Chapter 64 : Concert session (3)

Koreans are not familiar with the blues.

They may be familiar with ‘Booru-ssu’, but on the contrary, there are many people who try to play the blues, but few have earned income from it.

None of the blues enthusiasts knew the reason.

Of course.

If they knew that, they would be the god of music.

But that doesn’t mean that blues songs can’t be successful.

It’s just that it can’t become a mainstream genre, but one song can be successful.

Rather, by giving an unfamiliarity that is not in the mainstream, it can be a huge hit, not just a success,

The current situation was exactly like that.

‘Hmm…??’

Ju-hyun had a curious thought.

Clearly, the song Ju-hyun was listening to was [On a Shady Day], Ju-hyun’s representative song.

It was a song that was briefly popular in the early 2010s, during the rock ballad boom, and was sung with a slight reinterpretation.

It’s moderately high-pitched, so it’s good for men to challenge in karaoke, and it’s a song that pursues easy listening, so it makes you think, ‘Ah, should I listen to it again?’ when you hear it.

However, even though the melody and lyrics were definitely like that, the sound that was coming out now was so unfamiliar.

Much lower than the slightly sad sound that comes out of a normal rock ballad.

The rhythm seems a little different too.

On a shady day

I went to meet you

And most importantly, unlike Ju-hyun’s original song, which put the vocals at the forefront, the guitar was at the forefront.

Despite being a guide vocal, they’re singing with much less force… It feels like they’re treating the vocals like an instrument.

“Is this shady day?”

“Yeah, it’s good.”

“The guitar tone is crazy.”

While Ju-hyun was listening with her arms crossed, such mutterings were heard little by little among the staff.

But the people who muttered fell silent, receiving blatant gazes from the surroundings that Ju-hyun could easily recognize.

In the meantime, the song rushes to its climax.

And with the exploding vocals, the overwhelming guitar sound that soon makes you forget the vocals.

The Fender Rumble 25W amplifier, which was brought in for the reason of simply listening to the guitar playing, starts to make a tearing roar.

A tone that seems to have been taken from Gary Moore’s song. Even though the guitar the girl is holding is clearly a Stratocaster, it sounds like it has reproduced the weight of a Les Paul as it is.

Not only that, the girl is constantly shaking her left hand like a skilled guitarist and moving her right hand freely, making the melody fluctuate.

It’s truly a performance that can be called a sample of blues rock with a slight mix of pop from the 80s and 90s.

“Wow.”

Ju-hyun’s small exclamation, which she couldn’t bear, finally burst out.

The sound was small, but it was enough to focus all the surrounding staff.

And at the end of the performance, the girl briefly cuts off the pick to clean up the sound.

“Well, I’ve arranged it to this extent. How about it for a concert fan service?”

The slightly louder applause sound than before disappears again.

Ju-hyun looked at the situation with pitiful eyes and said again.

“Did that band do the arrangement?”

“Yes. I didn’t do anything big. I changed it to a band sound, the rhythm is bluesy. I put the guitar a little more at the forefront.”

Words that seem humble at first glance.

But Ju-hyun read in Su-yeon’s expression a confidence as if saying, ‘You can’t help but like this’.

And that was actually the case.

Ju-hyun didn’t feel lacking in the original song itself.

But isn’t there something like that? If you keep listening to music at the same volume, you start to feel, ‘Isn’t the sound a little quiet?’ So you turn up the volume more.

That’s what Ju-hyun was feeling now.

She was always thinking, ‘I want to go out a little more here..’ But it was difficult to touch the song, so every time she just said, ‘No, let’s just sing the same song,’ and only did some reinterpretation during the concert.

This song was not completely twisting the taste… It was a perfect song that satisfied Ju-hyun’s taste, which was slightly tired of the existing song.

The only problem is that even the staff are opposing this song.

‘Should I buy the song separately?’

Ju-hyun thought about that first.

Send those kids out and just buy the song? But who would do that.

Unless you’re crazy, you wouldn’t do that.

They would hold the song hostage.

‘Then ・・・’

He glanced around at the staff.

30% with a very dissatisfied expression, the rest with no thoughts or the feeling that they wanted to do it with those kids.

Ju-hyun sighed internally and opened his mouth.

“I like it a lot. The other performances were good, and this arrangement is too. If you do a session, would you be willing to arrange other songs?”

“Well, if there is a need to do so, or if there is a reason to do so, I will do it. If the song is good, or if you think, ‘How about doing it this way’.”

An answer that is so full of confidence that it seems slightly arrogant.

But if it were the first time, he wouldn’t know, but now Ju-hyun knows that those kids are the kind of kids who would do that.

The guitar, of course, and the bass, keyboard, and drums all sounded quite skilled even to Ju-hyun, who was ignorant of rock.

“Um, how about just selling the song?”

While they were talking, one of the staff members was in a hurry and stuttered slightly.

Ju-hyun’s initial thought.

And as Ju-hyun expected, the answer to that question was…

“I don’t want to sell it.”

It led to such an answer.

‘Should I take this opportunity to do some personnel changes in our team?’

Ju-hyun was worried about this and that, and that’s what she came to.

The option of not using those kids had already disappeared from his mind.

What can’t be helped.

They’re skilled enough and have even done an attractive arrangement.

Even though there’s no reason to reject this, some of the staff are still full of complaints.

It would be different if it was a replaceable band.

But if you have ears, you should listen and know.

They are good enough, but if they chase this band away, what will they hear from the director?

‘I should do that. Recently, our team has been too stagnant, and I feel like we’re starting anew…’

Ju-hyun thought so.

It’s not because he has to choose this band.

It is using this band as an excuse to do personnel changes.

At least that’s what he believed.

Therefore, he was sure of his actions.

“I have decided to use this band as a session. Anyone have any objections?”

Several hands went up at those words, and hands that hesitated and sank slightly.

Ju-hyun looked at those hands and…

“Those of you who raised your hands, please have an interview with me later.”

Ju-hyun’s words, uttered coldly.

The atmosphere that had been maintained until just now collapses with those words.

“No, that’s not it…”

“I didn’t want to say this, but excuse me, staff members, who is this team for? A team for the staff members? Or a team for me?”

A blazing voice jumped out of Ju-hyun’s throat.

The voice was about to rise a little, but he realized that there were outsiders and lowered it again.

At his gesture, one of the staff members took the band kids out, the equipment was hurriedly cleared, and the rest were sitting still like dogs who had messed up the house and were waiting for punishment.

Ha Su Yeon sipped her coffee.

Strangely, she’s been craving sweet coffee these days.

In the past, the sweetest she had was a cafe latte, and she usually had an Americano, but recently she has been drinking the something-something-fra-whatever that Iseo orders quite well.

‘I feel like even that’s not too sweet.’

Because Ha Su Yeon was Korean, she adhered to the principle that ‘a dessert that is not too sweet is the best dessert’.

For her , the type of drinks that Iseo ate were just sugar bombs, but in the past few months, something has been going down smoothly.

Maybe it’s because his constitution has changed.

“Was there any other story from that company?”

“Well, they did talk.”

“What about?”

“They asked if I had any thoughts of belonging to their company. The composer said that. He said that if I came in as a full-time composer and band, they would definitely treat me well.”

“Oh…”

“But I told them. That Park Hwi-seok also told me that story, but I decided not to.”

As a result of searching the internet while arranging for a few days, Ha Su Yeon was able to find out that [Entline] was quite a big company.

One idol who is the company’s main product, and Ju-hyun and a few other singers who are the main products.

And one team each of small male idols and female idols.

It is not a commonly referred to as the top 3 agencies or a solid mid-sized agency under it.

But is it under that? Tier 3? If you say tier 3, it seems a bit inferior, but still, it was a feeling that there were many singers whose names you’ve heard.

It was much bigger than Myeong-jeon’s first impression, but well.

“If not an agency, how about a label?”

Iseo looked at her cell phone and slightly trimmed her makeup, then turned her eyes away from it and said.

“Label?”

“Don’t bands belong to labels rather than agencies? That’s what I know.”

“That’s right.”

Label, huh? Well, label too… Is there really a need? Domestic indie labels have grown quite a bit, but Ha Su Yeon did not look at that side.

She thought it would be better to work separately than to belong to such a place.

But a famous label would be worth considering.

For example, ultra-large labels such as EMI, Columbia, Harvest, and Capitol.

“I’m not interested in labels… um, if you think about it, it’s time to release EPs or singles. Is it better to hire a manager for that kind of thing?”

“Are you going to release an album?”

“Not an album, but an EP or a single.”

“That’s the same thing.”

“Not at all.”

Looking at Iseo, who was making an expression that said, ‘Isn’t that the same thing?’, Ha Su Yeon sighed deeply. What should he do with this pitiful sentient being?

Between Ha Su Yeon’s vision as he tilted his head, he saw two high school girls he had seen somewhere.

“It’s time. Let’s go practice.”

“Hello.”

“Hello~”

When I entered the practice room with Iseo, I heard greetings from the staff that were different from before.

Looking over it briefly, I felt that the personnel composition had changed quite a bit.

A few of the grumpy people I had seen before were gone, and instead, a few other people had come in.

And a composition with a few more sessions added.

It is ‘possible’ to do it only with our band, but because it may seem that the sound is empty… There were additional sessions added at Myeong-jeon’s discretion.

‘I don’t know everyone.’

There are young kids and old gentlemen.

The common point is that there are no particularly famous sessions.

Is it because they are going in as assistants to the band, or is it because this is unfamiliar and it happened?

“First of all, this is the first time we’re using a band, so the rehearsal may be unfamiliar. So, um, the leader? I think we should pick a session leader.”

“Band master?”

A thick voice is heard from the session guitar side. A slightly bulky man.

“Yes, well, band master.”

“Um. Originally, this kind of thing is chosen based on experience or skill.”

Saying that, the session guitar looks around.

The intention was too clear to be an action that did not contain any meaning.

At such a gesture of the guitar, Ha Su Yeon just thought… ‘With whatever experience or skill, the band master has no choice but to be me, right?’