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.
hey i just wanted to say that u are one of my favorite bands.Your lyrics are so much deeper than what the famous bands play. i still remember when i first came into your record store and you were playing your soon to be released antique hearts album. i instantly knew that i would love you guys' music. keep it up.
hey saw yall with corey smith the first time i had ever heard of you and yall were amazing cant wait to see yall again so go rock out with your **** out
Excellence is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction, skillful execution and the vision to see obstacles as opportunities...
Im sooooo there!!! And i was just kidding around, being a bully! I did get one CD in, but the other is on back order. If i woulda known yall would be back that soon, i woulda just waited & picked it up in Baton Rouge. See yall soon!!!! Cant wait!!
Hey!!! That would be pretty sweet if you came to Michigan!! Where are you all from?? And when did you get strated and all that??? I like your sound a lot!!! Stay in touch! Have a spectacular weekend!!!! Love always&forever, Tanya Sue
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