American Aquarium takes the stage at Proud Larry's

Singer/songwriter BJ Barham was never one to mince words. In fact, he’s built an entire career around a propensity for abrasive sincerity.

“There’s a special kind of people that are made for this kind of work,” Barham said. “We hear people all the time: ‘We’d love to do what you guys do.’ Do it for a few years, and then see how much you want to do it. Unless you love playing music, unless you love traveling and affecting people every single night. That’s why we do it. Because it sure as hell ain’t for the money.” 

As frontman for the Raleigh-based, “don’t call us alt-country” outfit American Aquarium, Barham has packed bars, selling his own merch out of coolers and calling out exes for six years now.

“Antique Hearts,” his band’s debut studio effort, thrust Barham and company into the limelight as new torch bearers of North Carolina’s rich Americana heritage. 

Barham’s lyrical roots lie in the simplistic yet weighty verse of icons Neil Young, Jeff Tweedy, and most prominently, Bruce Springsteen. He mixes these more subtle influences with a honky-tonk flare born out of personal tribulations to produce a gripping, eclectic brand of songwriting.

Known for gems such as “I Hope He Breaks Your Heart (The Whore Song),” off of last year’s “Dances For the Lonely,” the singer/songwriter revels in his love/hate relationship with music and life in general.

“I’m a very ‘write what I know’ kind of guy,” Barham said. “And during those first couple of records I was going through some pretty nasty breakups, so I wrote songs about breakups.”

American Aquarium’s latest album, “Small Town Hymns,” showcases a maturing Barham as he takes on less autobiographical themes. Narrative, character-driven tracks like “Water in Well,” about a 1930’s Georgian farmer facing repossession, mark the singer/songwriter’s turn towards an almost Dylanesque style of lyricism.

“I would definitely say it’s maturation,” Barham said. “For the first time in a long time, I’m in a relationship where I’m content. It’s allowed my songwriting to move forward.”

“Small Town Hymns” was tracked in Oxford at Tweed Recording and produced by Andrew Radcliffe, who’s known for his work with artists like Colour Revolt and the Kudzu Kings.

“We moved to Oxford, about this time last year,” Barham said. “It was amazing. Oxford is a town that we really, really enjoy.” 

In terms of sound, the album melds the distilled country present on their sophomore release, “The Bible Meets the Bottle,” with American Aquarium’s usual rural, E-Street boom.

Barham’s bourbon-seared drawl is noticeably improved as he negotiates its textured fluctuations perfectly, successfully maneuvering amid his band’s dynamic shifts.

The band is also experiencing changes in other areas unrelated to music – take for instance, personal health.

“This past year, everybody has picked up running, so everybody runs a couple of miles a day,” Barham said. “We realized we can’t just live off of McDonald’s and beer.”

No matter what new paths the band decides to explore, one thing will stay constant – their commitment to artistic freedom.

Barham’s feelings towards the record industry’s hold on creative liberty stem from one record in particular: Wilco’s “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.” After creating what would become one of the greatest albums ever recorded, Wilco was dropped from Reprise after quarreling with the label who refused to release a record they believed wasn’t commercially viable.

“(Forget) critical acclaim,” Barham said. “A lot of these big labels don’t give a (damn) about critical acclaim. They want dollars and bands who sell out theaters. So that’s why we decided to release our records independently and tour. This is our second year with 300 plus shows. If a label won’t promote us then we’ll go to every town in America and play our music and tell people to listen. Learning early on that the record industry was the devil helped us figure out that we want to be a touring rock band” he said. “We don’t want to be millionaires, we just want to make a living playing music.”

In the spring, the guys plan to start work on what will be their sixth album in as many years, this time recording in Mussel Shoals with Barham’s friend, Jason Isbell. 

American Aquarium will be taking the stage at Proud Larry’s tonight. The doors open at 7 p.m. and the show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $8.