Invite her
Zuo Xiao felt a buzzing in his ears and goose bumps appeared on his arms.
She stared at Liang Sirui intently, and listened to her continue: "Lao Sun - our boss, has been playing in a band since college. He has formed several bands over the years, but has always lacked a suitable lead singer. Are you interested in trying?"
Zuo Xiao felt his heart pounding, his blood rushing through his body. Trying to suppress his excitement, he asked, "What kind of music does he play?"
"He has a very diverse taste. He's tried pop rock, punk, post-rock, and electronic music. He plans to focus on alternative rock next."
"Alternative rock?" Zhuang Jing asked curiously, "What kind of music is this?"
"Alternative rock isn't a musical style with fixed characteristics," Liang Sirui patiently explained. "You can generally understand it as music that's different from mainstream rock, with unique, unconventional, and anti-mainstream characteristics. Well-known bands like The Cranberries, Radiohead, and Wan Qing can all be categorized as alternative rock."
Zhuang Jing seemed to understand, but Liang Sirui continued, "So alternative rock doesn't have a clear boundary, and it often blends different musical styles. We don't have to stick to a single so-called musical style. In fact, the boundaries between different musical genres are becoming increasingly blurred, and styles are increasingly merging. This is the overall trend in world music creation."
Zhuang Jinghao was confused and felt that it was impressive. She sighed, "You are so amazing!"
Zuo Xiaoshen agreed and replied, "I agree. Various musical elements are merely a means for musicians to create and express themselves, just like a chef developing a new dish. He can freely use different ingredients and cooking techniques. The key is to create the dish he has in mind, without having to stick to any particular cuisine."
"That's right." Liang Sirui smiled, "As for whether customers like it or not, and how many people are willing to pay for it, that's another matter."
"Works of art are different from commodities, and art and making money are two different things." Zuo Xiao said, and smiled at her.
"So, is Old Sun planning to create his own original work?" Zuo Xiao asked.
Liang Sirui nodded: "He has already saved up several songs. If you are interested, I will call him in to talk?"
Zuo Xiao frowned, feeling a little hesitant. Zhuang Jing noticed her hesitation and exchanged a glance with Liang Sirui. The latter said, "Let's talk first. Old Sun also wants to see if we're compatible."
"Yeah..." Zhuang Jinghao cheered, "I'm free anyway, so I might as well treat it as fun." Before she finished speaking, Liang Sirui gave her a glare, and she was so scared that she quickly pursed her lips.
"Old Sun is serious about forming a band," Liang Sirui said seriously, "He plays music, but it's not just for fun."
"But..." her tone relaxed a little, "The key is to have the right mindset and a serious attitude. But forming a band is not like selling yourself. If it works, we stay together, and if it doesn't, we break up. It's that simple."
Zuo Xiao thought for a moment and nodded.
After a while, Liang Sirui brought Old Sun in and sat down opposite Zuo Xiao. The man, holding a thermos cup in both hands, looked more like an old cadre than a musician.
"Si Rui gave me a general overview of your situation," he said with a pleasant expression. "You can play guitar and sing. You've performed before, but never in a band. Is that correct?"
"Yes." Zuo Xiao added, "I have always been self-taught and have not received any professional training."
Old Sun pondered for a moment, then took a sip of hot water slowly and said, "How about we try to act it out?"
Zuo Xiao's eyes glared, and his heart was pounding. But he didn't want to show his fear, so he gritted his teeth and agreed.
Everyone was led by Old Sun to move to another location. Along the way, Zuo Xiao pursed his lips tightly, his mind heavy.
She had thought about playing in a band since college, but for various reasons had never really tried it. Now that she had nothing else to do, and someone had offered her an offer, it seemed like a good opportunity to give it a try.
However, she wasn't confident in her own skills. Performing at a school party, fooling the laypeople, was fine, but showing off her skills in front of a professional and having to be scrutinized and evaluated by him was something she simply didn't have the nerve to do.
Panicked, I followed the others into the room. It was a rehearsal room, covered in soundproofing foam on all sides. Inside, various instruments and equipment were placed, and numerous wires were twisted and tangled on the dark gray carpet.
Lao Sun's voice came: "All of these guitars can be used, please feel free to use them."
Zuo Xiao walked over, her eyes glancing over several electric guitars before selecting the acoustic one at the very edge. Zhuang Yu'an stepped forward, helped her sit down, and handed the guitar to her.
The other three sat down one after another, their eyes fixed on her. She was holding her guitar, her face pale with nervousness, her limbs trembling slightly.
What should I play? Should I sing while playing? What if I make a mistake? How embarrassing! Various thoughts swirled around in her mind, gradually merging into a tangled mess. She felt a panic in her chest, as if her airway was blocked.
Suddenly, a hand gently pressed on my shoulder.
It was Zhuang Yu'an. He leaned over, looked into her eyes, and said with a smile, "I thought your performance of 'Sweet Child O' Mine' last time was fantastic. Would you consider playing that?"
Enveloped by his gentle yet resolute gaze, Zuo Xiao felt a warmth well up throughout her body. The melody of the song then surfaced in her mind, and the fog in her brain instantly dissipated, leaving her with a clear mind.
Zhuang Yu'an rubbed her shoulder gently, then turned and walked away, sitting on the chair opposite.
Zuo Xiao said nothing more and lowered his head to tune the instrument.
After a while, she took a deep breath and began to play.
She knew the piece by heart, practically able to play it with her eyes closed. As the light, graceful melody unfolded through her fingertips, she gradually lost herself in the music. Only when the last notes faded into the air did she slowly come back to her senses.
Applause broke out. Zhuang Jinghao led the clapping, and the others followed suit, including Old Sun.
"Old Sun, can you give me some comments?" Liang Sirui suggested with a smile. He nodded and said with a smile, "Being able to play to this level without any professional training is enough to show that you love music and have talent."
"That's right!" Zhuang Jing, who loves to praise people, never complains. "It's like hearing heavenly music and being temporarily deafened!"
"It's like hearing heavenly music and your ears become temporarily clear." Liang Sirui corrected.
Zhuang Jinghao stuck out her tongue and said, "It's all the same...it just sounds good. It gives me goosebumps!"
"Next, you can sing a song." Old Sun said, "You can play or sing a cappella."
"I used to sing mostly pop and folk songs, and never tried harder rock music."
"That's all right, sing whatever you want."
Zuo Xiao thought for a moment and said, "Then let's play 'Hey Jude'."
She gathered back the hair that had blown down her cheeks, then plucked the strings of the zither and began to sing after a moment.
When she came to her senses, the song was over and applause broke out in the room again.
Old Sun took the initiative to comment: "I can tell that your vocal conditions and musical sense are good, and your tone is bright. You may have unconsciously used some resonance techniques, but because your vocal method has not been scientifically trained, you are still singing with your throat. This may cause problems such as high-pitched jamming and unnatural voice changes. In addition, this vocal method is more straining on the throat..."
"Alright, alright." Liang Sirui interrupted with a smile, "If you keep going like this, you won't be able to finish this unless you start a class."
"Haha!" Old Sun laughed heartily, "Occupational disease, sorry."
"Old Sun is the most well-rounded musician I've ever met," Liang Sirui introduced him to the crowd. "He plays several instruments, and he's also good at vocals, recording, composing, and arranging... If he had super powers, he would have formed a band long ago."
"Don't!" Old Sun clasped his fists at her, "Please don't flatter me!"
Everyone burst into laughter. At this moment, the door was pushed open, and Jiang Miaomiao asked as she walked in, "What happened? Why are you so happy?"
Old Sun grabbed her hand and said with a smile, "Si Rui cursed me for playing in a band alone."
"Wow, that's really cruel!"
"That's right! We've finally got a lead singer, and our band is finally going to have a future. Don't curse me like that."
Liang Sirui's eyes suddenly lit up. Zuo Xiao also understood what Old Sun meant by that, and she felt excited, but then a little hesitant: she hadn't decided to join yet...
Next, the couple briefly outlined their band's development plans. They plan to release an original album within six months, hone their skills through frequent small-scale performances, and aim to embark on a tour in the second half of next year.
"The rehearsal rooms are ready, and recording studios are easy to set up. A friend of mine does this." Old Sun said with a smile.
Jiang Miaomiao added: "There's no need to worry about performance venues. We know many live house and bar owners, as well as music festival organizers."
"Wow!" Zhuang Jinghao excitedly said, "Then we can practice together and improve rapidly!"
Jiang Miaomiao walked forward with a smile and patted her shoulders with both hands: "Baby, I like you more and more. Why don't you be the band's assistant?"
Even before the initial thought, Zhuang Jinghao immediately became excited: "Is this really possible? What does a band assistant do?"
Liang Sirui interrupted her and said, "I'll tell you about this later." Turning to Old Sun, he said, "Why don't we find time to call Qiangzi, Peng Lei, and Yufei over, and let Zuo Xiao take a look at these spirited young men before deciding whether they want to join us."
"No problem." Old Sun said to Zuo Xiao, "When you have time, let's--"
"What do you mean by 'you' and 'your'?" Jiang Miaomiao slapped him hard, "You're calling me old!" Turning to Zuo Xiao, she said, "That's just his habit. He keeps calling me 'you' and 'your' all the time. It's getting awkward. How about calling me Xiaoxiao? Or do you have a nickname?"
Zuo Xiao smiled slightly: "Just call me Zuo Xiao, or Xiaoxiao is fine too."
"Okay," Old Sun said, "let's see when Xiaoxiao is free. We can call everyone over, have a meal together, and then perform a live show."
"I've been fine lately." Zuo Xiao said, "It depends on you guys."
"Then I'll create a group and discuss it there," Jiang Miaomiao said. She and Zuo Xiao added each other on WeChat, then created a new group, renamed it "Red Hot Shocking Rock Circle," and added Zuo Xiao. Besides the two of them, the group also included Lao Sun and the few people he'd mentioned, seemingly treating Zuo Xiao like a member of the band. Zhuang Jinghao clamored to join the group, so Jiang Miaomiao added her in as well.
In the evening, Lao Sun invited everyone to dinner and ordered two bottles of beer for himself. He didn't feel comfortable persuading the girls to drink, so he asked Zhuang Yu'an if he wanted one, but was politely declined.
The meal lasted until ten o'clock in the evening. Lao Sun and Miao Miao were straightforward and open-minded. Zuo Xiao got along very well with them, and Zhuang Jinghao had also become friends with them.
Late at night, Beijing's roads were clear and the evening breeze was pleasant. Zhuang Yu'an was driving, Zhuang Jinghao was sitting in the passenger seat, and Zuo Xiao and Liang Sirui were in the back.
"What do you think of Mr. and Mrs. Sun?" Liang Sirui asked.
"They're nice people, and I'm also optimistic about their band." Zuo Xiao turned to look at Liang Sirui and expressed his confusion, "Why did you suddenly think of looking for me?"
Liang Sirui smiled faintly: "Last time I heard Jinghao say that you were in the gap, and it just so happened that Lao Sun was also looking for a lead singer who could play guitar, so I thought of you."
"She said I was on a gap year?" Zuo Xiao joked. "Then I have to thank her for making such a grand statement about resigning."
"It makes no difference!" Zhuang Jinghao turned around, "I'm just free anyway, so I thought I'd find you something fun! Hey, how about it, do you want to play—do you want to give it a try?"
Zuo Xiao pondered for a moment and said, "Is it okay that I haven't studied music theory systematically?"
"Haha!" Liang Sirui laughed so hard that his shoulders shook. "How professional do you think the others are? Let's put it this way: keyboard player Qiangzi is a dentist by profession; drummer Peng Lei is a photographer; bassist Qin Yufei is a wealthy second-generation player who was brought in by Old Sun because he could provide some funding."
"Ah?" Before Zuo Xiao could say anything, Zhuang Jinghao said worriedly, "Isn't that just a makeshift troupe?" This immediately made the two of them laugh.
Liang Sirui stopped laughing and said, "The soul of this band is undoubtedly Lao Sun, and Miao Miao is their manager. With these two supporting them, the band's bottom line won't be too low. As for the upper limit... that depends on fate. I suggest not having too high expectations for now."
"I understand." Zuo Xiao smiled. "It's hard to get rich playing music, but it's easy to go broke."
"Yes, that's why Old Sun doesn't want to find a professional musician. He also needs to rely on training as his main business to support his family." Liang Sirui said, "If you really decide to join, you can consider finding a full-time job that's less stressful."
"You can also do design part-time!" Zhuang Jinghao interrupted again, "I'll help you find work! Or, how about you be a part-time designer for the company? Hey, brother, what do you think?"
Zhuang Yu'an was suddenly called upon. He paused and said two words: "Be cautious."
After a while, the car stopped by the roadside. Zhuang Jinghao got out of the car and sent Liang Sirui to the gate of the community, and got into the back seat when he returned.
"Xiaoxiao, baby..." She held Zuo Xiao's arm affectionately, "Besides worrying about being poor, do you have any other concerns?"
Zuo Xiao stared at her, curled his lips and smiled, "Why do I feel like you really want me to join the band?"
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