Tenney: A Song for the Season

Nashville, TN – 2017
Author Kellen Hertz
Cover Illustrator Angela Jun
Originally Published © 2017 American Girl
ISBN 9781338137033
 

Hitting a High Note

Tenney feels like she’s dancing on air. She just finished performing at the Ryman Auditorium with Logan, her bandmate. She was opening for the last performance of Belle Starr’s world tour! The audience responded fantastically to their set, but the audience is going wild for Belle!

When Belle comes offstage, she wipes the sweat from her brow, and asks Tenney and Logan if they’d like to sing “Reach the Sky,” one of Tenney’s songs, for the encore song with her. Belle Starr wants to sing Tenney’s song!

As the three step onstage, they manage to find perfect harmonies with each other. Tenney is living her dream.

 

Super Amazing

Tenney and Logan are loading up on desserts at the concert after-party when they see Zane, their manager, talking with their parents. Apparently, somebody recorded the encore performance of them with Belle Starr and threw it online. Zane is getting tons of emails about the positive online response the video is getting.

Zane casually mentions that maybe it’s time to put Tenney and Logan on tour. They need to monitor the online responses for the two budding artists and make sure they stay on top of it. He hints that he’d like to try to get them out before the year-end.

But it’s already November, and there are a lot of moving pieces when it comes to a music tour. Zane invites the adults to come down to his studio to discuss.

On the car ride home, Tenney asks if she’ll be able to go on tour if it’s offered. Hesitantly, her mother says yes.

 

All in the Details

A few days later, Tenney and Logan are brought to Mockingbird Records, Zane’s studio. Zane tells him that the online recordings of the Belle Starr performance are getting lots of views and likes. They continue to get inquiries asking more about the duo. So, they’ll be going on tour!

Tenney and Logan’s parents are already in agreement. The two will leave when winter break begins, and they’ll be on the road for a week before getting back on Christmas Eve. In addition, Zane would slice together a short EP album to sell.

Tenney originally imagined a month-long tour across the country, and a full album of songs, not just a few that are recordings of past shows. But still, even just a local Tennessee tour is a huge deal.

Unfortunately, being gone would mean Tenney would miss out on some of her favorite Christmas traditions with her family and her friends, Jaya and Holliday. But living out her dream would make it all worth it.

 

A Time of Giving

Over the next few weeks, Tenney and Logan meet three times a week to rehearse. By December, they’ve got a solid set for their tour, which is set to leave soon.

As Tenney glances around their mentor, Portia’s, space, she notices all the little Christmas decor she put up. Portia asks Tenney what she does Christmas. Tenney mentions holiday breakfast, opening gifts, and their annual family jam session.

But when Logan responds, he says he isn’t sure what’s happening. His dad is in Asia touring backup for a band, so he probably won’t come back to Nashville for the holiday.

Portia reminds them that Christmas is a time of giving, so it’s important to show loved ones we care.

That weekend, Tenney is putting up decorations with her family when she realizes that due to her tour, she won’t have lots of time to shop for Logan’s gift or learn a new song for the family jam session. She’s disappointed about the jam session, but this will give her little sister, Aubrey, a chance to perform a duet with Mom. In terms of the gift, Tenney will have to figure it out before the tour.

 

Ready to Go

The day they are set to leave, Tenney lugs her heavy suitcase downstairs. Aubrey, her unofficial, personal stylist, told her to bring every hat and piece of jewelry she owns.

After breakfast, Zane picks Tenney and her dad up in a white van. No RV for them… yet.

Then they swing by Logan’s place. They squash his drum set and guitar into the van, and then Logan says goodbye to his brother, Jude, and his mom. His mom smiles through light tears, but Jude doesn’t understand why Logan is going away. Logan assures his brother he’ll be back before they know it.

The four start to make their way to the first stop, but something in Logan’s voice makes Tenney think he isn’t as excited as he was before.

 

Setting the Tone

The first stop of the tour is an outdoor festival. Tenney and Logan warm up in their coats walking in circles. Tenney isn’t sure if it’s nerves or the cold, but she feels tense. Belle Starr’s comment about the first show setting the tone for the whole tour lingers in Tenney’s mind.

Tenney and Logan make their way on stage and introduce themselves. They begin to play a Christmas tune when out of nowhere, Tenney’s microphone ZIIIINNNGs. Tenney and Logan turn their mics off and back on again. But when they try to make noise, the mics aren’t working. They try once more.

Without knowing what to do, they awkwardly stand on stage… looking around for help, watching their first show turn into a bust.

 

The Sound of Silence

Zane and some audio technicians came onto the stage to work on fixing the mics. While they were being fixed, Tenney and Logan tried to sing without amplification, but there was too much background noise. Eventually, the two had to go backstage to wait.

Fifteen minutes into their thirty minute time slot, the festival manager came to them, and told them the mics were fixed, but unfortunately, the pair only has fifteen minutes left to perform; they can’t push back the other acts.

Tenney and Logan try to make the best of it. They play a catchy holiday song, an upbeat original by Tenney’s dad, and then an upbeat and fun song of Tenney’s called “The Nerve.” After that, a young girl in the audience asks them to play “Reach the Sky,” but with Zane and the manager beckoning them off the stage, Tenney starts to wrap it up and mention their albums for sale. But before she even finishes her sentence, her mic is switched off.

They bumble offstage, with Tenney feeling pretty terrible about their shortened and rushed performance. Portia reminds them that despite what Belle Starr said, any performance could be their best performance, so it’s important to keep their heads in the game.

 

On the Road

Back in the car, Tenney tries to work on a new Christmas song, but with no room to get out her guitar, she gives up for the time being. Logan is busy click-click-clicking on his phone and isn’t interested in chatting. And with a drive of nearly four hours ahead of them, Tenney figures she could just close her eyes.

When she’s shaken awake, they’re at the hotel for the night. They check into their two hotel rooms, and Tenney and her dad call the family at home. The family shares about their day and Tenney downplays the disaster of their first show.

Logan comes over to chit-chat, but seeing Tenney is busy, he leaves before anyone can tell him to hang around. And suddenly, some new melodies and lyrics for the Christmas song come to Tenney’s head. She takes out her guitar, and starts songwriting.

 

Breaking the Ice

The next morning, everybody is sitting at breakfast when Tenney suggests making a revised set list that’s shorter… in case of emergency. Logan and Tenney sit down to make the new set list, but Logan remains distracted on his phone.

He nods his head and agrees with every decision Tenney makes, instead of talking things through with her. And the end, Tenney stands up and declares that they’re going exploring.

They find two massage chairs and get mini massages. They laugh at how the vibrations make their voices sound weird. Tenney is just about to ask Logan what’s going on when Dad comes and calls them back—it’s time for their next gig.

 

Change of Plans

Their next gig is a library in downtown Knoxville. But when Tenney walks through the doors, she sees a big sign welcoming a children’s choir. Zane and Dad head over to the library manager to talk about what’s happening.

While they’re busy, three young girls come up to them. The girls explain they’re huge Tenney and Logan fans, and they drove an hour to come see them before. Tenney is excited to be there to perform for them… her first real fans!

But when Zane brings them over, they explain that there was another mistake: the library accidentally double booked them. The director of the children’s choir comes over and offers them the chance to sing a couple songs with the choir.

Tenney and Logan accept the offer. It’s either sing a couple Christmas songs with the choir, or don’t sing anything at all.

Despite the unfortunate circumstances, the children’s choir is actually very good! They have fun upbeat songs, and the Christmas carols at the end aren’t too shabby. After the show, Tenney’s fans buy an EP album, and they leave with some free tickets to Tenney’s next show.

 

Under Pressure

That night at dinner, Logan doesn’t say or do much of anything except stay glued to his phone. When they get to the hotel, he immediately sits down with his eyes staring at that same small screen.

Tenney goes to find Dad and Zane… maybe they can go bowling or something. But when she finds them, she discovers Zane talking about her and Logan. He’s saying that if they’re still not getting along, that could affect their work together. And if that happens, maybe they’re not ready to record their own album.

Tenney heads back downstairs. She needs to talk to Logan about this now. But when she finds him, he’s on a video call with his brother. She waits until he’s done, but he just walks past her, brushing her off.

 

Get It Together

The next show location is a large auditorium, almost as big as Ryman Auditorium. Tenney and Logan sell nearly 300 tickets.

As they begin to play, Logan seems unfocused. His tempo is too fast. Tenney tries to correct him, but then he swings the other way and is too slow. In “Carolina Highway,” he misses his cue and screws up the words. A couple of times, Tenney glances back as if to say “Get it together!”

What’s going on with him?!

 

Homesick Hotel

At the after-party, they sell nearly ninety-four more EPs. Tenney and Logan pose for pictures and take selfies with fans, all the while ignoring each other.

After dinner, Tenney heads back to the hotel while Dad goes exploring. She gets a text from Mom. It’s a photo of their dog, Waylon, at the Howl-iday Ramble with Aubrey and Mason, Tenney’s older brother. It’s like they don’t even mind she’s not there.

As Tenney settles down in the hotel room, she thinks about how she feels: lonely, cold, homesick, tired. And suddenly, the words to her new holiday song start flowing out of her.

It’s not the fun, cheery song she intended, but it’s real, raw, and it makes Tenney feel like she’s a little closer to home.

 

Falling Apart

Their next performance is in Sevierville, the same area where Dolly Parton grew up. They load up and are on the road by 7:30am.

When Tenney and Logan get into a classroom to warm up, Logan asks her what’s going on with her. She says she’s just trying to be nice so Zane doesn’t pull their album. He is upset because she withheld crucial information about their music career. But then, before they can resolve anything, it’s time for them to go onstage.

 

Taken by Surprise

Tenney is nervous this is going to be a horrible show. But to her surprise, Logan and Tenney are in sync again. They harmonize, never skip a beat, and smile at each other between songs. At the after party, they sell out of EP albums. They still haven’t had a chance to talk things out, but it’s time to get on the road.

They load up the van and begin driving. Unfortunately, a winter storm is moving in. The sleet turns to snow, and then their van starts to make a strange sound. The engine goes out. They pull over to the side of the road and all check their phones. Nobody has any service. What do they do now?

 

Stranded

Inside the van, it was dark and quiet. Dad suggested going out to find somebody who could help; he saw a sign just a couple minutes ago for a car repair shop. Zane says he’ll go outside and try to flag somebody down.

Tenney is nervous about Dad leaving. But there’s nothing she can do. She sits in the van, trying to hold back tears. Then she notices Logan has tear streaks, too.

Logan explains that this whole tour, Jude has been texting and calling him non-stop asking when he’s coming home. In Logan’s mind, touring must always be awesome—why else would his dad choose to be gone all the time. But Logan’s experience wasn’t awesome. And if touring wasn’t awesome… well did that just mean his dad didn’t want to be with him?

Tenney confesses she was also homesick and sad. She just turned those feelings around into optimism and smiles. They both were feeling similarly, but they expressed the feelings differently.

Suddenly, they see bright lights coming toward them with a loud honk. It’s a tow truck, and Dad is sitting in the passenger seat!

The adults hook the van up to the truck and everybody piles inside the toasty tow truck. Maybe they can make it to their last show that evening after all.

 

To the Rescue

The car mechanic quickly diagnoses that the van needs a new radiator. Unfortunately, there’s two cars ahead of them, and the interstate is closed down indefinitely. It may not even be open the next day.

Tenney and Logan are so disappointed when Zane trudges off to cancel their last show. The mechanic kindly drives them to a hotel nearby. It’s filled with other weary travelers who also got stranded.

Luckily, the hotel has two more rooms for them. Tenney waits outside. She knows she won’t play the last show, and she probably won’t make it home for Christmas. And then she looks through the window and sees Logan talking on the phone with a melancholy look on his face.

Tenney realizes this whole tour was probably much harder for him. Tenney’s dad is with her. But Logan doesn’t have anybody. And then she gets an idea. What if they performed their last show right here at the hotel?!

 

One Last Show

Tenney and Dad set the small diner stage up. They decided to keep the show a secret from Zane and Logan. When Tenney gets up on stage, nobody seems to notice her. But then she sees Logan standing on the side.

Tenney begins to play the new song she wrote. It’s about how even when it’s cold and lonely, she’s by her friend’s side. He joins her on stage to keep playing their set. The audience bobs their heads and cheers alongside them.

In a way, Belle Starr was right. The first show set the tone for the whole tour. But this last show, in a hotel in front of weary, sad travelers, is the one she’ll remember forever.

 

A Christmas Surprise

The next morning, they all wake up early and head to the garage. They don’t expect the van to be done, but they want to check. When they get there, they find the mechanic did finish the van! He heard about the concert they did, and decided to do a little bit of goodwill for them, so he got up early to finish their van.

They load up and begin driving. As they get going Zane tells them that he’s impressed with how they turned things around and continued to make the best of the situation. He’s excited to begin working with them on their first real album. It looks like they didn’t blow their album chances after all!

 

The Road Home

It takes three hours for them to get home on the bad roads. When they drop Logan off, Tenney’s heart is warmed to see him back with his brother and mom again. He assures Tenney that someday, maybe he’ll be ready to do another tour. But for now, he’s happy to be home.

When Tenney and Dad get home, the whole family is there to welcome them back. They open Christmas gifts, where Aubrey is excited to have gotten a new concertina, and Tenney was given a brand new songwriting journal.

And then, the family dives into their annual Christmas jam. Tenney’s fingers are sore, and her voice is tired, but nothing is going to stop her from jamming with her family on Christmas.

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