Nobody works harder than American Aquarium’s BJ Barham.
The frontman of the Raleigh, NC based alt-country outfit, Barham has been chipping away at his career and honing his craft as a fiercely independent artist for nearly two decades now, and has built a unique brand of country music through his high energy live shows, unabashedly honest lyricism, and sheer prolificity in writing, recording, and releasing music. All of this hard work that Barham has put into his career over the years is evident in his latest album The Fear of Standing Still.
American Aquarium’s 10th studio album, The Fear of Standing Still was recorded at Sunset Sound Recording Studio in Los Angeles, CA and produced by the great Shooter Jennings. With 10 incredibly well thought out tracks that in typical American Aquarium style deal with an array of heavy subject matter and showcase his incredible ability as a songwriter, The Fear of Standing Still acts as a snapshot of where Barham is at this time in his life.
This is a notion that Barham frequently references when discussing his catalog – Each album is a snapshot in time, and in listening through all of his music, you can not only see Barham’s progression as a songwriter, but as a human. From a young man who was unknowingly running from the fact that his career wasn’t progressing as quickly as he had hoped, who was constantly seeking short-lived solace through a plethora of vices, to a sober and clear-minded 40 year old who has built both a career and family to be proud of, and whose life and perspective has been changed for the better by fatherhood and his relationship with his now six year old daughter, Pearl.
That transition didn’t happen overnight, though, it’s been a gradual journey spanning over the past two decades. But if there’s one takeaway from The Fear of Standing Still, it’s that Barham more than ever before is at peace with where he stands in life, and his songwriting is flourishing with the freedom that comes as a result. And based on the hard-hitting title track, I think Barham’s daughter is to thank here, for teaching her father how to slow down and enjoy the moment, or perhaps even being the reason he has overcome The Fear of Standing Still.
I could sit here and continue to ramble away about Barham’s career, the new album, and the incredible songwriting, but nothing is going to do the project justice more so than listening intently through each song. So with that said, check out what I think is one of the best albums of the year in American Aquarium’s brand new record The Fear of Standing Still.
“Crier”
How many rock and roll songs do you know that encourage men to embrace their feelings? I can’t think of too many, but that’s exactly how American Aquarium starts off the new record with this raucous first track that presents an interesting dichotomy to say the least.
“Messy as a Magnolia”
“There’s a darkness deep down in my bones, a sickness I can’t shake
It’s been there since I can remember, I got it honest as my last name
You saw something worth saving, help me sweat the fever out
Behind every good man is a better somebody that should have never stuck around”
“Cherokee Purples”
Fitting squarely within the band’s greater ethos and in an extension of the themes set forth in their previous record Chicamacomico, Barham’s “Cherokee Purples” finds Barham reflecting on the summers of his childhood, something he is currently reexperiencing through his daughter.
But since it wouldn’t really feel like an American Aquarium song if there wasn’t a sad twist to it, this nostalgia centers around his late grandmother’s role during that formative period in his life.
“The Getting Home”
“Southern Roots” ft. Katie Pruitt
One of Barham’s biggest musical influences is the legendary southern rock band Drive-By Truckers, and in particular band member Patterson Hood’s songwriting. One theme that is present throughout Hood’s songwriting and the band’s catalog as a whole, particularly in their seminal 2001 concept record Southern Rock Opera, is the “duality of the southern thing.” In short, this phrase refers to the dichotomous relationship being proud of having southern roots and many of the cultural aspects that come with living in the south, yet struggling to reconcile such affinity for the region with its troubled history.
Barham falls squarely in this camp, and if you’ve ever heard him talk, you can tell from his southern accent that he’s about as Reidsville, NC as it gets. And in a lot of ways, he’s proud of it. But his overall sentiment is captured perfectly in “Southern Roots” as he explores the “duality of the southern thing” in his own words, and how he plans to leave the South a better place.
“If there’s one thing I’ve found
You can’t change the way you sound
You can only change the words that you choose”
“The Curse of Growing Old”
“The Fear of Standing Still”
Serving as the record’s title track, it’s fitting that “The Fear of Standing Still” is the most important song on the album, and the one that features what could be the defining verse of Barham’s catalog thus far. If this album is another snapshot of where he is in life at this point of time, then in many ways, it’s written through the context of the most important thing in his life at the moment: his daughter.
“You taught me that there was more to life than a constant state of motion
And introduced me to the fine art of staying in one place
So when the fear of standing still asks if I like the path less chosen
I find the answers in the corners of the smile on your face”
“Piece by Piece”
“I was running wild
The path that I was choosing
Was never worth losing
The thing I loved the most
I stripped it to the studs
Took my foot off the throttle
I crawled out of that bottle
And start to rebuild”
“Babies Having Babies”
“Head Down, Feet Moving”
“I promise I’ll keep showing up just as long as you do
I’ll keep screaming out my secrets if you swear to sing along
And let me say this to you if along the way I lose you
I appreciate you listening as long as I did”
If you like what you’re hearing, get out there and see an American Aquarium show to hear these songs live. With nearly 60 shows scheduled across the country this far, it’s highly likely that American Aquarium is coming to a city near you, and you’re not going to want to miss it when they do.
American Aquarium 2024 Tour Dates:
July 26 – Nashville, TN – Grand Ole Opry
Aug 15 – St. Louis, MO -The Factory at The District
Aug 29 – Raleigh, NC – North Carolina Museum of Art Amphitheater
Aug 30 – Wilmington, NC – Greenfield Lake Amphitheatre
Aug 31 – Charlotte, NC – Neighborhood Theatre
Sept 1 – Richmond, VA – The National
Sept 3 – Baltimore, MD – The Metro Gallery
Sept 4 – Philadelphia, PA – World Cafe Live
Sept 5 – New York, NY – Brooklyn Made
Sept 6 – Woodstock, NY – Levon Helm Studios
Sept 8 – Cleveland, OH – Beachland Ballroom
Sept 10 – Columbus, OH – The Bluestone
Sept 11 – Detroit, MI -El Club
Sept 12 – Pittsburgh, PA – Mr. Smalls Theatre
Sept 13 – Washington D.C. – Union Stage
Sept 14 – Rocky Mount, VA – Harvester Performing Arts Center
Sept 15 – Asheville, NC – Salvage Station
Oct 2 – Nashville, TN – The Basement East
Oct 3 – Indianapolis, IN – Hi-Fi Indy
Oct 4 – Evanston, IL – Space
Oct 5 – Kansas City, MO – Knuckleheads
Oct 6 – Omaha, NE – The Waiting Room
Oct 7 – Saint Paul, MN – Turf Club
Oct 8 – Madison, WI – High Noon Saloon
Oct 9 – Des Moines, IA – xbk
Oct 10 – Bloomington, IL – The Castle Theatre
Oct 11 – Fort Smith, AR – Peacemaker Music & Arts Festival
Oct 12 – Dallas, TX – Longhorn Ballroom
Nov 1 – Little Rock, AR – Revolution! Music Room
Nov 2 – Bryan, TX – Palace Theatre
Nov 3- Lubbock, TX – Cactus Theater
Nov 4 – Albuquerque, NM – Launchpad
Nov 5 – Phoenix, AZ – Crescent Ballroom
Nov 6 – Los Angeles, CA – Troubadour
Nov 7 – San Francisco, CA – The Chapel
Nov 8 – Eugene, OR – Wow Hall
Nov 9 – Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios
Nov 10 – Seattle, WA – Neumos
Nov 11 – Boise, ID – Knitting Factory Boise
Nov 12 – Bozeman, MT – Armory Music Hall
Nov 13 – Salt Lake City, UT – Soundwell
Nov 14 – Denver, CO – Bluebird Theater
Nov 15 – Wichita, KS – WAVE
Nov 16 – Fort Worth, TX – Ridglea Theater
Nov 17 – Oklahoma City, OK – Jones Assembly
Nov 30 – Atlanta, GA – Terminal West
Dec 1 – Greenville, SC – Radio Room
Dec 2 – Jacksonville, FL – Underbelly
Dec 3 – Orlando, FL – The Abbey
Dec 4 – Mobile, AL – The Merry Widow
Dec 5 – Houston, TX – Warehouse Live Midtown
Dec 6 – New Braunfels, TX – Gruene Hall
Dec 7 – Austin, TX – Radio/East
Dec 8 – Fayetteville, AR – George’s Majestic
Dec 10 – Davenport, IA – Racoon Motel
Dec 11 – St. Louis, MO – The Golden Record
Dec 12 – Tulsa, OK – Cain’s Ballroom
Dec 13 – Columbia, MO – The Blue Note
Dec 14 – Memphis, TN – Growlers
Dec 15 – Birmingham, AL – Saturn
*supporting Turnpike Troubadours