A few years back, singer-songwriter Tim Barry closed out an album by pondering his own death and he didn't seem to mind leaving this earth too much. "Take what you wantI won't leave much," he sang.

2012 finds him in a very different place. Themes of resilience and hope flow through Barry's recently released new record, "40 Miler," "If this record is uplifting compared to my old ones it's because I feel stronger from all the beat-downs and shit I've taken in the past," says the Richmond, Virginia-based artist. Kicking around the musical underground for nearly 20 years, first as the front man for Virginia punk heroes Avail, and more recently as a singer-songwriter Tim Barry returns to Australian shores this August where he will be joined by special guest Josh Small.