American Aquarium – Shay’s Spotlight Artist of the Week

The alternative country band, American Aquarium, from North Carolina was formed in 2006. They have released seven albums with an eighth on the way in February. They were recently named "the hardest working band of 2014" by Bandsintown.

In 2006 the group released their first album, Antique Hearts, and set out on the road to bring their music to the people. They began playing about 250 dates a year and that hasn't stopped; hence their recognition as hardest working band in 2014.

They released a second album,The Bible and the Bottle, in 2008 which received some great attention. They released five more albums including what was to be their last, Burn.Flicker.Die. However, to their surprise that turned out to be their best album and received critical acclaim and was a major hit with fans.

That being said, they decided to record their latest album, Wolves, which will be released in early February. The album is unique in that it was completely funded by fans through a Kickstarter campaign. The fans donated around $24,000 towards the production. To have fans that believe in you and your music enough to donate their hard earned money to keep you going has to be a wonderful feeling.

The guys continue to tour hard, pushing over 200 dates a year to get their music to the fans live. For a list of upcoming tour dates, including a trip to Abilene, and more on the band be sure to check their website for details.