Anywhere off Hatteras Island, Chicamacomico sounds made up, like some wine-drunk incantation or maybe a tongue twister—try to say it ten times fast. But as a former life-saving station built in 1874 on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, the name is perhaps the perfect metaphor and title for American Aquarium’s ninth studio album. 

The Old North State is tattooed on the bones of front man BJ Barham, who has never lived more than two hours from his hometown in Reidsville. But, more so, what better to represent an album about loss than a place built to save the lives of shipwrecked mariners and passengers? Song as a sort of salvation is something Barham hopes this album can do for the band’s established and growing fanbase. Sometimes when we’re drowning, music keeps us afloat.

“When these massive life changes happen, we feel like we are the only ones facing these problems,” Barham said. “I hope this album serves as a salve to anyone who has experienced this sort of loss over the last few years. I hope it makes them feel a little less isolated and disconnected. I want them to know that someone out there is going through the exact same shit and that they are not alone.”

With tracks tackling personal loss—the loss of his mother and grandmother, the loss of a child, the loss of youth and time and the creative spark that drives him—Chicamacomico feels stripped down and bare-boned in its instrumentation compared to earlier records. The orchestration is dialed back leaving the lyrics to stand naked front and center. It’s reminiscent of Rockingham, Barham’s 2016 solo album, and this may be in part a result of producer Brad Cook, who produced both albums as well as the band’s 2015 record Wolves. But it’s likely more a sign of the maturing sound and expanding scope of a songwriter now fully comfortable and confident in his own skin.

“When you are young, you want to play everything loud and fast and I think that comes, at least in part, from uncertainty. I hadn’t fully found my voice back in those early days so the louder and faster the songs were the less chance someone could actually hear what I was saying. I’m not afraid of the lyrics sitting way out front anymore because I am confident in the songwriting. The band can still cut loose and take over a song, but they aren’t expected to do all the heavy lifting these days.”

Few songwriters swing the hammer as hard and precise as Barham and it is a testament to the humility and trust of his bandmates that they take the back seat and allow his storytelling to drive us home. With a heavy tour the rest of the year and a backlist of brass-knuckled bangers, each will surely have their fair share of time at the wheel. 

But as for this record, be thankful for the subtlety, for the stillness and for the quiet. For ten songs, Chicamacomico will hold your head above water.

with Kate Redgate

With a lifetime of stories put into songs, Kate Redgate’s music is a lived-in mix of rock and roll, folk, roots-rock and country.  It’s the result of a rural high school dropout using time well spent absorbing her early influences: the ones she heard as a kid on the loudspeakers at the Illinois Boots and Saddle Club, the ones she saved money and hitched rides to buy recordings of at the local record store, and the ones she waited to hear on the radio, cassette recorder button ready, so she could rewind and playback songs over and over learning chords and writing down lyrics. The Stones and the Grateful Dead, X and the Replacements, Pretenders and Joni Mitchell, Steve Earle and Emmylou Harris… You get the drift.

“We wouldn’t be the first to suggest that there’s a bit of Lucinda Williams to be found in the music of Kate Redgate, whose publicity suggests that she is a heart-worn sleeve storyteller, alt- country rebel rouser, musician, artist and creative force. Listen to “Light Under The Door” and you’ll surely find yourself saying yes, yes, yes, yes and yes to the whole list.” – Americana UK

Kate’s career spans decades of “here and there’s” – from southern Illinois, to Montana, to New England; tucked into a life spent as a survivor and a single mother.  She was selected as a finalist in the prestigious Kerrville Folk Festival, has shared the stage with songwriting luminaries such as Richie Havens and received international acclaim for her writing.  After some years in the dark, Kate is emerging with a suitcase full of new songs and new energy.  Her latest record, “Light Under The Door” released on Rum Bar Records (June, 2023 Boston, MA),  is proof of her grit and determination – and not just in the songs. The album was recorded live in the studio, vocals and all over the course of 3 days.

“Life will take a swing at you, and sometimes it pulls a knife. Light Under The Door is Kate stepping toward it with a roll of pennies tucked into her fist.” – Jon Nolan, producer.

https://www.kateredgatemusic.com

Reservations

Table and blanket reservations are non-refundable, but can be transferred to another available date in the 2023 season.

Please Note: General Admission Donations do not include reserved seating. This is a way to make your gate donation in advance.

Table reservations seat four. 

Blanket reservations are placed in the blankets-only area of lawn and do not allow for chair placement.

See you in the park!