The members of New Religion had released their first album, Broken and Mended, which was named for Erin's song. After the release of the album, the band went on tour. Carl was the most excited about it. He had traveled to many places, and he really enjoyed it. He said, "I can't wait to start our tour. I love to travel!" Erin was the most nervous, as she was afraid of heights. She said, "I'm not really comfortable with heights." Lola said, "I'm sure you'll be fine." Erin said, "If you get me high enough, I'll pass out." Paul said, "Don't worry, Erin. I'll sit by the window." Their first show was schedule to be in New York. Erin was incredibly nervous, but with Paul holding her hand, she felt more secure. She felt safe. Lola said, "You're doing great, Erin!" Erin said, "Things aren't as scary when you do them with your best friend." Once they arrived in New York, Erin said, "I'm glad to be on the ground again." Mark, their manager said, "I'll make sure your things get to the hotel. Why don't you all go see what New York has to offer?" Erin, Paul, Carl, and Lola took Fritz for a walk in Central Park. There were so many paths there. Just then, they came across it, John Lennon's tribute. Lola said, "I've often seen pictures of this tribute, but now we're actually standing here." Carl wanted to say something, but he was in awe and was speechless. Paul said, "It's so sad that a man who believed so much in peace and nonviolence was so brutally murdered outside of his own home. Why people want to kill pacifists like John Lennon, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Gandhi, I'll never understand." Erin just wept. It was the most she had wept since her mother passed away. After ensuring Fritz would be taken care of, the foursome went to the hotel for the night. Erin and Lola shared a room, and Paul and Carl shared a room. In Paul and Carl's room, Paul said, "I thought Erin was brave to show her emotions at John Lennon's tribute." Carl said, "Yeah. She really was brave. She would never admit it, but she's actually very brave." In Erin and Lola's room, Erin said, "I hope you didn't mind my crying at John Lennon's memorial. I was just overcome with emotion." Lola said, "Erin, I didn't mind. You were very brave to show your emotions." Erin said, "I'm not brave at all." Lola said, "But you are brave, my friend." Erin said, "I am?" Lola said, "Yeah. It takes a lot of bravery to show emotions like you did. It also takes a lot of bravery to admit your fears." The following night, the foursome performed in front of a large audience. It was bigger than the audience at their first gig, but they were performing at a theater this time, not a nightclub. They performed a bunch of songs from their album, including "Broken and Mended", "Scars Aren't Just on the Surface", and "Fresh Fritz Beats". The audience really went wild over "Fresh Fritz Beats". Who could resist the cuteness of a dog playing the bass drum with his tail? They also performed a few cover songs, including "Tequila Sunrise", "Faith Alone", and "Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight". At the end of the concert, Carl said, "I'm sad to say this, but we've come to the end of the show. We had a great time. We love you all. You've been amazing. Thank you and good night!" Back at the hotel, the members of New Religion immediately went to bed. They needed rest in order to be ready for their first questions and answers interview. The next day, they had their interview. Erin said, "I'm Erin, and I do lead vocals and guitar." Paul said, "I'm Paul, and I play guitar and provide backing vocals." Carl said, "I'm Carl, and I play drums and provide backing vocals." Lola said, "I'm Lola, and I play bass and do backing vocals." Erin pointed at her dog and said, "This is our mascot, Fritz. He plays the bass drum for 'Fresh Fritz Beats', as you may or may not know." They then said simultaneously, "And we're New Religion." One fan asked, "What kind of dog is Fritz?" Erin said, "He's a Chinook." Another fan asked, "Who wrote 'Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight'?" Paul said, "None of us wrote that. It was originally by a band called the Oak Ridge Boys. I know it sucked, because we're really not a country band." The fan said, "No, I actually enjoyed it." Erin said, "It's nice to have at least one vote of confidence." Another fan asked, "How do you come up with your songs?" Lola said, "It depends on what we're doing at the moment. Sometimes we might be walking down the street, and we'll see a neon sign or something, and we say, 'Hey, what if we make a song out of that?' We then write some parts to the song, add the music and vocals, and bingo! We've got a song." Another fan said, "I just love 'Fresh Fritz Beats'! How did that song get started?" Carl said, "We were actually hanging out in my garage, and Erin brought her dog, Fritz, with her. He was wagging his tail, and it was hitting the bass drum on my drum set. I found it amusing and started playing on the rest of the drums on my drum set. Erin and Paul got their guitars, and Lola got her bass, and we just started singing. Paul put it on YouTube, and it was intended to be a joke song, but it was so popular that we decided to put it on our first album and perform it live. That's when Fritz became our mascot." After the interview, the band signed autographs for a while. One of the fans said, "I'd like to get a group hug with all of you." Erin said, "Okay. Bring it in, everyone." A picture was later posted on the Internet. New Religion had only started touring, and they were already becoming extremely popular.
No Stable Place
Aside from Uncle Bob, the only other family members who paid me any mind were my grandparents. My grandfather passed away about a year and a half after my father's untimely death. My grandmother lived until I started high school. When she was alive, I could always go to her with a problem. Every time I would have a bad day at school, I would go to her. She would say, "Tell me what's wrong, John." I would tell her what was wrong, and she would make everything better. When she passed away when I started high school, I was devastated. Now I had no one to go to when I had a bad day. That's when my record listening became more frequent. Other than my dog, Beatle, it was my only source of comfort. I really missed having a person to talk to. I missed having someone who listened to me. When he wasn't working, I could call Uncle Bob and talk to him, but it wasn't the same. Grandma seemed to have an answer for everything. Nobody else seemed to have that gift.
Aside from Uncle Bob, the only other family members who paid me any mind were my grandparents. My grandfather passed away about a year and a half after my father's untimely death. My grandmother lived until I started high school. When she was alive, I could always go to her with a problem. Every time I would have a bad day at school, I would go to her. She would say, "Tell me what's wrong, John." I would tell her what was wrong, and she would make everything better. When she passed away when I started high school, I was devastated. Now I had no one to go to when I had a bad day. That's when my record listening became more frequent. Other than my dog, Beatle, it was my only source of comfort. I really missed having a person to talk to. I missed having someone who listened to me. When he wasn't working, I could call Uncle Bob and talk to him, but it wasn't the same. Grandma seemed to have an answer for everything. Nobody else seemed to have that gift.