Electric Hammer To the Heart
December 4, 1995
"We get it you're hot"

~

    Reggie's amp buzzed as Alex banged his drumsticks together, "One Two Three Four!" The lights came up on the band as the four types of guitarist turned away from their drummer. Nearly jumping to there mics. From the house it was almost pitiful to see the height difference between Erica and her band mates, yet you could tell that the girl packed just as much punch. And more importantly..... energy.

    "Take off, last stop. Count down till we blast open the top!." Luke Patterson rocked back and forth as he played his guitar and sang. "Face First, full charge. Electric hammer to the heart." No one on stage was ashamed to be jumping around, all of them filled with a mix of nerves and excitement. It was their night. Their time. For the first time they were the ones in the spotlight.

    The rest of Sunset Curve joined in, "Clocks move forward, but we don't get older, noooooo. Keep on climbing cause, this is our time, yeah!" All members of the band were smiling as they sang. Sweat dripping down their foreheads and into their eyes but they loved every second of the rush.

    It was back to just Luke, "And all the times we feel behind, were just the keys to paradise." Both the guitar and bass picked up, but Alex kept a steady pace on drums. Luke nodded Erica over to his mic as the two shared center stage. The best friends rocked their hearts as the bounced up and down. "Don't look down. 'Cause we're still rising....
    Up right now. Yeah even if we
    Hit the ground. We'll still fly, yeah. Dreaming it like we'll live forever. BUT LIVE IT LIKE IT'S NOT OR NEVER!"

      Erica and Luke were mere inches apart but to them it was normal, it was almost daily they were this close. And especially on stage it didn't mean anything other than 'let's gives these people the show of their lives.'

    Luke pushed Erica back to her mic by Reggie as Erica took the verse by herself, Luke falling back on vocals, "Here the noise in my head. It's calling out like a voice I can't forget. One life, no regrets. Catch up got no time to catch my breath." Her voice seemed less forced into the mic than Luke's did, but it didn't take away the rock feel the whole song had. Since you know, it was a rock song.

Out of all the songs on their demo Erica had to say Now or Never was her favorite. Sure it wasn't the song on the album that gave her the most vocals but she still had a few and above all it was fun. Every time she played it she enjoyed it. It was a song she would never get sick of. Because if music didn't get you energized or really sad there was no point in listening to it. If music didn't make you feel..... something. Then it wasn't good music. And every time she played this song she felt something she could only describe as magical.

    "Clocks move faster cause it's all we're after now, ohhh. And don't stop climbing, 'cause this is our time yeah." Bobby held his guitar up to the mic in front of him, playing the instrument into it.

    "When all the days felt black and white, those were the best shades of my life." Erica put her foot on the band riser pushing off of it into a small jump before finding her way back to her mic. "Don't look down. 'Cause we're still rising, up right now. Yeah even if we hit the ground. We'll still fly. Dreaming like we'll live forever. But live it like it's now or never!"

    "We ain't searching for tomorrow! [Tomorrow] 'Cause we got all we need today [today]" Reggie and Erica echoed into their mics at what Alex sang. Reggie had this way to change his voice between the sweet kid he was and the rockstar inside. Something Erica found kinda impressive. Erica's eyes locked onto her little brother from the stage, sending him a smile that made the sun look dull.

    "Living on a feeling that's been running through our veins." Luke looked like he was about to merge with the microphone in front of him, tipping forward on his toes so he was standing taller than his natural height.

"Yeah, we're the revolution that's been singing in the rain." Reggie ran a hand threw his soaking wet hair, shaking some of the sweat out of it. His hand came from is hair and push the neck of his bass guitar behind him so she could clap with the rest of the band.

"Don't" The band started to clap over their heads, Alex keeping a louder beat by banging his drumsticks together. Adam tapped his foot along with the claps. As everyone else kept the beat, Luke swung his guitar around his back. "Look down. Cause we're still rising up right now!" Luke, Erica, and Bobby matched a chord as they strummed down, Reggie playing the same note an octave down. Two sets of smoke cannons going off on either side of the stage in time with the chord.

    "And even if we hit the ground, we're still flying dreaming like we'll live forever. But live it like it's now or never. It's now or never. [Now. Or. Never]" Erica played the last notes to the song, ending in time with one last symbol crash from Alex. She turned away from the drummer with a smile as the different workers started to clap for the band.

The five members of Sunset Curve dripped with sweat and probably smelled like pure salt water, but god did it feel good. Luke and Erica shook out their hair, hitting the other with sweat. Alex grimmest at the best friends as Luke threw his arm around Erica.  Erica had to stand on her toes to comfortably wrap her arm around Luke's shoulders. The two bowed in sync as the different workers in the Orpheum clapped and cheered. They would take any applause they could muster. Any at all.

   Nicholas was jumping up and down clapping for his older sister. The younger Adair child was hardly balancing the camera in his hand through the clapping. Adam couldn't stop himself from having the same energy as the waitress next to him as she clapped just as loud as the family members in the room. Richard Adair matched his clapps to the beat of the song that had just ended, switching his smile from his son to his daughter and back.

    "Whoa! Yeah!" The girl on Adam's right bounced up and down as she clapped.

    The five members laughed from the stage, Reggie grabbing his mic, "Thank You. We're Sunset Curve." Adam laughed to himself amazed the boy didn't add his almost signature catchphrase to the end of the sentence.

    Bobby shook his hand out after placing his guitar on a stand. "Too bad we wasted that on a sound check! That was the tightest we've ever played." Luke gave Bobby a weird cross between a high five and just hitting their forearms together. Erica pulling her hair from her neck and tossing it into a messy side braid.

    "Just wait until tonight man, when this place gets packed with record execs." Luke rocked back on his heels before Erica and him did their secret handshake......That might have been from first grade. Yeah so they weren't proud of it and it looked dumb but it held a weird amount of sentimental value.

    Reggie joined the rest of his band, having put his things on the other side of the stage, "Alex, you were smoking." The bassist completed his friend, knowing the blond would push the comment aside.

    Erica looked over her arms, "Yeah, I think you gave me heat bumps." She joined in on Reggie's words after turning away from Luke.

    Alex was too excited to correct his friend, "Oh no, I was just warming up. You guys were the ones on fire. Maybe that's where the heat came from."

    Reggie threw his arms to the side, "could you just own your awesomeness for once?"

    Alex looked toward Erica and Luke, the two friends eagerly shook their heads, "All right. I was killing it." Luke chuckled, giving Alex a pat on the back before Alex and Reggie quickly hugged.

    Erica's stomach growled, "Oo, major mood dampener."

    Luke laughed, "Well, I was thinking we fuel up before the show anyways. I'm thinking street dogs."

    "Yes." "Ooo." "Please." Despite three of the members agreeing, Bobby didn't say anything.

    "Hey Bobby, where you going?" However rather than following her friends Erica made her way over to her brother. He was standing a few feet away from everyone else, holding a tape recorder.

    "You better have caught that all, because no cameras tonight. Just pure talent." She yelled across the room, making her way over.

    Nicholas placed the recorder down on a dinning table next to him, "Yeah, what would you do if I didn't?" Erica smirked, running over to her brother and picking him up by the waist. "EW! Put me down, you're all sweaty and you stink!" Erica laughed, putting her brother back on the ground and giving him a noogie. "And I got it damn."

    The boy ran a hand threw his hand, trying to tame it back down after his sister's immaturity. The older Adair rolled her eyes, fixing her braid and using the hair tie that was tied around the camera to finish the braid.

"Watch your mouth." Erica knew it wasn't the worst thing Nicholas had said. It wasn't even the worst thing he had said around her, but she liked feeling as if she had some say.

    She looked to the rest of her family and friends, the waitress who was wiping tables nodded to her, "And who's that one?"

    Erica slid across the room, nearly sliding into the side of the table, "Erica Adiar. I dare you not to smile." Luke laughed, elbowing his friend so she did hit the corner of the table, "Ow." Rose laughed, "See you're smiling." She said over a grunt of pain. Erica lifted the side of her shirt, "really Luke? That's gonna bruise." She groaned rubbing her hand across the area that had stabbed into the corner of the table.

    Adam laughed at the red headed girl smiling just at the sight of her. He would never win her dare. "Yeah Luke, be nice, this is the night of her life too." Adam jokes earning a chuckle and thankful smile from the Adair girl.

    The waitress smiled, snicking at the friends, "I'm Rose. You guys are really good. I've seen a lot of bands. Been in a couple myself. I was really feeling it."

    Luke rocked back on his heels, patting Bobby on the back and grabbing his shoulder. "That's what we do this for."

    Richard Adair came over and kissed his daughter on the head. Erica rolled her neck back so her head was pointed towards the ceiling that way she could see her father, "Hey Daddy."

    "Hi Sweety." Richared turned towards Rose, "I tell ya. One day, my daughter's gonna be a star and my son is gonna be able to own the world."

    "Dad..." "really..." Both Adiar kids groaned as Nicholas joined the group. Reggie tried not to stiffen at the interaction. At least one of Erica's parents came. Even if her mother was most likely on her way to a dealer. Unlike him or Alex, who knew they came second to their parents.

    He felt slightly better when Luke stuck a wet finger in Bobby's ears, suddenly remembering the items in his hand. "Oh, uh. Here's our demo. And a T-shirt size beautiful." Reggie wiggled his eyebrows at the undoubtably attractive girl. However it wasn't a great attempt at flirting.

    Adam scoffed, "Really Reg, that's the best you could do? What about something more on the lines of," Adam leaned across the table, looking at Erica as he slid the shirt back to her, "You know? If you wore this, your eyes would really sparkle."

    Erica pointed her face towards the floor, trying to cover up the blush, "We get it you're hot. Now give the girl back her shirt." Luke nearly doubled over trying to hide his laughter. He promised himself if this worked out he was going to get those two on a date.

    Rose laughed holding the shirt up to herself after Adam passed it back to her, it was clearly way to large, not even the neck line looked like it would fit her. "Thanks." She tossed the oversized item over her shoulder, "I'll make sure not to wipe the tables down with this one."

    "Oo." Alex pulled his hands from his pockets, "Good call. Whenever they get wet they just kinda, fall apart in your hands." He turned his hands over as he spoke, thinking back to the time Erica had to borrow his shirt after her Sunset Curve shirt nearly slipped off her body in the rain. She barely made it to his house with a shirt, it was mostly just a sports bra and jean shorts.

    Bobby rolled his eyes at his band member, "Don't you guys have to get hot dogs." He passively tried to get his friends away from the girl, not that he believed Adam or Erica would try and hit on her but Luke and Reggie have already tried, and we'll Alex was gay. The bottom line was he wanted to be the one able to take Rose out on a date.

Adam looked at his brother, "You're getting hot dogs?" The question came out so quickly it was hardly understandable.

    "Yeah." Luke pushed Bobby behind him, leaning towards Rose, "He had a hamburger for lunch." He referred back to the whole reason they were talking to Rose when Bobby had claimed to be vegetarian. "Adam, you coming?"

    "Hell yeah." The other Patterson boy didn't skip a beat in coming. Nothing was better than shitty hot dogs with your best friends. Or at least brother's best friends.

    Erica turned her head over her shoulder to look at her brother, "Nicky, we're going to get hot dogs, you want me to bring you back one?"

    "I'm good!" The younger boy yelled as he walked back to his camera starting to process the tape.

~

    Luke threw open the back doors of the Orphuem, his bandmates and twin following him out. "That's what I'm talking about!"

    Reggie laughed as Alex grimested, "The smell of Sunset Boulevard?"

    "No." Luke shook his head, pushing Alex back into Adam. Erica kicked water from a puddle at Luke as she started to walk backwards ahead of the boys. "It's what that girl said in there tonight. About our music, all right? It's like an energy."

    Adam shook his head, "I don't get it."

    Luke laugehd, tossing an arm over his twins shoulder, "Okay picture this. You're on the feild, about to take the winning shot. The score is tried up 10-10 if you miss you tie in over time, three seconds are all that's left on the clock. If you make it, you win the finale game before playoffs. You shoot, just barly missining the goalies net. And just as the ball hits the net, the clock runs out. You won it all. That feeling. That second rigth before the crowd jumps up from the stands, is what it's like to be on stage." Luke tried to explain his passion through his brother, having seen enough of Adam's lacrosse games, because everyone knew, no one in southern California could play football. "That connection you get right as the noise starts. I want that with everyone."

    Adam, pushed his brother off of him, "Alright I get it. It's the only safe kind of high in this town. And uhh, if that's the case," he pointed to the shirt in Reggie's hand.

    Reggie looked down at the shirt, "Yeah, we're gonna need more t-shirts."

    Erica snickered, tossing the hood of her dad's sweatshirt over her head. To her own fault she had only brought one of her three jean jackets, all items without a hood, and one without a back, and California could get cold at night. So she took her dad's jacket before leaving to get food layering it over her sleeveless jean jacket. "Let's go boys." Reggie broke off from the group handing two girls at the back of the Orphume line a t-shirt each.

    It took a second but as soon as the Peters boy was back with his friends, they started to scream after him.

~
    Erica was lucky she was much shorter than her friends, all of them hitting their heads on the top of the Oldsmobile. Well other than Alex who was much smarter than the rest of them. "Reg? Relish or mustard?"

Reg turned his head to his friend, "both."

"I like how you think." Erica piled the to condiments on top of each other.

    She looked down at her hot dog, saying screw it before topping more things on it. All condiments were free anyways. Alex threw down the toungs to the pickles, "Man...I can't wait until we eat someplace where the condimeants aren't served out of the back of an Oldsmobile." Alex turned to the guy who owned the street vending area, "Hey.. Sorry, I got some pickle juice on your battery cables."

    "No problem. It'll help with the rust."

    "That's can't...okay, What?" The five friends found a plcae on the couch set up at the vender. Before Luke could see it Adam ripped down the bright yellow missing poster with his brother's face, leaving a paper sized hole in the wall of flyers behind the couch.

       To be fair only the guys found seats ON the sofa, Erica spreed herself across the Patterson boys, sitting on Adam's lap and resting her legs across Luke's. Adam tried not to get flushed by the action.

    Luke shook his head, "This is awesome you guys. We're playing the Orpheum! I can't even count how many bands have played here and then ended up being huge." Reggie and Erica both chuckled, "We're gonna be legends!" He held his hot do in front of him, "Eat up boys." Luke turned his head to Erica, "Girl." Then Adam, "Brother. Becuase tonight. Everything changes." The five pushed their hot dogs together like fancy glasses before taking a bite.

    Erica hardly swallowed hers, normally she loved shitty street food, but this was unsettleing. Alex seemed to have the same thought, choking back vomite at the taste. "Well that's new flavor."

    "Chill man, street dogs havn't killed us yet." Erica took one more look at the dog before bitting back into it. Deciding her hunger could get her past the taste.

    The next thing she knew was sirens. And for just a split second Erica thought she saw her father and brother waiting for her to never return.

~

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

~