Starting from Scratch (Starting from 2)

Unfortunately, I didn’t know how to contact Ed without asking Ky, so I put a few pieces together and started making some calls. The first was to Sound Cloud, the blog that published Nelson Cormer’s reviews. They confirmed he was a freelance writer who occasionally submitted pitches to cover for concerts and new releases. Interestingly enough, he’d contacted them three times, and each proposed pitch was for a Zero show. I didn’t think they’d give me his phone number, but I would have taken an email address.

I moved on to Sandstone, but they were less helpful. I left three messages over four days. Daria finally called back the following Monday.

“Hello, Charlie. I’ve been meaning to call you, but it’s just been so busy here. I’m working on a new contract for your boys. We’re still interested in Zero, but you know how it is. Let’s meet in January and go over the terms.”

Her cavalier tone immediately set me on edge. Two months ago these assholes couldn’t wait to sign Zero and now they were “prioritizing”? Nope. Maybe they gave up on Zero, but that didn’t make sense. Their sold-out shows and growing media presence had been noted. I had other record companies clamoring to sign them. I was working hard on a business plan to present to the guys, but if I couldn’t convince them to start our own label, I had two or three solid candidates who were ready to go. Screw Sandstone. They weren’t going to make a dime off Zero if I had a say.

“Wonderful,” I enthused in the Hollywood BS voice I’d heard my dad use to skewer people he’d lost interest in. “Busy is good. I haven’t heard anything about Declan in months. He must be ready to release some material soon.”

“Hmm. It’s a bit complicated. Work in progress, if you know what I mean.”

No, I didn’t know. “Right. Well, I thought I’d touch base with you and—oh. I have a funny question while I have you on the line. Do you happen to know anyone named Nelson Cormer?”

“No, I don’t think so. Sorry, I have another call on the—”

“Oops. I meant Ed Baldwin. Pardon me. I got distracted by something on my computer screen,” I lied, shifting on the sofa as I petted Caprice.

“Yeah, Ed is a friend of Neil and Ray’s. Why do you ask?”

I made up an elaborate tale about him being an old friend of the family and a mutual acquaintance who’d mentioned Neil and Ray, etcetera. Pure fiction, but I was damn good at telling a story. And by the time we hung up, I had Ed’s number and the niggling feeling that I should call Declan to find out what was really happening over at Sandstone.

I glanced at my watch. I had just enough time to pick up Oliver and head to the beach to meet Ky before crosstown traffic became a nightmare.

Declan first…he was easy.

We’d exchanged a couple of text messages since I’d bumped into him at Sandstone’s office. They were polite, “It was nice to meet you. Hope we can work together sometime.” exchanges. No big deal. I didn’t have the time or energy to take on a new client at the moment. And I didn’t think it was wise to attempt it until Zero nailed down a recording contract. For now, I just needed information.

“Hello?”

“Hello. This is Charlie Rourke. Do you have a minute?”

“Hey there! Yeah, I was going to call you. I figured I’d wait till the new year, but since we’re talking now…I want you to manage me.”

Shit. “Um. That’s great. We can certainly talk, but uh…I can’t really help you if you’re with Sandstone.”

“I shredded the contract from Sandstone. It was weak anyway.”

“What happened?”

“Nothing,” he huffed derisively. “I was there for three weeks and never saw the inside of a studio. Not a good start, ya know?”

“Oh.”

“They make promises, but their follow-through sucks. I just picked up a new bassist and drummer and…”

I listened to his game plan with a frown. Zero was a new entity for sure, but Declan’s band was in its infancy. They weren’t ready for show time. They needed time to practice, get a few gigs under their belts, and establish a social media presence. All things I’d helped Zero do. I could help them, but…

“To be perfectly honest, Declan. I need a couple of things to fall in place first. I’m thinking of starting my own label and—” I stopped abruptly and slapped my hand over my mouth. Fuck.

“You are? That’s awesome!”

“Ha. Well, we’ll see what happens,” I said with a half laugh.

“You could sign us on. We’d be a good contrast to Zero. Our sound is different and it’s just the three of us. I don’t know anything about marketing, but we both know Sandstone wanted me around because of Zero. If you took on both of us, you have the advantage.”