum of agreement that we can sign. I don't imagine we need lawyers for this. Oh ... and by the way, I am insured for fire, flood, theft and liability. I'll put a rider on it for your group."

"That all sounds great," Stan said, seeing agreement from Bud and myself. "Thank you again. You've solved a big problem for us."

We left the building and headed to a nearby tavern for a beer and a discussion.

"That place is ideal, Stan," Bud said. I'm sure the acoustics will be a little weird, but for a place to rehearse and work on our play list, it's perfect."

"That's my thoughts too, Stan," I said. "I think the girls will be more than pleased. I noticed there were two washrooms, which was a surprise. I didn't expect that."

"I don't think we could do any better for double the cost, guys," Stan nodded. "I'll let the others know and we should plan to get together on Wednesday to set ourselves up for Friday night. Any problem with that?"

Both Bud and I shook our head in the negative.

~*~

There was general agreement from the entire group that our choice of rehearsal space was very good. We went about setting up the instruments and running the power cables before tuning up. Bud was particularly interested in the acoustics and, as he suspected, we did get some sound bounce. For now, we would have to live with it. One solution was to buy or rent some packing blankets to deaden the sound, but that was a luxury we weren't ready for.

I was working with Gina on a duet with Fran's backing. It was a first for me, and I was only talked into it because I didn't want to disappoint Gina. The atmosphere between us was heating up. Fran was grinning like crazy, knowing I had been seduced into this by her sister. The song they'd decided to try was Need You Now, sung by both of us in harmony. I was relieved in a way because I was sure Gina's voice would dominate mine. Little did I know that the sisters had cooked up a scheme to push me a little farther than I wanted to go.

The good news was that this was in the rehearsal building, and not live on stage. The bad news was Gina's threat that we were going to do this number until we got it to where she wanted it to be. I had no idea what she was thinking, but since I'd agreed to give it a try, I'd go through with it. I had a sheet with the lyrics, but it wasn't so complex that I couldn't remember them after a couple of run-throughs. And so it began.