Ain't It SALTY

Well I don't mind...

Dalton's POV (and see above for the Paramore vid to get what he's talking about):

"Hey Dean, what's up?" I hear him inhale deeply, the way he always does with some big announcement or whatever, like me headlining the School of Rock Gives Back tour. "Dalton, you'll never believe this. All right, so - you know the band Paramore, right?" I pause for a moment, trying to see where he's going with this. "Ummmmmm... Yeah? I think so? It's that punk rock chick who can't seem to decide what color her hair should be, right? " Dean exhales in frustration. "Hayley. Her name's Hayley. Hayley Williams, sings like an angel, with pipes to kill. Ring a bell yet?" "I don't know, I guess? What song would I have heard by her, and how is this relevant to big news?" Dean sighs. "Dalton, how many times have I told you, you have to be knowledgable of other artists in the industry, even if they aren't exactly your personal interest." Ughhhhh he knows I'm not into that pop punk radio crap... Okay well, some of it's decent but most of it's trash. "Yeah yeah I know, whatever. But again, why does this matter?" I really wish Dean would just get to the point. "You're opening for them on their five-day Parahoy cruise! Well, calm down now..." The silence on my end of the receiver clearly showed my distaste. "Uh, okay. Cruise, you say? Now that I could get excited about." "Dalton, you don't get it, Paramore is a massively successful band, despite the vocalist and the guitarist being the only original members. Although the original drummer, Zac Farro, is rumored to come back..." "Ummm okay. I still don't know what they're known for. Popular songs? Anything I could check out to get to know them?" Dean sighs. "Yep, definitely. That's your homework: to get to know who you'll be sharing the stage with. Listen to 'Ain't it Fun', 'Still Into You', and maybe 'Misery Business'. That should give you a reasonable sense of who they are. Oh, and pack. The ship leaves in two days." "TWO DAYS?!? Thanks for the advance notice Dean." The sarcasm in my voice was thick, but he apparently didn't hear it. "You're welcome, Dalton. I just emailed you the logistics. Bon voyage!" And with that, Dean ended the call, and I was left alone with my thoughts... And some songs to check out in YouTube.

To my great surprise, they weren't half bad. Once I heard some of their songs, I definitely recall hearing "Ain't it Fun" on the radio recently but I didn't know it was by Paramore. And I'll admit, the music video for "Misery Business" was actually pretty great, definitely my brand of sarcasm. After binge-watching Paramore videos, I figured I'd better start packing for my week-long gig with a band that actually seems kinda cool.

I'm walking into my bedroom to grab my large suitcase out of the closet when I decide to look at the info that Dean emailed to me. Cool - it's a plus one invitation. But who should I bring with me? Then I have an idea.

"Hey Will! What's up man?"
"Nothing much at the moment, just chilling at home. What can I do for you, bro?"
"Okay well, Dean booked me gig opening for Paramore -"
"No way! Paramore? They rock!"
"Will, don't tell me you're a super fan..."
"Dalton, you love Taylor Swift. There is no room to cast shame here!"
Ughhhh, the guy has a point. "Touché. Well anyway, it's on a cruise ship for a week and I can bring a friend. Wanna come?" I heard excited squeals on the other end of the call.
"DUH. I'm absolutely in! Can I meet them? Taylor and Hayley?"
"What? I said Paramore, not Taylor Swift..."
"I know, I meant Taylor York, Salty. The guitarist in Paramore. Dude, you have so much to learn in two days."
"Maybe so. All right, I got stuff to do. I'll text you the info, see you Monday at the port."
"Will do! Thanks buddy!"

And with that, I put my phone back in my pants pocket and get started on packing my things. You'd think that I could just throw stuff in a bag and call it a day, but as a performer, I literally have to plan out my outfits, which is a drag. Because I'm a dude and would rather just live in sweats if I could. But instead, it's skinny jeans and pocket chains for me. It's a hard-knock life trying to pack for five days of looking fabulous.