Living the dream

This evening Noah auditioned to play electric guitar in REVO's band. Always the over-preparer, as soon as he learned of the audition a couple weeks ago, he created a full, concert-length set list that he was disappointed to learn needed to be drastically whittled for the one-song demo.

I did my best to help him get ready, even composing a list of key questions to ask before The Big Day, such as:

• How many costume changes is he allowed?
• Who do I talk to about getting the right kind of bottled water and snack food for his dressing room?
• What percentage of the set list needs to be played with his teeth or the guitar behind his back?

Turns out the whole thing was quite low-key (although I did wear my new fedora). A few dudes from the band and our friend Nathan were the only ones observing besides me, he recorded one song of his choosing, and then played a pop-quiz chorus/bridge from a written chord progression to a click track. For those of you who don't live with someone who obsessively self-teaches himself a musical instrument plays an instrument, that means he was given a sheet of paper with lyrics and written chords above them (F, G, F#, etc.) that he played against a metronome.

He should know tomorrow if he's officially part of the band (a years-long dream of his that I have yet to help him fulfill, having surrendered my bass to his younger brother and taken up keyboard, though not yet good enough for our family band—also starring my brother on drums—to put out our first record, which we've already named "Iraqi Bootleg," so our fans will know up front the quality they can expect).

We drove to my parents' house for dinner afterward (they were watching Ethan, because a 3-year-old in a room full of expensive instruments and recording equipment? um, NO), and Noah played his audition song for them, Skillet's "Awake and Alive." 

That was actually Skillet, not Noah, although I mean it could have been.

Ethan danced through the whole thing, even expressing his Hardcore Face every now and again, then he cried when Noah went to stop playing. No matter what happens with REVO band, he's already a rock star.