However, he remarked, we thought, “Oh, this is our job right now.” This will assist us in processing (items). In order to capture everything as quickly and urgently as possible, it will aid the fans in processing if they ever have to deal with such situations.
Source: (Source: Austin Roa)
Source: (Source: Austin Roa)
Gary Metzger, the father of the sibling trio (who, for the sake of their careers, shortened their last names to Met), was diagnosed with cancer, which was the most difficult of the weighty things the New York City band was dealing with. Unfortunately, in July 2023, their father passed away from the illness.
To devastating effect, the song “God Is Really Real” on the album directly addresses Metzger’s condition. Just think about the lyrics at the beginning of the song: My dad can’t get out of bed, my band starts at ten, and I have to leave for Paris immediately. It’s an excellent illustration of how AJR captures their feelings in real time.
Jack Met, who accompanied Ryan for the interview, recalls that it happened while we were on tour, which is when we composed God is Really Real. Two days later—no, the day after—we wrote it. He was in the medical facility. His diagnosis was yet unknown to us. The feelings were unfiltered. The eight months leading up to his death were undoubtedly the most difficult of our lives. Of course, he is on our minds every day. It’s quite difficult.
Metzger had consistently encouraged his boys to pursue their AJR endeavors. After busking in New York City in 2005 (Jack, at 27, hadn’t reached double digits yet), the brothers quickly turned to songwriting.
After writing the song “I’m Ready,” which the brothers believed blended their many influences—from hip-hop and Broadway musicals to Simon & Garfunkel and the Beatles—AJR’s big break came in the early 2000s. Pop artist Sia was drawn to the song and told her manager, Jonathan Daniel, about the group. Daniel then got in touch with S-Curve Records’ Steve Greenberg, who agreed to work as AJR’s co-manager and assisted the brothers in starting their own company.
Things have taken off since then. Satellite radio regularly played “I’m Ready,” and AJR’s third EP, “What Everyone’s Thinking,” produced the platinum-selling hit single “Weak” in 2016. With three additional full-length albums and five more platinum singles—including the 2020 top 10 hit Bang!—the band’s popularity has risen significantly since then.
The Maybe Man and the emotional struggles the Met brothers went through while writing and recording it are all related to this.
A larger topic of The Maybe Man is approaching one’s late 20s and early 30s and recognizing that life is becoming more real and that there are important obligations that come with becoming a full-fledged adult, even though their father’s suffering is a part of the plot. Naturally, dealing with the loss of a loved one will make one face the fact that life is fleeting and can end at any moment.
The Maybe Man is AJR’s most somber album to date, according to Ryan and Jack. However, it should come as no surprise that it does not feel depressing, especially musically, given that the band has continuously produced upbeat, incredibly catchy, and frequently fairly inventive songs.
Maybe Man opens the album on a quite somber, albeit lovely, note, and the songs Yes, God Is Really Real and Turning Out Pt. iii are both sorrowful ballads. However, things get better when upbeat tunes like “Yes, I’m A Mess,” “The Dumb Song,” “Hole in the Bottom of My Brain,” and even “Inertia” (about living in a state of stagnation) provide the lively, playful sound that AJR fans have grown accustomed to.
Fans can anticipate a show that features songs from the album as well as past classics and album tracks that have been well-liked by fans, coupled with a ton of visual bells and whistles, as AJR continues their extensive tour in support of The Maybe Man this summer.
“We finally have the funds and budget to work with where we can create real cinematic CGI, a real Broadway story, and magical illusions,” Ryan remarked. We have a lot of weird stuff that you have never seen on stage before, but I don’t want to give too much away.
IF YOU GO
AJR
Monday at 6:20 p.m. Alongside Cavetown, Valley, Riley Tate Wilson, and Goth Babe. $40.50 to $179.01. Ticketmaster.com/Ameris Bank Amphitheatre, 2200 Encore Parkway, Alpharetta.
