American Aquarium is an American
alternative country
Alternative country, or alternative country rock (sometimes alt-country, insurgent country, Americana, or y'allternative), is a loosely defined subgenre of country music and/or country rock that includes acts that differ significantly in style ...
band from
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the List of North Carolina county seats, seat of Wake County, North Carolina, Wake County in the United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most ...
, United States.
Background
Formed in 2006, the band derived its name from the
Wilco
Wilco is an American alternative rock band based in Chicago, Illinois. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo following singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup changed frequently dur ...
song, “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart,” and is led by band founder and lead vocalist/ guitarist BJ Barham. A new lineup was announced in April 2017 with new faces joining the ranks: Crooks drummer Joey Bybee, Damn Quails bass player Ben Hussey and guitarist Shane Boeker – all from Texas – along with Nashville pedal-steel player Adam Kurtz, who also fronts Music City's experimental Buck Owens tribute Buck N' Stuff. Bybee left in August 2018 and was replaced by Nashville-based drummer Matty Alger, who in turn left in February 2019. Kurtz left the band after the Mile Zero fest in January 2019, and Hussey left in July 2019.
American Aquarium has released seven albums, including their most critically acclaimed album to date, 2012’s ''Burn. Flicker. Die.''. According to
American Songwriter
''American Songwriter'' is a bimonthly magazine covering songwriting. Established in 1984, it features interviews, songwriting tips, news, reviews and lyric contest. The magazine is based in Nashville, Tennessee.
History
The ''American Songwri ...
, 'It’s a record for anyone who creates art, even if recognition and a stable living may never come of it".
Their first album, ''Antique Hearts'', was released in 2006, followed by ''The Bible and the Bottle'' in 2008. The band continued to tour extensively, playing around 250 shows a year. They began building a wider and more varied fan base beyond their native state.
Their sophomore effort received some critical attention, and that same year the band released the minimalist live EP ''Bones'', recorded in a friend’s living room. Barham wrote the songs in the wake of a break-up, helping to cement a familiar theme of women who either got away or did the protagonist wrong. Their next album was ''Dances for the Lonely''. Released by Last Chance Records in 2009, it featured one of their fan favorites, “I Hope He Breaks Your Heart.” ''Small Town Hymns'', released in 2010, brought more favorable reviews and continued comparisons to
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...
,
Whiskeytown
Whiskeytown was an American alternative country band formed in 1994 from Raleigh, North Carolina. Fronted by Ryan Adams, the group included members Caitlin Cary, Phil Wandscher, Eric "Skillet" Gilmore, and Mike Daly. They disbanded in 2000 with ...
, and
Lucero.
In 2012, American Aquarium released two albums: ''Live in Raleigh'' and ''Burn. Flicker. Die.'', which garnered considerable praise from music critics and fans. Produced by
Jason Isbell
Michael Jason Isbell (; born February 1, 1979) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is known for his solo career, his work with the band The 400 Unit, and as a member of Drive-By Truckers for six years, from 2001 to 2007. Isbell h ...
, formerly of
Drive By Truckers, the album was originally intended to be the band’s last, but they now have no plans for retirement. Barham says,"It's kind of ironic that the record about not making it is the record that helped us make it." "Throughout, the music crackles and snarls with a raw viscerality that carries distinct echoes of the Drive-By Truckers and early-seventies Rolling Stones—boozy, swaggering closing track “Saturday Nights” even sports a signature crunch-riff that’d put a big smile on Keith Richards’ face." ''Burn. Flicker. Die.'' was nominated for "Best Americana/Roots Album” and “Best Album Artwork” in the 2013 Lone Star Music Awards.
The band released their sixth original album, ''Wolves'', in February 2015. The band's fans helped raise $24,000 through a
Kickstarter
Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...
project to help fund the album's production, and the album was recorded in
Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Buncombe County, North Carolina. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the state's 11th-most populous cit ...
at Echo Mountain.
On November 25, 2016, ''Live at Terminal West'' was released by the band from a live show recording in November 2015 at Terminal West in Atlanta, Georgia.
On June 1, 2018, American Aquarium released ''Things Change'' with producer
John Fullbright
John Fullbright (born April 23, 1988) is an American singer-songwriter from Okemah, Oklahoma. While still in high school, Fullbright performed at the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival in Okemah. In 2009 he released the album ''Live at the Blue Door' ...
.
On May 1, 2020, American Aquarium released ''Lamentations'' with producer
Shooter Jennings
Waylon Albright "Shooter" Jennings (born May 19, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He is the only son of country singers Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter. In a career spanning over two decades, Shooter Jenni ...
. Barham wrote the lyrics by comparing
Jeremiah
Jeremiah, Modern: , Tiberian: ; el, Ἰερεμίας, Ieremíās; meaning " Yah shall raise" (c. 650 – c. 570 BC), also called Jeremias or the "weeping prophet", was one of the major prophets of the Hebrew Bible. According to Jewish ...
's book of
Lamentations
The Book of Lamentations ( he, אֵיכָה, , from its incipit meaning "how") is a collection of poetic laments for the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BCE. In the Hebrew Bible it appears in the Ketuvim ("Writings") as one of the Five Megillot ...
to modern day America.
On June 17, 2022, American Aquarium made their debut at the
Ryman Auditorium
Ryman Auditorium (also known as Grand Ole Opry House and Union Gospel Tabernacle) is a 2,362-seat live-performance venue located at 116 Rep. John Lewis Way North, in Nashville, Tennessee. It is best known as the home of the ''Grand Ole Opry'' fr ...
.
Band members
Line up change
On April 2, 2017, Barham announced a lineup change via Facebook, saying "I started American Aquarium in my college dorm room back in 2005 with the hopes of building a band to bring my songs to life,” Barham says. “Over the last 12 years I’ve played 3000+ shows with 26 different members of American Aquarium. We’ve been to 13 countries, 46 states and have recorded 9 albums under the American Aquarium name. It is with a heavy heart that I’m here to say the current lineup of American Aquarium is no more."
Current line up
As of April 2020
* BJ Barham – acoustic guitar, vocals
(2005–present)
* Shane Boeker – electric guitar, vocals
(2017–present)
* Rhett Huffman – organ, piano
(2019–present)
* Neil Jones – pedal steel guitar
(2019–present)
* Ryan Van Fleet – drums, percussion
(2019–present)
* Alden Hedges – bass guitar, vocals
(2019–present)
Discography
* ''Antique Hearts'' (2006)
* ''The Bible and the Bottle'' (2008)
* ''Bones'' (2008)
* ''Dances for the Lonely'' (Last Chance Records, 2009)
* ''Small Town Hymns'' (Last Chance Records, 2010)
* ''Live in Raleigh'' (Last Chance Records, 2012)
* ''Burn. Flicker. Die.'' (Last Chance Records, 2012)
* ''Wolves'' (Independent, 2015)
* ''Live at Terminal West'' (Independent, 2016)
* ''Things Change'' (New West Records, 2018)
* ''Lamentations '' (New West Records, 2020) (No. 16 - US
Top Country Albums
Top Country Albums is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The 50-position chart lists the most popular country music albums in the country, calculated weekly by Broadcast Data Systems based on physical sales a ...
; No. 133 - US
''Billboard'' 200)
* ''Slappers, Bangers & Certified Twangers, Vol. 1'' (2021)
* ''Slappers, Bangers & Certified Twangers, Vol. 2'' (2021)
* ''Chicamacomico'' (2022)
Collaborations
* American Aquarium appear on "Middle of America", a track from
Hailey Whitters
Hailey Faith Whitters (born September 9, 1989) is an American country musician originally from Shueyville, Iowa.
Songwriting and music career
Whitters has written songs for Little Big Town and Alan Jackson, and has written with Lori McKenna. ...
' 2022 album ''Raised''.
References
External links
Official website
{{Authority control
Musical groups from Raleigh, North Carolina
Musical groups established in 2008