I am a huge fan of music. As many people who are close to me know, I am a huge fan of many artists and bands. However, it is rare that a band constantly puts out music that I love and it is rare that I feel the need to see a band over and over again. This is, however, the case with New York City-based band AJR.
AJR is an indie pop band made up of three brothers (Adam, Jack, and Ryan) from New York City. The band has a DIY based production, meaning, their music is all recorded in the living room of their NYC apartment. The whole recording in their living room concept became their thing, which led them to even name their first full-length album "Living Room."
Though the band prides themselves on not being "famous" (they even have a song titled "I'm Not Famous"), they've been steadily rising in attention over the last few years. Their climb in popularity began after the release of their first single "I'm Ready," in 2013. Many radio listeners know this as the song that samples Spongebob Squarepants that was constantly given airtime in 2013 and 2014.
After the release of their first ever album, "Living Room," and their more recent EP, "What Everyone's Thinking," the band has gotten even more attention. Their latest single "Weak," has been climbing the charts and helping the band to sell out half of their upcoming headline tour.
Not only is this band extremely talented at what they do, but they are also very grateful for their fans. I became a fan in late 2013 after seeing them open for the boyband The Wanted. I instantly became a fan and started listening to their catchy songs. I made a point to try to attend all of their concerts that I could. I've now seen them live eight times and have tickets to two shows on their upcoming tour.
There has not been a concert of theirs that I have gone to that the band did not try to meet every single fan in attendance. During each meet and greet Adam, Jack, and Ryan talk to each fan and ask them questions about how they liked the show and it never seems to be a rushed experience, which I think a lot of fans value. There are tons of musician meet and greets that I have personally been to that felt too rushed and impersonal. This is not the case with AJR.
The band is extremely active on social media and interacts with their fans constantly whether it's on Instagram, Snapchat, or Twitter. They have only become more and more interactive with their rise in popularity, which is the opposite of what happens with many artists.
As more and more of AJR's music is released, I can see them gaining more popularity and fans, which I believe they completely deserve. If you're looking for fun music to dance to that is also relatable, make sure you check out all of AJR's music and try to make it to one of their shows on their upcoming tour.
