Rock and Roll: Glorious Years

The two chatted in the office for almost an hour, during which Pan Jianhu introduced him to all the suitable musicians in the company. When they saw that it was almost time, the two left the office together.

Inside the three-story factory building of Nanyin, there is Yunnan Province's top-notch recording studio and more than ten rehearsal rooms.

A basketball court-sized open space was left in the center of the factory, complete with a stage and sound equipment. Pan Jianhu originally planned to hold small-scale live performances here regularly, but for various reasons, it didn't happen. Now, besides being used for bands to rehearse, it serves as a meeting room.

Today happened to be the day the bands participating in the music festival were announced, so all 12 bands under Nanyin were present. To maintain stability, Pan Jianhu hadn't originally planned to invite Bian Lang, intending to send him the invitation after things settled down at the company.

But since Bian Lang had come and bumped into him, he had some other thoughts.

Bian Lang didn't know many of these people, but he could recognize several middle-aged men who were about the same age as Pan Jianhu at a glance.

The Big Wind Band is a representative of the iconic heavy metal bands of the second generation of rock in the industry.

Bian Lang quickly stepped forward to greet them. Regardless of their music, these people are still active on various small live performance stages, and for that alone, they deserve Bian Lang's respect.

The four of them didn't stand on ceremony and praised Bian Lang's new song with smiles. Bian Lang then sat down next to the four of them.

After saying a few opening remarks on the small stage, Pan Jianhu got straight to the point. He first apologized to the band members of the Big Wind Band: "Tiger, I'm incompetent. This time, the higher-ups are a bit strict, and the works can't pass the review. I'm sorry to trouble you guys to make way for the lower-ups this time."

The members of the Big Wind Band waved their hands to indicate that it was nothing. They had encountered this situation frequently in recent years. They would only be able to perform at 3 out of 10 music festivals they applied for, so the guys had a good attitude and didn't feel that there was anything they couldn't accept.

Lead singer Tang Dafeng said to Bian Lang, "Bian Lang, just stick to your current path. Those extreme personalities can play around with it privately, but don't act like us old guys, always talking about unrealistic ideals and not wanting to be manipulated. If this style is fixed, the fans won't allow it, and there are too many stage limitations..."

In this respect, although the Blue Planet is much better than the original Earth, it has become more populated due to its biased orientation. Therefore, groups that play imported music such as rock music have become the main targets of surveillance.

"Yes, thank you, Brother Dafeng. I understand the situation." Having lived two lives, Bian Lang has a deeper understanding of the balance between reality and ideals.

Immediately afterwards, Pan Jianhu said to a young man with a round head and round-framed glasses, "Magpie, you have the same problem. Although it wasn't explicitly stated that you weren't allowed to perform, I think it's better to wait until next time than to risk being pulled off the spot."

Although the magpie was a little disappointed, it knew the situation of its own song, so it nodded and didn't say anything more.

Next came the announcement of the bands participating in this year's "Joyful Journey". Since the bands Dafeng and Xique were eliminated, everyone already knew who the top three were. However, this last one made the bands that still had a chance nervous.

Seeing this, Bian Lang didn't feel like he was about to be roasted over a fire; instead, he felt that coming today was the right thing to do. It's best to establish authority early, and today's occasion was the best for clearing things up, lest Pan Jianhu later give him the invitation privately, and the older generation of Nanyin musicians gossip about their Rolling Stones band behind their backs.

Bian Lang didn't want to put Pan Jianhu in a difficult position, and he wanted to maintain control. So, before Pan Jianhu could speak, he stood up and said, "Excuse me, everyone, our Rolling Stones band wants to participate in 'Happy Together' this time. If you have any objections, please speak up now, and we can discuss a solution together."

These words immediately sparked discussion among the audience. Some agreed, but not many!

Among those who disagreed was Magpie. Although their band's inability to perform had nothing to do with Rolling Stone, he felt that the spot shouldn't have been given to Rolling Stone so easily. He was one of the first lead singers signed after the establishment of Nanyin, and Pan Jianhu helped him bring up the folk singers.

Apart from Bian Lang, the people present had known each other for at least half a year, making it clear at a glance how close or distant they were.

"Bian Lang, I, Magpie, acknowledge your skill level, but the company getting those four spots had absolutely nothing to do with you. You're still running your own independent studio, and you're already trying to take away resources from us old-timers of Nanyin music. I think this really needs to be addressed. Besides, how many songs do you have that can be performed at music festivals? There's only a month and a half left, and your band isn't even assembled yet. Do you really have enough time to write songs and rehearse?"

If the first half of the sentence is stating a fact, then the second half has a somewhat provocative tone.

Bian Lang didn't immediately produce the invitation, and Xi Que didn't try to drag him into it either. Pan Jianhu knew that the two of them didn't want to make things difficult for him, so he decided to ignore it for the time being.

"Then draw a line for us at Rolling Stones to do so that we can accept this spot without any doubt." Bian Lang's tone was calm, but his resolute gaze gave people a sense of unquestionable authority.

"Two conditions. First, everyone knows you're a great songwriter, so you probably still have some songs in the pipeline. Today, you'll give everyone a brand new one. As long as the quality isn't bad, I believe everyone will be happy that you can bring honor to our Nanyin music!"

"And the second condition?" Bian Lang asked with a smile.

"Every band present has an original song!"

No one present, including Bian Lang, expected that Magpie would propose such a condition. If Bian Lang agreed, they would naturally have no objections, as they acknowledged his songwriting abilities.

Although rock band members value self-expression and rarely ask others to write songs for them, they naturally don't mind if the song expresses what's in their hearts.

Now, with just one sentence from the magpie, Bian Lang has truly been put on the hot seat.

The key point is that although the tone of the second condition was very harsh, the underlying meaning of begging for food was undeniable.

Bian Lang was amused. He knew he couldn't possibly digest all of his hit songs by himself. Since he had joined Nanyin, he had to take care of his own people. However, he couldn't be too passive in the formalities!

"I agree to the second condition, but it has nothing to do with this matter. Regardless of whether this matter exists or not, if there is a song suitable for everyone, you don't need to ask, I will find it for you myself. As for the first condition, why should I agree to it without some reward?" Bian Lang said this in a joking tone, as if he were teasing Magpie like a friend or brother.

Magpie didn't waste any time and said directly, "Aren't you still missing a rhythm guitar? Until you find a suitable one, I, Magpie, will get one for you."

"What about the time conflict?"

"Tighten your rolling stone!"

The fact that Pan Jianhu signed him speaks volumes about his ability, so Bian Lang readily agreed: "Okay, that's settled then."

"But what should we sing?" Bian Lang started to worry about choosing a song again. This new song was definitely going to be performed at the music festival, and it was most likely going to be the closing song to convince everyone.

"The happy Mang Mang Music Festival is based on music fans in the three southwestern provinces. Cantonese songs are not the first choice. 'No ideals, no heartbreak' and 'Nowhere to hide' will definitely be performed. So, shall we continue to leech off New Pants and Black Panther?"

Bian Lang was thinking about how to choose a song while preparing to walk onto the stage.

Just then, a sparrow flew in from somewhere, unable to find its way out, and kept crashing against the window glass next to Bianlang.

Tang Dafeng got up and went over, opened the window to let the sparrow fly away, and then muttered to himself, "Hey! This silly bird, it crashes into the window once and can't get out, so it doesn't know to try another way. This invisible wall is much scarier than a visible cage."

Seeing this scene and thinking about what Tang Dafeng and Pan Jianhu had said before, Bian Lang knew what song he had to sing.