Reservoir and One Riot announce the signing of BJ Barham, lead vocalist and guitarist of Americana Country group American Aquarium, to a worldwide publishing deal. The deal includes global rights to Barham’s entire catalog, plus future works.

Since 2006, Barham and American Aquarium, have built a large, devoted fanbase, releasing seven albums, including the 2018 release Things Change, which Rolling Stone dubbed “an unabashed rock & roll record–a snapshot of a band and its reinvigorated leader” and added Barham “earns every bit of his Southern Springsteen cred.”

Barham hails from North Carolina, where he grew to recognize country music as “the voice of the people.” However, his latest music draws inspiration from his feeling that country music had lost its way in its inability to speak honestly about the current state of the world.

On American Aquarium’s most recent album Lamentations, released earlier this year, Barham made the political personal. He utilized direct and poetic songwriting to embrace the difficult conversations and uncomfortable aspects of American culture, while reminding us all of our humanity. Noteworthy singles off the album, which was produced by Shooter Jennings, include “Luckier You Get” and “Me+ Mine (Lamentations).” Rolling Stone calls the latter the “centerpiece” of the album, noting, “It’s Barham at his brooding best, determined never to be screwed over again.” Lamentations climbed numerous Billboard charts, reaching#2 on Top Folk/Americana Albums, #16 on Top Country Albums, and#17 on Top Rock Albums.

“I’m really excited to join such an amazing roster of talented songwriters,” said Barham. “The One Riot/Reservoir team has such a great history of putting artists first and I’m looking forward to see what we can create together.”

“BJ Barham is the quintessential country songwriter: someone who writes honest stories about real life experiences, hard-earned lessons, and the resiliency of the heart,” added One Riot General Manager Amy Patton. “It’s a true privilege to work with such an incredible writer and artist who is re-infusing raw storytelling into country music.”

Reservoir EVP of Creative John Ozier said, “Barham is driven by his desire to infuse American Aquarium’s music with honesty, and that’s exactly the type of creative vision we’re inspired by. We are honored to work with such a dedicated and talented songwriter.”

The group has consistently played well over 200 dates a year for the last15 years across the country and Europe. Starting on August 25th, American Aquarium will be performing five of their albums over the course of five nights, with a full band including Dances For The Lonely, Burn.Flicker.Die, Wolves, and Things Change, culminating in a performance of Lamentations on August 29th.Tickets are available at americanaquarium.com/tour.