America Sings

America Sings- Chapter 6

Rhythm Center is a small music shop by the small Indianola movie theatre. Lee Adams, a small peculiar man, is the owner. He also happens to be Rachel’s dad. I had never actually been inside Rhythm Center, but I had an idea about what was inside from James who gets his guitar supplies here.

But it was today that I walked through sliding glass doors into an overly air conditioned room. On the walls sleek guitars ware hanging up, shelves held albums and music supplies, and isles held different instruments and equipment. It was amazing.

“Look at these guitars!” James exclaims and points to a fancy looking guitar which was in a protective clear case.

But before James could examine it too closely, Rachel comes out of a separate room off to our right.

“There you guys are! Right this way!” Rachel says and heads back the way that she came from. I follow quickly while James lingers by the prized guitar.

“This is the studio,” Rachel says with a flourish of her hands as she hold open a door marked Private- Employees Only. Inside is a big window, taking up most of the far wall. By the window is a door. The door leads to a room with head sets, stools, and instruments. You can view the room by the window. Beneath the window is an array of buttons, buttons, and more buttons.

“Wow,” I say breathlessly as I walk in slowly.

James comes hurrying in but stops in his tracks as he takes everything in.

Rachel beams at our reactions before she shuts the door securely behind her. “Do you want to practice together or separate?”

“Together,” James replies immediately.

Rachel nods. “Okay, you can both go into that room,” Rachel nods towards the room that we could see through the glass.” “And I will instruct you from there.”

I nod and open the door easily and walk in hesitantly. James goes over to the stools and drags them up to the professional looking microphones. I sit on one expectantly and look through the glass to Rachel who is smiling at us wearing headphones.

Her voice comes on over a speaker. “Okay so which song are we doing first?”

“I’ll go first,” James says and looks at me for permission. I nod. I wasn’t really up to singing in front of Rachel quite yet.

Rachel nods and messes with some dials and switches. “Your singing Beautiful soul, right?”

James nods and puts on the headphones that are hanging on the microphone.

The music to Beautiful Soul comes on and James starts to sing to it.

“I don’t want another pretty face

I don’t want just anyone to hold

I don’t want my love to go to waste

I want you and your

Beautiful Soul.”

I listened to James’s angelic face and I can’t help but to swoon.  His voice was soft and sweet and it took you places. It was relaxing and carefree. I loved it.

“You’re the one I want to chase

You’re the one I want to hold

I won’t let a minute go to waste

I want you and your beautiful soul-“ James would have kept going but the music stops and Rachel’s voice comes on.

“It’s ‘I won’t let another minute go to waste’ not ‘I won’t let a minute go to waste’. Also, you need to go higher on soul and lower on hold. Hold minute a fraction of a second longer and last but not least, go higher on chase,” Rachel instructs. She was going down hard.