ayybrams

[ayybrams]

TEXT 📲 ARTELLIE

Ellie: Hey Stranger! That it is. Kurt and I saw Hamilton today and bummed around the city. Did some shopping.

Ellie: Hmmm. I might be persuaded. What did you have in mind?

Artie: Damn I don't know how I'm gonna compete with the Hummel and Hamilton duo.

Artie: I was thinking something a little low key.

Artie: Like drinks, some street food, and winding back at my place to not watch netflix 😏

[ayybrams]

You killed it, girl!  You and Mads are unstoppable.  What have you been doing with your downtime in good ‘ole NYC?

So if you haven’t guessed, I am super excited to be playing New York tonight! Besides it being my hometown, there isn’t any other place where the fans get so hype! I’m probably biases, but what did anyone expect?

[ayybrams]

So what you’re telling me is that it’s a good thing I decided to lay low in the big city?  Good to know, good to know.  

Normally I would say there is something in the New York air that has everyone literally airing out dirty laundry and making fools of themselves on here, but I think that’s just who they are. So messy.

[ayybrams]

Oh, shit.  Should I have gotten a passport? My bad, man.  

Just fooling.  I’m ready to get going.  Where are you excited to see most?

I’m pleased to say that we’re only one week away from leaving this country. Who the fuck is ready?

[ayybrams]

We haven’t even left the country yet, we all know that when the real trouble starts!  A bunch of drunk egomaniacs?  Lets throw in a language barrier too.  We should start a pool of who gets arrested first.  

We are nearing the halfway point of this tour and I’m a tad surprised that not only has the time flown by, but no one has either A) quit, or B) been fired from the label yet. So congratulations, fellow musicians – you’ve managed to keep your careers mostly intact and you haven’t gotten alcohol poisoning yet.

Now who is looking forward to warmer weather?

[ayybrams]

TEXT 📲 ARTELLIE

ARTIE: Ayyye it's our last night in NYC. It'd be a shame if we didn't spend it together.

[ayybrams]

Yo, New York it’s been great to be back in you! ;)

 It’s been dope sleeping in my own bed instead of all these hotels, but I gotta say the room service sucks.  I’m talking two stars on yelp at best.  

[ayybrams]

TEXT ✉️ ARTISSE

JESSE: Do you happen to make any videos that are less intense than your usual ones?

JESSE: I've written a ballad that I would like to publicize at the end of this tour, but I would also like a... softer, if you will, video to go along with it.

JESSE: You've made videos for me before, so I figured I would ask you first, Abrams. You are quite good at it.

ARTIE: I can do it all, my dude. I'm a regular renaissance man. Kidding. Kinda.

ARTIE: Anyway I'm always looking to challenge myself and stuff, so that'd be really cool.

ARTIE: Thanks, man! That really means a lot coming from you. Sounds like you got a bit of a vision here, and it'd be dope to be the dude to bring it to life.

[ayybrams]

every time I watch this, I fucking lose it (ಥ﹏ಥ)

[ayybrams]

[ayybrams]

F2F ▸ BARTIE

As far as the road trips go, Detroit to Toronto is a piece of cake.  However, any distance traveled sharing a confined space with your ex could manage to make things awkward.  Sometimes it felt like Artie was traveling in a ticking time bomb, like she’d catch him in a vulnerable moment, and all his bottled feelings would come spraying out like a bottle of uncorked champagne.  Their break up seemed unceremonious.  It was abrupt, one night they were together and then they weren’t.  

There was a snapchat video of Britt in bed with another dancer and well it didn’t look good.  It gave Artie some pause about how serious she was about being with him.  When he asked straight up if they slept together and he got a simple yes, well he felt like he was going to spit up his own heart, his body rejecting it like a bad transplant.  So, he ended things.  He always knew his once girlfriend was way out of his league but he had enough pride to know he deserved better than to be cheated on.  

Naturally, they didn’t discuss the discrepancy beyond that.  Artie didn’t need the details, and he needed to remain professional for the sake of their career.  They were photographed together less, and soon it became clear Mouse Trap and Indigo were only working together professionally.  He never spoke ill of her in the media.  Instead he kept his anger inside and that anger only was released as passive aggression that seemed to split him at the seams.  

Still, even if they weren’t a couple any more, they were still a team, and boy did they make a killer team.  The energy in Detroit served him a not so gentle reminder of that, so he got Brittany a little gift to remind them of their first headlining festival gig.  Brittany’s career was skyrocketing and it’d only be a matter of time before being Indigo became her full time gig, and dancing in Mouse Trap would just be a chapter in their story coming to a close.  

Selfishly that thought made him sick.  Indigo and Mouse Trap seemed to be the only thread keeping them together these days, and without that?  They’d be nothing.  Artie and Brittany were no longer, he couldn’t lose their stage personas too.   

The bus hit a pothole on the highway jolting him from his thoughts and he reached for the soft cotton Motown Museum t shirt he got her.  “Hey Britt?” He greeted knocking gently on the bunk above his not wanting to disturb her.  “I got you a little something,” he said handing over the shirt which matched the one he was currently wearing.  “Detroit was huge for me... for us, so I, uhh, I got you something to remember it by.  Want me to grab the scissors so you can turn this bad boy into a crop top?”

[ayybrams]

TEXT 📲 ARTISON

MADISON: you have aLWAYS been KING OF THE LESBOS!!! our only king that we want tbh

MADISON: jeSUS okay i mean i'm not PERFECTION and i think she might only be with me because i'm that good at going down on a girl but

ARTIE: i want a crown. can you get me a crown? who do we call for that? ellen?

ARTIE: Well I mean that's a damn art form in itself really 👀

ARTIE: Do you really think that's the only reason she's with you?

[ayybrams]

Send my muse “👀 + a question” and they’ll have to answer with 100% honesty.

No deleting questions, either!

[ayybrams]

Joe Keery by Clara Blazary

[ayybrams]

F2F ▸ CHANGBRAMS

Artie was still riding a high from his first headlining show amongst his label mates.  Sure, he’s headlined his own shows, but those were significantly smaller crowds.  These dates were mostly sold out, and the fact Way Out thought he had enough pull to give him a headlining spot?  It meant a lot.�� Not even the headache pounding like the bass from one of his songs-- evidence of his celebration with Brittany the night before could bring him down.  

As Mike and himself walked The Motown Museum, they talked about their time on tour, and it became clear just how little of his friend he’d seen since they hit the road in LA.  Artie wanted to change that, he’d been making himself scarce on tour in fear of pushing himself a little too hard, but he was bordering on hermit territory.  Artie knew that was a dangerous game, and a fine line to walk, so he made a deal with himself to get out of his hotel room more.  

They’d stop at the exhibits and Artie would take a seat whenever the pain in his back was unbearable, always making a joke about being ‘an old man who needs to rest his bones,’ or something along those lines.  He was always open about his pain, but would lace it with a joke to avoid the pity stares.  If he made somebody laugh they couldn’t pity him, at least that’s what he told himself.  

“Yo, that Four Tops exhibit was lit.”  The plastic gift shop back swung loosely from Artie’s wrist as they exited.  He couldn’t leave without a t shirt, and a matching one for Britt (that she’d undoubtedly turn into a crop top at the first chance) to honor their headlining gig in the city.  

“Waffle House still sound good, bro?  My treat, I gotta feed my boy right!  I just gotta be back by one to record an episode of my Podcast with Rach.” @eurekachang

[ayybrams]

marleyrosehasherthorn‌:

It’s a lot easier to write. I don’t get nervous and bust out bad puns. Or lame jokes.

You know I forgot all about them. Hopefully tomorrow but I think I agreed to pizza. We did! I’m proud of us all! And I finally got a chance to see you. It worked out perfectly. You killed it out there! You and Britt. It was amazing to watch. The energy during your set was on fire! It was second next to Chicago for me. But a close second!

Ayy, anybody who would shoot you down for a pun isn’t anybody you want to fuck with.  That’s my motto.  

You can’t go wrong with pizza, girl.  I’m hitting up a local joint with Rachel tomorrow, we’ll have to compare pizza notes after.  Thank you!  Seriously, it means a lot.  Britt brings all the energy, I just feed off her good vibes.  

[ayybrams]

discobritts‌:

You were amazing, Artie! We definitely have to celebrate. Let’s get food! And champagne, like we’re fancy…because we pretty much are fancy now.

We gotta live it up!  Bottle service is totally how you know you’ve made it.  I’m getting us the best bottle I can get my hands on.  We’re doing this right!