Must Be Dreamin'
You Talk Me Into Bad Things
“Well it’s about time you got here Kev,” I shot at our drummer as Danny and I had been waiting for an hour for him to show up.
“I’m sorry. I have issues finding the recording studio,” He sarcastically replied.
“You know there’s this amazing new invention called Google, or Mapquest, or a Navigation app on a cell phone,” Danny threw at him playfully with even more sarcasm in his voice.
“You know sometimes your sarcasm hurts,” Kevin said while putting a hand over his heart pretending to be offended…. It didn’t work at all.
“Let’s just start this thing,” Danny rolled his eyes.
“Wait hold on, Josh wanted to come to one of our recordings, let me call him really quick,” I told them while grabbing my phone and going out into the hall.
“Hey J-Dawg,” I giggled.
“Hi,” he laughed along with me. “What are you up to?”
“Well we were just going to do some recording, maybe write a song or two and I know you said that you wanted to come sometime so I wanted to see if you were busy,” I explained.
“Um…. No… I’m not busy,” Josh told me and I didn’t even have to see him to know he was smiling.
“Great, I’m glad you can come,” I genuinely told him.
I then gave him the directions and he told me that he’d be there as soon as he could. Josh showed up about 45 minutes later and he didn’t miss much. We recorded one song but that was it.
“Hey, it’s so good to see you,” I beamed once Josh walked into the recording room.
“It’s good to see you too. I’m excited to see all of this,” He replied once we shared a big hug.
“Yeah well go ahead and sit anywhere you like. Make yourself at home… I probably spend more time here than I do at my actual home,” I laughed.
For the next four and a half hours we played around with songs Danny had written while we were on tour. Trying different styles, different speeds, anything that might make it sound better.
“I actually wrote one too. I don’t know if it’ll work but wanna try it?” I asked.
“Aw great Kirstie,” Danny said making me feel good as I handed him a paper that had the lyrics on it.
“I wrote it for Kylee right after Jeremy died,” I told them.
Josh then asked to see the paper. I watched his eyes scan the read over the lyrics.
“You wrote this?” He asked and I nodded my head.
“It’s really good. I can’t wait to hear it,” he told me with a big smile.
I grabbed my acoustic guitar and put the strap over my head. “So do you want me to play through it first so you can kind of hear how the lyrics should go?” I questioned to Danny.
“I’m not going to sing it,” he plainly stated.
“Why not?” I asked as my eyebrows wrinkled up.
“I think you should. It’s your song and it’s for your best friend, you need to sing it,” He told me.
“No Danny. I don’t want to, will you please just do it,” I said getting agitated.
“Why don’t you want to?” Josh asked me.
“She won’t sing for people. She doesn’t think she’s any good. Kirstie especially won’t sing acoustic because acoustic songs are all about the singers voice,” Kevin explained.
“Kirstie I’m sure you’ll be great,” Josh tried to boost my confidence.
“Josh you don’t understand. I play guitar, I don’t sing,” I shook my head.
“She’s really self conscious of her voice,” Danny said looking at Josh.
Josh stood up and put his arms around my shoulders and guided me over to the opposite end of the room.
“Why don’t you want to do this?” he questioned.
“Because I’m no good at singing,” I told him.
“C’mon Kirstie, talk to me,” Josh prodded sensing there was something else…which there was.
“Well…” I said biting my bottom lip not sure if I wanted to tell him or not. “When I was younger I had people tell me that my voice was no good and they laughed at me,” I told him knowing that I could trust Josh.
“Aw I’m sorry Kirstie,” He sighed while pulling me into a hug. “But I don’t think you’ll be bad. Will you at least try it… for me… and for Kylee?”
“….okay,” I sighed giving in.
We walked back over and I took a seat across from the three guys. I grabbed my acoustic guitar and started strumming. I inhaled a deep breath before starting to sing, I just concentrated the entire time and I didn’t even look up at any of them until the song was over.
“Did you guys hate it?” I nervously asked while stealing a glance up at them.
“Are you kidding me? That was amazing!” Danny shouted.
“That was really…. Wow! I don’t even know what else to say!” Kevin smiled.
“Kirstie, you have such a beautiful voice,” Josh softly told me. “And that was a beautiful song. It’s going to mean so much to Kylee… and the rest of the Mulisha too.”
“Thanks,” I shyly smiled while brushing some hair out of my face.
“So are you still self conscious of your voice?” Kevin asked.
“No…. but I’m not going to be the lead singer if that’s what you’re asking!” I teased with a laugh.
“We’re not asking that because then you’d take my job!” Danny yelled but his smile broke through. “But that gave me so many ideas. We could start doing harmonies on songs. You know how amazing that would be?”
“Yeah Danny’s got a rougher voice and Kirstie’s got a smooth melodic voice. That would work so well together on harmonies,” Kevin said getting excited.
“Ha ha just like John Lennon and Paul McCartney,” I giggled. “YAY! I get to be Paul McCartney!”
“Aw man, if I’m John Lennon do I have to get murdered then?” Danny teased as we all laughed. “But Kirstie at our next concert you have to play that song. It could be the closing one.”
“Okay I’ll invite Ky and tell her that I have a surprise,” I smiled.
“I’m totally inviting the rest of the Mulisha too,” Josh grinned.
“No you’re not!”I shot at him.
“C’mon,” Josh begged. “They’ll want to hear it too, all those guys loved Jeremy an awful lot. Like I said earlier, just do it for me and Kylee.”
“I shouldn’t hang around you,” I shook my head at Josh.
“Why?” he asked.
“You talk me into bad things,” I laughed as did he.
Later that night when I walked out of the studio I couldn’t believe that I was going to be singing an acoustic song I wrote for Kylee about her deceased brother. None of that made sense. I still can’t believe that Josh talked me into singing either. After I was told that I had a horrible voice I told myself I’d never sing again. I never thought that some guy would be able to talk me into doing it, especially one who likes Lil’ Wayne!
“I’m sorry. I have issues finding the recording studio,” He sarcastically replied.
“You know there’s this amazing new invention called Google, or Mapquest, or a Navigation app on a cell phone,” Danny threw at him playfully with even more sarcasm in his voice.
“You know sometimes your sarcasm hurts,” Kevin said while putting a hand over his heart pretending to be offended…. It didn’t work at all.
“Let’s just start this thing,” Danny rolled his eyes.
“Wait hold on, Josh wanted to come to one of our recordings, let me call him really quick,” I told them while grabbing my phone and going out into the hall.
“Hey J-Dawg,” I giggled.
“Hi,” he laughed along with me. “What are you up to?”
“Well we were just going to do some recording, maybe write a song or two and I know you said that you wanted to come sometime so I wanted to see if you were busy,” I explained.
“Um…. No… I’m not busy,” Josh told me and I didn’t even have to see him to know he was smiling.
“Great, I’m glad you can come,” I genuinely told him.
I then gave him the directions and he told me that he’d be there as soon as he could. Josh showed up about 45 minutes later and he didn’t miss much. We recorded one song but that was it.
“Hey, it’s so good to see you,” I beamed once Josh walked into the recording room.
“It’s good to see you too. I’m excited to see all of this,” He replied once we shared a big hug.
“Yeah well go ahead and sit anywhere you like. Make yourself at home… I probably spend more time here than I do at my actual home,” I laughed.
For the next four and a half hours we played around with songs Danny had written while we were on tour. Trying different styles, different speeds, anything that might make it sound better.
“I actually wrote one too. I don’t know if it’ll work but wanna try it?” I asked.
“Aw great Kirstie,” Danny said making me feel good as I handed him a paper that had the lyrics on it.
“I wrote it for Kylee right after Jeremy died,” I told them.
Josh then asked to see the paper. I watched his eyes scan the read over the lyrics.
“You wrote this?” He asked and I nodded my head.
“It’s really good. I can’t wait to hear it,” he told me with a big smile.
I grabbed my acoustic guitar and put the strap over my head. “So do you want me to play through it first so you can kind of hear how the lyrics should go?” I questioned to Danny.
“I’m not going to sing it,” he plainly stated.
“Why not?” I asked as my eyebrows wrinkled up.
“I think you should. It’s your song and it’s for your best friend, you need to sing it,” He told me.
“No Danny. I don’t want to, will you please just do it,” I said getting agitated.
“Why don’t you want to?” Josh asked me.
“She won’t sing for people. She doesn’t think she’s any good. Kirstie especially won’t sing acoustic because acoustic songs are all about the singers voice,” Kevin explained.
“Kirstie I’m sure you’ll be great,” Josh tried to boost my confidence.
“Josh you don’t understand. I play guitar, I don’t sing,” I shook my head.
“She’s really self conscious of her voice,” Danny said looking at Josh.
Josh stood up and put his arms around my shoulders and guided me over to the opposite end of the room.
“Why don’t you want to do this?” he questioned.
“Because I’m no good at singing,” I told him.
“C’mon Kirstie, talk to me,” Josh prodded sensing there was something else…which there was.
“Well…” I said biting my bottom lip not sure if I wanted to tell him or not. “When I was younger I had people tell me that my voice was no good and they laughed at me,” I told him knowing that I could trust Josh.
“Aw I’m sorry Kirstie,” He sighed while pulling me into a hug. “But I don’t think you’ll be bad. Will you at least try it… for me… and for Kylee?”
“….okay,” I sighed giving in.
We walked back over and I took a seat across from the three guys. I grabbed my acoustic guitar and started strumming. I inhaled a deep breath before starting to sing, I just concentrated the entire time and I didn’t even look up at any of them until the song was over.
“Did you guys hate it?” I nervously asked while stealing a glance up at them.
“Are you kidding me? That was amazing!” Danny shouted.
“That was really…. Wow! I don’t even know what else to say!” Kevin smiled.
“Kirstie, you have such a beautiful voice,” Josh softly told me. “And that was a beautiful song. It’s going to mean so much to Kylee… and the rest of the Mulisha too.”
“Thanks,” I shyly smiled while brushing some hair out of my face.
“So are you still self conscious of your voice?” Kevin asked.
“No…. but I’m not going to be the lead singer if that’s what you’re asking!” I teased with a laugh.
“We’re not asking that because then you’d take my job!” Danny yelled but his smile broke through. “But that gave me so many ideas. We could start doing harmonies on songs. You know how amazing that would be?”
“Yeah Danny’s got a rougher voice and Kirstie’s got a smooth melodic voice. That would work so well together on harmonies,” Kevin said getting excited.
“Ha ha just like John Lennon and Paul McCartney,” I giggled. “YAY! I get to be Paul McCartney!”
“Aw man, if I’m John Lennon do I have to get murdered then?” Danny teased as we all laughed. “But Kirstie at our next concert you have to play that song. It could be the closing one.”
“Okay I’ll invite Ky and tell her that I have a surprise,” I smiled.
“I’m totally inviting the rest of the Mulisha too,” Josh grinned.
“No you’re not!”I shot at him.
“C’mon,” Josh begged. “They’ll want to hear it too, all those guys loved Jeremy an awful lot. Like I said earlier, just do it for me and Kylee.”
“I shouldn’t hang around you,” I shook my head at Josh.
“Why?” he asked.
“You talk me into bad things,” I laughed as did he.
Later that night when I walked out of the studio I couldn’t believe that I was going to be singing an acoustic song I wrote for Kylee about her deceased brother. None of that made sense. I still can’t believe that Josh talked me into singing either. After I was told that I had a horrible voice I told myself I’d never sing again. I never thought that some guy would be able to talk me into doing it, especially one who likes Lil’ Wayne!