Darrin Bradbury Shares 'The Life of an Opener' Documentary

"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," Nashville singer and storyteller Darrin Bradbury says of his music. "A lot of times, it's like a challenge. It is like, 'All right, I'm starting this song off about squirrels, comparing them to Romeo and Juliet. Can I bring this sucker home? Can I make that idea work?'"

While performing he's seen the audience wondering the exact same thing - Is this guy going to pull this off? Bradbury compares the on-stage experience to standup comedy, where he carries the audience through to the relief point. Today, Bradbury is releasing 'The Life of an Opener', a new documentary short film (shot by Curtis Wayne Millard) that showcases just that - a live performance for chuckling audiences of his new album's title track, "Talking Dogs & Atom Bombs", and the song "Hell's More or Less the Same". Filmed at Ponte Vedra Concert Hall while opening for The Milk Carton Kids, watch the short film.

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 Talking Dogs & Atom Bombs, his first album for ANTI- Records, which was produced by Kenneth Pattengale of The Milk Carton Kids.

"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."

Bradbury will tour throughout the rest of 2019 in support of Talking Dogs & Atom Bombs; he will begin a run of US dates next week with Cory Branan, followed by UK dates in late November and early December with Jarrod Dickenson. All upcoming dates are listed below.

TOUR DATES

11/7 - Asheville, NC - The Grey Eagle $
11/8 - Charlotte, NC - The Evening Muse #
11/10 - Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506 #
11/12 - Vienna, VA - Jammin Java #
11/13 - Stanhope, NJ - The Stanhope House #
11/15 - Philadelphia, PA - Boot & Saddle #
11/16 - Middletown, CT - MAC 650 #
11/17 - New York, NY - City Vineyard #
11/18 - Boston, MA - Haymarket Lounge #
11/22 - London, UK - The Cavendish Arms ^
11/23 - Broadhempston, UK - Broadhempston Village Church ^
11/24 - Shrewsbury, UK - Henry Tudor House ^
11/25 - Manchester, UK - Gullivers ^
11/27 - Halifax, UK - The Lantern ^
11/28 - Norwich, UK - The Waterfront ^
11/29 - London, UK - The Cavendish Arms ^
11/30 - Liverpool, UK - Prohibition Recording Studios ^
12/1 - Glasgow, UK - The Blue Arrow ^
12/2 - Edinburgh, UK - The Voodoo Rooms ^
12/3 - Newcastle, UK - The Cluny 2 ^
12/5 - Bristol, UK - Rough Trade Bristol ^
12/7 - Belfast, UK - Ulster Sports Club ^

$ - with Kelsey Waldon
# - supporting Cory Branan
^ - supporting Jarrod Dickenson

Photo Credit: Danielle Holbert