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Anyone up for a cover artist? Imogen Heap....; open!
Topic Started: Mar 19 2009, 08:53 AM (445 Views)
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[ *  *  * ]
Ally tugged at her skirt once more, feeling those typical pre-gig-jitters. It wasn’t a bit deal – or at least that’s what she kept chanting to herself. Of course a few days ago when Marcus called her saying he had a gig for her she’d been awfully confused; it would be quite difficult to make something in New York when she was outside of Tokyo… Of course Marcus had gone on to explain that an old buddy who had married a Japanese lady and followed her home had a little lounge club that specialized in cover artist shows. The whole thing was purely by chance! He – Jack – had called Marcus to just catch-up, as he was cooling his heels about yet another disappointing audition for new, quality, acts and the latest had been a no show. Well of course Marcus jumped on the opportunity and put Ally in contact with Jack – it was all downhill from there as much as a boulder gets going it just gets bigger and bigger and bigger…

So here she was, standing back stage waiting for nine o’ clock to roll around, fifteen more minutes. She was dressed quite fanticifully – not her idea of course. Tonight she was the Imogen Heap cover artist and Jack had decided to help her with the look. She was dressed in an odd creation of pink and fuscia iridescent tool and feathers; yes – there were feathers involved. While Ally had never gotten to see Imogen Heap play, she had watched her videos hungrily, as she felt some sort of kinship with the women’s music and had in a little way imitated her in her own music. But she had never thought to take it this far! The skirt poof’d out all around her like some neo-80’s prom creation with multi layers of tool and soft fabric attached to what looked like a very tight fitting bodice – but when you’re already the size of a twig, its hard to squeeze anything else out of you. It did succeed in almost giving her the appearance of cleavage, which was almost a consolation. She wore, of all things, shiny white go-go boots, leaving a few inches showing of the black fishnets over orange tights. Her hair was a creation in and of it’s self. Remember the feathers? Her hair was a mound of curls, braids, and feathers that went mostly up, giving her a halo of curling, multi colored hair, and bright fuscia and orange feathers. There was even a pink and orange feather that had been painted on the left side of her face, setting off the bright makeup that was more a mask than anything else. She was accustomed to playing around with makeup, but this was different. Red lips, her face powder pale, her eyed darkly and thickly lined, with varying shades of fuscia, pink, and orange covering her eyelid and finished off with bright yellow fake lashes.

Ally almost didn’t recognize herself in such an outfit.

Fifteen minutes to go.

Her new gear was already setup on stage. All she really needed was her keyboard and the looping machines to recreate a lot of Imogen’s music. There were some aspects she wouldn’t be able to reproduce but that would have taken a full band and hours of practicing, which they hadn’t given her. She’d had all of a few days to agree and study the set list she’d created before it was time for mic check and wardrobe. She’d been here all day and hadn’t been able to get near a computer and her email.

She had at least made some headway with her troubles. There had been a few emails exchanged and she was beginning to form a plan – of course she needed to check her email first, and before that she would have to perform tonight. She wasn’t dreading the performance, she just didn’t know what to expect. She had been nervous about telling anyone she was playing here tonight and hadn’t even mentioned it until it was too late; she’d succeeded in dropping a few flyers off at the rooms of some of the people she knew but that was it. She didn’t think anyone would come and she’d thought she wouldn’t want anyone there, but now – with fifteen minutes to go, it might have been nice to see a friendly face out there or have someone there with her, but it was too late to change now.

So wiggling her toes inside the boots, feeling the webbing of the fabric press into her toes she took a deep breath and peeked out from behind the curtains yet again at all the people – where had they all come from???
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nid-vaeda
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Viktor was sorting out a box of new records that had come into the store when an older man walked up to him. He was pot-bellied and showed signs of balding. With a seasoned voice the man spoke. "Viktor you can go home now I'll finish up here" He told the boy. "You sure?" Viktor asked as he still flipped through the records every now and then pulling one out and placed in a bin on the shelf. "Yeah its died down a lot" Viktor nodded and left to go into the break room to retrieve his stuff.

He hadn't planned on going home early so he wasn't quit sure what he was going to do with the spare time he had just acquired.As he was passing by the door to leave he had just happened upon it. On a cork board by the door that the manager allows people to post notices about performances Viktor spotted one that interested him. Taking it off the board he waved good by to his manager and exited the store.

It didn't take long for him to reach where the performance was going on. He paid for his ticket and entered. "Man it's crowded in here" Viktor observed offhandedly. He made his way through the crowd, standing out as he was taller than most. He took a quick look at his watch and than at the flier he had brought with him, it wouldn't be long until it started.
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Ally was pacing backstage; it wasn't quite a full house, but the tables were mostly occupied with a few here and there open. She was the only act tonight since it wasn't a weekend, and would play three five minute segments. Thankfully she had already programmed much of the arrangements into the keyboard that stood at the ready on the stage. Sliding her hands down her hips in nervousness she felt the scratchy fabric rub the soft skin of her hands. She went back to the curtain and pulled it back just a bit to peek back out at the crowd of people eating dinner and having drinks and talking. She wondered what the reaction would be, if people would pay attention or what might happen.

Scanning the audience, she missed the one familiar face the first time her eyes rolled over him, but the second time she saw him. There was no way he would be able to see her, which was a little disheartening, she would have liked to say hi and get a big hug.

"Well Ally," Jack said from behind her, "almost ready to go on?"

Dropping the curtain and stepping back she smiled at the older man, "Of course!"

Jack grabbed a bottle of water and casually came closer, "So did any of your friends come to see you?"

"Actually I didn't think anyone was going to come, but I just saw my friend Viktor out there," she said, gesturing at the curtain behind her.

"Oh - do you want me to go grab him?"

Startled, Ally shrugged and nodded, "Sure - he's tall, probably wearing yellow glasses."

"Okay - well we have fifteen minutes until I introduce you; I'll go grab your friend and tell the host to give him a table - that okay?"

And without waiting for a response he turned and left the backstage area through a small door set into the wall. Pacing back and forth again, ignoring the circular couch and coffee table, the table and chairs, the small buffet and assorted drinks.

Meanwhile Jack was able to quickly spot Viktor and walked up to the young man with a broad smile on his face and holding out his hand, "Hey - are you Viktor? Ally's backstage - she said she saw you and if you want to go back there she has really twenty minutes before she's going on. I think she's getting nervous so she could use a little help calming down." Turning around, he pointed at the door he had just come out of, "Through that door, on the right, okay? If you'll excuse me I need to make sure you have a table, alright?"

And with that he was gone, leaving Viktor and Ally both to their own means until Ally took the stage.
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Folding the flier up and placing it in his pocket Viktor was startled by the appearance of Jack. "Hey - are you Viktor? Ally's backstage - she said she saw you and if you want to go back there she has really twenty minutes before she's going on. I think she's getting nervous so she could use a little help calming down.Through that door, on the right, okay? If you'll excuse me I need to make sure you have a table, alright?"

"Uh Yeah I am" Viktor said as he shook the outreached hand. "Yeah sure thanks" He said as the man walked away. Looking to the the door Viktor traversed through the crowd and opened it. Following the man's directions he found himself watching as Ally paced back and forth. He let out a small chuckle as he stepped in.

As her mind was busy with the nervousness of preforming Viktor was able to walk up behind her and slip his arms around her waist. Laying his chin upon her shoulder he spoke to her in a soft low voice "You look beautiful"
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Eyes transfixed on a guilty spot of carpet, Ally was already lost to the moment and unaware of Viktor until he was there, his voice in her ear. Gasping and twisting around to throw her arms around his shoulders she broke out into a little nervous laughter.

"I look like I should be in a circus!" She laughed and pulled away slightly so she could see his face; oddly the boots almost put her on eye level with him.

Time had eased her irritation with him, though there had been few words between them or time spent so they were still reading the same page as before - but at least it was in a different light. She was glad he was there, even if she was going to be on stage and wouldn't be able to hang out with him until afterwards really.

"Sorry - the last few days since this came up have been crazy," she said quickly - she had really been off campus a lot prepping for this since it really was on such short notice. "I'm glad you can be here - even if I'm doing some sort of weird cover thing."
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"I look like I should be in a circus!" Viktor smiled at her comment. "Well, maybe they did go a little overboard with the whole thing...but you still look good" He told her reassuringly. He had to admit he had never really seen anyone dress up for a gig. The people he normally played with would normally dress in regular street clothes, and if they ever did dress up the most would be a button down shirt and some slacks.

"Sorry - the last few days since this came up have been crazy," He shrugged it off "Nah that's okay, I know how stressful things like this can be." He looked back into her dark chocolate eyes. "I'm glad you can be here - even if I'm doing some sort of weird cover thing." Smiling he replied " Are you kidding...I wouldn't miss it, after all this is the first time actually seeing you preform. I mean now I can say that I got to see you before you made it big." He told her in a playful tone hoping to ease her nerves.

Truly he was glad he had seen the flier at work, otherwise he probably would have missed the show entirely. However that was not where his mind was at. He was thinking how good it felt to have her in his arms again, when ever he had the chance to be around her he enjoyed it, a feeling that was all too evident in his body language.
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"I'm glad you can be here - even if I'm doing some sort of weird cover thing."

Smiling he replied " Are you kidding...I wouldn't miss it, after all this is the first time actually seeing you preform. I mean now I can say that I got to see you before you made it big."

Blushing a bit - which was completely covered by the powder and pink makeup, she laughed, a deep throaty laugh, the feathers sticking out of her hair floating around her like some odd sort of halo. There wasn't much time before she was going on, Jack would be back to double check with her, go out on stage and do his normal five minute welcome and intro for the night and then it was her for nearly an hour - but right now she tried to not think about it.

"Whatever," she said rolling her eyes. "It should at the very least be interesting; they're doing lights and the whole thing. I've never played with like a real light show. In rehearsal I just stopped like twice and watched the lights - Jack got so upset at me!"

Laughing at herself helped, a little of the nerves soaking out of her. She knew she was like this, a bundle of nerves until the moment she stepped out there and then it would drop like a cloak from her shoulders and from then on out it would be a blur until the end with a few short breaks where she said pre-scripted, witty things.

"Did Jack say he was going to get you a table? I'm going to be starving after this - I haven't eaten all day and you'd better not think you're going to see a show and skip out," she scolded, a silly cast clinging to the edges of her demeanor.

Ten minutes...
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"It should at the very least be interesting; they're doing lights and the whole thing. I've never played with like a real light show. In rehearsal I just stopped like twice and watched the lights - Jack got so upset at me!"

The thought of her awestruck by the dancing lights was an amusing image in Viktor's Mind. Hopefully she wouldn't fall into the trans during the performance, he thought to himself.

"Did Jack say he was going to get you a table? I'm going to be starving after this - I haven't eaten all day and you'd better not think you're going to see a show and skip out," Viktor couldn't help but smile. "I would never think of it" He told her as he tickled her side playfully.
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As it would happen, a rather short of stature man walked briskly in and pulled on a giggling Ally's arm, in one hand he held the headset mic and the look on his face was not one of patient understanding. Stepping away from Viktor she glanced at him, a rather comical - I-must-behave - look on her face as she leaned down for the much shorter man to situate the mic on her ear.

"You must sit," he said sternly, pulling over a ladderback chair for her to sit in.

Obediently sitting the man went to work positioning the mic on her ear, taping it in place and then assuming the liberties of shoving the transmitter down the back of her dress - which of course startled her visibly. There was a little more tape to keep the wire in place and the little man grumbled about the makeup and tape - because the powder and glitter extended down her neck, across her chest and the length of each arm. They had been thorough!

"Heeey, there she is," it was Jack again - changed into something you'd expect to see on stage. A flashy black suit that somehow glittered all on its' own. "He's getting you all wired up? Great!" He clapped the exasperated little man on the back - who in turn glared at him. Jack just laughed that off and extended his hand to Viktor, "Hey man - there's a table set up for you - she's going on in a few minutes and they're going to do a quick mic check."

As suddenly two women descended from gods only knows where with more powder puffs and brushes she was quickly enveloped by people she didn't know and managed only a wave for Viktor as suddenly people were babbling at her and the little man was demanding her to say things and sing a scale...

To Ally it seemed like only moments had passed before one of the women pulled the curtain back and the other was shooing her out to the clapping audience, and blinded by the key lights she had to trust on her memory of the stage only as the prerecorded intro was pushed into life and she began the opening lines to the first song.

The music what it was, Ally was singing and either playing the keyboard or running various looping machines and patches to attain the right affects on instruments and voice.

Five songs, and a break. Five songs, and a break, Five songs and a break.

It was quick - at least after that first song and the next to the last one that was all accappella with a loop of her own voice chipping back at her. Sure the lights were pretty disturbing but as she couldn't really see individual peoples' faces it was easy to just let her eyes be dazzled by the lights and watch them, imagining herself in a world of glitz and song. It was strangely homey...
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The sudden entrance of the short sound man took Viktor by surprise though not nearly as much as how he treated Ally. It angered him to a degree, but Ally's whimsical expression took the edge off. It all seemed to happen so quickly the appearance of all the different make-up personnel and stage hands.

"Hey man - there's a table set up for you - she's going on in a few minutes and they're going to do a quick mic check."

"Yeah okay" Viktor nodded at Jack "Ally your going to be great" He shouted to her over the rushing of everyone giving a small wave as he exited from the way he came.

Finding his way to the table, he saw that it had a small 'reserved' sign sitting on top of it. Taking his seat he played with the small plastic sign for a time. The curtains parted and on the stage she walked. It was all overwhelming, in a good way. Viktor had never heard the songs preformed before but he enjoyed what he was hearing.
The lighting worked wonderfully in conjunction with the costume and music. Viktor gave out applause alongside most of the audience.
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The closing sustaining notes died from the speakers a scant second from those on her lips. Her eyes had adjusted so she could see human shaped silhouettes who bobbed and clapped and a few even sung along with her. The lights had helped her to believe she was in her own little world and eased her nerves in the beginning - but as she'd progressed and felt more comfortable she'd become more curious - peering past the glitz and haze created by the lights to catch a glimpse of a face here and there.

As the curtain closed behind her she brushed past Jack who grabbed her arm and whispered congratulations to her. Smiling, she descended into the waiting arms of his wife and another lady who shuffled her back to the dressing room and took possession of the mic and costume. There was nothing to be done about the makeup and hair unless she wanted to look like she'd crawled out from under a rock.

Stepping back out of the dressing room in her own flip flops, jeans, and zipper hoodie, the makeup and hair were still the same. She'd worry about that later. Jack was waiting for her and after some congratulatory conversation and a picture of the two of them Ally poked her head out - the room still mostly full of people eating and drinking. There was some dancing going on but mostly the bar was active at this time.

Viktor was easy to pick out and crossing the room she slid into the vacant chair, feeling all the energy slipping out of her. She wanted food, and sleep.

"Hey," she smiled, "what'd'ya think?"
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Viktor looked around the room after Ally had departed from the stage. It didn't take long before she returned this time wearing regular clothes, however the makeup and hair did make Viktor chuckle a little. He gave her a playful smile. "Hey," she smiled, "what'd'ya think?" "You were great" He told her as he laid a hand on top of hers. "I see you've warmed up to the make up" He teased her.

Viktor's stomach grumbled softly, it didn't occur to him until that moment that he hadn't had anything to eat except for a small bowl of cereal earlier that morning. "So did you want to eat here or go somewhere else?" He asked not quite sure what the place had in ways of food.
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"You were great. I see you've warmed up to the make up."

"Oh this," she made a face and raised her hands to brush some of the feathers, "it's going to take a long time to get all this makeup off, and my hair is glued up there, so when it all comes off I'm crawling into bed - and before I sleep - I want food," she was very passionate about the idea of food, in her stomach.

Swiping a small, spiral bound menue from the table she flipped through, wanting something that was decidedly familiar. There was a pizza option, but she was a little leery of the topping choices from a glance only.

"So did you want to eat here or go somewhere else?"

"Here," she said flipping another page before glancing up and smiling, "whatever we get here is a) free, and b) fresh cooked and hot." Noodle soup stuff, that sounded safe enough. "I think I'm getting the noodle chicken soup stuff," she offered with an eager smile.

Oh right - she had big news he didn't know. Her eyes went back to the menue before flipping it closed and tossing it on the table. Sighing she crossed her arms and slumped down in the chair. She was more than a little drained, but that was okay. Jack was going to make sure the stage guy had her stuff taken down just right and later Jack would take her back to school where she could collapse into the welcoming embrace of her solitary room.

"How's work? How are thing?" She asked in quick sucsession. Better talk about him before she talked herself silly, but before he could really reply much a serving person came to see if they were ready to order. Hurray food!
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