Album set for September 20th release on ANTI- Records, first single out now
July 24, 2019 – Nashville, TN – Like a more self-deprecating, decidedly morose John Prine, or perhaps a more jovial Guy Clark, New Jersey native Darrin Bradbury’s songs are riddled with hilarious, obvious-once-you-hear-them observations on mundane everyday life. The eleven songs on Talking Dogs & Atom Bombs, Bradbury’s new release on ANTI- Records, leave listeners singing along with sometimes ridiculous, often dark, but instantly familiar tunes. Take 60 seconds to learn more about Darrin Bradbury here.
Produced by Kenneth Pattengale (The Milk Carton Kids), Talking Dogs & Atom Bombs is a collection of songs born from dealing with depression and the pressures of life in the only way Bradbury knows; by poking fun at it. “It’s an album trying to combat depression, to laugh your way out of depression, and to be honest and accurate with that depression,” Bradbury quips. “I try to write things that make me chuckle, and that chuckling is usually making peace with the existential dilemma of both the times and life in general.” Today, Wide Open Country premiered the title track from Talking Dogs & Atom Bombs, calling it “philosophical” and noting that “Fans of John Prine, Steve Goodman and other lyricists who’re as quick-witted as they are hilarious will find a kinship with Bradbury.” The album is available for pre-order today.
With only one co-writer on the entire album—ANTI- label-mate, friend, and fellow esteemed Nashville musician, Jeremy Ivey—Bradbury’s one-of-a-kind style is allowed to shine brilliantly, unobstructed by outside opinion. The tracking of Talking Dogs & Atom Bombs was completed in a similarly simple way; using the same combo of musicians for every song on the record. Aside from producer Pattengale’s mellotron and vocal contributions and the aforementioned Ivey’s bass and piano playing, only two extra musicians were called to round out the band; Alex Muñoz on additional guitars and Dillon Napier on drums. The only exception is the lone guest vocalist on the album, modern outlaw country queen and longtime supporter of Bradbury, Margo Price, who adds a somber harmony to a track titled “The Trouble With Time.”
Of the eleven songs on Talking Dogs & Atom Bombs, only two of them are more than three minutes long. The shortest of which, “Strange Bird,” clocks in at one minute, seventeen seconds. “In the writing of this album, what was important to me was that the song was over when the thought was over. It wasn’t about having to fill a certain amount of space,” Bradbury says. “If I’m not motivated to say anything more about this particular thing, I won’t force it. I would rather have a minute-and-a-half song that I felt conveyed something unique.”
Talking Dogs & Atom Bombs will be Darrin Bradbury’s first release on ANTI- Records. “Darrin possesses a wonderful, darkly sardonic sense of humor and a matter of fact wisdom that reminded me of some of my favorite writers from Chuck Berry to Mose Allison to John Prine,” says ANTI- founder, Andy Kaulkin. “I haven’t heard anyone do this sort of thing on this level for a very long time. His songs keep me on the edge of my seat.”
“When I write, there are things that I want to get away with,” Bradbury says. “I want to get away with the line, ‘I woke up this morning and I got out of bed / Tripped on my pants and fell on my head.’ ” Overall, Talking Dogs & Atom Bombs is a beautifully refined version of Bradbury’s writing; going for broke, connecting the dots, and doing it with blunt honesty that brings it all home. “If I can get you to take that seriously, and not skip a beat when you listen to it, that’s what I want.”
Track listing:
1. Talking Dogs & Atom Bombs
2. Breakfast
3. Hell’s More or Less the Same
4. The Trouble with Time (feat. Margo Price)
5. Strange Bird
6. Nothing Much
7. The American Life
8. This Too Shall Pass
9. Motel Room, Motel Room
10. So Many Ways To Die (Frozen Pizza)
11. Dallas 1963
About Darrin Bradbury:
Darrin Bradbury writes about the way things really are in America— a singular perspective shaped by a natural gift for storytelling, a lingering battle with depression, and a sly sense of humor. A self-described folk satirist who has toured the country for more than a decade, Bradbury collects his oddball observations in his newest album, Talking Dogs & Atom Bombs.
Bradbury grew up in New Jersey with an early interest in performing, partly because of his mother’s career as a circus clown. At the age of 7, he felt certain that he would either become a songwriter or a cartoonist. He learned to play guitar as a vessel to tell his stories—and because his handwriting and grammar steered him away from being a novelist. By the age of 18, he’d discovered Bob Dylan, Jack Kerouac, and Paul Simon, and decided to hit the road.
At 25, he moved from Charlottesville, Virginia, to Nashville, to try making it as a songwriter. For three months, he slept in his car in a Walmart parking lot, and developed a local following by playing open mic nights. With a handful of self-funded EPs and albums, Bradbury steadily cultivated a national audience by touring constantly. Produced by Kenneth Pattengale of the Milk Carton Kids, Talking Dogs & Atom Bombs is Bradbury’s first release for ANTI- Records.
Now also friends It’s funny how all of these little pieces of the puzzle fit together so well. ANTI Records has released a couple good albums in 2019, as I just recently wrote a terrific article for his label mate Mr. Jeremy Ivey and Mr. Ian Noe at the Exit In. You can read that article by clicking on the above link on his name, and also HERE IT IS!
Initially I didn’t expect to go out tonight, because I have a LOT of doctor appointments and nerve shots to deal with this winter. I’m getting ready for deer hunting and some other things I enjoy like football games, and I need to manage my Rheumatoid Arthritis to do those things. You know how the doctor games hit your wallet, and I STILL manage to get out and support LIVE music.
A LOT of people ask me “Gary, WHO do YOU think is the next BIG THING in local music?” Well, I’m going to elaborate on that answer for a few moments on this article. I have TWO answers to that quandary for you, my dear readers, after pondering over several factors, I did indeed come up with TWO.
The two I THINK will become the next big things are Mr. Ian Noe and also the Dead South both of whom released KILLER albums in 2019. I’m going to sit here behind my keyboard and rave about these two until well into next year when I hear some more good ones, but just because I temporarily omit them from a current rotation does NOT MEAN SHIT!
One of the MANY reasons I came down here to the Exit In to see this fantastic show. Another reason is the outstanding staff the Exit In has, their security staff and their door staff, as well as the entire bar staff need to be APPLAUDED right here on this website. One of the stage security people introduced himself to me as Mike, and was worried about my camera bag, and let me keep it low behind a speaker. They ALL make sure we have a SAFE no bullshit show that WE ALL can feel secure going to and anybody that gets out of hand drunk gets tossed out!
The title of Mr. Jeremy Ivey’s 2019 debut album is called “The Dream And The Dreamer” and it is out now on ANTI Records. His band is called The Extraterrestrials, and I shall be delving into this band further in the upcoming months for darn sure, I PROMISE you that!
There is an all around different genre vibe on this album here, and to be honest I couldn’t refer to tons of artists he actually sounds like. I hate to be one of those people that don’t have any idea what to call it, and just lump it into “Americana”..IT’S JUST GOOD MUSIC! If you MADE ME call it something I suppose Alt-Country could be implemented here….but IT’S JUST GOOD MUSIC!
I mean you hear influences like Mr. Bob Dylan and others, but he maintains a distinct style of his own with rough references to political beliefs and his own upbringing in his songs. The first song called “Story Of A Fish” has a really hopping folk vibe to it, and could be enjoyed by fans of so many genres it is pretty much endless. He has spent a lot of time in the background as a member of many bands like Buffalo Clover, where he met his wife Miss Margo Price, who produced his debut album here.
Included in his set tonight was a song called “Ombrophobia” which is a common anxiety disorder found in kids and is basically a fear of rain. “White Shadow” was next, however the FIRST SONG that GRABBED ME was the title song on the album here “The Dream And The Dreamer”. I’m adopted as well, and spent a lot of time finding my real parents and my real place I came from in life. I had many feelings of struggle and swimming upstream like he refers to as a person.
This is a powerful ballad with a tale of the intense battle in humanity and the battle inside people’s heads. These lyrics are well thought out, and the songs make you THINK. I enjoyed that about him, they make you DWELL ON THEM and really LISTEN to them on a wider scale. I really liked the line about the fear on TV that might kill us first, I hardly turn on my television for anything, and I listen to music…for reasons like that.
He played a few songs acoustic like “Someone Else’s Problem” and the song called “Falling Man” before the rest of the band came out, as well as his wife Miss Margo Price whom her met at a younger age. He sites her as a huge influence and they are big fans of one another, you can easily ascertain the unity they have for one another BOTH onstage AND offstage the same.
“Greyhound” was next, and on the album you can hear them singing together as well. It sounded REALLY GOOD live, and is about people that live on the road. You know, until I started this website traveling I never really realized how intense and difficult life on the road was. All along those yellow lines…indeed. Some of those people have hard times keeping track of what city they are in on what day.
“Diamonds Back To Coal” is pretty much an anti- modern day man song, and was his closing song. It’s a very political song, and his entire album is the same. If you are one of those that don’t appreciate that in your music, you won’t care for this album. But I truly did appreciate his set tonight, I thought it was thought provoking and insightful.
Mr. Ian Noe has been on my radar for some time now, and is number one on my “up and coming” list of people to achieve the Tyler Childers echelon of local music. he is about to bust open wide and trickle over toward the mainstream side of things. When some of you on social media start griping about his albums being overproduced, I’ll be over here yawning and giggling.
He opened tonight with “Letter To Madeline” the great song about a holed up bank robber being surrounded, as he laments about spending the money with his baby at home. All of his songs are so intensely well written and arranged that it’s so hard to not gush on every one as a journalist. EVERY SONG paints such a vivid picture in my mind, as I listen to them.
“Promised Land’ and the mighty “Barbara’s Song” was next about the famous train wreck in 1904, when the bridge collapsed and OH MY GOD the descriptions of what was going on with his lyrics…just absolutely non grandiloquent in any fashion. He speaks with authority and dumps those vocals out upon us in wicked fashion!
“Junk Town” is a soulful jam with a smooth and soft tempo to it. EVERYBODY loves “Irene (Ravin’ Bomb)” that the entire audience has created a sing along to this song…hmm..kind of when Childers says FIRE IN THE HOLE or a David Allan Coe crowd yells LET ME LET ME LET ME…this following has also created a nifty niche for him here. It just intensifies my saying that he HAS that connection with his crowd few today possess, especially for his age and time out onstage. To have that power this early, he will be unable to stop in 10 years.
My favorite song “Meth Head” was next followed by his own version of “Rollin In My Sweet Baby’s Arms” and “Dead On The River” about bodies found in the river. “If Today Doesn’t Do Me In” was on the list along with “Canyon Falls Bound” and “Between The Country”
He closed with a song called “Strip Job Blues” and “P.O.W. Blues”. This was by far one of his best shows I got to see so far with a full band. This man is moving up in the world on a grand scale, and you can remember I said that NOW because in a few years when everybody else is ACTING LIKE THEY DID I’ll shove this article up their asses. Mr. Ian’s band was Mr. Erin Nelson on drums, Mr. Steve Daly on guitars, and Mr. Michael Zimmerman on the bass guitar tonight.
Darrin Bradbury Releases New Single “Breakfast”,
Announces International Tour Dates
Talking Dogs & Atom Bombs set for September 20th release on ANTI- Records
August 21, 2019 – Nashville, TN – Mixing humor with obvious-once-you-hear-them observations on mundane, everyday life, Darrin Bradbury’s unique wit makes for songs that are instantly relatable; this is evident on “Breakfast,” the second single from his highly-anticipated new album Talking Dogs & Atom Bombs, slated for release on September 20 via ANTI- Records. Yesterday, The Bluegrass Situation premiered the new track and video; read more and watch here. Today, Bradbury announced that he will join Texas songwriter Jarrod Dickenson for a UK tour beginning in London, following U.S. dates supporting John Moreland (full schedule below). Talking Dogs & Atoms Bombs is available for pre-order today.
Produced by Kenneth Pattengale (The Milk Carton Kids), Talking Dogs & Atom Bombs is a collection of songs born from dealing with depression and the pressures of life in the only way Bradbury knows; by poking fun at it. “It’s an album trying to combat depression, to laugh your way out of depression, and to be honest and accurate with that depression,” Bradbury quips. “I try to write things that make me chuckle, and that chuckling is usually making peace with the existential dilemma of both the times and life in general.” Pattengale recounts, “For awhile there Darrin and I would meet about once a week at my neighborhood coffee shop under the guise of me dispensing advice to him, despite repeated warnings that I am NOT in the advice giving business. As these things go, there was not much to say, and not much to learn—just friendly commiseration about the torrential weather bashing at the faces of anyone who dares to attempt a career in music. So maybe it was apt that I took the wheel for Darrin’s album about depression. Captain and co-pilot leading a more diverse Ship of Fools in circles out at sea.”
Last month, Wide Open Country premiered the title track from Talking Dogs & Atom Bombs, noting that “Fans of John Prine, Steve Goodman and other lyricists who’re as quick-witted as they are hilarious will find a kinship with Bradbury.” Rolling Stone Country named the single one of the “10 Best Country and Americana Songs To Hear Now” and described it as a unique blend of, “Bradbury’s signature gumbo of countrified talking blues, oddball folk, and black humor, with some stoner-worthy philosophy about the origins of microwaves tossed into the pot.”
Described as a “stellar singer and songsmith” by Nashville Scene, Bradbury enlisted the help of only one other writer for the entire album—ANTI- label-mate, friend, and fellow esteemed Nashville musician, Jeremy Ivey. The tracking of Talking Dogs & Atom Bombs was completed in a similarly simple way; using the same combo of musicians for every song on the record. Aside from producer Pattengale’s mellotron and vocal contributions and the aforementioned Ivey’s bass and piano playing, only two extra musicians were called to round out the band; Alex Muñoz on additional guitars and Dillon Napier on drums. The only exception is the lone guest vocalist on the album, modern outlaw country queen and longtime supporter of Bradbury, Margo Price, who adds a somber harmony to a track titled “The Trouble With Time.”
Talking Dogs & Atom Bombs will be Darrin Bradbury’s first release on ANTI- Records. “Darrin possesses a wonderful, darkly sardonic sense of humor and a matter of fact wisdom that reminded me of some of my favorite writers from Chuck Berry to Mose Allison to John Prine,” says ANTI- founder, Andy Kaulkin. “I haven’t heard anyone do this sort of thing on this level for a very long time. His songs keep me on the edge of my seat.”
“When I write, there are things that I want to get away with,” Bradbury says. “I want to get away with the line, ‘I woke up this morning and I got out of bed / Tripped on my pants and fell on my head.’ ” Overall, Talking Dogs & Atom Bombs is a beautifully refined version of Bradbury’s writing; going for broke, connecting the dots, and doing it with blunt honesty that brings it all home. “If I can get you to take that seriously, and not skip a beat when you listen to it, that’s what I want.”
On Tour:
Aug 23 – Nashville, TN – WMOT’s Finally Friday
Sept 10-15 – Nashville, TN – AMERICANAFEST
Sept 30 – Baltimore, MD – Creative Alliance *
Oct 1 – Alexandria, VA – The Birchmere *
Oct 4 – Garwood, NJ – Crossroads *
Nov 22 – London – The Cavendish Arms ^
Nov 23 – Broadhempston – Broadhempston Church ^
Nov 24 – Shrewsbury – Henry Tudor House ^
Nov 25 – Manchester – Gullivers ^
Nov 27 – Halifax – The Lantern ^
Nov 28 – Norwich – Waterfront Studio ^
Nov 29 – London – The Cavendish Arms ^
Nov 30 – Liverpool – Prohibition Recording Studio ^
Dec 1 – Glasgow – The Blue Arrow ^
Dec 2 – Edinburgh – The Voodoo Rooms ^
Dec 3 – Newcastle – Cluny 2 ^
Dec 5 – Bristol – Rough Trade ^
Dec 7 – Belfast – Ulster Sports Club ^
* supporting John Moreland
^ supporting Jarrod Dickenson
About Darrin Bradbury:
Darrin Bradbury writes about the way things really are in America— a singular perspective shaped by a natural gift for storytelling, a lingering battle with depression, and a sly sense of humor. A self-described folk satirist who has toured the country for more than a decade, Bradbury collects his oddball observations in his newest album, Talking Dogs & Atom Bombs.
Bradbury grew up in New Jersey with an early interest in performing, partly because of his mother’s career as a circus clown. At the age of 7, he felt certain that he would either become a songwriter or a cartoonist. He learned to play guitar as a vessel to tell his stories—and because his handwriting and grammar steered him away from being a novelist. By the age of 18, he’d discovered Bob Dylan, Jack Kerouac, and Paul Simon, and decided to hit the road.
At 25, he moved from Charlottesville, Virginia, to Nashville, to try making it as a songwriter. For three months, he slept in his car in a Walmart parking lot, and developed a local following by playing open mic nights. With a handful of self-funded EPs and albums, Bradbury steadily cultivated a national audience by touring constantly. Produced by Kenneth Pattengale of the Milk Carton Kids, Talking Dogs & Atom Bombs is Bradbury’s first release for ANTI- Records.
