Press and Reviews:
Independent Weekly
"...ambition that makes the band feel as though it needs to save every soul in a room with its music. Oddly, it's that same ambition--a grindstone determination to turn Barham's songs into the things that kids depend upon to get over heartbreak and jump back into love--which causes the band's long-in-coming debut LP, Antique Hearts, to work so well. Viola, mandolin, organ, guitars, drums, bass and harmonica finally give Barham's songs leeway and room to breathe, moving from broad-shoulders rock to white-neck soul over 13 tracks...
....Accompanied by this capable cast of ensemble (and tempered) players, Barham sounds like he's settling into his own, espousing his empirically derived views on life, love, loss and letting go with the confidence of a mature songwriter...."
"American Aquarium takes Jay Farrar's tooth-and-nail toughness and smears it on a Springsteen-sized canvas."
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"American Aquarium musters North Carolina's Ryan Adams through cigarette-and-coffee sermons"
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"hard-nosed, soft-hearted country-founded rock pushed down the road by a driving rhythm section and an acoustic guitar's unrepentant major chords but guided to safety by expansive lovelorn narratives"
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"Wearing their influences (Springsteen and Son Volt for starters) as comfortably as jeans and flannel and displaying plenty of PBR-bolstered charisma, Raleigh's American Aquarium has officially made the move from up-and-coming to arrived."
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"American Aquarium may have the most momentum here, thanks to a handful of long tours that have taken their alt.country allegiance deep into the Midwest and a second record rumored to be attracting some familiar labels."
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Columbia Free Times
"Also hailing from Raleigh, the Whiskeytown comparison is immediate with American Aquarium, but upon further listening, singer BJ Barham's Jay Farrar-like snarl comes out over a wave of smoky viola and organ, creating something apart from the hometown heroes. Solid songwriting and an eclectic array of instruments could help American Aquarium carve out its own corner of the alt-country kingdom." -Tug Baker
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"Raleigh's American Aquarium's Antique Hearts is an alt-country gem, but their new song "Lover Too Late" is a music blogger's dream- an engaging tune that manages to espouse everything that makes that particular genre great."
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With the intensity of a young Paul Westerberg, singer B.J. Barham drawls and yells through rocking alt-country tunes about girls, God and getting drunk. While these aren't new subjects, the approach is fresh, burning with vitriol, whiskey and the urgency of youth. With Son Volt and Wilco making music that appeals to my parents more than it does me, American Aquarium are the meek who shall inherit the alt-country earth.
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"..they’ve become one of the most entertaining acts in the Carolinas, letting the raucous alt-country rock ring. "
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Knoxville Metro Pulse
"...with lyrics like "I had more faith in her than her mother had in Jesus" and "I told her I loved her and she told me she's leaving" layered over impassioned, countrified blues arrangements, we think this is what the Boss would've sounded like in his early years, if he were raised in North Carolina instead of Jersey." -Leah E. Willis
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Creative Loafing-Charlotte
"The Raleigh natives turned some heads with last year's Antique Hearts, which established frontman B.J. Barham as a sort of post-Ryan Adams Raleigh songwriter to watch."
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Connect Savannah
"Killer Raleigh sextet that come off like Bruce Springsteen and The Silos funneled through Whiskeytown and Uncle Tupelo’s 2nd wave take on Americana. Great, great stuff."
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"a can’t miss for folks weaned on the hearts-on-their-sleeves, guitars and whiskey world of The Replacements, Steve Earle’s Dukes, Gram Parsons...Raleigh’s American Aquarium is cut from the same basic cloth, but add a violin and organ into the mix, which adds a definite Silos vibe — never a bad thing"
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Columbia City Paper
"Raleigh’s American Aquarium, a frolicking alt-country six piece that begs for campfires, civil war stories and Jack Daniels. If you’re interested in an essential soundtrack through the southeast incorporating the viola, mandolin, pedal steel and organ than this is your vehicle."
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It’s no surprise then when I say this Raleigh group is prime for Truckers, travelers, wanderers and explorers. Catch them in this intimate venue while you can.
Tracklist:
01 Down Under
02 California
03 Road To Nowhere
04 Tellin' A Lie
05 Bible Black October
06 Manahattan
07 Come Around This Town
08 Monsters
09 Stars and Scars
10 Lover Too Late
11 Clark Ave.
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American Aquarium-Antique Hearts (2006)
Tracklist:
01 Antique Hearts
02 Savior
03 Anne Marie
04 Big City
05 California
06 I'm Sorry I ruined Everything
07 Last Stand
08 Dandelions
09 Ain't No Use In Trying
10 Month Full Of Sundays
11 Telling A Lie
12 Roseebud
13 Lonesome Drive
Well someone else is working late I see. Looks like you guys have a great fan base and a good booking agent. Hope to catch you when you are down near me. Best!
Last night was the longest 6/10 mile ride of my life. I guess that was this morning. Great weekend, great seeing you guys as always! We'll wee y'all in 2 weeks at the Lincoln.
Thanks again for everything last night, I had blast hangin' with y'all and opening for ya with my main man Matt Lyons. Lookin' forward to doin' it again next time y'all are in the DC area for a show!!
For some reason this bourbon reminds me of American Aquarium. Make sure you keep track of Zack in the big city tonight. Unfortunately the buildings in New York don't look like water, but when you're drunk and you've quit the band and it's 3am -they do look like long lost friends. Take it easy boys. -Luke
