maddy davis

I'm listening to maddy's fall 2024 playlist as I'm typing this. the first song playing right now is "28" by zach bryan. two songs on her playlist were added during our session together (a result of us making a blend—92% music taste match), "communist daughter" by neutral milk hotel and "starlett johansson" by the teenagers.

you know actually, the fucking hilarious part is that I was just scrolling down her instagram right now for things to write about on this post and found a photo from october 2022 that I had saved to my at home maybe collection for people I want to reach out + invite to be photo'd for the archive—I didn't reach out to her though and forgot about it (I suck at messaging people). two years later however, in 2024 (last month) maddy had replied to a story of mine expressing interest in being part of the series. she unsent it though! I remembered her username so I dm'd her directly and said hell yeah (completely forgetting my own initial interest years ago).

this isn't even the first time this has happened, a missed connection that somehow comes back around in a weird roundabout way. I wanted to photograph kyla in 2021 but that didn't happen until earlier this year—now maddy joins the club of delayed destinies herself, official as of 11/01/24.

there's a bruce springsteen cd on her wall, tunnel of love. that's the jersey in her. always some reverence to brucie.

maddy's playing a homecoming show in new jersey soon, her first jersey performance in five years, at the stone pony. a place where young bruce springsteen, young bon jovi, and god knows how many other jersey legends came up singing on that stage. now maddy's doing it, just like she dreamed about as a kid growing up in the garden state.

maddy recently came out with an ep, rage, and a "people's version" with recordings of friends she had asked questions to at a bonfire on the beach—originally intended for a video project. I've been listening to it on repeat as I continue writing this up. hours spent drafting lyrics, working chord progressions, tinkering audio files, working on promo material, rehearsing for gigs, etc. I don't know all the intricacies of what being a musician is like, I only photograph them, but I know it's hard. and I know that maddy gets that motherfucker done.

being an artist is constant creation. sometimes we don't let ourselves breathe, to celebrate the small goals we've hit—I remember dan telling me how he was already ready to move onto making his next project not even days after his ep was released. which for some it's just the way we're wired. I hope maddy pulls out a little champagne for some things though, and if she's sober then maybe those little party popper things that everyone points in the wrong direction.

honestly I want to puke. I'm listening to "new york" by junior varsity from maddy's fall 2024 playlist.

I look at someone's face all day editing. listen to their voice singing their story as if I'm reminiscing their lives with them. scroll their instagram posts and see the support of all the people they've befriended and get to share joy with. it's this weird, immense feeling of pride for what they've built and a love for the good in the life they've been blessed to experience. this is what it means to be living.

so it's not a puking urge per say. just an overwhelming, intestine-tightening feeling of "hell yeah"