Crossover Earth '98

Promises to Keep                                                          Scott Schimmel

The soft discord between John's oboe and Vi's guitar hung in the air for a moment; then, just as Lee's drums joined in, the two instruments melted into each other, playing point and counterpoint in a perfect harmonic embrace. Finally, Rei joined in on keyboard. The complex chords came almost instinctively to her fingers; these were the final notes of an old song, one dating to their college days together. It had been the first song Vi had written for them, and they still played it -- not merely for the sentimental value, but also because it was usually a crowd-pleaser. That proved true once more; as the song ended, the room filled with the sounds of cheering and applause.

The four musicians smiled at each other, exhilirated. John Anders, the tall blond Canadian who was proficient in a dozen different instruments, any of which added a unique timbre to the band's songs. Violet -- Vi -- Cowen, alto, guitarist, and composer of most of their original songs to date. Lee Hitchcock, the tenor, so shy it was a miracle he had ever agreed to perform; even today, he had a tendency to hide behind his drums and cymbals, out of the figurative spotlight. And finally, Reiko Natsuda, Rei to her (many) friends -- a willowy, even fragile-looking young lady with a brilliant smile.

They had met in Los Angeles and formed a band shortly thereafter. The band had started on the local club circuit and had slowly grown quite popular regionally. A year ago, they had released their first recording, a 5-song EP which Violet had whimsically titled Covenant. Now, the band's reputation had grown to the point where they could tour nationally, even if they did play mostly opening sets at the smaller venues for the most part. They were doing quite well, all things considered.

The band was Needless Promises, and tonight was going to be a good night for them. Especially for Reiko. The thought made her smile grow even wider, and warmer, and she took a moment to bask in the spotlight. This was what she lived for; this was where she belonged.

Of course, the audience could have been bigger. Once, when she'd been an idol star in Japan, she had given a concert that had drawn an audience of over a hundred million, counting those who had tuned in to the TV broadcast. She thought there must have been a million there in person, packing that huge stadium... and there had been the fireworks, and the lights, and the noise, and her, standing at the center of it all, microphone in hand.

Well, she could be patient. She had learned that, after her fame had passed in the space of two years. Reiko had devoted herself to her music ever since, and soon, Needless Promises would share that same kind of fame. This time, it would last.

Tonight was the first step. As the applause died down, she stood from the bench and left her keyboard to approach the microphone. Violet wordlessly handed it to her, and the audience fell silent in expectation as she stood before them.

"We would like to thank you all," she said, and patiently waited for another short wave of applause to pass before continuing. "I hope you're all enjoying the show. We're going to play something new tonight." More scattered applause. "It's a song I wrote, called 'Midnight Angel.' I hope that you will enjoy listening to it."

She bowed, as the Japanese are accustomed to do. For some reason, she had found, this pleased the audience. Probably they expected it of her. Americans had some strange expectations.

Then Lee began to beat out a rhythm on his drums, and the others joined in, and Reiko Natsuda began to sing.

In the mirror I can see
Reflected images of dreams
Shattered apart
Shadows falling

She found herself smiling again in the spotlight as the music gracefully glided to an end. Yes, it was very much like being an idol singer. Perhaps this would not be as difficult as she had feared.

It had, after all, been such a good night for Needless Promises.

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