“That song has already been approved by the producers, so you’re all set,” Dan said, as he put on reading glasses and checked some papers in front of him. “I’ll have the sheet music sent over tonight, but for now I’ll give you some tips I wrote down after watching your other performances again. First, Jared, your voice is incredible, but your bass playing could be better. Did you start out on guitar, by any chance?”

“Yeah. I know I need to work on it.”

“It’s obvious to anyone who primarily plays bass, but you’re not terrible either. Just remember that your job is to bridge the drums and the guitar. You need to provide the groove and the pulse for the entire song. Bass isn’t as showy as the guitar, but it’s just as important.”

Jared exchanged a look with his brother like, “What is happening?” Dan was the bassist in Loaded River, so it didn’t surprise me he had tips for Jared. Still, I was impressed Dan knew our names already and that he’d done his homework on us. Five minutes in and he was already a better mentor than Angel. We might actually learn something from him.

“Maddie, you’re a strong guitarist,” Dan continued. “In fact, from a technical standpoint, you might be the best guitarist on the show. But let me guess—you’re a classically trained musician?”

I nodded, still reeling over him saying I might be the best guitarist here. That was so far from the truth I couldn’t even consider it.

“I figured. You’re too stiff when you play, like you’re focusing too much on hitting the right notes and not on the emotion the music is conveying. You have the skills and you know the songs, but you don’t feel them. You need to work on your stage presence and bring a little passion to your performance. I’ll help you with that.”

“Thanks.” Everything he said about my stage presence was true, and I was eager to improve. I’d take any advice he had.

He gave the other guys some tips, too, and then said, “All of you need to remember, sometimes less is more. You need to learn to listen to the rest of the band and react to them, instead of just focusing on your own playing. This is what makes the strongest bands: cohesion. We’ll work on that this week. But cohesion and raw talent aren’t enough to win this show, especially since you’re not exactly what the producers or record label are looking for.”

“What do you mean?” Jared asked.

“Do you remember Addicted to Chaos? The last rock band that won The Sound, two seasons ago.”

“They broke up after they won, right?” I asked. “When the singer and drummer got a divorce or something?”

“I remember that,” Kyle said. “Didn’t one of them get arrested, too?”