Joseph Arthur
(born September 28, 1971) is a contemporary singer-songwriter from Akron, Ohio. He was discovered by Peter Gabriel in the mid-'90s, and signed to Gabriel's Real World label.
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JOSEPH ARTHUR TICKETS
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Musical history
Joseph began writing and playing music in his early teens, after inheriting an electronic keyboard from his aunt:
[1] "I couldn't play along with my records, so that's why I started writing my own. The keyboard had a sequencer so I started writing these little electronic music things. I thought I was a genius, and I would play them for my mom. And she'd be like, 'It sounds like
Chinese music,' and it would crush me. I wanted her to say, 'That's the most genius thing I've ever heard.'"
[2] At age 16, he played bass in a
blues band called Frankie Starr and the Chill Factor, which disbanded by 1991.
[3] Joseph graduated from
Firestone High School in 1990 and continued developing his music.
[4]
In the early '90s, Arthur relocated to
Atlanta, Georgia, continuing to record home demos, playing local clubs and working as a guitar salesman at Clark Music Store.
[5]
Harvey Schwartz,
Peter Gabriel's
A&R associate, was presenting Gabriel new artists at his apartment in
New York City, with one of the demo tapes being Arthur's first EP,
Cut and Blind
. Gabriel offered him a deal with
Real World Records. Both Gabriel and Schwartz arranged a live audition at the Fez in New York City, where Arthur flew up from Atlanta. The night was clearly a success; not only was
Lou Reed a guest in the audience, but within a few months Arthur was officially signed,
making him the first American recording artist signed to Gabriel's label.
[6] Recording for his debut album began at Gabriel's Real World Studios in
England with producer
Markus Dravs (
Björk engineer; co-producer of
Coldplay's 2008 album
Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends
). The debut album
Big City Secrets
was released worldwide in spring 1997, and Arthur joined Gabriel's
WOMAD tour in
Europe.
[7] Two years later, he recorded a mini-album called
Vacancy
, which earned him a
Grammy nomination in 2000 for
best recording package.
In April 2000, he released
Come to Where I'm From
which, for the first time, exposed him to a larger audience (also thanks to opening up for
Ben Harper and
Gomez). During the same period, a live album recorded at the
Gypsy Tea Room in
Dallas, Texas saw a promotional release. After releasing a series of 4 tour-only EPs called
Junkyard Hearts
, his third album,
Redemption's Son
, came out in May 2002 in the UK (and November 2002 in the US, after being dropped by
EMI in North America).
[8]
In the middle of a long and successful tour during which performances were, to a large extent, recorded and sold immediately after the last note had been played, he found time to release one more album: an
alternative rock project called
Holding the Void
(featuring Arthur on vocals and guitar,
Pat Sansone on vocals and bass, and Rene Lopez on vocals and drums).
[9]
In Summer 2003, he went on tour with
Tracy Chapman in the US.
[10] After signing a new recording contract with Vector Recordings, Arthur began recording his fourth official studio album,
Our Shadows Will Remain
.
Our Shadows Will Remain
was released in October 2004. While touring the US alone and with
Joan Wasser in promotion for the album, a new EP called
And the Thieves Are Gone
came out in December 2004. Shortly afterwards, Arthur went on a brief tour with
R.E.M. throughout Europe.
[11]
Arthur spent 2005 again on tour in both the US and Europe. Arthur staged his first art exhibition in 2006 at the Vertigo Gallery in
London from
February 10 to
February 12.
[12] In August 2006, Joseph was invited to help launch the project , where one hundred young people in northern
Uganda were brought together to participate in a music, drama, and art festival.
[13] Joseph also recorded the song "A River Blue" for the foundation:
“
| "A River Blue" is a song I recorded with over one hundred orphans of the LRA nightmare in Uganda
| ”
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Also in 2006, Joseph and longtime professional partner Lauren Pattenaude started his own record label,
Lonely Astronaut Records. He released an artbook with accompanying instrumental CD in May 2006, titled
The Invisible Parade
(CD) & We Almost Made It
(book).
[15] He simultaneously recorded his fifth official studio album
Nuclear Daydream
in
Berlin and
Los Angeles, and released the album as the first on his own label in September 2006. Following the new album, Joseph set out on a worldwide tour, the first to feature his new backing band
The Lonely Astronauts.
His song "
In the Sun" was covered by
Michael Stipe of
R.E.M. and
Chris Martin of
Coldplay in 2006 for a
Hurricane Katrina Relief EP (available exclusively on
iTunes). The EP includes 6 versions of the cover, one of which has Arthur himself singing with Stipe, and another remixed by
Justin Timberlake. On
March 26,
2007,
14th Floor Records (Joseph's label in the UK at the time) released a re-recorded version of his 2002 song "
Honey and the Moon" as a special single in the UK only.
April 17,
2007 saw the US release of his sixth studio album,
Let's Just Be
, the first album recorded with his band
The Lonely Astronauts. 16 of the reported 80 songs
[16] that he and the band recorded in late 2006 yielded the
Let's Just Be
album (though it is uncertain whether the remaining 64 songs will ever see the light of day or not). A US tour followed the album's release.
Joseph quickly started working on the follow-up to
Let's Just Be
. In January 2008, it was announced that Joseph would be releasing 4 brand new EPs and one new full-length album throughout 2008, beginning with
Could We Survive
on
March 18; the second EP, titled
Crazy Rain
, released on
April 15; the third, titled
Vagabond Skies
, released on
June 10; and the fourth, titled
Foreign Girls
, on
July 8.
[17] Joseph played seven solo shows during the
SXSW 2008 Festival: six in
Austin and one in
Dallas.
[18] Live dates in Europe and an extensive US solo tour coincided with the new releases.
[19] Temporary People
, his seventh full-length studio album (and second with The Lonely Astronauts), was released on
September 30,
2008. Following the release of
Temporary People
in Europe in late October, Joseph embarked on a solo tour, as the opening act for
Tracy Chapman on her 6-week "Our Bright Future" European tour,
[20] followed by tour dates in Canada.
Arthur recorded a cover of "Step Into the Light" by
The Afghan Whigs (originall on their 1996 album
Black Love
) for the tribute album . UK tour dates with The Lonely Astronauts are set for late July 2009.
[21]
Personal life
Throughout his life, Arthur has battled alcoholism and substance abuse. In a 2008 interview with NPR, he said:
Upon returning to
New Orleans, he decided to get
sober. He returned to his previous co-producer, Mike Napolitano, and his French Quarter apartment/studio to make a more streamlined fourth album. "I started working on my new record and it became obvious that
Universal wasn't gonna sign me up again," says Arthur. "They finally let me go, but it was a struggle."
In January 2009, Arthur and The Lonely Astronauts were involved in an auto accident. The band's van was wrecked when another motorist swerved in front of them; the band members were generally unharmed, but the girl in the other vehicle sustained moderate injuries.
[24] [25] An extensive tour of France with the full band, named the
Full Tilt Boogie
tour, followed shortly thereafter in March 2009.
Joseph was also romantically linked to actress/musician
Juliette Lewis in 2005.
[26]
The Museum of Modern Arthur
Always one to stay prolific, the grand opening of Joseph's art gallery,
The Museum of Modern Arthur
, occurred in June 2007. Located at 25 Jay Street in
Brooklyn's DUMBO District [27], MOMAR is an exhibition space for art and works created by Arthur himself. A mission statement on the explains the goals of the gallery:
[28]
“
| Insert the text of the quote here, without quotation marks.
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Unfortunately, according to an article on
Stereogum.com, Joseph and the MOMAR were evicted from the building: "...and the big bad landlord is giving us the boot. (We pay our rent but other things factor into this up and coming thriving metropolis known as Dumbo.)" Joseph held a record release party for
Temporary People
before the closing of the gallery in September 2008.
[29] As of
February 2009, however, the gallery is still operating out of the same location, but has morphed into an .
You Are Free
documentary
On
October 2,
2008, a documentary film entitled
You Are Free
premiered at the 2008 Pop Montréal Film Festival in
Montréal,
Quebec,
Canada. The film, directed by Bryan Johnson and cinematography by Grisha Alasadi, documents the first show of Joseph Arthur's 2005 tour at
The Troubadour in
Los Angeles, California, and is described on his website as "an unforgettable blend of music, art, and drama.
You Are Free
goes beyond merely documenting the performance, it allows the viewer to truly get to know this unique artist. Performances are inter-cut with scenes of Arthur speaking with moving sincerity about his career, his life, and his spiritual journey as a person and a musician."
[30] A film trailer is also available for viewing online (). Screenings outside of Canada or a DVD release have not been mentioned.
Live performances
Arthur's one man band live performances incorporate looping techniques and several distortion techniques. However, beginning with his fall 2006 tour, Arthur has incorporated a full band,
The Lonely Astronauts.
The Lonely Astronauts are:
- Joseph Arthur - vocals, guitar
- Kraig Jarret Johnson - guitar, keyboards, vocals
- Jennifer "Jen" Turner - guitar, vocals
- Sibyl Buck - bass, vocals
- Greg "G. Wiz" Wieczorek - drums, vocals
Arthur's live performances are recorded through to the last note and then burnt to CD-R. They are sold immediately to fans after the concert.
[31]
Musical instruments
Of the guitars that Joseph utilizes, his primary acoustic guitar is an Irish Lowden 012C.
[32] Some of Joseph's other guitars include:
- Garrison G-50-CE
- Gibson ES-335
- '70s Fender Strat
He makes great use of an Alesis Micron analog modeling synthethizer which boasts the same sound engine as the acclaimed
Alesis Ion.
He often plays a
diatonic harmonica in the key of G.
Sound processors
To incorporate his looping techniques, Arthur uses a myriad of rackmounted units of the
Lexicon JamMan.
He plays his guitars through an impressive floor of
effects pedals including a Vox Tonelab SE multi-effects, Mooger Fooger MF-102 Ring Modulator, a Boss Octaver and DD5, an Electro-Harmonix POG Memory Man, a Line 6 DL4 Delay Modeler, a Countryman DI unit, a Fulltone Vibrato, a DigiTech Whammy, a MXR Phase 100, a Z.Vex Seek Wah, and many more.
[33]
Vocals are processed by a TC-Helicon VoiceLive floor unit.
Discography
Studio albums
- Big City Secrets
(March 11, 1997)
- Come to Where I'm From
(April 11, 2000)
- Redemption's Son
(May 20, 2002)
- Our Shadows Will Remain
(October 12, 2004)
- Nuclear Daydream
(September 19, 2006)
- Let's Just Be
(April 17, 2007)
- Temporary People
(September 30, 2008)
EPs
- Cut and Blind
(August 1996)
- Vacancy
(May 11, 1999)
- Junkyard Hearts I
(February 15, 2002)
- Junkyard Hearts II
(February 28, 2002)
- Junkyard Hearts III
(March 15, 2002)
- Junkyard Hearts IV
(March 28, 2002)
- And the Thieves Are Gone
(December 7, 2004)
- Could We Survive
(March 18, 2008)
- Crazy Rain
(April 15, 2008)
- Vagabond Skies
(June 10, 2008)
- Foreign Girls
(July 8, 2008)
Song appearances in television and film
Joseph Arthur soundtracked the 1998 film
Hell's Kitchen
[34], as well as making a cameo appearance in the film.
[35] Joseph also provided three songs for the 2006 documentary
Deliver Us from Evil
.
[36] Joseph starred as a character's father in the 1999 film
The Dream Catcher
[37], though he did not provide any music to the soundtrack. Many of his songs have made appearances in film and television:
- "Mercedes"
- *Searching for Debra Winger
(2002)
- "Porcupine"
- *The Bumblebee Flies Anyway
(1999)
- "Bed of Nails"
- *The Bone Collector
(1999)
- "Chemical"
- *Rennie's Landing (Stealing Time)
(2001)
- *Shallow Hal
(2001)
- "In the Sun"
- *The Bourne Identity
(2002)
- *Wasted
(2002)
- *Saved!
(2004)
- *Scrubs
(2006)
- *Dawson's Creek
- *Grey's Anatomy
- *The L Word
- *Laguna Beach
- *Life
- *Advert for "Echo" by Davidoff
- "Honey and the Moon"
- *The O.C.
(2003)
- *American Wedding
(2003)
- *As the World Turns
- *Without a Trace
- *Dawson's Creek
- *October Road
- *Perfect Romance
- "Stumble and Pain"
- *True Blood
(episode "Strange Love," first aired September 7, 2008)
- "A Smile That Explodes"
- *The O.C.
- "My Home Is Your Head"
- *House, M.D.
(episode "Ugly," first aired November 13, 2007)
- "You're So True"
- *Shrek 2
(2004)
- "Electrical Storm"
- *3 lbs.
- "Could We Survive"
- *House, M.D.
(episode "Lucky Thirteen," first aired October 21, 2008)
- *Friday Night Lights
(episode "The Giving Tree," first aired December 10, 2008)
- "Walk Away"
- *Lie to Me
(episode "Undercover," first aired April 29, 2009)
- "Exhausted"
- *Long Way Down
(first aired October 28, 2007 through December 2, 2007)
- "Walk Away"
- *Hung
(episode "Do it, Monkey" first aired August 2, 2009)
References
- Joseph Arthur - Biography - CRACKERJACK BOX
- Joseph Arthur - Biography - CRACKERJACK BOX / Paste Music Interview, November 2004
- Rock 'n' Roll and the Cleveland Connection - Google Book Search
- Joseph Arthur biography - NME.com
- Joseph Arthur - Biography - CRACKERJACK BOX / Creative Loafing Interview, 1997
- Lonely Astronaut Records Artists
- Joseph Arthur - Biography - CRACKERJACK BOX / KCRW Radio interview, July 1999
- LONELY ASTRONAUTS - SONGOGRAPHY - "Redemption's Son" / Open Letter, 2002
- Joseph Arthur's Official Online Shop: Holding the Void
- Tracy Chapman beefs up North American tour itinerary (article May 21, 2003)
- NEW THRILLS FOR REM FANS! | News | NME.COM (article November 22, 2004)
- Joseph Arthur Readies Three New Albums (article February 8, 2006)
- A River Blue
- A River Blue: Joseph Arthur
- MySpace.com - We Almost Made It
- Joseph Arthur - NEWS ("Let's Just Be" press release, January 8, 2007)
- Joseph Arthur - NEWS ('Five New Releases' press release, January 10, 2008)
- South by Southwest Festivals + Conferences
- LONELY ASTRONAUTS - GIGOGRAPHY 2008
- Joseph Arthur - Tour Dates (Fall 2008 solo tour starts November 12th in Brussels)
- LONELY ASTRONAUTS - GIGOGRAPHY 2009
- Joseph Arthur: Nonstop Rock: NPR Music
- Joseph Arthur Comes Clean - Paste Magazine Interview, October 1, 2004
- bag is hot - the crash (posted on January 20, 2009 by Joseph Arthur)
- BUZZGRINDER >> Joseph Arthur Blogs About Van Accident (posted on January 22, 2009)
- Juliette Lewis: A punk's life
- Dumbo NYC, Brooklyn >> Archive >> Joseph Arthur
- Museum of Modern Arthur - About Us
- Stereogum.com: New Joseph Arthur Video / MOMAR, August 26, 2008
- Joseph Arthur - NEWS
- Joseph Arthur ~ Online Store - Live Shows
- Acoustic Guitar Central
- Taken from ''Guitar and Bass'' magazine, pages 76-78, October 2005.
- Joseph Arthur - IMDb.com
- Hell's Kitchen (1998) - Full cast and crew
- Deliver Us from Evil (2006) - Full cast and crew
- The Dream Catcher (1999)