Chapter 685: Club TRIC - Mental Lapse

Monday, March 13th, Afternoon

From the front row, he had watched the screen and nodded. Now his part in the story was about to unfold. Jace Bradbury looked over the crowd; he had seen Lucan and Kat in the audience. That was back in high school, it was fun, but after he graduated, he finished some commitments and went to college.

"With the deteriorating relationships within High-Performance Heart Attacks, the theoretical side project started to take on more and more of their energy," Felicia said in a voiceover.

The screen changed to Chris Keller. "I think the death of this lineup of HPHA happened in the studio. Brian had enough of Hawley, and they started yelling. Eventually, Brian stormed out of the studio; Kat shook her head and followed. Not soon afterward, Lucan took off. So, effectively HPHA split in two, and one part became Mental Lapse," Chris said.

The screen changed to Mags. "I don't know if you could call it an implosion or an explosion, but HPHA was not viable; what that means was Club TRIC was out a band for Teen Night," Mags said.

Lucan appeared on the screen. "Brian had had enough with Hawley. He grabbed his guitar and left. Hawley and Brian never saw eye to eye in my time in the band. Kat left because she and Brian had the same vision, and she didn't want to get bulldozed by Hawley. I left because Kat was my friend, so I left to support her," Lucan said.

The screen changed, filled with stills of Brian, Kat, and Lucan in the basement studio at Raven Hill. Jace smiled as one of the stills showed himself sitting with Brian and Kat, learning a song.

Jace appeared on the screen. He looked at himself and nodded. "I saw a flyer for a guitarist, so I tried out. I think I was one of only two that tried out, and we were both taken into the band. I was fifteen years old and the lead guitarist for this new band," Jace said.

Jace nodded; that was so much the truth. One of the new stills showed Jace, Brian, Kat, Lucan, and Bruce, the other guitarist. They were working on a song together, and looked like they were having fun.

Jace appeared on the screen. "We were formed into a tight unit and even played at a few talent shows. Eventually, Kat and Brian got us a paying gig at a street festival. I will say one thing about Gabi, she got the word out, and many young girls came to see Brian, so we started getting a fan base," Jace said.

A video came onto the big screen. Jace watched the young and first lineup of Mental Lapse at a street festival. Brian was singing, then stopped, and Jace stepped forward to play a solo. Jace smiled; that was fun back then, but he wouldn't do it now.

Mags appeared on the screen and leaned forward. "By this time, I was doing more at Club TRIC as Peyton was running RBR. I was given a poor-quality camera phone video of a local street festival. To my shock, who do I see on stage but Brian and Kat. I called Haley and found out that Brian had a new band. Club TRIC needed a new band for Teen Night. So, that's how Mental Lapse ended up at Club TRIC," Mags said.

A new video was played, which showed Mental Lapse on the stage in Club TRIC. Jace and Bruce were playing on stage, trading off on the guitar. Sometimes they would play and swap off the solo. Again, Jace reflected that they were having fun.

Haley appeared on the screen. "What we thought we had and lost with HPHA, we found again in Mental Lapse. RBR was in a better position and had a strong new act. Peyton and I agreed to keep an eye on Mental Lapse but let them gain experience and be kids," Haley said.

Kat appeared on the screen and nodded. "Yes, it was," Kat said.

The screen changed and showed Candi. "It's a bit of an exaggeration, but I was there when Kat picked the name. We had study hall together, Brian, Kat, and myself. Brian and Kat were discussing a name for their new musical project, as Kat called it. I was half-listening, and after forgetting something, I said, mainly to myself, I had a mental lapse. Kat asked me what I said, and I told her I had a mental lapse. Kat smiled and said, that's it, and that's how they came up with the name Mental Lapse," Candi said.

More video footage of Mental Lapse playing at a fair. The song was original, and the crowd was starting to enjoy it.

Candi returned to the screen. "Peyton wasn't going to take a risk with a new band like Mental Lapse. Eventually, they did sign Mental Lapse when they had a solid foundation," Candi said.

"Mental Lapse started to see an influence that most musical people haven't seen since Jim Morrison. That would be the English Poet William Blake," Felicia said in voice-over.

Kat appeared on the screen. "Brian was having trouble coming up with ideas, so I asked Candi what she was reading; she was reading William Blake, and Brian borrowed it," Kat said.

Candi appeared on the screen. "When Brian was in high school, he had trouble writing some lyrics. Kat saw I was reading a book and asked me what it was. I told them it was William Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell and said it was interesting. He took the book and went from there," Candi said.

Jace looked at the screen and smiled. William Blake; Jace remembered all the times they sat around discussing the word of Blake. Jace never felt that Brian totally grasped what Blake was trying to say.

The video showed Mental Lapse on the stage of Club TRIC. The band members were older now, the same line-up, and a few years later.

Mags appeared on the screen. "We finally signed Mental lapse when most of them were seniors in high school. There was enough buzz about them that we had them recut their self-made EP. They were even invited to do festivals in Europe that summer," Haley said.

Jace appeared on the screen. "Europe, I wasn't going on the festival tour. I had decided not to have a life in music. I brought it up at a band meeting, and we discussed it. I gave them enough time to find my replacement. I don't regret any of it. At one of our shows, I met the woman that eventually became my wife," Jace said.

Jace sat in his chair and nodded. Yes, Jace reflected that he made the right choice.

I will be off until June 4th 2023 for vacation and will not have regular access to the internet. Enjoy...ThumperE23