collegegirl Posted October 10, 2009 Share Posted October 10, 2009 http://www.josepharthur.com/ 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. Joseph began writing and playing music in his early teens, after inheriting an electronic keyboard from his aunt: "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.'"At age 16, he played bass in a blues band called Frankie Starr and the Chill Factor, which disbanded by 1991. In the early '90s, Joseph Arthur was recording home demos, playing local Atlanta clubs and working as a guitar salesman at Clark Music Store. 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 Joseph's first EP Cut and Blind. Gabriel found the songwriter a great fit for his label Real World Records, and Joseph was offered a record deal. Both Gabriel and Schwartz arranged a live audition at the Fez in NYC, 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 Joseph the first American recording artist signed to Gabriel's label. Recording for his debut album began at Gabriel's Real World Studios in England with producer Markus Dravs (experimental 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 Joseph joined Gabriel's WOMAD tour in Europe. Two years later, Joseph recorded a mini-album called Vacancy, which earned him a Grammy nomination in 2000 for best recording package. April 2000 saw the release of Come to Where I'm From, the album that, 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). 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 Joseph on vocals and guitar, Pat Sansone on vocals and bass, and Rene Lopez on vocals and drums). Summer 2003 saw him on tour with Tracy Chapman in the US. After signing a new recording contract with Vector Recordings, Arthur began recording his fourth official studio album, Our Shadows Will Remain. “ ...Arthur says, "I got totally wasted for a while in New Orleans, then I went to L.A. and was going further that way, and I called up my friends in New Orleans and said, 'I'm coming back and I have to straighten out and you have to help me.'" Staying sober, Arthur 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." His travails made their way onto the masterful Our Shadows Will Remain. "The record is largely about finding out where I'm at now," says Arthur. "There was a lot of addiction and a lot of pain, and a lot of the songs are about that. When your life isn't working out, you dig deeper into what's going to satisfy you. If you become disillusioned, you start to get to the heart of the matter." ” “ "I can be really down and go to my guitar and write something, and it can elevate the situation," Arthur says. "That's such a wonderful gift. In and of itself, that's enough." “ 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. 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. He also contributed a design to the Yellow Bird Project for the benefit of Mercy Corps. 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). He simultaneously recorded his fifth official studio album Nuclear Daydream, 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) 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 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
collegegirl Posted October 10, 2009 Author Share Posted October 10, 2009 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
collegegirl Posted October 10, 2009 Author Share Posted October 10, 2009 His artwork (he has a modern art gallery in Brooklyn, NY) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
collegegirl Posted October 10, 2009 Author Share Posted October 10, 2009 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
collegegirl Posted October 10, 2009 Author Share Posted October 10, 2009 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
collegegirl Posted October 10, 2009 Author Share Posted October 10, 2009 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
collegegirl Posted October 10, 2009 Author Share Posted October 10, 2009 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
collegegirl Posted October 10, 2009 Author Share Posted October 10, 2009 Coolest guitar ever! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
collegegirl Posted October 10, 2009 Author Share Posted October 10, 2009 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
collegegirl Posted October 10, 2009 Author Share Posted October 10, 2009 A few album covers... Come to where I'm from Redemtion's Son Our Shadows will Remain Nuclear Daydream Temporary People and the Lonely Astronauts Vegabond Skies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
collegegirl Posted October 10, 2009 Author Share Posted October 10, 2009 ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
collegegirl Posted December 5, 2009 Author Share Posted December 5, 2009 Am I his ONLY fan here? So many of his songs have played on 'Grey's Anatomy' and 'The O.C'. He wrote/sang the opening song on Shrek 2! And I'm becoming friends with him at the moment which is pretty awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
collegegirl Posted December 12, 2009 Author Share Posted December 12, 2009 [attachme nt=921226:08092426...4_medium.jpg] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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collegegirl Posted February 11, 2010 Author Share Posted February 11, 2010 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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