We caught up with the brilliant and insightful AJ Grey a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi AJ, thanks for joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

I had never been out west before, so my partner, Taylor, and I decided to hit the road in our van back in 2021. We both felt a desperate need, after being cooped up in or home during Covid, to get a good shot of nature on steroids. Savannah, Georgia has a natural beauty of its own breed, with its grandmother oak trees cloaked in spanish moss that seem to be slow dancing to jazz with each small note of humid breeze, but we needed a vast nothingness so we could exhale. We started our route up north and made our way to Badlands and Yellowstone, Moab and Flaming Gorge, all the way down to Gila National Forest.

With each precious moment, witnessing Mother Nature in her purest form, I felt a life connection more intense than what felt like birth and death itself. I think we all can admit that the landscapes out west, the ones that seem to be fairy dusted, prehistoric, otherworldly and untouched, summon a deep inquest that we can’t ignore. They ignite a deep primal dialogue, begging the personal questions; Why are you here? What is your purpose? Who are you?

I am a rock vocalist and a dream of mine for as long as I can remember has been to lead a rock and roll band. I had tried to form bands in the past and failed. I had gotten to a point where I had accepted the possibility that it may not happen for me. The idea seemed so grandiose that, in my mind, it seemed simply unreachable. Who am I to do what seems to be one of the most badass things any human can do? These landscapes gave me a pep talk. They told me that the limitations I kept putting on myself were my little excuses for not getting up, dusting the dirt off my ass, and trying again. They told me I was hiding but, standing within their vastness, there is nowhere to hide.

I listened. I would try one more time and, this time, I would form a band that is all female. I reached out to a local female musician, Veronica Garcia-Melendez, who said yes, and was then introduced to two others, Coco and Maddie Oke, who said yes. We have now played numerous shows, have written multiple original songs, and are now recording our first album after only one year of debuting as a band.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is AJ Grey and I am the lead vocalist of an all female rock band called The Maxines. We offer up a grunge sound with a kiss of metal. We are currently recording our first album in Savannah, Georgia. Being a vocalist is so much more than just singing. You have to be vulnerable. If you’re not vulnerable with your audience, they’re not going to believe what you do or say, they’re just going to see the act. You can have a voice that’s kissed by an angel, but if you don’t get into my soul, you’ve lost me. I believe in connecting with my audience in a way that makes them feel like they’re taking a piece of me home with them and writing lyrics that they can scream in their car or sing in the shower or just whenever they need to let off some steam. I hope I can be with them in those day-to-day life moments.

I’m also a watercolor artist based in Savannah, Georgia. I have a studio space upstairs in the beautiful Cedar House Gallery in Savannah. I paint expressive, abstract portraits, sometimes animal skulls, florals, and landscapes. I resist putting limitations on my subjects. Watercolors found me about 6 years ago and I immediately fell in love with their feisty nature. They come to life on paper like no other medium. They are my prime mentor, consistently teaching me the art of patience. There is never a dull moment with watercolor.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Show up for them. Go to the shows, the concerts, the gallery openings, the book signings and bring whoever you can. Tell everyone about them and purchase their work.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

I am a mega book nerd and my partner, Taylor Brown, is a published novelist, so books take up most of the residency in our household second to our three rescue pups. I can’t go a day without opening a book. They are my mental food.

If I were to recommend one, just one, critical book to shake a creative’s core in the best way, it would be ART & FEAR by David Bayles and Ted Orland. Read it and then read it again. It’s honestly honest, not at all “woo-woo,” and gets down to the nitty gritty when it comes to imposter syndrome, finding your voice, art in the academic world, your view of yourself as a creative, and so much more. I marked up mine enough to the point that any time I need a little pep talk I just open it up, read some of the underlined parts, and then I’m kindly whipped back into place.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ajgreyartist.com
• Instagram: @themaxinesband @_aj.grey_
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@themaxines2849
• Other: For bookings: [email protected]

Image Credits
Maddie Murphy Adriana Iris Boatwright Valentin Sivyakov