© Ayr/Gray
From Jenne Gray and C.E. Ayr’s photo prompt, The Unicorn Challenge (01/19/2024). No more than 250 words in length. Otherwise, let your creative flag fly!
They played the Farmer’s Market every chance they got. The large Metropolitan area and suburbs had literally hundreds of sites. Being in the Midwest, word did not get around as much as you might’ve expected. Of course, rural areas in the greater part of the state had their own markets, but times were tough. The band had to weigh transportation costs with expected earnings. Gigs paid next to nothing, and people weren’t tipping as much as they used to.
They were a really terrible band.
That’s why they played Farmer’s Markets, floating down to the southern states when temps
dropped and snows began. To feed themselves, they relied on the vegetables people threw at them when they played. Donna, though a lousy singer, was a worse guitarist. Beau’s bass was dodgy and doddering, and Kevin on the keyboard filled his impromptu solos with weird synth noises and some really bad dad jokes. The jokes were so bad, sometimes the audience threw hunks of bread, and rinds of cheese! This was really helpful, as dairy and meat were at an all-time high in the worsening economy. Protein was expensive.
They were getting by, but not really catching on.
What they really needed was a galvanizer, maybe an accordion player. Persistence got them by, but their creativity was flagging.
Things were about to change.
Donna spotted him immediately, at the crowd’s edge: cowshit-stained overalls, no shirt, brilliant smile, hair that stood up in the nonexistent breeze.
Smelled like success to her!
© Liz Husebye Hartmann (2024)
Valley of the Trolls 
This was great! I hope they threw fresh vegetables, at least!
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Fresh from farm to market…😆
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They were a really terrible band.
Hilarious.
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Maybe they get better with lots and lots of practice? 😉
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It’s not looking good, Liz.
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😂😂
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I’m sad to say that I can identify with this group.
I once played in a two-man Folk/Rock combo, where only one of us could play the guitar and only one of us could sing.
Neither of them were me!
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😆😆 The rhythm section, eh? There’s a place for all of us…with an accordion, of course!
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For sheer persistence this band is #1.
‘Donna, though a lousy singer, was a worse guitarist. ‘ – still smiing at the twist in the sentence construction..
And as for the possible galvaniser, yep, he cartainly has…something!
Great tongue-in-cheek story, Liz.
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Thanks, Jenne! Sometimes one just has to let Snark have the run of the place…😆
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As a former roadie ‘To feed themselves, they relied on the vegetables people threw at them when they played’ would have been a dream. 🙂 Great piece, Liz.
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Thanks, Doug. Maybe they were better than they thought!
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