Luther Dalrisch didn't get much sleep. He was in the recording studio all weekend without breaks. His band No Credit wanted a high quality sound and they were ambitious. Thorough care was necessary and that required hours on each recorded part, getting the sound right. The repetition would get absurd and although they used a lot of tape they were cocksure that their song was going to catapult them into success.
My name is Thatcher and here is the story of No Credit, a hot new rock band.
No Credit was a Los Angeles band started in 2025. Now that they'd been together at least a full year, already recording a full length demo, they were now recording their single called “Love Overdose” with the B-side, “You Already Knew That”. Yet to be signed on a label, they distribute their music themselves. Recording their single at Everywhere Studios, No Credit's band manager, Allen Mulcaster, funded their studio time. Band members are Luther Dalrisch, vocals. Millie Plan, guitar. Lucy Southwick, bass. Ben Censhon, drums.
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Today was the last day of No Credit's three day studio binge. Luther was at his wits end and yearned to get out of the studio. Ben drummed his fingers on a notebook and listened to Luther sing. Ben was acting producer and wasn't that bad. His patience was as thin as Luther's. When Luther finished his vocal part Ben said over the intercom, “There were faint inflections on that one Luther, we should record another one and then call it done.”
Luther said, “Yeah, make it quick. This has gotten ridiculous. What is this. Take 32?”
Ben pressed play on the music track then counted him in, “one and two and” a silent three then he pressed record on the tape. A red lighted sign that said “RECORDING” turned on in the recording room. Luther came in with his vocals and sang the song all the way through. At the end of it Ben was clapping. He quit recording. Luther took his headphones off then did a thumbs up through the studio window. Ben turned the intercom on and said, “Perfect take, or very near perfect.” Luther said, “Great! I'm outta here.”
Luther met Ben in the production room. Ben was unloading the tape reel. Luther said, “How much tape we got left?”
Ben said, “One full reel and around another reel of leftover ends. Not much.”
Luther said, “We used a lot of tape, sorting through all that is going to get tedious.”
Ben said, “Take a look.” An open box was sitting on the chair behind them.
Luther wheeled his chair to the open box and looked inside. The tape reel that he recorded minutes ago was lying on top with a sticker that read, 'Luther's VOX, September 24th, 2026.' Luther put the lid on the box and said, “I'm going to call Millie and Lucy tomorrow and we'll decide on what time we'll mix this thing. I was thinking monday, in one day. I need to get some sleep. My brain is fried and my circuits are going to burst if I don't get some quiet time.”
“I can tell.” Luther said, “You look like a maniac, man, you should get that checked out.” He spun around in a circle like a dancer and gave Ben two thumbs up.
Ben stared back unimpressed. He said, “Spin around like that on stage and I'm going to kick your ass.”
Luther said, “I'm rolling out, let me know when we're gonna mix the single right when you know. I'm trying to book us a show at that new club Thor's Thunder Club. If I get us the gig on saturday there'll be record execs there and some scouts who knows who else. It's a high profile show, a chance in a lifetime. We can't miss this. We get the mix done monday like you say and then we can go all week pressing singles for the show. What do you think about that?”
Ben said, “Pops a lot of balls, it's gonna happen. Fail me not.”
Luther said, “Alright Ben, see ya.” He then immediately left.
Ben sat in the studio all alone letting his mind unwind. Eventually he turned the power to the equipment off then got the box off the chair. He said, “Man, should’ve got a box with a lock on it.” There was a poster on the door of a girl in a swimsuit. Ben turned the lights off as he left the studio.
On his way out of the building he signed a paper at the security desk. The sun wasn't yet set, it was earlier than he thought it was. The pink clouds drifted slowly, there wasn't much light left. Ben drove a used car his dad lent him. His dad owned a used car lot and let Ben pick what he wanted to drive. It wasn't new but the driving condition was great. He didn't care much though what the car he drove looked like, he was happy he wasn't walking.
Ben placed the box of reels on the passenger seat and then started the car. He turned on the satellite radio. Hard rock.
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Tammy Lernault was Luther Darlisch's girlfriend. She worked as a press agent at a movie production company. She lived on the inside of the entertainment machine her whole life and because of that she was clever and a savvy decision maker in the show business. Although she was a young 24 years old she was a top of the line insider and well connected. She let her intuitions guide her and she usually made things happen when she tried hard enough. Her bosses got to liking her a lot, often listening to what she said about what was hot and what was not. A close friend of hers named Cynthia Leferidge worked at a record label and they often talked about their jobs with each other.
Cynthia told Tammy about the Steel Imposter show at Thor's Thunder Club, saying, “All the local wigs'll show up. Everyone thinks Steel Imposter is going to make the bank and land a huge contract. There'll be a lot of scouts buzzing around trying to get their hands on bands with radio sounds. The scene is really happening. There's high expectations.”
“Is there a full lineup?” asked Tammy.
Cynthia said, “There isn't an opener yet. It's Steel Imposter headlining with A Supertest Gnup supporting. They want to round it all out and get another band on stage.”
“Those are unimpressive rockband names.” said Tammy, “They should come up with something on the serious side, something like my boyfriend's band.”
Cynthia said, “What's your boyfriend's band name?”
Tammy said, “No Credit”.
“That's a good name, I wonder if it's already taken.” said Cynthia.
“I don't know, but they got a beat and I'm the singer's girlfriend. They don't got a lot of songs but they're great. They're recording their new single right now. You should see them play.” said Tammy.
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Ben was drained. He got to his house and went directly to his landline phone so he could get their mixing session planned. Chances were that if he didn't get this done right away he wouldn't be able to get anyone on the line tomorrow and the mixing would need to wait. He called Lucy Southwick, bassist for his band. She was getting a manicure at a salon.
Ben said, “Lucy, how are ya?”
Lucy said, “Perfect, what about you, Ben?”
Ben said, “Closed up and heading straight at my bed. You want to get these songs mixed on monday? The studio is available monday and wednesday. Luther is getting us a real important gig at Thor's Thunder Club on Saturday. We mix it monday then we can press some copies to distribute at the show. You like?”
Lucy said, “I like. No plans for me this week. When did you finally finish with Luther?”
Ben said, “An hour or so ago.”
Lucy said, “Really? All done with all of the tracks?”
Ben said, “Yes. I am so happy about this. Can't wait to get it done and pressed.”
Lucy said, “Luther must've been messing up all over, he's been a wreck.”
Ben said, “Not anymore. He was ready to go and took some time but we got a great take in the end. You'll see what I'm saying when we finally get this done. I am so damn tired right now I am losing my mind. I need to hit the sack.”
Lucy said, “Okay, when should I show up at Everywhere?”
Ben said, “I need to call the other's first to find what's prime. Can you make sure you don't turn your ringer off tomorrow so you get my call this time?”
Lucy said, “Okay.”
Ben said, “Thank you. Talk with you then!”
Lucy said, “Okay, see you then.”
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Luther was having an adventure. He wasn't one that sat around much. When the band's manager Allen Mulcaster called him to do an interview he was annoyed that his activities were interrupted.
“They're gonna call you in ten minutes, Luther.” said Allen, “make sure you're somewhere silent and don't get testy. We don't want you to make any wrong impressions. You might make the magazine. Got it?”
“Yeah, I got it.” said Luther.
Allen said, “Okay, now call me when you're done.”
“You're the boss Allen.” said Luther.
Allen said, “And hey, try not to swear, okay?”
“Yep.” said Luther.
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Ten minutes went and then Luther got the call. He answered his phone with, “Luther Dalrisch speaking.”
“Hello Luther. Silde Gidder here with Entertaining Sounds Magazine, how are you?”
“Good.” said Luther.
“Nice to hear that,” said Silde, “now I am going to ask you some questions about your rock band No Credit. This shouldn't take much time. You ready?”
“Hit me hard.” said Luther.
“No Credit was started about a year ago, am I right?” asked Silde.
“Yes.” said Luther, “Our first rehearsal was in August of 2025. We wrote and recorded a demo this winter, in February 2026 and now it's winter startin' up all over and we're recording our first single, 'Love Overdose'.”
“Whose song idea was that?” asked Silde.
“The band wrote the music and I wrote my own lyrics. Sometimes the band has lyric ideas or subject matters they want to use but this time the lyrics were mine.” said Luther.
“Are you going to record a music video?” asked Silde.
“I don't know. I would like to record one but we don't got immediate plans right now. It's a great song. It rocks, has attitude, breaks hearts, you'll like it.” said Luther.
“Now I want to ask you about No Credit. You were living a rock n' roll life already before you started your band. There's a rumor though that some of these big stars don't like you much, in fact they despise you. Can you elaborate on that?” asked Silde.
“I pissed a lot of people off because I wouldn't be their pushover, their ass licker, their gopher, their ego massager and whatever else they wanted me to be. Oh yeah and they can't break into my bedroom while I sleep so that really pisses them off the most. (laughs) I can find my own partners thank you much and I want them to be natural born females if you know what I mean.” said Luther.
“Wow. You really tell it like it is.” said Silde.
“If I didn't they'd never stop. Gotta get 'em away somehow, whatever it takes, except self-deprication.” said Luther.
“Got anything to say to the superstars with insidious hate for you?” asked Silde.
“Nope.” said Luther.
“No Credit gets a lot of praise with rock fans. You play a lot of live shows for a local band. What's your live show like?” asked Silde.
“You know I think we got some good attention with rock fans. We play a small setlist but we're writing new songs. Our show is a work-in-progress. We want to make a lot of visuals, really put on a full show. My voice is higher than most singers in bands we've played with. We stand out and our music sounds different, definitely different. Real tight.” said Luther.
“What would you say about your first record? You got any idea when recording that will happen?” asked Silde.
“I want to record it right now but we need a deal. Without a deal it would be just another demo.” said Luther.
“Do you got an ideology or a belief that keeps you strong?” asked Silde.
“If I did I wouldn't talk about it but if you ask me what so and so said about what and what I couldn't tell you, would need to say let's talk about rifles.” said Luther.
“You like rifles?” asked Silde.
“Only when they're in my hands.” said Luther.
“Any last words before we end this interview?” asked Silde.
“You could own your own square. Your square might not be much but on the other side you would have to stand on a small fraction of someone else's square and chances are you couldn't own it. Their square might be awesome but it isn't your square. So, make your choice.” said Luther.
“I like the way you see the world.” said Silde.
“Thanks.” said Luther.
“Well that ends it, you take care Luther.” said Silde.
Luther said, “Always.”
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Monday was here and No Credit were at Everywhere Studios mixing their single, 'Love Overdose'. Everyone was there and they were really impressed with their sound. Luther won the gig at Thor's Thunder Club and that amplified their already good mood.
Everywhere Studios was above average but not top-of-the-line. Rental rates were much cheaper than a record label owned studio and the band manager Allen Mulcaster funded their time there. The deal was a loan. Allen would take his money back through a premium share on the band's shows.
Allen was annoyed with Luther landing No Credit a high profile gig but they were all happy about their chances to get on stage with record execs in the audience. Allen thought that it was him that should've got them the opportunity and didn't like much being outdone with Luther's antics. He would plan to outdo Luther the next time around.
In the studio Lucy gravitated towards ruling the soundboard and it was difficult for the other band members to get a say much of the time. She was good at the mixing but Luther wanted to do it. The song sounded great no matter what mix they used because all the parts worked together so nicely. When they were done and satisfied with their sound they thought the end result sounded a lot like a standard radio mix. Their demo was crude and raw. The difference was noticeable when the demo and single were played back to back.
At the end of mixing all of the members of No Credit took a copy on disc and went to get some dinner. They discussed their saturday show.
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Thor's Thunder Club was everything you'd want in a rock club. Bar, stage, tables, patrons wearing their rocker gear. Tee shirts, jeans and leather coats. The crowd was ready and wanted to rock hard.
Allen reserved the band a table and he held it while they distributed their single, handing a disc to anyone who would accept their own copy. When it was time for them to get on stage the crowd was cheering. They didn't care what band it was, it was good times. The crowd wasn't ready though to get rocked so hard when No Credit got on stage.
Their setlist was short with their new single leading off the show. They ended with a cover song and the crowd went crazy. They were ecstatic over their reception and at that time it was the best show they ever played. They all walked off stage feeling electrified. They'll never forget it.
When they were done playing they joined Allen at the band's reserved table and watched the supporting act who called themselves A Supertest Gnup.
“What is a Gnup?” Luther asked. Nobody could say.
They were a tight band with a big sound and played a longer setlist than No Credit. No Credit knew they rocked harder though. When the supporting act left the stage the crowd was still wound up.
That's when one of the record execs approached No Credit's table and said, “I'd like to talk business with you boys. We like your show.” And that's what landed them the record deal. It wasn't their demo. It was the show.
The headliner was great but No Credit got the record deal.
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My name is Thatcher and that is the story of No Credit, a band from Los Angeles.