Kids Just Having Fun ~ TAMU Island Party

You never know how a lighthearted text from your 26-year-old son might burst open the door to adventure.

Playing keys at the TAMU BYX Island Party was not on my radar. But no way was I turning down this crazy invitation from my son.

I asked Branson for the song list (turns out it’s not a song list, it’s a set list). But that was just the beginning of my education. Then I asked which keys for each song.

“I’m actually not sure, let me check with the guys.”

“Ok well, do you think you’ll be singing them in the same key that they’re recorded on the albums?”

“Yes for sure!”

Helpful.

I placed my laptop on our piano, played Fencetrees songs at full laptop speaker volume, and picked out the keys. A couple of days later, Bran sent me the set list – and praise the Lord, the keys pretty much lined up with my tinkering.

Eleven songs in eleven keys. Just pointing that out.

I played around with the chords and watched YouTube videos on how to accompany a band. Branson kept encouraging me, “Mom, this will be fun. No pressure – this just needs to be fun!” Well ok.

As we conspired, it was important to Branson that we kept this a secret – from everyone, including Corbin. So, for the four-day notice I was given to practice, it had to be during Corbin’s work hours.

Other than my friend, Krista, who I was with when Bran originally texted, I told no one all week. Except for Essie. Essie became my ride or die. She made me brave, made it fun. She already had plans to fly in from Auburn for the music festival, so Branson gave her a heads-up that I was a moonlighting band member. I picked Essie up from DFW on a Wednesday afternoon, and we drove straight on to Dallas for rehearsal. Corbin had a late meeting that evening, so he had no idea of our whereabouts. Essie and I showed up at Hunter’s house for rehearsal. Yep – Essie, me, and four twenty-something musicians jamming out in Hunter’s upstairs (surprisingly clean and nicely decorated) bedroom.

Rehearsal was a ball. Getting to play along with the guys, it was eye-opening just seeing it all come together. Practicing with the guitarist, Miles, the bassist, Jim, and Hunter on the drums. Truly gifted musicians, all Baylor boys. They were extremely chill and kind, allowing this middle-aged novice momma to jump in.

On Thursday, Essie went with me to buy in-ear mics at Guitar Center. Friday morning (Island Party day!), Essie drove me to College Station, and for three hours we listened to the setlist on repeat while I imagined playing accompanying chords and riffs. Over and over, I practiced putting in the in-ear mics, trickier than you’d think. I wasn’t fully sure why I even needed them. But I was told that because the speakers face out toward the crowd, I would only be able to hear the instruments, even my keyboard, through that in-ear mic. Another step in my education. All of this, on the day of the performance.

The BYX Aggies did an incredible job in organizing the event and communicating the details. The greeting team welcomed us warmly, hosting each band in their unique green rooms, complete with drinks, snacks, and personalized gifts. Those BYX mommas should be proud – I was blown away with these college kids’ hospitality and attention to detail.

Sound check. All the guys were playing their respective instruments, with Branson singing a few lines. I had no idea how to turn the keyboard on. Hunter to the rescue! So – we ran through a couple of songs, my chicken-scratched set list taped to the mic stand above the keys. I just tried to keep up, imagining the correct notes coming out of my mic instead of discordant sounds. I was supposed to be giving a thumbs-up or thumbs-down to the sound guys, but I had no idea what to listen for. Walking offstage, Bran asked about my levels (volume levels, not emotional level!), and worked with the sound guys to adjust my mic. In all the craziness, I felt taken care of by my son, by the band, and by the sound guys.

Corbin, my parents, and a few of our friends arrived during the sound check. They crested the hill of the Wolf Pen Amphitheater, and I was absolutely dying. From the stage, behind the keyboard, I looked across the lawn at Corbin, and he didn’t seem one bit alarmed to see me on stage. However, Jessica and Aimee did appear surprised.

“Corbin, what’s TJ doing on stage?” Jessica asked.

“Oh, I guess she’s just helping them find the key.”

“Wait, I think she may be playing with the band.”

“Jessica, she is not in the band.”

Jessica, Aimee, and Todd believed Corbin, because, naturally, he would know. But then they walked backstage while we were still warming up. Jessica said, “Corbin, I think she’s in the band. She has a mic in her ear with the wire down her back.”

Corbin shook his head, “She thinks she can do anything.”

I think it took Corbin the entire day to soak in the fact that 1 – I got to be part of Fencetrees for the day, and 2 – he had no idea.

Fencetrees played an exact 30-minute set, and I faked it til I made it. As we walked offstage, a breathless Bran threw his arm around me, “Mom, can you believe we just did that?!”

Out of the eleven songs, I played eight with some level of confidence, and sat several out, resting my hands on the keyboard or just plain pretending. But accompanying these musicians, with Bran dancing around the stage, singing his heart out to songs that he’d written in his bedroom, never dreaming he’d get to perform on a live stage, was a marker moment. My heart was bursting with the joy of saying YES to a crazy risk that we figured out as we went.