Not the typical AJR release, BANG! Hot Sauce, a collaboration between the indie pop band and the mission-based hot sauce company Small Axe Peppers, will be launched nationwide on October 8.
“We’d been wanting to make a hot sauce for some time,” said AJR bandmember Adam Met. “Once we wrote Bang! we knew this was the perfect time for it, but we wanted to do it with someone who had sustainability as a core value. We were really impressed with the mission of Small Axe Peppers and knew we could make an amazing hot sauce together.”
Powered by Warner Music Artist Services, the unique partnership was built from a shared love and concern for their hometown and a strong desire to help others. Small Axe Peppers started in the Bronx community gardens in the spring 2014 with the goal to connect people directly to the community gardens and urban farms in their neighborhood. Like the Small Axe Peppers creators, the AJR brothers were born and raised in New York City and are passionate about sustainability and helping the city thrive during these unprecedented times.
“Our collaboration was born from a shared mission: to help advocate for positive change in the world. Both AJR and Small Axe Peppers believe that giving back to your community is essential,” said John A. Crotty, Co-founder of Small Axe Peppers. “Each bottle of BANG! Hot Sauce directly supports the local gardens and gardeners that grow peppers for this product.”
Named after AJR’s 2020 hit song BANG!, the sauce features a mouth-watering medley of locally-sourced peppers from more than 30 community gardens throughout the Bronx and Queens. Small Axe Pepper’s in-house chef, King Phojanakong, worked with the band to create a uniquely New York City blend of fiery, bitter, hot and umami flavors. The result is a sauce that reflects the eclectic and vibrant energy of AJR’s music combined harmoniously with the passion of the growers and strength of the local communities.
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