AJJ is an American

folk punk Folk punk (known in its early days as rogue folk) is a fusion of folk music and punk rock. It was popularized in the early 1980s by the Pogues in England, and by Violent Femmes in the United States. Folk punk achieved some mainstream success in t ...

band from

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

, originally formed in 2004 as Andrew Jackson Jihad. Their lyrics handle themes of

shyness Shyness (also called diffidence) is the feeling of apprehension, lack of comfort, or awkwardness especially when a person is around other people. This commonly occurs in new situations or with unfamiliar people; a shy person may simply opt ...

poverty Poverty is a state or condition in which an individual lacks the financial resources and essentials for a basic standard of living. Poverty can have diverse Biophysical environmen ...

, humanity,

religion Religion is a range of social system, social-cultural systems, including designated religious behaviour, behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, religious text, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics in religion, ethics, or ...

addiction Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to use a drug or engage in a behavior that produces natural reward, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use can ...

existentialism Existentialism is a family of philosophical views and inquiry that explore the human individual's struggle to lead an authentic life despite the apparent absurdity or incomprehensibility of existence. In examining meaning, purpose, and valu ...

, and

politics Politics () is the set of activities that are associated with decision-making, making decisions in social group, groups, or other forms of power (social and political), power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of Social sta ...

. Singer/guitarist Sean Bonnette and bassist Ben Gallaty co-founded the band, and have remained its only constant members throughout. The band has released eight studio albums to date, with their most recent, ''Disposable Everything'', having been released on May 26, 2023.

History

AJJ (formerly known as Andrew Jackson Jihad) was formed by Sean Bonnette, Ben Gallaty, and drummer Justin James White, who left the band soon after. They recorded the band's first LP, '' Candy Cigarettes & Cap Guns'', released through the Audioconfusion Manifesto label in 2005. On April 15, 2006, the band played as part of the 2006 New Times Music Showcase, nominated for Best Americana Band, and won a Best of Phoenix award later that year. They released a split LP with Ghost Mice on Plan-It-X-Records in 2007. Following this,

Asian Man Records Asian Man Records is a DIY record label run by Mike Park in Monte Sereno, California. Park started a record label and began releasing music in 1989 under the name Dill Records, with the Asian Man label established in May 1996. History Asian Man ...

issued their second full-length album, '' People Who Can Eat People Are the Luckiest People in the World'', on September 11, 2007. Andrew Jackson Jihadat

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

In 2008, the band was a part of the Asian Man Records' "Making Punk Fun Again" tour with

The Queers The Queers are an American punk rock band, formed in 1981 by Portsmouth, New Hampshire native Joseph “Joe” P. King (a.k.a. Joe Queer) along with Scott Gildersleeve (a.k.a. Tulu), and John “Jack” Hayes (a.k.a. Wimpy Rutherford). With the ...

Bomb the Music Industry! Bomb the Music Industry! (commonly abbreviated as Bomb or BtMI!) was an American punk rock musical collective from Baldwin, Nassau County, New York, United States, led by singer-songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Jeff Rosenstock. T ...

Lemuria Lemuria (), or Limuria, was a continent proposed in 1864 by zoologist Philip Sclater, theorized to have sunk beneath the Indian Ocean, later appropriated by occultists in supposed accounts of human origins. The theory was discredited with the dis ...

, and Kepi Ghoulie. 2008 also saw the release of "Only God Can Judge Me", a mostly acoustic EP on Plan-it-X Records. In 2009, the band's third record, ''Can't Maintain'', was released by Asian Man Records. They toured the US with Kepi Ghoulie and Partners in 818. At this point, the band consisted of Bonnette, Gallaty, Deacon Batchelor on drums, and Preston Bryant on guitar and keyboards. In 2010, the band toured the US with Blunt Mechanic, Europe with Kepi Ghoulie, and the west coast with Royal Monsters. 2011 had the band go on their second European tour. They also played festivals such as Plan-It-X Fest and the Asian Man Records 15th Anniversary. Mark Glick joined the band, rounding out the sound with cello parts. The fourth full-length album, '' Knife Man'', was released on September 20 by Asian Man Records and on cassette by

Lauren Records Lauren Records is an American independent record label founded in Southern California in 2011 by Aaron Kovacs. The label mostly specializes in indie rock, emo, and other melodic punk rock adjacent genres. History Kovacs had experience booking ...

. In support of this record, the band was part of a full US tour with

Frank Turner Francis Edward Turner (born 28 December 1981) is an English Punk rock, punk and Folk music, folk singer-songwriter from Meonstoke, Hampshire. He began his career as the vocalist of post-hardcore band Million Dead, then embarked upon a primaril ...

and

Into It. Over It. Into It. Over It. is an indie rock band founded in 2007 as the solo project of Chicago, Illinois-based musician Evan Thomas Weiss. It is considered a leading act of the early-2010s emo revival scene. History Evan Weiss grew up in Cherry Hill, ...

In March 2012, the band toured with

Laura Stevenson Laura Anne Stevenson (born April 25, 1984) is an American singer-songwriter from Long Island, New York, and formerly a keyboard player for the musical collective Bomb the Music Industry! Life and career Early life Stevenson was raised in Nas ...

and

ROAR A roar is a type of animal vocalization that is loud, deep and resonating. Many mammals have evolved to produce roars and other roar-like vocals for purposes such as long-distance communication and intimidation. These include various species of ...

, followed by another tour in April with Joyce Manor and Treasure Fleet. In September, the band did several shows with

Against Me! Against Me! is an American punk rock band, formed in 1997 in Naples, Florida, by singer and guitarist Laura Jane Grace. That same year, Grace moved to Gainesville, Florida, which is considered the band's hometown. Since 2001, the band's lineup ...

and Joyce Manor, followed by a full US tour with Future of the Left and

Jeff Rosenstock Jeffrey Ernest Rosenstock (born September 7, 1982) is an American musician, multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter from Long Island, New York. He is known for his former bands Bomb the Music Industry! and The Arrogant Sons of Bitches, as wel ...

. In April 2013, Bonnette went on a solo tour with Ian Graham of Cheap Girls. He also collaborated on a track with Sole that was released in May. In September, the band's first live album, "Live at the Crescent Ballroom", was released by Asian Man Records and on cassette by

. In November, the band embarked on a west coast tour with The Gunshy. In June, the band recorded a new album entitled ''

Christmas Island Christmas Island, officially the Territory of Christmas Island, is an States and territories of Australia#External territories, Australian external territory in the Indian Ocean comprising the island of the same name. It is about south o ...

'' with John Congleton and members of their full touring lineup Preston Bryant and Deacon Batchelor. The album was released on May 6, 2014, on Side One Dummy Records. In 2016, the band officially changed their name from "Andrew Jackson Jihad" to AJJ (a moniker that many of their fans had been using to refer to them for several years). In a statement on the band's website, Bonnette wrote "1.) We are not Muslims, and as such, it is disrespectful and irresponsible for us to use the word

jihad ''Jihad'' (; ) is an Arabic word that means "exerting", "striving", or "struggling", particularly with a praiseworthy aim. In an Islamic context, it encompasses almost any effort to make personal and social life conform with God in Islam, God ...

in our band's name. 2.) We no longer wish to be a living reminder of the president

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...

. Interesting historical figure as he was, he was an odious person and our fascination with him has grown stale." On June 28, 2016, AJJ announced their 6th studio album, '' The Bible 2'', along with a tracklist and pre-order bundles. The band also released a music video for the album's lead single, "Goodbye, Oh Goodbye." The clip is a style parody of the

viral video Viral videos are video, videos that become popular through viral phenomenon, a viral process of Internet sharing, primarily through video sharing websites such as YouTube as well as social media and email.Lu Jiang, Yajie Miao, Yi Yang, ZhenZhon ...

approach to music videos made by the band

OK Go OK Go is an American Rock music, rock band originally from Chicago, Illinois, now based in Los Angeles, California. The band is composed of Damian Kulash (lead vocals, rhythm guitar, guitar), Tim Nordwind (bass guitar, bass, backing vocalist, v ...

. On 1 August 2016, the music video for "Junkie Church" was released. In 2017, the band released an EP on

of new material entitled '' Back in the Jazz Coffin'', consisting of acoustic songs. They also released ''Decade of Regression'', a live album as a Record Store Day exclusive. In August 2017, after Chris Clavin of Plan-It-X Records was "accused of and acknowledged a pattern of sexual abuse", AJJ took their music off of the label and re-released it themselves. On October 30, 2019, AJJ announced a new studio album titled '' Good Luck Everybody''. This announcement coincided with the release of "A Poem", the lead single from the album. After three more singles and two music videos, for "Mega Guillotine 2020" and "Loudmouth", ''Good Luck Everybody'' was released on January 17, 2020. Unlike previous releases, ''Good Luck Everybody'' is self-published under a newly formed label entitled "AJJ unlimited LTD". Later that year, following the release of the album, the band shared a cover of Silver Jews' "Candy Jail" for the ''Songs That Saved My Life'' initiative as well as a stand-alone single "Horsehair Vase" – backed with a cover of "You, Swan, Go On" by Mount Eerie. This structure followed for the band's next standalone single in 2021, "I Wanna Be Your Dog 2" – which was backed with a cover of

Guided by Voices Guided by Voices is an American indie rock band formed in 1983 in Dayton, Ohio. It has made frequent personnel changes but always maintained the presence of principal songwriter Robert Pollard. The most well-known lineup of the band consisted o ...

' "Motor Away". In December 2022, the band shared a new song titled "The Baby Panda", which features backing vocals from Laura Stevenson. The following month, the band would announce their eighth studio album ''Disposable Everything'' – along with the release of its title track and another new song, "Dissonance" – as well as their signing to

Hopeless Records Hopeless Records is an American independent record label in Van Nuys, California. History Hopeless Records was founded in 1993 by Louis Posen. The label's artists are generally considered to fall under the genres of punk rock, pop punk, post-ha ...

. The album, released in May 2023, also featured "I Wanna Be Your Dog 2" and "The Baby Panda". It was their first album to include drummer Kevin Higuchi as a full-time member of the band, having been inducted officially the year prior.

Members

Current *Sean Bonnette – lead vocals, acoustic guitar (2004–present) *Ben Gallaty – bass guitar, double bass, backing vocals (2004–present) *Preston Bryant – electric guitar, keyboards, backing vocals (2009–present) *Mark Glick – cello, baritone guitar (2011–present) *Kevin Higuchi – drums, percussion (2022–present; touring 2021–2022) Former *Justin James White – drums, percussion (2004) *John de la Cruz – drums, percussion (2004–2007) *Stephen Steinbrink – electric guitar, backing vocals (2006–2008) *Deacon Batchelor – drums, percussion (2007–2016) *Dylan Cook – mandolin (2007–2013) *Matt Keegan – trombone (2009) *Chase Kamp – drums, percussion (2016; touring) *Owen Evans – drums, percussion (2016–2021; touring)

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums *'' Candy Cigarettes & Cap Guns'' (2005) *'' People Who Can Eat People Are the Luckiest People in the World'' (2007) *'' Can't Maintain'' (2009) *'' Knife Man'' (2011) *''

'' (2014) *'' The Bible 2'' (2016) *'' Good Luck Everybody'' (2020) *''Disposable Everything'' (2023) Live albums *''Live at Trunk Space 08/25/05'' (2006) *''Live at the Bottom of the Hill'' (2011) *''Live at The Crescent Ballroom'' (2013) *''Live at Knitting Factory'' (2015) *''Decade of Regression'' (2017) *''AJJ on Audiotree Live'' (2018) *''Live at Third Man Records'' (2019) *''Live from Glasgow'' (2021) Extended plays *''Issue Problems'' (2006) *''Art of the Underground Volume 19'' (2007) *''Plant Your Roots'' (2007) *''Only God Can Judge Me'' (2008) *''Operation Stackola'' (2009) *''Holiday In(n) Gainesville'' (2009) *''Back in the Jazz Coffin'' (2017) Splits *''Andrew Jackson Jihad / Flaspar / Golden Boots'' (2006) *''Andrew Jackson Jihad / Ghost Mice'' (2007) *''Andrew Jackson Jihad / French Quarter'' (2007) *''Andrew Jackson Jihad / Partners in 818'' (2007) *''Andrew Jackson Jihad / Mischief Brew'' (2009) *''Andrew Jackson Jihad / Cobra Skulls – Under The Influence Vol. 6'' (2009) *''Andrew Jackson Jihad / Apocalypse Meow – Pug Life'' (2009) *''Andrew Jackson Jihad / The Gunshy'' (2010) *''Andrew Jackson Jihad / Father's Day / Porches / Treasure Mammel – The Chronicles of Sheriff Joe Arpaio'' (2010) *''Andrew Jackson Jihad / O Pioneers!!!'' (2011) *''Andrew Jackson Jihad /

Roar A roar is a type of animal vocalization that is loud, deep and resonating. Many mammals have evolved to produce roars and other roar-like vocals for purposes such as long-distance communication and intimidation. These include various species of ...

– Recorded At a Record Store 2'' (2015) Compilations *''Only God Can Judge Me and More'' (2008) *''Candy Cigarettes, Capguns, Issue Problems! and Such'' (2011) *''I Think We Should Stay Away From Each Other'' (

2011) *''An Asian Man Christmas'' (2011) *''Rompilation'' (2012) *''Rompilation 2.0: The Digitizing'' (2014) *''Ugly Spiral: Lost Works 2012–2016'' (2018) *''Disposable Everything Else'' (2024) Demos *''Holey Man, Holy War'' (2004) *''Demo II'' (2004) *''Demo III'' (2004) *''Home Style (Recordings)'' (2010)

References

External links

* {{Authority control Anti-folk groups Asian Man Records artists Folk punk groups American indie folk groups Hopeless Records artists Indie rock musical groups from Arizona Musical groups from Phoenix, Arizona Specialist Subject Records artists Naming controversies Musical groups established in 2004 2004 establishments in Arizona