American Aquarium
The Real Gypsy (Greenville, SC)
May 8
New Brookland Tavern (Columbia, SC)
May 12
So we’ve started a new series here at Scene SC called “Seven Questions with Scene SC.” I think at some point we’ll get a cool logo with a fancy 7 and a question mark or something, but for now I was too excited to get this interview up, and didn’t have time to make a fancy logo.
When I had the opportunity to see American Aquarium earlier this year, they instantly became one of my new favorite bands. The guys in the band are all super cool and easy to talk to and I feel like I learned a lot about life last time they were at New Brookland Tavern. That might sound pretty deep, but I learned that I can’t drink that much bourbon during the week anymore and still function at work the next day(I took next Wednesday off of work). I also learned that if you are ever in a touring band that putting ‘Baptist Church’ after your band’s name on your van will save you a lot of trouble, because cops don’t mess with Jesus.
American Aquarium is currently on tour supporting their new album Dances For The Lonely.
Interview with BJ Barham-Guitar/Vocals
Describe your music for those who aren’t familiar.
Our music is an amalgamation of a lot of the different stuff we have been listening to over the years. It’s got the Raleigh alt-country sound mixed in with the Springsteen bar rock vibe. Every member brings something different to to the table, but I guess to simplify it you could call it high energy country rock.
Spending so much time on the road, was it hard to find time to write and record Dances for the Lonely.
Not really, I am constantly putting songs together in my head. I keep a notepad of all my ideas, so that when we get back to the hotels I can piece them together. It really helped to have such a great band with me on the last tour, because as I wrote them they would learn the arrangements, so if I wrote a song on Monday, the band would be playing it live by Wednesday. It was really amazing to see a song come to fruition in such a short time. Also it helps to have a lot of time in the van between towns. I really get a lot done there as well.
Your last album had a lot of connections to Whiskeytown. Did you keep those connections going with the new album?
I don’t think we will ever outrun the Whiskeytown connections. Being from Raleigh, playing alt country, writing a lot of songs, drunken live shows, lots of members. Seriously name one thing that we have in common. We have learned to just embrace the fact that we will always be compared to Whiskeytown. Even if we played German techno we couldn’t run from it. This record was produced by Chris Stamey who did Faithless Street and Strangers Almanac and Caitlin Cary lent her vocals/fiddle to a few tracks. We don’t do it to get the comparisons, we do it because Stamey is one of the best producers in the country and Caitlin has one of the best voices around. It the quality of the product that we are after, not the comparisons to their previous projects.
American Aquarium shows are known for being rowdy. What is the craziest thing that has ever happened at an American Aquarium show?
The craziest thing would have to be the time we played so hard, that a kid was actually rocked out of existence. We are still in a legal battle with his parents, so at our lawyers request, I must bow out of discussing this any further. But the shows are pretty spontaneous, depending on the level of booze involved. We have fun on stage and really enjoy what we do. I think that is what people enjoy so much. It’s like going to see that drunk friend of yours at an open mic night. It could be surprisingly great, or a train wreck. Either way it’s a good time.
How did you get hooked up with the Vitamin Water Sponsorship?
A good friend of mine actually became the regional rep for Vitamin Water and she came to me wanting a band that they could hook up with and I was like, “I’m in a band….and we love the refreshing taste of Vitamin Water” A week later I had 40 cases of the stuff. I guess its pretty cool when friends get big kid jobs.
What is your favorite memory of playing in South Carolina?
It was actually the last time we played the NBT with our friends Red Collar from Durham. We have a song that is a staple of our live set called “I Hope He Breaks Your Heart (The Whore Song).” That night when we started playing it all of Red Collar was on stage joined by a lot of our Columbia friends and it peaked with everyone yelling the chorus at the end. I saw pictures of it somewhere a few days ago, and it still brings a smile to my face.
If you could tour with any band, which would it be?
That is hard, we have done a lot shows with Lucero and always have a great time playing with those guys. Jason Isbell is another one that we have played with a lot and would love to tour with. We love touring with great bands, but we really love touring with great guys and those guys are as genuine as they come.
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