CHAPTER 20
The next afternoon they were back in Bo's basement, working out the parts to song number two, "Sweet Home Alabama".
"We really do need a name for this band," Jimmy said.
"Please, not again," Bo said, "I can't take the pain."
"What were you thinking of calling us then?" Jimmy asked.
"What's wrong with just leaving it 'The Destroyers'? It hasn't caused any problems so far. Unlike certain other names we came up with."
"It's not the right name for who we are, B," Jimmy said.
"No? Then how about if we add 'doufus' to it, as in 'Doufus and the Destoyers'? That a better name for who we are?"
"Dude, shut up."
"I do actually agree with Jimmy," Jenny said. " 'The Destroyers' does sort of make you think of rough music, like really hard rock."
"Or metal," said Melissa.
"Or gangster rap," said Mackie.
"Okay, that's enough," said Bo. "You people are obviously desperate for a new name, so don't let me stop you."
"My mom and I were talking about it this morning at breakfast," Jenny said. "She said a simple name usually works out the best."
"Here's sort of what I've been thinking," Melissa said. "Bo lives on Zircon Street. We practice on Zircon Street--"
"Who was Zircon anyway?" asked Jimmy.
"Zircon is a mineral which becomes a blue gem similar to a diamond," Mackie said, "after they cut and polish it."
"A keyboard player that memorizes the dictionary," Bo said.
"What I was getting at," said Melissa, "is, most importantly, the band was formed on Zircon Street."
"So," Jimmy said, "The Zircon Street Band'?"
"Right, I was thinking of just 'The Z Street Band'," Melissa said.
"Wow Mel," Jenny said, "that's perfect!"
"It is an excellent name," said Mackie.
"I'm in," said Jimmy. "Dog?"
"Fine with me," said Bo. "Unless our business manager tells us there's something wrong with it."
"Where is Adler, by the way?" asked Jimmy.
"Said he had to make a bunch of phone calls. I think he's coming though."
They ran through "Sweet Home Alabama" several times. Bo was thinking this would be a good one to give Mackie an extended solo on, and he'd have to figure out the best place for it in the song.
Meanwhile, he passed out more music.
"We got 'Down on the Corner' by Creedence--you guys know this one," Bo
said, " 'Early in the evenin' just about supper time, over by the courthouse they're starting to unwind...' Right?"
Just then, Adler came diving into the basement through the secret entrance.
"Okay now, this is important!" he said.
"Nick, we named the band," Jimmy said.
"Forget that right now, I have to talk to everyone," Adler said.
"Mel came up with 'The Z Street Band'," Jenny said. "What do you think of it?"
"Uh, oh I see, Zircon, Z," Adler said. "Yeah, that should work. It's a general enough name that it won't pin you down to any one musical genre."
"You have to talk like that?" Jimmy said.
"Here's what I have," Adler said, "on the Hamburg-Arrington DJ thing."
"Wait--Scott and Stick are DJs?" said Jenny.
"What, you know them personally?" Bo asked. "That why you call them 'Scott and Stick'?"
"Sorry, I just..."
"She calls them by their first names because she has a little crush on both of them," Jimmy said. "Don't you Jen?"
"No way! Of course I don't! I can't stand those guys just like you can't!"
But she was starting to blush.
"How about you, Melissa?" Bo said, getting into it now.
"You're crazy if you think I like them!" she said.
Bo and Jimmy waited, and Melissa started to blush too.
"Well, WE definitely do NOT have a crush on them, which is why everyone has to listen up now," Adler said.
"Good one Nick," said Jimmy.
"First I went in the phone book and started calling places that rent DJ equipment. I told them I was Arrington and was checking on my order, just in case he and Hamburg really did have an order there."
"Very clever," said Bo.
"Finally at about the sixth place, over in Hawthorne, the guy doesn't speak English very well but he seems to confirm I reserved equipment for the 14th."
"That's, what, like a week and a half," Jimmy said.
"So I go online and start checking school calendars. Del B. has nothing that night, so I try the other high schools around-- Pacifica and Emerson and Loritas--and they all come up empty. Except for Emerson, which had something, I forget what, but nothing like a dance."
"Wow, Nick, your detective work is certainly impressive, but why are you doing all this?" asked Melissa.
"So now I'm thinking they're working a private party, and we're probably out of luck. But even though it's a long shot, I start checking all the middle schools within 30 miles. It took a while, but wouldn't you know, there is a 'Spring Blossom Dance' on the calendar that night at Jasper Middle School down in Dorita Beach. They list Hamburg and Arrington right on the web site as guest DJs!"
"Adler--I'm not trying to put down your great effort, which it definitely was," Jimmy said, "but I'm not getting why you're all excited about that piece of information."
"Unless you're telling me there's something we can do about it," Bo said.
"So I call the school and speak to a teacher--a Mr. Lerner, or maybe it was Lehrer--"
"It doesn't matter!" said Jimmy.
"Anyhow, he's in charge of the Jasper student council and he sets this stuff up. So I figured there was nothing to lose. I told him straight: We have a band, we'll come down and play for free, and it would be a lot more exciting than having DJs playing recorded music."
"You HAVE GOT to be kidding," Jenny said.
"What did he say?" said Bo.
"It was interesting. He started talking about how when he was growing up there were always live bands at the school dances. He asked me what kind of music we played, and I told him it was family stuff with no bad lyrics or anything."
"C'mon, get to the point!" Jimmy said. "You're killing us here!"
"You guys--or I guess I should say 'The Z Street Band'-- now has an audition scheduled at Jasper Middle School Friday at 4:30. As your business manager, I suggest we make it."
It was silent for a minute.
Finally Mackie said, "Everyone knows what this means, though. If somehow we did get this--that would mean the school canceling Hamburg and Arrington."
"So?" said Adler. "What does that have to do with us? All we did was audition for a gig."
"Come on," Melissa said. "Are you guys thinking clearly here? Do you want more trouble from them--is that what you want?"
"No Mel, we don't want any more trouble," Bo said, serious. "We want something else."
"And it's called payback," said Jimmy.
