Fifteen years ago, brothers Adam, Jack and Ryan formed the band AJR. It all started with street performances in Washington Square Park, New York. Since then, the indie pop trio has achieved mainstream success with hit singles such as "Weak". The guys collected a full house on their tour of the United States.
The name of the group AJR is the first letters of their names. Such an abbreviation symbolizes a deep connection between them.
AJR band members
The youngest of the brothers, Jack Met, is a soloist and string musician (melodica, guitar, ukulele). Jack also works on the band's keyboards, trumpet and synthesizers. He has released several songs with his brothers which include only his voice. Most often his brothers help with the harmonization and some of the higher or lower parts. In the videos for the songs "I'm Not Famous", "Sober Up" and "Dear Winter", only he is present.
Next in line in terms of age is Adam, who is 4 years older than his younger brother. Adam plays bass, percussion, programming and is the opening act. He has the lowest and richest voice of the three brothers. He is also the only one of the brothers who does not have a solo song.
Last but not least, the oldest is Ryan. He handles supporting vocals and is mainly responsible for programming and keyboards. Ryan has one song that only features him and his electronic instruments. The track is called "Call My Dad" from their album The Click. All three brothers are present in the music video, however, only he is "awake" for most of the video.
Who AJR relied on
Much of the band's dynamics and musical chemistry is due to the fact that the brothers share the same cultural references. The brothers drew inspiration from 1960s artists including Frankie Valli, The Beach Boys, Simon and Garfunkel. The brothers say they are also influenced by contemporary hip-hop, the sound of Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar.
Creative Asylum Brothers
The band records and produces all of their music in a living room in Chelsea. Here their songs are born, which are imbued with sincerity towards the fans. With the money they made from street performances, the AJR brothers bought a bass guitar, a ukulele and a sampler.
Without pathos
The guys were not always successful. They say they have been slowly growing their fan base and have not always been successful.
“Our very first show that we played in the hall, I think, was 3 people. And because we actually played the show for them, the listeners became fans for life… I think we grew up because we paid attention to everyone who cared about our work.” said Adam.
In their entire career, at least 100 times they wanted to give up. But the guys learned to take every failure and every failure, turn them into an opportunity for learning. The brothers say that it was this mindset that allowed them to continue and create better music for their fans.
In 2013, the guys sent their debut song "I'm Read" to celebrities, and one Australian singer forwarded the work to the CEO of S-Curve Records. After the audition, he became the boys' producer. In the same year, the guys released an EP with the same name of their debut song. Later, another work of the EP "Infinity" is released.
Only in 2015, the guys bothered to release their first studio album with the quiet title "Living Room".
Song "Weak"
They wrote their most famous hit "Weak" in one day. It only took the guys a couple of hours to complete. And this track got into the EP album "What Everyone's Thinking". This song describes the temptations of man. After recording, the guys did not understand how successful the song would become. Since its release, it has garnered over 150 million Spotify streams, and charted in the top 30 in over 25 countries.
In 2017, the guys included the famous song in their second album "The Clic". After the release of their third album Neotheater, the band went on tour. What is most interesting, on the album cover, the brothers are presented in the form of an animation of Walt Disney cartoons. This album is reminiscent of the melody of the 20-40s in its sound.
The guys want to present their fourth album “OK Orchestra” in the spring of 2021.
Outdoor activities
The brothers serve as ambassadors for the It's On Us campaign to combat sexual assault on college campuses. They are open about their support for the campaign, which was first launched by US President Obama and Vice President Biden in 2014. Her goal is to end sexual abuse on college campuses.
AJR performed at the final It's On Us Summit at the White House in January with the song "It's On Us" for the campaign in March. All proceeds from the single go directly to attract more educational initiatives across the country.
In 2019, the trio teamed up with the charity Music Unites to visit Centennial High School in Compton and meet music program students interested in a career in the music industry.
Music Unites provides students with the opportunity to look inside the industry and learn how to take steps to achieve their future goals. Compton Unified School District superintendent Darin Brawley said the AJR session was "particularly informative."
