#ajr interview

[ajr-til-i-die]

Source: tiktok

[sunflowerrboyy]

almost 3 days to tmm babey !! here's some ryan in the meantime ft. a very tiny and adorable olly <3

[snake-spire]

Blog Intro

Hey I’m Markus and I’m just a simple guy (he/him) going to art school and hyperfixating in his free time.

I’m fine if people want to ask me stuff or even dm me! Just don’t be like a bigot or a creep and we’ll get along just fine.

Want to get to know me better?

Here’s a list of some of my interests!

Current hyperfixations: Malevolent, TMA, Slay the Princess, Interview With the Vampire

Fav video games: Yakuza 0, Cuphead, Dredged, Still Wakes the Deep, Slay the Princess, Rule of Rose, FNAF

Fav Comics: Goodnight Pun Pun, Snapdragon, Eighty Days, V for Vendetta, When I Arrive At the Castle, Hellboy

Fav music artists: Crane Wives, AJR, Will Wood, Milky Chance, Amigo the Devil, Rage Against, Glass Animals, Good Kid, Barns Courtney, Ben Caplan (only for Birds with Broken Wings), Dad rock/punk rock

General interests: Red Valley, 80’s comic books, Slasher movies, Eldritch horror, Lovecraftian Horror, dinosaurs, Spiderverse, Avengers: Age of Ultron, my dogs and like a million other things I can’t think of right now.

[parme-san]

i dreamed that the entirety of AJR transitioned (two women and one nonbinary) and they also added a black man to the band and i interviewed them and the whole dream was me frantically whispering to someone in confusion "wasn't there 3 of them? i swear they used to be 3 white men, like 3 brothers. where did the women come from" and getting firmly corrected "one of them is nonbinary" and me going "no— i know that, i mean the other two— and where did this other guy come from"

[pancake-mixx]

Watched an old AJR interview, the boys were asked what their favorite apps were. Ryan and Adam both had silly answers, and Jack talked about a NYC crime app that tells you when and where violent crimes are occurring.

Just… wish I could give him a hug.

[all-will-be--well]

The Maybe Man

ok no one asked, but here is my AJR album review, song by song:

🌀 Maybe Man: I love this. I have a special place in my heart for all their album openers, they always give me chills. I can't wait to see them open with this live, especially when it goes so hard at the end! I've danced to this a lot already. Also learning that each verse references one song on the album! like a table of contents! I love them so much.

💔  Touchy Feely Fool: Very cute, and fun to sing along with. Probably like a solid 7 or 8 out of 10. Great to listen to, and has grown on me after listening to that Zach Sang interview and learning a little backstory

👍  Yes I'm A Mess: One of my faves from the album. I feel like such a badass walking around listening to this. Wish I could whistle!! The only thing i can't stand is the very end. I don't mind the tempo change but I don't like the slo mo voices that sound like a toy running out of batteries

🤓 The Dumb Song: More mid-tier for me. Got a great swing to it, and the instrumental breaks are really fun to dance to like a total idiot. I like to try out the lamest dance moves and just really commit to it. Lyric-wise, it's cute but reminds me of male weaponized incompetence (I know this isn't the intention, just what i think about), so it makes me feel a little weird if I think about it too much. Can't wait to hear a whole crowd scream "You should nooooot have done that!"

▶️ Inertia: Currently, this is my FAVORITE song on the album. It's fun, it's meaningful, it's got a great beat, and there are sounds that bring me back to past albums so it feels almost nostalgic. They used the instrumentals a lot in their promos for this album, and I can see why. It's both angelic with the choir sounds, and dark with the reverb/bass sounds. So good.

🧍‍♂️ Turning Out Pt iii : Always appreciate the Turning Out songs. Personally, the original is still my favorite. But even that one took me listening to it a dozen times before it really HIT, and then i was crying in the car. So maybe the same will happen with this one someday! Also if i'm not mistaken it's Ryan on vocals? So that's fun to have a change (though honestly he and Jack sound so similar)

🧠  Hole in the Bottom of My Brain: Gosh, so fun! Has that kind of nursery rhyme theme where it builds on itself (swallowed the spider to catch the fly, etc). However, unlike a nursery rhyme, the lyrics are kinda complicated to it's hard to sing along to. I'm sure people will be singing along by the time they're performing it live, like everyone memorizing the rambling line from Karma.

💿 The DJ is Crying for Help: I want to like this one more than I do. Don't get me wrong, I do like it! I think I just find it a little auditorily overwhelming. Like the string arpeggios are awesome, but I can't listen to that and the back up vocals and other sound effects at the same time. idk. To quote my favorite movie, Amadeus: "There are simply too many notes"

🙅🏻‍♂️ I Won't: This one has been out for a while so I feel like I've listened to it a lot already. Definitely makes me swagger walking around my apartment like I'm a total badass. Doesn't get my blood rushing like some of the others, but again that might just be because I've heard it a lot already.

🎡Steve's Going to London: Took me a few play-throughs to actually realize it wasn't just a nothing song! I appreciate them kinda breaking the 4th wall in a very AJR way. This song has grown on me with each listen! Very fun to sing and dance to, and has a great beat. My prediction is that this song will have a lot of special effects when they perform it live. We'll see...

💜 God is Really Real: RIP Gary ❤️ I love that their dad became a beloved part of the fandom. Very touching that they released this song early when it became clear they didn't have much longer with their dad. Beautiful, meaningful addition to the album.

🍂 2085: Perfectly packages up the album! The lyrics say that the old-timey voice says "You are not alone, young child, young child" which is NOT what it sounds like?? So hopefully that gets cleared up. I've seen some claiming it's a Yanny/Laurel situation, and tbh i wouldn't put it past the boys to find a way to do that on purpose. (I hear "You are my heart grown, just know, just know" which i know doesn't really make sense, but it's sweet to me) But the lyrics at the end "You've gotta get better, you're all that I got" give me chills. And then switching to "I gotta get better, I'm all that I got" 😭 . Also loves that it connects so perfectly back to Maybe Man so I can just listen to the album on repeat without interruption

 THE END

[collagedotorg]

Collage Masterpost Part 2

This part of the list covers everything other than Riordanverse collages, which can be found in part 1.

Musicals/Musicians

Epic: The Musical

Epic general collage

Polites

The Circe Saga

The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical

The Lightning Thief musical collage

Annabeth Chase (Musical Edition)

Miscellaneous Musicals

Gelphie from Wicked

Enjoltaire from Les Misérables

Musicians

Bears in Trees

AJR

Chappell Roan

General Mythology

Circe

Medusa

Nyx

Iris

Nemesis

Nike

Hestia

Persephone

Psyche

Helen of Troy

Cassandra of Troy

Orpheus and Eurydice

Icarus

Mount Olympus

The Greek Pantheon

Miscellaneous Book/TV Collages

Alex & Henry from RWRB

Check and Mate

Kaz x Jesper from Six of Crows

Jude Duarte from The Folk of the Air

Violet Sorrengail from Fourth Wing

Penelope Featherington from Bridgerton

Francesca Bridgerton from Bridgerton

Kate Sharma from Bridgerton

Princess Yue from Avatar the Last Airbender

Hester Shaw from Mortal Engines

Anne of Green Gables

Lockwood & Co

Beth Greene from The Walking Dead

Lestat de Lioncourt from Interview With the Vampire

Jaskier x Yennefer from The Witcher

Buffy Summers from Buffy the Vampire Slayer

House of the Dragon

Team Black

Rhaenyra Targaryen

Daemon Targaryen

Rhaenys Targaryen

Aemma Arryn

Team Green

Alicent Hightower

Aegon II Targaryen

Aemond Targaryen

Ser Criston Cole

Helaena Targaryen

Alys Rivers

Taylor Swift Eras

Speak Now TV

Folklore

Evermore

Midnights

The Tortured Poets Department

The Eras Tour

The Eras Tour but Blurry

Miscellaneous Collages

Lovecore

Royaltycore

70s

Marie Antoinette

Cal Kestis

[theworstcreature]

Guys PLEASE TELL ME one of yall has photos of that one Snapchat interview ajr did AGES ago (I wanna say living room era??) where they’re all just like chillin in brightly colored pajamas in like a stereotypical girly girl room

I SWEAR I HAD THE PHOTOS BUT I CANT FIND EM AND I NEED TO PROVE TO MY FRIEND THAT THEY EXIST 😭😭😭

[ye-olde-trojan-horse]

ty for the tag @courfee @cr-amber @killianthefirst

(I have a feeling this is going to be a rollercoaster... good thing I like those rides)

RULES: Put your playlist on shuffle. For each of the 10 interview questions, select a lyric from the random song that comes up (skip if there aren’t any lyrics and make sure to drop the name of the song in your interview answer).

1. First off, how would you describe yourself in one sentence?

no one can know

no one will ever know

semantics - aeseaes

2. What kind of [scorpio] are you?

I wouldn’t know where to start

sweet music playing in the dark

almost (sweet music) - hozier

3. You’re visiting your favorite spot, what are you thinking about?

is this all that life’s about?

trying to love how you turn out

I don’t love it much at all

turning out pt.ii - ajr

4. If your life was a movie, what do you think the first review would say about it?

you’ve got a warm heart

you’ve got a beautiful brain

but it’s disintegrating

medicine - daughter

5. Say you get a book deal, what are you titling your memoir?

stuck in the permafrost

so much (for) stardust - fall out boy

6. What would you say about your best friends?

you have that good old fashioned razzmatazz

razzmatazz - I dont know how but they found me

7. Think back to when you had everything all figured out in high school, what was your life motto as a teenager?

no crying till the sun comes up

ain’t no crying - derivakat

8. Describe your aesthetic now:

come up with me on melancholy hill

melancholy hill - gorilliaz

9. What’s a lyric that they’ll quote in your eulogy?

where the rooms are a collection of our lives

this is a place where I don't feel alone

this is a place that I call my home

that home - the cinematic orchestra

10. And for our final question, say we believe in soulmates, what do you think their first impression of meeting you will be?

I painted you a picture, picture full of light

includes a heavy memory, memory so bright

forest fires - axel flóvent

okay wow, that was no where near as chaotic as I expected it to be ngl. kinda surprised that no noah kahan or music theatre came up... but ig that's what happens when you're shuffling over 80hrs of music (and that wasn't even all of it)

no pressure tags: @carrythispictureforluck @berrylou @twisted-tales-told @autistpride or anyone else who wants to do it :)

[boasource]

BoA was sent a coffee truck on set! (x)

BoA seemed to be in a better condition than she was last week, and she chatted with Jumpings in between/shortly before the pre-recordings (x)

BoA mentioned that she still doesn’t know what types of posts and stories she should upload on IG (x)

BTOB Eunkwang was asked to recommend a warm place [presumably for AJR] in Korea. He mentioned his own home and suggested AJR’s home for a warm place in NYC. BoA laughed and asked if he was flirting with him. (x)

BoA teased Eunkwang for only greeting Paul Kim backstage, not her. He protested, saying that she wasn’t telling the whole story, since he didn’t realize that it was BoA he came across because she looked so young, so he thought she was a hoobae. When he realized it was her, he gave her a deep bow (x)

It was like a fanmeet again because some of the AB6IXmembers were from Produce 101 Season 2, where BoA was the nation’s producer representative. They took a selca together (x)

Although BoA’s IG post caption said that she received a lot of energy from her IPSELENTI 2023 performance, she revealed that she spent the 2 days after it sleeping 😂 (x)

The members tried to do BoA’s ‘Only One’ one kick (x)

Paul Kim confessed that he was a huge Jumping BoA and got BoA to sign his ‘Valenti’ album. He brought a bag with her albums/single albums like Amazing Kiss and Double, which he had managed to buy through a Japanese friend (x)

He said he learned some Japanese so that he could sing the lyrics to ‘Amazing Kiss’ (x)

Paul Kim asked if BoA ever goes to the Han River often (his new single is called ‘On the Han River’) and asked if she’d like to go visit it with him sometime. OP said that he said a lot of fanboy things and kept turning red (x) 

Paul Kim recommended listening to ‘No Matter What’ while in the Han River (x)

BoA said that it was the first time she’s seen a singer who does vocalization exercises as much as she does during the waiting room before the show (10cm). She said that she also practiced a lot for her ‘Forgive Me’ performance in ‘K-909’ in her waiting room, which shocked the show staff. (x)

BoA asked if there was an idol that he’d like to work with, and he said her! BoA beamed and said that she’d like to do a song with a mood like Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello’s ‘Senorita.’ (x)

Although there was a translator for the interview, BoA apparently spoke some English (x)

After the recording, BoA apparently spoke a bit of English with sigrid? But they weren’t using their mics, so OP couldn’t hear what they were saying properly. (x)

[sunflowerrboyy]

so many things from the new pics !!!

[ghoulfr13nd]

oh man pls don't apologize it's totally ok! it really wasn't my intention to make you feel guilty or anything, i was just making sure because i suddenly remembered previous difficulties that's all! fgsdjka of course you can take as long as you need your comfort and time always comes first, obviously! 💗

and don't feel pressured to do aspect playlists or anything, that was just a suggestion :D and as fun as it is, it takes SO MUCH TIME! it took me and my friend DAYS, almost a week! so really don't worry about it hsdjdfs but i can still give some examples! (i had no idea if you meant for all aspects or just some examples in general but oh well!)

breath: Where No One Goes by Jónsi Bulletproof Heart by My Chemical Romance

blood: "99" by Barns Courtney Hey Brother by Avicii

light: All This And Heaven Too by Florence + The Machine Next Up Forever by AJR

void: Valley Of The Dolls by Marina The Underground by Unlike Pluto & 8 Graves

rage: STFU! by Rina Sawayama BLOODMONEY by Poppy

hope: The Real World by Owl City Counting Stars by OneRepublic

heart: Metamorphosis by Penny Parker still feel. by half•alive (with heart we focused more about identity than other things (especially not romance, i don't subscribe to the notion that Heart is a "Romance Aspect" like. at all.))

mind: Everything Moves by Bronze Radio Return Deadlock by Go! Child

doom: Troubled Times by Green Day Radioactive by Imagine Dragons

life: Bloody Mary by 缶缶 うっせぇわ by Ado

time: Industry Baby by Lil Nas X Elevate by DJ Khalil (with time we specifically went with The Extended Zodiac description so it's all about fighting and overcoming challenges!)

space: Obstacles by Syd Matters Spanish Sahara by Foals

(sorry if it's a lot!)

oooh Witch of Void sounds so cool! but Maid of Breath/Light is also great! it's so cool you went from Void to (potentially) Light since they are (allegedly) two opposite aspects! and hey i know this quiz, it was one that pointed me in the direction of my current classpect! :D i ignored the fanmade things too, they were put there to fill space probably anyway ;v; i love classpecting as personality test too! i used to be so intense about it too, you have no idea, oh man. the long hours i spend reading and exchanging theories… WOW fsdgjdfk but my classpect is probably page of heart! i've been identifying as Heart player since my early times in fandom, i tried to change it several times but i always turn back to it fsdjk and Page is just a class i feel the most connected to! :D

and i hope so too! :D that'd be my first concert of an artist i'd actually cared about! i hope it will bring me as much joy as you get out of your concert experiences, you make it sound magical! :D how's the progress in seeing all your gender artists? are you more than half-way to your final form perhaps? 👀

and thank you so much for listening to these songs it means a lot! ;v; and you know, that's fair, i basically grew up with german because i have some of my family living there and i had to learn it in school so i don't see it as unusual but i can totally see it sounding silly it takes some getting used to fgsdjk hmmm my thoughts… well, with Sonne i especialyl like the industrial sounds and this like- strong "drop" when the guitar comes up! and i really like the feminine vocalizations through! also. i know it sounds ridiculous but i used to want to make an undertale animatic to Sonne fgasdfjk (i am cringe but at least i am free!) with Links 2 3 4 i remember (for the first time in my life) looking for interviews with band members because i found their lyrics so interesting & i think i remember reading specifically about how they had to fight with accusations/assumptions of them being "right-wing" just because of being a german metal band, so they made a song to make a point they're left leaning ("They want my heart in the right place, but then I look away and down. There it beat left, left, left, left." < these lyrics are so on the nose with that context and i love them for it fdgasjkf) Amerika is just- a classic i think! one of first songs i heard from them and i think lyrics here are also very on the nose about americanization of the world etc and i felt that, especially as a middle schooler that just started being conscious of the world fgsdjka but mostly i chose these songs because they are the most nostalgic to me and/or slap, at least to me! fgsdjk

and also OMG THAT'S SUCH A NICE SENTIMENT!!! FGSDJFKSDHKL (excuse me while i try not to tear up! fhdsfds) i am so into this idea AAAAAAAA! ;v; when i saw the playlist with my alias my stomach made a little flip (in a good way!) it's so nice of you! ;v; oh man i'm excited! :D question though! by sending you a list you mean a list from specific playlists or just whatever? 👀 (though i won't be sending a list now because i already gave you a long list of aspect vibes so i don't want to overdue it! fgsjkfdhfjk)

music anon 🎶

hello my anon….. i went to work, for a couple of walks, played a LOT of pokemon go and took a cold shower. you have been on my mind the whole time.

dw dw i didnt think you were trying to make me feel guilty!! i understood what you were goin for, and i’m appreciative of it!!

like, i feel like this is going to sound rude, but i’m kind of at this place in my life where i dont really. feel. obligated to uphold these polite standards most people have? and i dont really expect others to have them with me. it’s like, i GUESS its polite, but really i just think its counterproductive. if i force myself to do something, im not giving my best, and i want to give my best! so i’m always going to wait until i feel like i can. and if that’s how i feel about it, it’s hypocritical to not extend that to others. uhhhh i lost my point. i just mean like. its hard to make me feel bad about something like that flsjdjdkdjdk. sorry for this long tangent, i just don’t want you to worry about making me feel bad by giving me a gentle nudge. i’m heartier than that!

AND on that note, i do NOT feel obligated to make aspect playlists. aspect playlists are RIGHT up my alley. i mentioned to one of my friends that you and i were talking about classpects and he was like “oh they came to the right fucking house” and i was like “I KNOW!!!!!!!!!” anyway i’m SO excited to do them i just havent been in the right mindset yet :0 and like. i’m incapable of. like. NOT being an oversharer. everyone knows what i’m thinking, for better or worse 😔

actually? you know what? full disclosure heres my results for the aspect part of that quiz

look. look at this. i feel like it tells you plenty. (i would also love to see yours if youre willing to share but you also absolutely don’t have to khldkf uhh. re: i’m incapable of not oversharing)

have we talked about Barns Courtney before???? i dont think we have. thats ANOTHER artist i’ve seen live!!!! it was such a good fucking concert!!!!!! it was actually at the SAME venue that both Autoheart and The Crane Wives were at! it’s a super cool little place. i dont have any videos of that concert unfortunately 😔 it was before i got into my current phase. BUT UHHH I ACTUALLY HAVE A TSHIRT WITH LYRICS FROM “99” ON IT THAT I GOT AT THAT CONCERT. THATS SO WILD. also i LOVE it for blood thats SO big brained!!!!

Valley of the Dolls for voiddddd yeeeesssssssss. i love it. actually begging for the full void playlist i related SO HARD to void back in the day!! i’m digging this so fucking hard actually uhh. this is um. this is. —

ALSO STFU FOR RAGE. YES. i actually havent heard this song in a while and i like it even more than i remember. it rocks. I also hadn’t heard bloodmoney and it rules too. i want the full rage playlist too gimme gimme

ALSO YEAH HEART IS *NOT* ABOUT ROMANCE. love love love this opinion heart is ABSOLUTELY about identity. whats it like to have such good and correct opinions, anon? adore your song choices too!!!! also like, obviously i want this full playlist, its YOUR ASPECT!!

took one look at the album covers for the life songs on spotify and was like. “oh these have animations on youtube” so i listened to them there!!! AND THEY WERE SO GOOD!!!!!! i also really love this interpretation of the aspect, but i also see what you meant by mostly listening to rage songs ghskdj. like うっせぇわ by Ado reminded me so much of Aggretsuko…. she’s just like me fr

i also really like where you went with time!! also this makes me. want to make classpect theories for the spiderverse characters fjsjdjdjjdk

i’d never heard obstacles before…. i really really enjoyed this song! SAME WITH SPANISH SAHARA? I REALLY REALLY DIG THE SPACE VIBES.

i did listen to all of your recs but these are the ones i had the most thoughts about!!

BUT YEAH!!!! i still really love witch of void and i still see a lot of myself in it, but i was also a different person when i formulated that identity. i kept things closer to my heart. though, a witch of void does manipulate void, so maybe thats a classpect that could imitate a light player in a way? maybe i’ll keep it actually fjskdjdk. i do see a lot of myself in the other two though 😔 i have a dnd character who i absolutely ADORE playing that actually would definitely be a light player :0 much to think about…..

VERY FUNNY TO ME THAT WE BOTH USE THE SAME QUIZ AND DID THE SAME THING…. more things to add to the center of our venn diagram.

page of heart!! actually. i have looked at this one for myself as well. shaking your hand enthusiastically. what does this title mean to you? do you have a land made up? i’d love to hear all about it!!

yeeeesssss!!!! are there any other artists you want to see live if they come there? whats your dream list…..

AND GKSJFJSKDN I WISH. MORE THAN HALF WAY. IN MY DREAMS. i’m FAR from seeing all of these artists live fjskjddj. some of them are impossible actually, theyre not making music anymore. but thats okay! gender-wise… idk where i want to end up. i’m still not super sure what i want :0 besides top surgery. i have never doubted that top surgery is in my future. but theres approx 23 artists on it and i’ve seen 4 i think? something like that!!

and ofc!!! thank YOU for listening to MY songs! i’m enjoying the exchange a lot! especially because we obviously have a lot of overlap in our tastes.

thats super cool though!! family in germany… my grandmother lived in germany very briefly with her first husband who was stationed there. she knows exactly one phrase and its the price of whatever she bought at the store gkgjhk. i don’t know any german myself (if that wasn’t abundantly obvious fksjdjd). i dont really have a second language, but i did learn a little french in high school, and i’m working really hard to learn hungarian! do you know many languages? :0

ALSO PLEASE TELL ME MORE ABOUT THIS UNDERTALE ANIMATIC? give me the play-by-play. being cringe is so fun i love being cringe.

thats such cool lore about Links 2 3 4 :0 but yeah uh. idk what it is about american dudes who are into german metal but i wont lie to you its usually a red flag to me 😔 i really didnt think it was something to worry about with you though, i dont remember what it was, but you had said something that had made me think “oh well this isnt an american person i have to worry about having a weird perverse relationship with german culture” fgkdkkd.

i can totally get why you would be into it! personally speaking amerika quite literally hits too close to home for me. i’m so tired 😭 there are things i love about where i live but also….. hhhhhh……..

thank you for sharing your thoughts!! and i’m so glad you like the playlist idea! as far as the question you asked — either! both! if you send me random songs, i’ll add them to your playlist, and if you send me a specific playlist i’ll create a new one for it. so whatever you feel!!

sorry for the. very very very long response. i spent so much time with this. like literally several hours. i will respond to the oc one another time so don’t worry when you don’t see it at the same time as this one!! i’ve already read it and im excited to reply it’s just midnight here now dkgdgkhdk

i hope you have a great morning/afternoon/evening/night!!!

[glngrbred]

oOC but i honestly think that AJR is the worst pop band out there right now. ignoring anything MGK has ever touched.

Summery of my feelings. In an attempt to be wholely original and not write love songs, AJR has found themselves rather shamelessly making derivative versoins of other more famous and succesful artists original works as opposed to making original versions of often derived Ideas. As a comparison, the modern day Goblin/Ork originates In tolkein lore, but we see continually inovative adaptations of that one idea. Now, Compare that to something like 'Ring' where the Idea is a very original interperation of classic Japanese folklore and Horror tropes, wich has been copied unsuccesfully like 40+ times without innovating on the idea at all.

AJR is a 'ring' clone in pop music, and they just rip from more and more people. and that's just conceptually. Birthday party, christmass in july, their whole album where it was just trumpets? as the gimmik? Alot of their music is conceptually derivative, wich sucks for them because I'm sure they have some really original concepts in their music, and techniques, wich even if i don't like them are still respectable. However, what is not respectable, in my mind, Is their obsession with the Production brother's "style" wich in reality is just poorly handled production on the backend of their songs that make them seem like a parody of pop, or worse, early 2000's production quality way below HD D: . Also last thing abt them is they really really reaaaaaallly want listeners to think they are fully original, and interviews with them are just... ugh. wich makes me dislike them more, even if the music isnt THAT offensive to my ears :/

anyways TLDR I'm salty that AJR is super popular since I feel they aren't very original (though they are very interested in being original, so theres the unfortunate disconect) and i don't really like their music that much

[chorusfm]

Adam Grundy’s Top Albums of 2023

2023 was absolutely S-T-A-C-K-E-D from top to bottom with some incredible music from so many talented artists. Below is a collection of my favorite albums (which include several EPs, for the first time on my year-end list, because I adored them so much), a separate call out for EPs, a playlist of my favorite songs, the best concerts I attended, my favorite books I read during the year, as well as my favorite interviews I conducted. Also, be sure to check out my favorite movies and TV shows that kept my attention in 2023. I wish all of you a very happy New Year, and I’m thrilled to spend another year with everyone on this site and in the forums. My Top Albums of 2023 * Ratboys – The Window * The Maine – The Maine * M.A.G.S. – Destroyer * Foo Fighters – But Here We Are * The Menzingers – Some Of It Was True * Koyo – Would You Miss It? * Fall Out Boy – So Much (For) Stardust * Chase Tremaine – Accidental Days * Zach Bryan – Zach Bryan * The Gaslight Anthem – History Books * Olivia Rodrigo – GUTS * Taking Back Sunday – 152 * Yellowcard – Childhood Eyes (EP) * Thrice – The Artist In The Ambulance (Revisited) * The Struts – Pretty Vicious * The Japanese House – In The End It Always Does * Arrows In Action – Built To Last * Blink-182 – One More Time * AJR – The Maybe Man * Boys Like Girls – Sunday At Foxwoods * Sarah and the Safe Word – The Book of Broken Glass * Broadside – Hotel Bleu * Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit – Weathervanes * Record Heat – Welcome To Record Heat Country * PONY – Velveteen * Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness – Tilt At The Wind No More * Paramore – This Is Why * STMNTS – Tendencies (EP) * Boygenius – The Record * Greta Van Fleet – Starcatcher * Story of the Year – Tear Me To Pieces * Gorillaz – Cracker Island * Spiritbox – The Fear of Fear (EP) * Have Mercy – Numb * Bully – Lucky For You * Out of Service – Reflections and Refractions: Vol. 1 * Charlotte Sands – Good Now (EP) * Silent Planet – Superbloom * The National – First Two Pages of Frankenstein * Babyfang – In The Face Of (EP) * Cal Stamp – Leather (EP) * PVRIS – Evergreen * Anberlin – Convinced (EP) * Cold War Kids – Cold War Kids * The Rocket Summer – Shadowkasters * Vacationer – Cherish * The Aces – I’ve Loved You For So Long * White Reaper – Asking For A Ride * Post Malone – Austin * The Bouncing Souls – Ten Stories High My Favorite EPs of 2023 * Yellowcard – Childhood Eyes * STMNTS – Tendencies * Spiritbox – The Fear of Fear * Charlotte Sands – Good Now * Babyfang – In The Face Of * Cal Stamp – Leather * Anberlin – Convinced * Hawthorne Heights – Lost Lights * Arcane Ghosts – Distant Youth * Texas King – Capsize * Bad Suns – Infinte Joy * Nicotine Dolls – How Do You Love Me * Zach Bryan – Boys of Faith * MS MR – Saturn Return * Soccer Mommy – Karaoke Night * Boygenius – The Rest * Taylor Acorn – Certified Depressant * Better Lovers – God Made Me An Animal * Bad Luck. – Books On Tape * Palette Knife – DLC Pack 01 My Favorite Songs of 2023 * Olivia Rodrigo – “Vampire” * The Menzingers – “Come On Heartache” * Lily Meola – “Without You” * The Maine – “Blame” * Blink-182 – “One More Time” * Ratboys – “Morning Zoo” * Billie Eilish – “What Was I Made For?” * Zach Bryan ft. Kacey Muysgraves – “I Remember Everything” * PHNTMS ft. April Rose Gabrielli – “Lost On Your Love” * Spiritbox – “Jaded” * Chase Tremaine – “Settled in the Unsettled” * Boys Like Girls – “Blood and Sugar” * Fall Out Boy – “Heartbreak Feels So Good” * Record Heat – “Run” * Cal Stamp – “Radio is Dead” * Koyo – “Life’s a Pill” * Sarah and the Safe Word – “Sky On Fire” * Hawthorne Heights ft. Emo Orchestra – “The Storm” * The Maine – “How To Exit A Room” * Taking Back Sunday – “S’old” My Favorite Concerts I Attended in 2023 * The Maine – Sweet 16 Tour @ The Fillmore (Silver Spring, MD) * Silverstein – This is How The Wind Shifts Anniversary Tour @ The Fillmore (Silver Spring, MD) * Cal Stamp @ Pie… https://chorus.fm/blog/adam-grundys-top-albums-of-2023/

[february-1-9-9-6-blog]

WOW WOW WOW!!

So it’s been like a whole year+ since I last used this … I always forget that I was trying to use this as a form of journal type thingy. So we’re into a new year already… 2023 is here and things are drastically different from when I last updated.

2022 saw a lot of changes for myself.

I got a new job at the end of 2021, which I’m still working but might be looking for something ne me due to ~*circumstances*~ … I now live in North Carolina with my FIANCÉ!!!!

We got engaged on the Disney trip, June 2022.

Other things that happened in 2022- I saw lots of concerts, and one very important broadway show. I saw HAMILTON, AJR, Wiz and Logic, Big Time Rush, Sir Elton John, and the love of my life, Posty. Posty was actually my last concert in Pittsburgh 😭 I also saw John Mulaney! AND I GOT STERILIZED PRAISE BABY JESUS NO BABIES FOR ME!!!

So what brought us to NC? Well once upon a time, the fiancé asked if I’d ever be willing to move out of Pgh, and I said “only if it’s a warmer climate and still has NHL hockey. Dallas, Tampa, Arizona, Nevada, or Raleigh NC would all be options” 😂 well little did I know, w couple months later he would interview with Duke University and get the Men’s Basketball Equipment Manager position, thus leading us to Durham, just outside Raleigh.

That means the Carolina Hurricanes have swiftly become my number 2 team. Oh yeah, we’re also season ticket members LOL. Never thought that would ever happen. And what makes it even better is that they’re a good team, they’re definitely on the upswing.

So yeah, I moved down to NC in October just in time for hockey season to start. Fiancé had been here since August. It’s been nice. He doesn’t work nearly as much since he’s only working with 1 team now. For Thanksgiving the team played in a tournament in Portland, Oregon, and I got to tag along. For Christmas, we went to Florida w my parents to the Condo in Bonita Springs. For New Years, his sister and her fiancé visited. So yeah that’s where we’re at.

We’re trying to figure out our wedding, which we def want to happen in MAY … so that’s stressful.

Oh and I’m actually starting to exercise and lead a healthy lifestyle.

Here’s to the New Year!

January 12th, 2023