she calls me jonnie.
we met at a hysteria57 show at above the bridge. mia was playing bass for her. I almost didn't go to the show, but with so many friends from altangeles and beyond going to be there... I gotta show up sometimes. sometimes it's a regret, not this time around.
the entire time dakota played, I had massive fomo for not bringing my camera. seeing the crowd with their mix of digicams, dslr cameras, thermal printers, drones, and polaroids—it made me miss where I came from. I used to live for this shit. I lost the love I had for it for a minute.
there were too many bands. I left early to try to make it home on time, I think I had a photoshoot the next morning. before leaving though, I pitched a session to dakota and we set a date for it.
we wound up doing this across two separate days.
on the first day, we were figuring each other out. we spent hours dressing up, sharing stories, laughing, adoring her cat dream (I love dream), and the details you needed to be there for.
I enjoyed my time so much I was almost late to dylan thom's acoustic set in el sereno. jameson and sakai went with me (although they missed his set entirely). getting home was a bitch. the show was beautiful though and I was seeing him the next day at his echo park rising set.
i'll show you magic was playing, dakota was gonna catch their set and some other ones before she and mia went to rehearsals in preparation for the 3rd annual mud wrestling show hosted by "the" cobrasnake. I think it's so lame to refer to yourself with a "the". it's cringe, mark. drop the "the". just cobrasnake. it's cleaner.
we carpooled together to the cobrasnake show. I always want to help. carrying shit, loading shit—sure it's an a excuse to avoid having to deal with potential problems with security if I were to come after doors, but I truly just wanna help out.
I didn't care about any other set. I only wanted to take photos of hysteria57. everybody else's photos were taken just because I felt guilty if I only bothered with dakota's band.
I love seeing her play. she does this thing where she twists her foot down sometimes during a song, I think it's cute. she feels it, which musicians should. sometimes, you can tell when someone's phoning it in. not with her. the second time I saw her was like the first, she put it out there and I was lucky this go around to document it in photos and videos. she made me fall back in love with what I loved.
side note: hire me for photos and videos, I'm ready (ignore my first tour).
in the pocket of my journal, I have a couple polaroids from the day I met her.
I don't like keeping polaroids, I prefer giving them away but I'm glad I forgot to that night. I forget how nice it is to look at ephemera and remember it all. I hope I remember it all tomorrow and forever.
I appreciate dakota and the friendship we've cultivated in the almost two months we've known each other.
when I came back from chicago, she picked me up from lax. we did the second half of our session, fully familiar with each other—the energy to fuck around and pick up boomboxes and stretch out on the floor, give little silly salutes to the camera. more talking, more laughing, more moments you'll never get to know about.
later that night we saw each other at the i'll show you magic show at the echo. we hardly talked, my fault though. I had one hour of sleep and was truly too exhausted to function beyond consuming too many energy drinks in hopes that it'll be enough to carry me home (it was not, but I made it).
we met again a few days later. trial ran some short-form videos. it's the modern grind of the artist.
sometimes, I believe in something, and I want to be there. I believe in dakota, I believe in her music.
sometimes, you just wanna offer yourself. you want to help. you want to uplift. I feel that, always, when I think of her. I think she's the best.
I saw her today. a few hours ago. I gave her this silly thing. it was raining. I was listening to "just like honey" by the jesus and mary chain while I waited for her to get ready. we talked some more, she shared some sour fruity tootsie rolls (my favorite was cherry), she helped me zero in on the title card design for this session, and we said goodbye.
the rain had stopped. I put on "road to ten" by hysteria57, and I went home.
I have infinite words. so many. they won't be on this blog. they'll be in letters I write from home in the valley, addressed to her wherever she'll be in life. los angeles, new york, the bay, chicago, paris, berlin, sarasota, denton, columbus, cdmx, portland, bellevue—wherever she is, anywhere. I'll be writing forever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and e
