Chapter 430: RBR

Monday, February 13th, Morning

After the usual prep work for a video interview, she walked over to her desk. Looking over the setup, she nodded and took a seat behind the desk. Looking over the desk, she studied the small crew and filmmaker. She got comfortable in her desk chair.

Haley James-Scott let them mic her as she sat at the desk. Felicia Van Ankeren took a seat across the desk with a camera over her shoulder. Haley adjusted her blouse and nodded.

"Are you ready?" Felicia asked.

"Yes," Haley said, "Where were we?"

"The beginning of RBR," Felicia said.

"Okay," Haley said.

"Just let me know when you're ready," Felicia said.

"Haley took a deep breath and let it out. "I'm ready," he said.

"Okay, rolling," Felicia said, "So, we left off at the founding of RBR."

"That was my sister-in-law Peyton's dream to run a recording label. Nathan and I invested, as did our friend Brooke and her then-fiancée Baldwin. We set it up in her office in TRIC. We were small fish and called a vanity label for me," Haley said.

"Who were the original TRIC artist?" Felicia asked.

"Myself, Chris Keller and High-Performance Heart Attack," Haley said.

"Why was High-Performance Heart Attack signed if they were inexperienced children at this time?" Felicia asked.

"That was my doing; it was a condition of me signing with the label," Haley said.

"But why them?" Felicia asked.

"It's selfish; it was me trying to bond with Brian. He was my only child to show interest in music. Also, I felt he could benefit from my helping. HPHA was a good backing band," Haley said.

"That was when they toured with you?" Felicia asked.

"Yes, as my opener and backing band," Haley said.

"What happened on that tour?" Felicia asked.

"I don't really know; I let them be young and not mother them," Haley said.

"HPHA went through a lineup change after that tour, correct?" Felicia asked.

"Yes, Psycho left to join the navy, and Lucan joined the band," Haley said.

"Did it cause tension in the band?" Felicia asked.

"I was on maternity leave then, but I believe I heard it did. Lucan was Kat's friend, and Hawley wanted more and more control of the band," Haley said.

"What happened next?" Felicia asked.

"I'm not one hundred percent sure, but I know Peyton had rejected all but two or so tracks they were working on. They were tracks Brian, Kat, or both were working on," Haley said.

"Did this cause tension in the band?" Felicia asked.

"No, amplified it," Haley said.

"What happened next?" Felicia asked.

"Brian, Kat, and Lucan left HPHA and founded a new band," Haley said.

"That would be Mental Lapse, correct?" Felicia asked.

"Yes, they founded Mental Lapse in my home studio, sort of initially as a side project. Eventually, they added a pair of guitarists, and just on Brian and Kat's name, they started doing shows," Haley said.

"How did you react to this side project?" Felicia asked.

"Color me impressed, Kat had this old school punk DIY attitude mixed with a hippie change the world attitude," Haley said.

"Why were they signed?" Felicia asked.

"They were good," Haley said, "So good they were able to do a European Summer Festival Tour before graduating high school. They were day slots, but how many sixteen-year-olds say they played Wacken?" Haley said.

"Mental Lapse's first album was a major success; why do you think it was?" Felicia asked.

"All the good strong vibes from HPHA's first album, but more refined. Kat and Brian poured their heart and soul into that album. It showed Brian, Kat, and especially Lucan had something to prove with that album," Haley said.

"What ultimately led to Kat leaving the band?" Felicia asked.

"Kat and Brian had great musical chemistry but never romantically linked. Over the course of touring, their motivations came clear," Haley said.

"How so?" Felicia asked.

"Kat had a very workman-like approach; she worked hard for the fans and band. Brian took a different approach," Haley said.

"Brian was introduced to the Marriage of Heaven and Hell before he left HPHA. It was given to him to inspire him. It became an obsession and led to his on-the-road behavior going to shit," Haley said.

"What made you pull the plug on the touring?" Felicia asked.

"The cost of cleaning up after Brian was costing more than what they were making," Haley said.

"So, Brian kept rebelling?" Felicia asked.

"Yes, instead of working a job, he ran off for a week on the Gulf Coast in a heavy rainstorm," Haley said.

"Now, this Gabi and Trin thing that's often mentioned," Felicia said.

"They were local girls that Brian met in high school. Brian liked both of them, but it seemed Gabi was more submissive," Haley said.

"What happened?" Felicia asked.

"The Gulf Coast trip, Brian took Trin with him. The net result was Trin came back pregnant. Brian moved into his rehearsal space, and Gabi joined him. Eventually, Gabi turns up pregnant," Haley said.

"How did Kat end up leaving the bad?" Felicia asked.

"It was the deal that Brian gave the girl. Be is harem together. Gabi said yes; Trin noped out of that. That broke Kat, and she left the band, her publishing, and ownership behind," Haley said.

"That's when Kat joined Nordwind, correct?" Felicia asked.

"Yes, Kat fell into an impromptu audition and ended up where she's at," Haley said.

"Lou Morningstar?" Felicia asked.

"We cut ties with Mental Lapse, and he swooped right in to manage them, and Brian got on the tour bus and left, never to be seen around her again," Haley said and looked away as she tried to choke back tears.

"Do you want to take a break?" Felicia asked.

"I'm not sure," Haley said.

"Take your time," Felicia said.

"I have time," Haley said.

"All seriousness, Haley, we can always finish up some other time," Felicia said.

"Let's finish this," Haley said.

Felicia paused the recording, "Take your time," she said.

"Brian always gets to me," Haley said.

Felicia nodded, "He does?" she asked.

Haley nodded, "Only a son could do it," she said.

"I guess," Felicia said and looked across the desk at Haley. Felicia nodded and waited for Haley to clean up and get ready to film again.