i suppose that it being more than a year since i joined da, i should perhaps for once introduce myself in a form other than that of an obscure lined ripped from my notebook.

my name is ashlee jordan. i spend a large amount of my time sitting on the edge of david carlson's bathtub in frankfort, illinois, while talking about my job as i wait for him to get ready. i don't mind awkward silences; in fact, i welcome them. i'm a romantic and i believe putting your best fight into keeping the person you love. i am a terrible driver and every day of my life, i manage to nearly kill myself and everyone in my car at least once. i'm told i'm funny. and short. i'm not sure about the first part but the latter is definitely true. at a mighty 5'2", i fear nothing.

May I recommend a fresh breath of air for the otherwise stagnant scene?

First and foremost, I shamelessly tell everyone I meet about my boyfriend's band. This is partially because I am proud of him and partially because I want to brag. But this braggard sort of thing does not come without a price.
Let me elaborate: I am required to give up my boyfriend for months at a time while he tours and also to other females when they want to take pictures or have him sign things. However, I feel that I get compensation enough.
In addition to getting to brag (yes, I do pull the my-boyfriend-is-in-a-signed-band thing quite often), I get to stand on the stage while they play, help load up the van, and sit behind a table selling merch for five out of six hours. I get to run the street team and make endless tote bags, hand out flyers at the mall, and mail CDs and t-shirts, all with out any gratuities.
Complain as I might, his music is truly good and being named in the booklet inside of the cover is thanks enough (and perhaps the occasional use-that-voice-to-sing-me-to-sleep kind of thing helps).
Without further adeiu, let me introduce you to your new favorite band (and the love of my life): A Kidnap In Color ([link]).

Finally, let me throw out a few other suggestions within the boundaries of good music:

Mayday Parade ([link])
These guys are such good friends to me, and every time they're around we have a blast, whether we go to the mall, grab some food, or just go to a show. They are so down to earth despite their growing fame (I think my most popular set of live pictures are of Alex and Derek) and they always think about how their decisions will affect their fans. I love these guys so much.

You, Me, and Everyone We Know([link])
Also some friends of mine, who happen to be offering their seven song EP for free on Absolutepunk.net! Check it out... you will be addicted.

Four Year Strong ([link])
I saw these guys with Mayday in August. Their live show was insane with more energy than I've ever seen any band deliver. The album is a mix of happy-hardcore and dance-laden pop. I love it.

Every Avenue ([link])
I just met Josh and Dave from EA through a mutual friend and although the CD is a bit bland here and there, they were great live and honestly some of the nicest guys I've met in awhile.

I dragged Dave into the city last night to get some new pictures. Some of my most popular photographs were taken in the city last winter, so I figured what better day to take more than New Years Eve with all the snow and people?

I'm quite pleased with the quality of the photos I took with my Canon, moreso than the photos I took with my cute little Kodak. That one is more for playing around, anyway.

The photos feature historical buildings such as the Chicago Theatre, the RedLine subway, a "Child's Play" series (you'll understand the name when you see it) that I did in a unique little shop called the Hollywood Mirror, and pedestrians. I also tried to do a portrait series of Dave at American Apparel, but I have to play with the colours a bit before I decide whether to post them or not.

You can expect these photos either later on today or early tomorrow! I hope you all enjoy.


Moving on from my personal work, though, to wish everyone a safe and happy new year!

I'm resolving to: 1) be more considerate of my family's plans and feelings 2) be more honest with myself, and 3) let go of the people in my life who cause more problems than good and more drama than happiness.

What are everyone else's resolutions?

I don't have as much time as I used to. Hopefully the new year will bring more hours in the day, or at least, less things to do.

Until I get a more little free time, I won't be putting anything new up with the exception of a few photographs from a live photoshoot I did recently with a band called My American Heart.

As for writing, I'm working on a novel now, which is why you haven't seen any new pieces of literature. Bear with me for now, and I promise it will be worth it!

And for all you watchers/lurkers, I hope all is well.


Ashlee

I've been doing a bit of a "winter cleaning" and my house has been torn up thrice in this past week during the process. Last night I finally finished, so I thought I would continue my cleaning streak into dA by moving a bunch of older pieces to scraps and fixing things I've been meaning to fix, such as titles, author comments, etc.

The holidays are coming up. Buy prints!

As for band news, Kidnap has two years to sell 50,000 records. If they succeed, Warner Bros. is signing them.

The holidays are coming up. Buy records!

Actually, the album won't be in stores until mid January. Still... belated Christmas presents are always good!