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A Helping Hand

04

As Indy parked her car outside of the studio, her stomach flipped, nervous energy flowing through her veins, keeping her awake since 4am that morning. Rationally, she knew she had nothing to worry about, what was another 3 or so people? Regardless of her rational thoughts, her body felt otherwise, and it was all she could do not to start her car back up and drive out of the parking lot.

Looking at the clock, she read 8:30. She had wanted to arrive before most people so she could greet them one by one, not walk into a room full of new people first thing in the morning. Taking a deep breath, she opened her car door, exiting her vehicle before she could chicken out and return to her apartment. She opened up her clear umbrella, sheltering her from the downpour outside. The miserable day did nothing to help lift her mood.

She shook her head, reminding herself that there was nothing to worry about, and that today would be more than fine, just more jamming with Brian and Zacky, talking to Matt and Johnny and laughing at Jimmy. It would be fine.

Walking down the dreadfully boring corridor, Indy saw the back of her father, presumably the one who opened the studio this morning, happy to see his familiar face. Their chat on Friday night was exactly what she had needed. She wanted to talk about her situation with someone that would understand, and who better than the man who got her the job in the first place?

“Morning,” she greeted, placing the guitar she took home over the weekend back with the other 3 she brought in last week. She was glad she could trust them not to get stolen here, knowing it would be a hell of a challenge bringing them to and fro day by day.

“Oh, morning, honey,” Mudrock replied, hearing his daughters voice fill the empty room. He looked up from his place at the computer, smiling widely at the young woman. From his reaction, Indy assumed they were the only ones here.

“How you doing, dad?” she asked, going over to sit on the seat she had occupied most of Friday, facing her father as he worked. She nervously played with the scarf around her neck, her fingers pulling at the frayed edges. When she caught what she was doing, she lowered her hands into her legging covered lap and fiddled with the edges of her jacket instead.

“I’m good, I’m good. You nervous?” he answered, asking her a question of his own. He knew his daughter well, and knew she stressed out easily, knowing that she would be anxious about pleasing more people with her guitar skills, not only the band. Her hands were the key give away, though. They were fidgeting with anything they could, the ring on her right hand, the edge of her blue tank top, diving into her bag at her side.

“Yeah, a bit,” she admitted, understating her nerves by a large amount. She placed her bag down near her guitars, fishing around for her phone. Once she found it, she noted the 5-minute time lapse from last time she checked, a few more butterflies flying around her stomach. “So, what’s the plan for today?”

“You will be working with Zacky, going through a song that needs to be fixed, learning the guitar tracks so you can record them,” he explained, detailing his prepared itinerary for today. He had spent the weekend working out a basic plan for the next few months, including who was doing what, when they were doing it and the time they had to work on it.

“Oh, ok, awesome,” she nodded, more than happy to be doing something similar to yesterday. She enjoyed spending time with the boys, jamming and working out their songs. She hoped she’d get to work with Brian as well, liking the way the pair worked together. “What about Brian?”

“He’ll be tracking most of today. I’ll give him leniency to work with you if you need him for some sections, but when he isn’t, he’ll be tracking,” he replied, his program giving Indy and Zacky more leniency than most of the others due to their unfortunate circumstance.

“That will be really helpful, thanks dad,” she said, smiling widely at her father, loving that he could balance the work as well as taking care of her needs. She loved spending time with him, loving his energy and vibrant nature despite his age. She then vowed to do her very best to impress her old man and keep his good reputation within the company.

“Any time, babe,” he replied fondly. As Indy was his only child, he cherished every moment he could spend with her, knowing she was growing up and would eventually see less and less of him, so he made use of the time he had. “The others should be here soon, so I’m going to grab a cup of coffee before the real work begins. Want one?”

“Yes please! You know me too well. I’ll stay here and tune my guitars.” The thought of coffee perked her up from the thoughts of the boring job ahead. She could get away with the strings being and eighth of a step out, but preferred to do them all now and fix each guitar as she needed to when recording, rather than going from scratch.

As her father left the den, she started her process, choosing her PRS to stay in standard tuning while dropping the other two to drop D, a common feature within the boys’ music. It was a repetitive, boring process, but one that needed doing, so she thought she’d waste the time now, rather than when she was working.

By the time she was half way through her second guitar, she heard the opening of the corridor door, its hinges squeaking as it was pulled open from the outside. The butterflies that had previously rested had once more taken flight, her stomach flipping slightly as she didn’t recognise the voices flowing in through the door. It was time…

She heard her father’s voice greet the workers, and by listening in, she detected 3 voices in total, meaning after this introduction, she had one more to meet before she knew all of the crew. She straightened her spine, taking a deep breath and readied herself as the voices grew closer, about to open the door.

“…boring weekend. Not complaining that I wasn’t working, though,” one of the new men said as he led the way into the studio. His attention snapped from the conversation to Indy.

“I didn’t know we were starting photo shoots today. And aren’t they normally outside the studio?” the other asked, not comprehending Indy’s presence. He knew she wasn’t one of the band or one of the crew, presuming her to be either a photographer or model. She couldn’t help but blush, ultimately being in both the band and the crew.

“Hi, I’m Indy. I’m actually a session guitarist,” she introduced herself, nerves rising as she made her first impression. She placed her guitar down, moving over and shaking the hands of the men in front of her. Though they were confused, they took her hand and shook it, they eyes turning to Mudrock for an explanation.

“Zacky broke his arm,” he stated, laying the basic facts on the table, hoping the two would link the pieces together. Lucky for him, they didn’t take long to realise why Indy was here, and it had nothing to do with photographs. He handed Indy her coffee with a quick reassuring wink.

“Shit. So you’re his…” the first to speak asked, trying to wrap his head around the situation.

“Assistant, I suppose,” she filled in, thinking it was the right word to describe her role without too much explaining.

“Ah, I get it,” he said, nodding his head and clapping his hands together and clasping them. “Well, I’m Matt, the guitar tech.”

“And I’m Jason, Jimmy’s drum tech,” the other introduced, nodding to her.

Indy looked at the pair, noticing a lot of similarities. It clicked in her head – they were brothers! Maybe even twins, guessing their ages.

Jason made his way into the drum room, starting his duties after understanding the situation. He didn’t have much to do with any guitar work, so he thought it best to leave them to it, doing what he was paid to do.

“So when did this happen?” Matt asked, trying to sort out when this all started. Having been called and told not to worry coming in on Friday after his day off on Thursday, he presumed it had something to do with Zacky and Brian deciding not to show. Now, he was more confused in hearing that one of the guitarists was out of action.

“Hey guys,” a third new voice greeted, interrupting Mudrock before he could start. He shook hands with the producer and guitar tech before outstretching it to Indy. “Hi, I’m Andy.”

“Indy,” she replied, shaking his hand. She presumed that he was the extra mixer her father had hired to help minimize his workload as he dealt with everything else. Seeing as the budget was quite large, he could afford to get in Matt, Jason, Andy and even Indy thanks to the cash pool.

“She’s here due to a new development in our issues,” Mudrock said before any questions could be asked.

Together, Mudrock and Indy explained the story, detailing why she was here, what she would be doing, and everything else in between. Indy had been surprised at how seemingly laid back everyone was about this situation, acting as if it happened every other day, and that they had to employ people to play the parts of rhythm guitarists.

By the time they had finished, all the boys in the band had arrived, Jimmy immediately heading into the drum room to play around and put Jason to work. He had an epiphany of a different drum fill in ‘Beast and the Harlot’, wanting to show it to him before they tracked it, replacing it on the master track and leaving the song complete. The other four sat on the sofas talking, not sure what to do as the people they worked with were busy. Both guitarists were itching to play some new material, but Zacky was forced to contain the eagerness, needing it to flow through Indy instead of his own agile fingers.

“Ok,” Mudrock started, getting everyone’s attention before he started to dictate what each person was to be doing. “Today is going to be busy, and each of you will be working non-stop. Jimmy, I see is already playing, which is good. Matt, you and I will be working with Johnny to sort out these demos, deciding which songs were going to work on and produce. Guitarists, you’ll all be working together to perfect the harmonised fills in ‘The Wicked End’. Brian will track first while Zacky teaches Indy, then she’ll track. I want that done by lunch when we can all review the next songs Matt and Johnny pick out, and we’ll go from there.”

Everyone broke off into groups after Mudrock’s talk, the three guitarists, Matt and Andy moving over to their area, each finding a seat as Andy set up the computer, eventually finding the file and playing the track.

“So, he just wants the fills between verses, pre-chorus and chorus?” Brian asked, listening to their demo, sorting out which particular sections needed re-recording. They were all similar fills, if not the same, so it wouldn’t be too hard to record the missing sections and slot them into the song.

“I presume so. The verse sections are the same, and so are the pre-chorus parts, the only difference is the re-entry in the second half, back into the theme,” Matt pointed out. Indy noticed he was more than just a guitar tech, but also helped out with the recording and presumed anything to do with the guitars and guitarists.

“Hey, we did this one yesterday,” Indy noted, recognising the catchy riffs and melody line. “But I don’t recognise the end part.”

“Wanna play it and go from there, then I’ll start recording?” Brian asked her, helping jog her memory of their songs. He liked being able to instruct her, aiding Zacky when he couldn’t quite explain sections and just quickly playing it the way it was meant to be. He understood how hard her job must be, and was willing to help in almost any way he could.

“Yeah, that would be awesome,” she agreed, nodding eagerly at his offer. By playing it again, her fingers would remember what they had to do, and would help her nail the sections. “In drop D, right?”

“Yup. Good, old, faithful drop D,” he replied, the pair getting off their seats to fetch their guitars. Indy grabbed her Hellraiser while Brian grabbed his own custom Schecter, Indy dying of jealousy inside.

“This must suck for you,” Matt said to Zacky while the other two were gone so briefly. He empathised with the younger man, understanding his torment. He would hate not to be able to play guitar.

“That’s an understatement,” Zacky replied, sighing and sitting back in his chair. He felt useless once more, Indy already knowing what to do, his instructions falling on knowing ears.

The other two rejoined the pair, counting off and starting the harmonised riff. The onlookers had to give Indy credit, a few mistakes audible at the beginning, but as they continued, she played nearly flawlessly, her skills becoming more and more apparent to her bosses.

“One more time?” she asked, hoping they would all agree. She didn’t want to waste Brian’s recording time, knowing her father wanted this job done in a few hours, but really wanted to play it once more to nail it completely. “That end bit is fogging my brain.”

“Sure. 1, 2, 3, 4,” he counted off, once more playing his lower harmony while Indy complimented the riff in a higher register. This time, she barely missed a note, the end being her downfall.

“Ok, thanks. I’ll go work on that end bit,” she thanked Brian once they had finished, still not 100% happy with the last section. Her attention turned to Zacky, noticing his glum expression reappearing from Thursday. “Can you help me?”

“Huh? Yeah, sure,” Zacky replied, his attention snapping from his thoughts and to the woman in front of him. Maybe he could be some use after all. He followed her over to the couches, away from the recording pair as to not distract them.

“Ok, so this end bit,” Indy started, trying to play over the end section, once more screwing up in the same spot. “I fucking hate it.”

Zacky laughed at her comment, knowing exactly how she was feeling. He often felt the same when Brian created an elaborate solo, then expected him to play the harmonising accompaniment straight off.

They worked on the section together, repeating the bars over and over, continuing even when she had nailed the lick just to be sure. It took them about 45 minutes to correct her memorised version, teaching her fingers to do differently than what her brain was instructing. By this time, Brian had all but finished his section, working on that same last section when Indy and Zacky rejoined them in the tracking corner.

“Fucking done!” Brian exclaimed, throwing his head back and resting heavily on the back of the chair. It wasn’t the longest session he had recorded, but it was always a nice feeling to finish a song.

“Well done, man,” Zacky congratulated, patting the older man on the shoulder, happy for his friend’s achievement. Both Andy and Matt agreed, saying similar words of encouragement as the guitarist stood, vacating his seat for Indy. As she took his place, he returned his guitar to the stand and took Indy’s seat. He wanted to sit in on her first tracking session, seeing if she was someone who cracked under pressure.

“Ok, time to shine,” Indy joked, lightening the situation as she plugged her guitar into the lead, waiting for the tuner to pop up to double check her previous tuning work. She was nervous about tracking these riffs, particularly the last one that caused her so much pain, but the riff paled in comparison to the pressure of having two talented guitarists looking over her shoulder as she played.

“It’s no sweat,” Zacky told her, seeing her taking in a large breath and slowly release. As she was calming herself, Andy opened a new tracking bar, ready for this next session.

“Ready? I’ll play Syn’s parts one time where you can play along, just to make sure you got it down, then we’ll track,” he told her, the pair slipping their headphones on and waiting for the track to start. It took Indy a second to realise that Syn was Brian, temporarily forgetting their stage names, and as the track started, she understood what Andy was saying.

While Indy was playing along to the track, the two guitarists and Matt continued to watch on, still cautious and curious to see how she would do. She played along perfectly, each note struck clean and in time, helping soothe their worries. Brian and Zacky caught each other’s eye, nodding in recognition of her talent.

“Ok, that was perfect. Now, let’s track the first riff,” Andy told her, smiling as the recording finished, setting up for the real deal.

Indy turned around to her crowd, each smiling and giving her a thumbs-up. She returned the smile, happy the run through went perfectly and she didn’t completely screw up. It helped to boost her confidence knowing that all three thought she did well, and she hoped she would do the song justice.

“Indigo, ready?” Andy asked, pulling her attention away from the band mates and back to the job at hand. She nodded, her hands ready at the neck of her guitar, awaiting that 4 beat click track intro.

Again, she played the first riff, the notes easily flowing from her fingertips, being tracked by the computer. Once the 4 bar phrase was complete, the recording halted, the verse kicking in and her guitar returning to rhythmic duties.

“That was awesome,” Zacky told her, patting her shoulder in much the same manner as he did to Brian only 5 minutes ago. He was always happy when someone achieved something when recoding, the process often being repetitive and ongoing.

“See, easy as,” Brian added, smiling widely and encouraging her before he got up, happy now he was convinced that she was a solid guitarist, able to tackle some of their work. He was yet to see the extent of her abilities, but knew that would come in due time, a few chaotic solos already formulating in his brain for some of the demo songs.

“Thanks guys,” she said, smiling widely at her accomplishment. She usually didn’t track so intimately, but as a group effort. This was different, as was the calibre of musicians surrounding her, and it was enough to set her nerves a notch higher, regardless of the one track she had recorded.

They continued to track each of the sections, deciding to do each repeat as a new recording to give the atmosphere of a cohesive song, not a cut-and-paste job. As Mudrock had anticipated, it took the foursome until lunch to have perfect versions of each section to go on the final edit. By the end, Indigo was a lot more comfortable with the recording routine, and Zacky who had remained throughout the process, was more comfortable with his replacement.

“Ok, boys and girl. Lunch time,” Mudrock announced, standing from his chair and cracking his back, his bones and muscles tightening from the hours sat with Matt and Johnny listening to demos. His attention turned to the guitarists, Jimmy still playing around with his drumming while he was in the zone. “How did you guys go?”

“Done and dusted. Both recorded perfect parts that match up to the tee,” Andy reported, Indy setting her guitar back in its case while Zacky moved to the couch, standing beside Brian who was seated.

“Excellent. Well done guys. Try to get back in about an hour, then we have some tough choices to make. Now scram,” he told the group, happy with the work that had been achieved in the first full session back from Zacky’s injury. With them all working as a cohesive unit, he could see the album coming together with less stress and nerves than initially anticipated.

“See you then,” Matt spoke up for the group, following the producer’s lead and stretching his muscles. He ushered everyone out of the den, half turning right into the kitchen area while the rest continued down the hallway to the chilly weather outside.

Brian, Zacky and Johnny all made their way outside, eager for a nicotine break despite the cold weather. Nothing could get between the men and their cigarettes, and the lunch break was the perfect opportunity to indulge. They opened the heavy door to outside, slipping through it and not straying much further, grouping together to share the lighter Johnny remembered to bring out.

“So, were you guys productive?” the shorter man asked, slipping the cigarette between his lips, shielding the tip and lighting it, sucking in a lungful of smoke before gently exhaling.

“Yeah, we did what we needed to do,” Brian answered, following the bassist’s actions before handing the lighter to Zacky, watching the younger man struggle slightly with both igniting the lighter and shielding the flame. He managed it on the third attempt, closing his eyes and relishing the smoke running through his body. “What about you?”

“We narrowed down the songs, but we’re all going to talk about it after lunch,” Johnny replied, pocketing the lighter Zacky returned. He was curious how Indy was fitting in with the guitarists, but unsure how to ask without sounding nosey.

“Really? Awesome! We’ll finally get to create,” Brian exclaimed, happy to work on a new project than repeat the same lines he already knew. He enjoyed sinking his teeth into a new song, figuring out the structure, the harmonies and the solo. The solo was always the fun, yet slightly irritating part.

“Some of us will,” Zacky muttered, taking in another large puff and releasing to try and calm himself down. He knew he was being mopey, but couldn’t help his emotions from overcoming him temporarily.

“Don’t be so morose. You’ll quickly get the hang of it,” Brian consoled his friend, trying to get him to look on the happier side. “Plus, we know Indy is actually really fucking good.”

“Is she?” Johnny asked, happy the subject had been broached without him looking like a sticky beak. He couldn’t have been happier the way the conversation turned out. Having not dealt with the woman, he was not sure how she fit in with the style of music they were creating, and he didn’t want this album to be fucked up. It was his first entire album writing with the band, some songs from the previous album being written by the previous bassists.

“Yeah. She can play fast, accurate and understands the vibe we are creating. We’re actually pretty lucky, I think,” the lead guitarist told him, nodding as he spoke. He truly did like the session guitarist, and was eager to push her limits to see just how far she could go.

“So far, so good, but the real test will be writing with her,” Zacky added, everyone still having the small doubt in their head. She could only prove herself after she and Zacky collaborated to create a song, getting everyone’s approval.

“True, true. It’s going to be one interesting ride,” Brian stated, taking one last drag of his cigarette before throwing it to the pavement and grinding it out. He looked to the other two, noting their finished butts and led the group back into the warmth of the studio.

As they entered the hallway, they heard voices in the kitchen, Brian leading the way to the lunch-room and into the conversation. It was, as per usual, about the recording process, and how it was going.

“So, how did you go, Jimmy?” Mudrock asked the drummer who only recently emerged from the drum room with Jason. Jason had looked content, while Jimmy ran out of the room, clutching his genitals, screaming about his need for the bathroom. Everyone waited patiently until the giant returned to ask questions.

“Fucking awesome! We re-tracked the fills in ‘Beast and the Harlot’, came up with a killer intro for ‘Burn It Down’ and completed the end section of ‘M.I.A’,” the drummer replied happily, bouncing over to the fridge to get something to eat. He had to settle for a boring sandwich, the only edible item being bread and spreads.

“Fuck! Dude, that’s amazing,” Matt told him, speaking before anyone else to congratulate his friend. He knew Jimmy could be a genius when he put his mind to it, and today was proof of his willpower and love for their band.

“I know, I’m awesome,” he replied, tongue in cheek as he took the first bite into his lunch. He frowned, not impressed with the plain sandwich.

“And not at all modest,” Jason spoke up, his sarcasm making the room laugh.

The rest of lunch went smoothly, everyone chatting and talking about the recording process while Indy observed it all, still getting to know everyone’s interactions and how they all treated one another. She loved to observe people and tended to learn more about a person by seeing how they behave than only talking to them. This mix helped her not only in the job, but also in her personal life. It was the major thing she had learnt from her mother, the clinical psychologist. Indy had always been very interested in her mother’s work, finding the human brain more fascinating than anything else she had studied, but ultimately made the choice to leave that to her mother, and follow in her father’s musical footsteps.

“Ok, guys, back to work,” Mudrock ordered, the room quieting for a short period of time before everyone got up and started to head to the den. He herded the lot out of the kitchen, eager to move onto the next step in his plan.

Everybody took seats in the den, the band claiming the couches while the others took seats on the swivel chairs that littered the room. Everyone was excited to hear what songs Matt, Johnny and Mudrock chose to work on to complete the album.

“Now, as you know, we’ve decided what songs we think we should work on. Any questions, inputs or opinions can wait to the end,” Mudrock started, deciding to head off any interruptions before they started. “So, our list is: ‘Beast and the Harlot’ and ‘Trashed and Scattered’, which are now fully complete. ‘Burn it Down’, ‘The Wicked End’, ‘Blinded in Chains’, ‘Bat Country’, Sidewinder’, ‘Strength of the World’, ‘Betrayed’ and ‘M.I.A’ all need to be either fully recorded, or fixed. That gives us a total of 10 tracks.”

“I thought we were going to put a ballad on this one,” Brian pointed out, hearing the track listing and picking up the lack of a slower, softer song. He didn’t mind having the album faster and slightly heavy, but thought they would vary the tracks so it doesn’t get repetitive and boring.

“Oh shit, I forgot about that,” Matt replied, recalling part of a conversation that suggested a ballad. They had written a few, but hadn’t remembered to include any.

“Do we need a ballad?” Jimmy asked, preferring to play the fast tempo stuff, his mind much more at home playing chaotic, speedy beats.

“I think it would vary the album,” Brian answered, explaining his thoughts on the subject. They had a ballad-type song on the other two albums, making the brutality of ‘Sounding’ and ‘Waking’ a little more accessible while subtly getting their fans used to the softer side of the band.

“Good point,” Zacky noted, not sure if he wanted the ballad or not. “Mudrock?”

“I think it would be good to have it. As Brian said, it will vary the album in tempo, lyrical content and style. But, your album, your choice,” he said, agreeing with Brian to include a slower song. He liked how they worked together as a cohesive unit, rather than one member dictating the others, many groups following this trend of relying on one person rather than capturing each individual’s ideas.

“Let’s put in ‘Seize the Day’,” Matt suggested, liking the meaning behind the lyrics he had penned. It was a relatable subject matter, from musicians, to soldiers, to anyone who travels, and it meant that much more to him than some of the other songs they wrote. “Everyone ok with that?”

“Sounds good to me,” Jimmy nodded, fidgeting in his seat, itching to get back to drumming. He had been having idea after idea today, and wanted them tracked before he forgot.

“I’m fine with it,” Brian nodded, smiling.

“All good,” Johnny added, happily staying silent until this moment. He was more than ok with the ballad, already loving the songs they chose so far.

“Perfect,” Zacky agreed. He looked to his band mates, seeing them all happy with this addition, and was more than ok to go along with them. He trusted them all, and knew the record would sound amazing, ballad or no ballad.

“Ok, So ‘Seize the Day’ is in,” Mudrock double checked, needing the confirmation once more. He didn’t like to change things without everyone’s full support. It what made him so easy to work with, and why his albums had a tendency to please both the band and the record company. “So, now we will work on ‘Blinded in Chains’. Jimmy, go record. Matt, I want to see your lyrics. Johnny, try and fix the mid-section. In the demo, it didn’t fit with Jimmy’s timing. Brian, Zacky and Indy, its time to start creating.”

As everyone was moving off, the guitarists looked at each other, the moment of truth upon them. They now needed to prove that they could work together, regardless of Zacky’s injury, to complete this album. Needless to say, they all felt the same pang of fear course through their veins, anxious to see if they could pull this off.
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Indy's Outfit

Sorry about the delay - life got in the way for a while...
Things will be much more manageable soon :)