Chapter 22: Here There be Dragons

A meeting with everyone involved, and that meant just about everyone, was held the next day. Tony deferred to Bea and Alice to run the meeting.

"OK," Bea started off. "We have arrangements with Bell Tone studios in Nashville beginning this Saturday morning at seven o'clock. Twelve hours on Saturday and starting again at seven on Sunday mornings and running until four PM. Should we need them they are prepared to do a few hours of work on Fridays as well, but they advise, and we tend to agree, that after a full day of school, air travel, and getting to the hotel, that if you do have time to work on Friday you probably won't be at your best. For now we're sticking to recording on Saturdays and Sundays.

"We have also made arrangements at the Motel 6 nearby ... OK, not the Motel 6. The hotel sits one block from the studio. They generally put their guests there. It's called The Allrich and if that makes it sound expensive it is. Each room is a two bedroom suite. They are in a single block of five on the twelfth floor. That technically gives us beds for twenty, assuming doubling up. More likely fifteen or even less. The seven primary musicians and five primary staff get first claim on those. In case you don't know who those are, and there is one addition, the musicians are Tony, Tina, Rebecca, Kyle, Jerry, Dewayne, and Anita. The sound engineers are Gwen and Chrissie, equipment engineers are Matt and Riley. The addition, and I say I most wholeheartedly agree with this, is our tutor, and that's Cheri. Somebody, who shall remain nameless lest the others lynch him, added that in because we don't want to see anyone's grades take a nosedive through this. Seeing as how he's my boss Cheri is part of the team. Pack your books kids."

There were some good-natured groans from the kids but the parents, of course, were all for it.

"Now if we need your services arrangements will be made. Some of you in this room are actual corporate officers of Cobblestone. If you have reason to make an official visit let us know and arrangements will be made through the company. If you are a parent and just want to go see what's going on, you're on your own. If there is a bed that's not being slept in and no one minds you taking it fine, but don't count on it and we aren't throwing anyone out of one room into another just to accommodate you. On these trips the kids are paid employees of Cobblestone studios and you're not. We are most certainly trying to pamper them somewhat. They need all the space and relaxation they can get with this schedule. That's a full workweek of normal school and rehearsals, plus 21 hours of recording on the weekends, not to mention the travel. Oh and most of those crazies are going to be neck deep in Tammy's Wheels as well.

"If it hasn't sunk in yet these kids are professional musicians. They have a professional contract to complete an album. This is not fooling around. I work for Cobblestone Digital Studios and these are employees with a job to do. We are spending a small fortune in shareholder money to get it done. I expect them to do it and you have already decided to let them do it. I honestly suggest you simply stay away. They won't have time for you anyway. Now I think Tony has information about flights."

"Hey, I assume you all know me, I'm Tony. It was obvious from the start that traditional airlines weren't going to work for us. Basically we need to leave school on Friday and have a plane ready to go and not have to figure out who's booked on what. Like all things aviation if we took commercial flights we'd have to stop and change planes in Atlanta. It would've been a nightmare to coordinate even without our unusual cargo requirements so we're going charter.

"At four PM each Friday a Piedmont de-Havilland Dash-8 will be waiting on us at Savannah airport at Sheltair. I will say this, if you are looking around at the nice shops and restaurants in the airport then you went to the wrong place. This is the Fixed Base Operator. We are going to basically pull right out onto the tarmac, unload our gear, stow it, and climb aboard. I'll have maps and no, don't really just drive out to the plane. Once we get approval we'll move the cargo van out there and load it up with the crew's assistance. When that is done we climb on and go when ready. No waiting on a scheduled departure, we just go when we tell them we're ready. The faster we get there and get the plane loaded the faster we get off the ground. It's about 380 nautical miles and depending on weather and prevailing winds the flight time will be around an hour and a half.

"A couple of things you should know about the aircraft. It's huge first of all. There will be no problem with cargo space below and there is room for 34 passengers. It almost has to be brand new, as the type has only been flying for two years. Is it an expensive way to move 12 people? Yeah, but it's the best way to get twelve people and all their musical gear in one group without the hassles of commercial flights. That being said there will always be extra room on the plane. Come on if you want to go. It will not get you to Nashville International. We'll be flying into Tunes airport west of the city. I think there's a Hertz agency there but not much else, so flight yes, no problem, after that you're on your own. I will say this: if you get off work at five and expect us to hold that airplane for you while you make your way to the airport you will be wrong. Once all the required people are there we are leaving. The leasing contact for Cobblestone is me and I'm going to tell them to go, we've got work to do. Same thing for Cobblestone employees, that plane leaves just as fast as we get there and load it. If you have business in Nashville that weekend be there ahead of time or arrange a commercial flight, we won't wait for..."

"Excuse me! Young man?" A smallish lady with graying hair was speaking from near the back of the gathering. Tony didn't recognize her and that kind of puzzled him.

"Yes ma'am. Could you introduce yourself please, I don't think we've met."

"Patty Madsen, Jerry and Matt are my sons."

"Oh wow! I can't believe we've never met before. Please go ahead Mrs. Madsen."

"Uhh, just who are you? All this 'the plane leaves when I say' and all that."

Tony smiled. "OK, fair question. I wasn't aware that there was anyone here in the room that didn't know who I was. I'm Tony Smith, I'm a member of the band, more importantly I think in this case, I am a stockholder in Cobblestone Digital Studios. The company is incorporated in the State of Georgia with an initial issuance of one thousands shares of common stock. The company itself holds four hundred shares. I personally own three hundred shares, the other three hundred shares are owned by my sister Tina Smith, and I have a proxy to vote her shares for a period of five years.

"So, sometimes you see me go into this take-over mode. like tonight. The truth is that I represent sixty percent of the stockholders of the company your sons work for. Now, we have corporate officers and a board of directors, that's the good news. I'm not one of them at this time though I will take over as president and chief executive officer in late March. At anytime I can exercise my rights to call a shareholder's meeting, it's not hard, I control enough stock to form my own quorum. The other 400 shares can be voted by the board of directors, and guess what? They still lose. So when Bea says I'm her boss, ehh, not exactly, but I can, if I so choose, make any decision I please regarding the company. Why? Because Tina and I own it and she says I can. So to answer your true question," Tony smiled at her, "yes, the inmates are running the asylum."

There was a chorus of chuckles around the room and Tony saw his dad, bless him, moving towards Mrs. Madsen.

"Now, moving on, touchdown in Savannah will be around seven PM each Sunday. I imagine we'll park the cargo truck there for the weekend as well as personal vehicles to get everyone home, but if you need to meet the plane for someone that's when. Again the plane flies on our schedule so if we run late or early that may vary. Ask the nice people at the desk at the FBO and they'll know about when we'll arrive based on our flight plan. Uhmm, other transportation? Alice do you have that?"

"Hi all, I'm Alice Morgan. We have an agreement with Ryder for transportation to and from the airport. There will be two twelve passenger vans and one twenty foot cargo van waiting each Friday evening. Pick the keys up at the desk and drop them off when you leave. All the paperwork is done so you should just be able to grab the keys and go. They are leased by the corporation and Cobblestone insures them so there won't be any hassles about the age of the drivers."

"OK," Bea said, "there can be no mistakes here. I'll double-check with the studio and hotel this week. Tony if you can double-check with the charter airline and Alice with Ryder sometime this week, please?"

When Tony and Alice had nodded their heads Bea continued, "OK that's the official stuff. We'll open the floor to questions."

Now, the only other parent that was particularly new to the band's activities other than Matt and Jerry's mother was Riley's father, Bill Porter, and he had to ask the most obvious and embarrassing parental question. "What are the sleeping arrangements? We've got kids here from twelve to eighteen. They just sleep where they want?"

Tony tried to save the situation with a bit of humor. "Mr. Porter I promise you that my twelve-year-old baby sister will be safe and sound in her own bed." It didn't work.

"But what about the rest?"

"If you like we can provide you with charts of official sleeping arrangements, sir. We'll draw it up nice with where the boys are and where the girls are. Other than Anita though there will be no ten PM bed checks. Think of it as a coed dorm."

"Sounds like there should be some adults there to me."

"This isn't a high-school football trip, sir. This is a group of males and females who have traveled extensively together for a long time and their parents have allowed them to use their own discretion. It's up to you if you trust your son to use his. I know where his, uh, interests lie and I trust him. That's saying a lot, or at least that's what I'm told when I'm allowed to express an opinion on the subject."

All six of the girls giggled at that.

Bill Porter didn't withdraw his concern, but looking around the room at all the parents who didn't seem concerned, he decided not to make any more issue about it. Tony assumed it was more his experience with his three daughters than any concern about Riley and Tina.

"Anything more?" Bea asked.

When no more questions were asked the meeting began to break up. Tony approached his parents who were with Bea and Alice. "Fantastic job girls. I knew we could count on you," Tony said.

"Thanks Tony, I'm excited," Bea said. "I can't believe you guys are really going to do this. It's like the birth of something new."

"Yeah it is. Let me find Tina, I've got some good news and I think Anita's the only one that knows it right now. Never mind..." Tony just shouted at the crowd, "Hey everyone, quick announcement here if you have a minute."

The few people headed for the door turned and looked at Tony.

"Last Thursday, on the second of the month, sealed bids were opened for a government auction on the old Post Office and all the grounds. That's the parking facility were the mail jeeps were and all of that. The winner paid too much for it, but dammit that winning bid was mine. We are going to rebuild Cobblestone Digital Studios right back on that same space. We can build it to our needs and specifications, whatever we want. So consider our temporary setback just that, temporary. We're going to see this company grow and prosper, and I know that just looking around this room. A company isn't about bricks and carpet, its people, and we're going to do just fine."