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 issued their second full-length album,
People Who Can Eat People Are the Luckiest People in the World, on September 11, 2007. In 2008, the band was a part of the Asian Man Records' "Making Punk Fun Again" tour with
The Queers,
Bomb the Music Industry!,
Lemuria, 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. In support of this record, the band was part of a full US tour with
Frank Turner and
Into It. Over It. In March 2012, the band toured with
Laura Stevenson and
ROAR, followed by another tour in April with
Joyce Manor and Treasure Fleet. In September, the band did several shows with
Against Me! and Joyce Manor, followed by a full US tour with
Future of the Left and
Jeff Rosenstock. 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
Lauren Records. In November, the band embarked on a west coast tour with The Gunshy. In June, the band recorded a new album entitled
Christmas Island 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 in our band's name. 2.) We no longer wish to be a living reminder of the president
Andrew Jackson. 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 approach to music videos made by the band
OK Go. On August 1, 2016, the music video for "Junkie Church" was released. In 2017, the band released an EP on
Lauren Records 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' "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. 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==