Further on Down the Road

by ThumperE23

Eleven years have passed since Keith said goodbye to Izzy in Brooke's garden. What has happened in the small city between the river and the sea since then? Who has gotten older? Who has grown up? Who has reached their dreams? Who has had dreams fail? Who has moved away? Who has returned? What happened during the annus horribilis?

686. Chapter 686: Club TRIC-Signing The Band

Chapter 686: Club TRIC - Signing the Band

Monday, March 13th, Afternoon

The world moved in cycles; the petite brunette reflected as she watched the movie. As the light receded, it returned and was coming to that point. But the rising light will react to its apogee and then head down again. Fallon Stafford took it all in and sighed.

Brian, Kat, and Lucan would rejoin the RBR Family at that time in the story. By then, she was at NYU, and Brian had become a well-known front man in the unsigned underground scene. Peyton and Haley swooped in when most of the band turned seventeen.

Fallon studied the images of Mental lapse in their early, baggy shorts and sleeveless t-shirt days. The crowds loved their music, and the girls seemed to love Brian. Fallon could see the beginning of Kat's iconic stage look.

"After two years as an unsigned independent band, Mental Lapse was signed as a sort of a homecoming to RBR," Felicia said in a voiceover.

Chris appeared on the screen. "Kat and Lucan came up with this new promotional tool, a website called YouTube. Soon, among other things, Gabi was going for the band was taking video footage," Chris said.

Mags appeared next. "Mental Lapse was known for Brian, but it was Kat's baby in the early days. She came from a blue-collar background and was raised by two hardworking grandparents. Kat was into the Punk DIY attitude and put her nose to the grindstone. Kat created the YouTube idea, the social media campaign; she taught herself how to edit videos. Gabi might have taken the videos, but it was Kat and her sister Alix doing the social media," Mags said.

Some old low-quality videos of Mental Lapse playing appeared on the screen. There were basic graphics with the band name, the song name, and where it was filmed, and eventually, the graphics changed to show upcoming shows.

Haley appeared on the screen. "There are two things we learned about by signing bands with a strong DIY work ethic. They have a strong sense of what they are worth, which is usually overvalued by them. Also, they love creative control on everything," Haley said.

Fallon smiled and nodded. That was Brian and Kat. Fallon always thought that Kat better understood their worth, while Brian tended to overvalue Mental Lapse's worth.

Fallon saw herself on the screen. "So, we brought Brian and Kat back," she said.

"Why did you say we?" Felicia asked.

"I've been part owner of RBR since I was sixteen," Fallon said.

The image changed to Mental Lapse in the studio. They were focused and working on some songs. Chris returned to the screen.

"The one problem was that Jace had given notice that he was leaving the band. So, after re-recording their first EP, cutting their first full-length album, their guitarist leaving and having to find a new axman, "Chris said, "That's a lot for young kids to do, but they did it."

There were images on the screen. One of them was Brian, Kat, and Lucan holding up a graphic that would be the first full-length album. The three founders were all smiles. The band's lead singer and rhythm section were proud they came this far quickly.

Chris returned to the screen. "What we made in the mix of DIY, youthful energy, and chaos was a classic album," Chris said, holding up a vinyl pressing, "The name We're All Quite Mad Here was the perfect name for that time."

Fallon was on the screen. "For a bunch of teenagers, the sound and fury that came off or We're All Quite Mad Here was amazing, and it holds up. It doesn't sound like teenagers wrote it," Fallon said.

Lucan appeared on the screen, "Those sessions were magical; we were all focused and determined," he said.

"Where did the title come from?" Felicia asked.

"I don't know the specifics, but it came down to two names, Methodical Madness and We're All Quite Mad Here; both are good album names," Lucan said.

"They are. Do you know who suggested them?" Felicia asked.

"If I remember clearly, Methodical Madness was by Bruce, and We're All Quite Mad Here was suggested by Brian. We all voted, and We're All Quite Mad Here won," Lucan said.

The screen changed to show Kat sitting in the Queens, New York, hotel room. "Where did Brian come up with We're All Quite Mad Here? I believe it was suggested to him by Trin Adams," Kat said.

Trin's image appeared on the screen.

"Is it true you suggested We're All Quite Mad Here to Brian Scott?" Felicia asked.

"Yes, I did," Trin said.

"Where did you get that from?" Felicia asked.

"My favorite books are the Alice books by Lewis Carrol. The name came from a quote by the Cheshire Cat," Trin said.

More images appeared on the screen, Fallon noted. She saw herself in the back of some of them. It was an album lunch party at Club TRIC. Brian was holding court in one picture where Trin and Gabi seemed to be fawning over him. Kat was meeting people signing posters and CDs. Kat wore a headband with cat ears. Fallon remembered thinking it was a play on her name, but in other images, Trin and Gabi were wearing them, as well as Robynne, Jace's then-girlfriend now wife. They were the color of the Disney version of the Cheshire Cat. They knew it and were signaling the meaning. Fallon smiled, and the smile would've made the Cheshire Cat proud.

Haley appeared on the screen. "With the push that Kat's DIY approach took, we had a minor sales hit with We're All Quite Mad Here. Mental Lapse was able to book tour dates, and the European Festivals wanted them for a day slot, but you have to start somewhere," Haley said.

An older man with short gray hair and a bodybuilder's build appeared on the screen. He smiled the joyful smile of a kid who just saw Santa Clause. "When I discovered Mental Lapse, I was just blown away. The sound was raw but so refined at the same time," he said and held up his copy of the album "We're All Quite Mad Here was album which defined a generation. It was mad, sweet, scared, and determined; it was a mess of emotions and spoke to the audience. It was hard to believe they were mostly just seventeen when they recorded this album."

The now infamous picture of Brian and Kat onstage in England appeared on the screen. Brian was playing guitar, and he and Kat were smiling at each other. Gabi took the picture, a graphic said. On the back of the print, it said, "First Time in England." The graphic said that it was the only thing she left behind when Kat Hartmann cleaned out of the band's practice space.