Noah, Chris and Adam sat on various couches and beanbags around the studio, either playing an instrument or listening to music, or doing both at the same time. Pete was inside the booth, recording the vocals for a song they'd just finished doing the music for.
Noah's head bopped along to his music, iPod headphone in one ear, the other listening to the tune he was perfecting on the piano, completely oblivious to the other members of the band, and they seemed to be the same way.
Inside the booth, Pete stepped closer to the mic, headphones on his head, only one earpiece actually over his ear. He tapped his foot softly on the ground in time, closing his eyes as he became immersed in the music.
"When you left I slammed the door
Didn't care for you anymore
Fuck this should've happened sooner
Can't believe the shit I put up with
From you, from you, from you
When you left I smiled and laughed
Felt like I was alive again
Feel so free, feel like singing
Don't even try coming back here
You've burnt those bridges
I can breathe easy now
I can see clearly now
Futures bright and in my grasp
No one weighing me down no more
Took my first steps outside
Into the new world around me
Never want to turn back into that darkness
You dragged me down to hell
I can breathe easy now
I can see clearly now
You don't cloud my judgement no more
Free free free
I spoke up to make a stand
I gave a damn
It was slowly killing me
I can breathe easy now
I can see clearly now
No more whispered doubts
I can breathe, breathe, breathe..."
~*~*~*~
Adam grinned, looking up from the guitar he'd been idly playing.
"Pete, little bit angry over the whole Loz thing, yeah?" he said, laughing a bit.
Chris nodded. "Just a bit. But don't knock it, we get some quality songs written when he's pissy."
Noah switched his iPod off and got up from his seat, heading over to peer into the booth.
"He's a bit down over the whole thing though," he mused.
And he was right. Somehow, over the year, the most carefree of the band had lost the spark in his eye, the mischievious streak that had so often led to nudie runs through hotels, gigs, shops, anywhere public really. He'd somehow seemed to become weighed down with problems all in one night. Some of it could be traced back to the break up with Lauren, the girl who screwed him around for the last year, but more of it had to do with the fact that his family, back home, was almost non existant. His dad had just walked out on his mom, after his mom had just lost her own mother to cancer, and while he was away in LA, his mom was falling apart, with his sister not much help. Since her younger brother got famous, she'd taken advantage of that to get into parties, riding his coat tails and seemingly using it as an excuse to get into some pretty hardcore drugs.
It was messing with Pete's head, and the only way he was getting it out was through his music. Which worked out well for the band, they were getting some quality rage songs, but they were watching their friend become more and more depressed. And despite all they had, their own record label, money - though admittedly, not much considering they were financing everything themselves now - but even with all that, it was still hard to see their friend losing himself.
Pete came out of the booth and saluted to the rest of the band, completely unaware that they'd just spent the last few minutes talking about ways to cheer him up.
"Noahbaby, you're up," he said, tipping an imaginary hat in Noah's direction.
"You lurve me," Noah replied, fluttering his eyelashes.
After having previously recording the track to the new song Noah was going to record, he sauntered into the booth, closing the door behind him and adjusting a well worn old baseball cap on his head. From outside, Adam snorted at the cap. It had become somewhat of Noah's trademark recording hat, he wore it everytime they were in the studio, saying he felt like it made him play better, or some other nonsense. It was probably his lucky talisman or something else like that, but still... didn't stop the others from teasing the crap out of him.
Noah put the headphones over his ears and his fingers tapped his leg, reflexively playing the melody over and over as if his leg was the piano.
~*~*~*~
"I have to say," Chris spoke up from outside. "That the song he's about to actually do vocals for is one of the nicest he's written. Including the ones he's done for AJ."
"This one for the bubs?" Pete asked, jerking his head in the vague direction of their rented house in LA.
"Yeah," Chris replied. "It just has a different feel to it. Sounds ace with the piano, we should do a lot more stuff with the piano..."
"I think 'So Hard To Get' should have a piano in it. Sounds like it's lacking, you know?" Adam said.
"It does, you know," Pete agreed. "I was thinking that when we did it yesterday. You know... I'm itching to go back home and do local shows again, as crazy as it sounds."
"Same, maybe we could do some recording back home?" Chris suggested.
"Fuck yeah, I never thought I'd miss Tulsa, but we've been away for so long now," Adam nodded. "We'll take to Noah, I'm sure he'll wanna get back home too."
~*~*~*~
"It's 4am and outside I can hear the birds
I can't sleep, but what's the point
If I can't even dream up a dream
That's as good as you
So there's no need for me to move
I'm better off, just waiting
Waiting here till you need me
Coz life, hell it's complicated baby
You're better off not knowing
This love is a beautiful one
And I never saw it coming
I know that it's most definitely
The truest thing I've ever felt
Sweet baby, keep your chin up
Cause you got all my love
Coz we're all just lovers and fakers
Pulling stunts to make it in the papers
I lose my head when I'm around you
Mixed up crazed without you
So there's no need for me to change this
We're better off just waiting
Don't cry, sweet little baby
Coz the reasons for your tears
Aren't worth crying
Coz this love is a beautiful one
And I hope it never comes undone
And I know most definitely
That this is the way it's supposed to be
Keep singing, keep laughing
Cause you got all my love
This is all around me
I think that love has found me
I love you all the time
Coz this life is a beautiful one
I hope it'll never come undone
And I know most definitely
That this is the way it's meant to be
Keep singing, keep laughing
Cause you got all my love..."
"Breathe Easy" - Room69
"Love" - Room69