The next weekend, the boys were at their club again, but this time with a few differences. When the curtain opened, it was to reveal a band of four at their instruments, poised and confident and ready to play. And that wasn't the only new thing. During the week, Jimmy's dad had agreed to go get the front of his son's bass drum painted. The drum now proudly displayed the group's new name.
Les started them off with a riff, and the others followed right in, Charles and Felix keeping rhythm and sometimes playing off each other and doing something more daring and fancy, Jimmy keeping time on his drums and joking with the audience between numbers. They played a number of sixties and seventies rock songs, and soon had almost the whole club up on their feet, dancing and singing along.
At a corner table sat an older gentleman with a kind face, sipping a cup of tea. He watched the boys with interest, impressed by their talent in interpreting these songs from his own youth. They were too talented to only go as far as playing a small nightclub, he thought.
The band's set ended and they took their bows, the crowd still calling out for more, cheering the band, calling out their name. “A Wave Tossed In the Ocean! A Wave Tossed In the Ocean!”
In the club's small backstage room, the boys put their instruments away, flushed and happy. “We did it, men!” cheered Les. “Let's give ourselves a round of applause!”
“We are the best!” grinned Charles.
“They do seem to think so,” agreed Felix more modestly.
“And they love your name idea,” Jimmy added. “Listen to them calling it!”
Les gave a small smile. “There's meaning behind it. Even if they don't know about that, they still know this name is right.”
Felix laid a hand on Les's shoulder. “I think that's the best thing you could do with your father's comment. My father always told me, when I was upset, to just put it in my music instead of bottling it up or complaining about it. That's what I always do now.”
“Wait, you write songs?” Charles demanded. “And why did we not hear of this? We could play originals!”
“Yeah!” cheered Jimmy. “I know Les and I could write some great ones.”
Les beamed, as Felix just smiled and gave a small shrug in response to Charles. Writing original songs... that would be taking his band to a whole new level....
A knock sounded at the backstage door. One of the club employees poked his head around the door.
“Excuse me, A Wave Tossed In the Ocean –” Les grinned at being properly addressed by his new band name – “someone from the audience wants to talk to you. An older gentleman.”
A fan? Les could hardly stand still from excitement. “Send him in!”