PD Larson was nice enough to forward some links for photos he took of Joseph Arthur & The Lonely Astronauts when they played in Madison and Minneapolis last week.
4/26/07 - High Noon Saloon - Madison, WI
4/27/07 - Varsity Theater - Minneapolis, MN
Friday, May 4, 2007
Joseph Arthur photos - 4/26 & 27
PD Larson was nice enough to forward some links for photos he took of Joseph Arthur & The Lonely Astronauts when they played in Madison and Minneapolis last week.
4/26/07 - High Noon Saloon - Madison, WI
4/27/07 - Varsity Theater - Minneapolis, MN
Sunday, April 15, 2007
The power and the glory of Joseph Arthur & The Lonely Astronauts
(4/27/07 - Varsity Theater - Mpls, MN - courtesy of Sacred Roots)
Joseph Arthur – and his new band, The Lonely Astronauts – have been on a joyride since late last Summer that can conservatively be described as a “wild one.” In fact, since then Arthur has practically been creatively reborn, undergoing one of the most dramatic artistic reinventions in recent memory. He’s certainly been a busy little bee. He toured for 3 months last fall with the just launched Astronauts, recorded an ungodly number of songs (70 or 80? many written or co-written by Kraig Johnson) in the studio during recent months, and just released Let’s Just Be, a scant 7 months after the last one, the waycool Nuclear Daydream. And, reportedly, there's another new album coming before the end of the year. And the Lonely Astronauts just started a 30 date North American tour, right after kicking he sh*t out of the Conan O’Brien show, evoking fond memories of a couple of similarly startling late-nite TV appearances last fall (after the Lonely Astronauts played his show last October, David Letterman was moved to say: "I want to go with those people -- I would like to be with them"). Plus Joseph compulsively blogs, writes poetry, paints, goes to Africa to help orphans, gets rave reviews for playing Bruce Springsteen tributes at Carnegie Hall (like the one he did a few weeks ago), provided the namesake song for the Michael Stipe Inthesun.org Katrina relief project, is opening an art studio in DUMBO, Brooklyn (possible name: Museum of Modern A-Rthur -- MOMAR, heh heh) and...god knows what else. Maybe he's working on a cure for cancer. Or really bad music on the radio.
For those that don't know, Joseph has been around for a decade as a (mostly) solo artist -- and a pretty damn compelling one at that. Now, after a series of distinctive albums and many well-regarded solo and one-man "folktronica" tours, this prolific vagabond troubadour has decided that the time is right to do "the band thing," "the rock thing," "the front guy thing" and even the "head of a record label thing" – all at the same time. He's assembled an extremely potent lineup of guys and gals, featuring not only Kraig Johnson but the guitar magic of the amazing Jenn Turner, plus a rhythm section (Sibyl Buck & G. Wiz) that sing as well as they play. Some long time Arthur fans aren't too wild about his new "direction" -- indeed, the sense of shock/anger/betrayal has reached almost Dylan-goes-electric proportions with some of the devout -- but I've been totally smitten with these cats since i saw them last fall at the Fine Line in Mpls where they played the entire Nuclear Daydream album in sequence (interspersed, of course, with even newer material). Although Joseph didn't record ND with the Lonely Astronauts, their live take on it immediately proved to be viscerally powerful, if not definitive.
Joe's new trip ain't for everyone, especially those with low tolerances for raw power and the occasional detour down some fairly extreme side roads; it's a risky creative high-wire act where warning signs and boundless possibilities are all seemingly part of the plan. But, at his core, he's an incredibly talented songwriter and the journey he takes you on with his crazysexycool partners is a thrilling one.
I've been spinning the "teaser" version of Arthur’s new "Let's Just Be" album non-stop since it was offered up for download in December. Of course, the version of Let’s Just Be that’s in the stores now has been tweaked and updated from the electronic version; time definitely isn’t standing still for Arthur these days. I’m also feeding my Arthur fix with a sizable collection of superfresh Myspace and website odds & ends that he generously provides for us junkies, as well as a boatload of Lonely Astronauts live recordings (he records most of his concerts and offers them for sale, usually right after the show). So it's no big shock that i'm stoked about the release of the real "Let's Just Be" as well as the upcoming shows in Mpls at the Varsity on the 27th and Madison the night before. Can you say road trip?
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Review: Jason Isbell - 4/9/07 - First Ave. - Mpls, MN
The Jason set was simply fantastic. Wow. Only 9 songs, but man oh man, was it good. Great band, too. Browan Lollar was awesome, as was the rest of the band -- very simpatico to the early 70s "classic rock" vibe that Jason has got going. I figured they would "rock," but i wasn't quite prepared for just how much they kicked everybody's asses. Like i said, wow. Jason looked and sounded great. He was effusively thankful and seemed to be in a really good mood. He even referred to Patterson as "my friend" when he introduced "The Assassin." There was an excellent turnout for an early opening set; clearly more than you'd expect from the DBT die-hards and curious Son Volt fans. Everybody i saw was totally digging Jason and the 400 Unit. In fact, i noticed a significant "chick factor" in the audience -- lots of very enthusiastic pretty young ladies who i don't remember seeing at previous Truckers or SV shows. That's always a good sign. :-)
I'd read about his full length set the nite before in Iowa just before i went downtown yesterday and, needless to say, i was very envious of those people after getting an appetizer version.
Set went something like this:
Try
Grown
God Damned Lonely Love
The Assassin
Magician
Dress Blues
Jailbreak >
Never Gonna Change
Chicago Promenade (on piano)
Dress Blues is such an amazing song. Jason's intro and the band's performance of this was incredibly powerful and moving. That couplet that goes something like "he never planned on the bombs in the sand / he never planned on sleeping in his dress blues" is positively chilling. I quickly gathered that jason was a gifted songwriter back in 2001/2, but this shit is just off the hook. And to think that last nite's set was so perfect without the likes of "Outfit" or "Danko/Manuel." Another good sign.
I "grabbed" the 3 new songs off his myspace page last week and have been playing them constantly on my computer and ipod. Judging from the reaction to those and some early field reports on the various forums i frequent, i'm not the only one looking forward to the album.
I'd read about his full length set the nite before in Iowa just before i went downtown yesterday and, needless to say, i was very envious of those people after getting an appetizer version.
Set went something like this:
Try
Grown
God Damned Lonely Love
The Assassin
Magician
Dress Blues
Jailbreak >
Never Gonna Change
Chicago Promenade (on piano)
Dress Blues is such an amazing song. Jason's intro and the band's performance of this was incredibly powerful and moving. That couplet that goes something like "he never planned on the bombs in the sand / he never planned on sleeping in his dress blues" is positively chilling. I quickly gathered that jason was a gifted songwriter back in 2001/2, but this shit is just off the hook. And to think that last nite's set was so perfect without the likes of "Outfit" or "Danko/Manuel." Another good sign.
I "grabbed" the 3 new songs off his myspace page last week and have been playing them constantly on my computer and ipod. Judging from the reaction to those and some early field reports on the various forums i frequent, i'm not the only one looking forward to the album.
Monday, April 9, 2007
Review: Neko Case - 4/7/07 - First Ave. - Mpls, MN
Undoubtedly one of the best concerts of the year and likely the best of the dozen or so Neko shows i've seen. My wife and i are still reeling this morning from the sheer power of what we witnessed last nite.
Things were a bit rocky the first few songs due to some persistent monitor problems that never seemed to get solved, but once the gang got out of first gear it was all over 'cept for the shouting. Just absolutely stunning stuff -- i was pretty much in dropped-jaw mode the rest of the night. In my mind, this was the Ultimate Neko Lineup -- Rauhouse is one of the most amazing musicians you'll ever see, Paul Rigby added tons of spooky, twangy atmospherics (this lineup did the best job yet of recreating the desert noir sound that Calexico and Neko used to such great effect on her masterpiece, "Blacklisted") and Kelly Hogan is the secret sauce that pushes the whole thing into the stratosphere (Neko played a show at the Ave a few years ago without Hogan, or any of her "girlfriends," and that show was a pale shadow of last nights mindblower). The setlist was solid -- lots of new material for the legions of new fans that have gotten religion in the last few years as well as some old faves and obscurities. I was totally floored when she did "Knock Loud" in the encore. Anything from "Candian Amp" is kinda special to me -- i remember patiently waiting to buy my vinyl copy when it was a tour-only thing after she did an opening set for Nick Cave a few years ago at the State Theater in Mpls featuring mostly material from that release. Nick had already started playing and Neko, who was working the merch table solo out in the lobby, took the time to hang with a dozen or so of us freaks while she signed records and raved about her new material while simultaneously providing running commentary about Nick's set ("oooh -- i love this song," "man, listen to his voice!").
And, yes, the "crowd factor" -- which greatly detracted from her near-sold out show at the Ave. last year -- was shockingly not a factor. Indeed, i've never heard such a large crowd in that club as quiet as they were last nite. And thank God for that!"
Things were a bit rocky the first few songs due to some persistent monitor problems that never seemed to get solved, but once the gang got out of first gear it was all over 'cept for the shouting. Just absolutely stunning stuff -- i was pretty much in dropped-jaw mode the rest of the night. In my mind, this was the Ultimate Neko Lineup -- Rauhouse is one of the most amazing musicians you'll ever see, Paul Rigby added tons of spooky, twangy atmospherics (this lineup did the best job yet of recreating the desert noir sound that Calexico and Neko used to such great effect on her masterpiece, "Blacklisted") and Kelly Hogan is the secret sauce that pushes the whole thing into the stratosphere (Neko played a show at the Ave a few years ago without Hogan, or any of her "girlfriends," and that show was a pale shadow of last nights mindblower). The setlist was solid -- lots of new material for the legions of new fans that have gotten religion in the last few years as well as some old faves and obscurities. I was totally floored when she did "Knock Loud" in the encore. Anything from "Candian Amp" is kinda special to me -- i remember patiently waiting to buy my vinyl copy when it was a tour-only thing after she did an opening set for Nick Cave a few years ago at the State Theater in Mpls featuring mostly material from that release. Nick had already started playing and Neko, who was working the merch table solo out in the lobby, took the time to hang with a dozen or so of us freaks while she signed records and raved about her new material while simultaneously providing running commentary about Nick's set ("oooh -- i love this song," "man, listen to his voice!").
And, yes, the "crowd factor" -- which greatly detracted from her near-sold out show at the Ave. last year -- was shockingly not a factor. Indeed, i've never heard such a large crowd in that club as quiet as they were last nite. And thank God for that!"
Saturday, April 7, 2007
Steve Wynn news
Two new Steve Wynn-related releases:
Smack Dab and the return after 20 years of
Danny and Dusty!
I've only given it a few listens, but the first Danny and Dusty album since Ronald Regan was prez has been a pretty good ride so far. The album is bookended with a couple of overt looks to the past: the boozy reverie of "The Good Old Days" and the wistfully autobiographical "That's What Brought Me Here." In between you get everything from the kind of proto alt-country that made "Lost Weekend" so enjoyable (i hear Ronnie Lane/Slim Chance references all over this) to the pure Paisley Underground magic of the title song, which would sit proudly on any of the early Dream Syndicate records. Stuart sounds amazingly together, Wynn, not surprisingly, is in fine form and they're again ably assisted by Chris Cacavas and Steven McCarthy, whose expertise on a variety of stringed instruments and keyboards elevates the proceedings every time he shows up. I think this album will be a "grower" for me -- i've got a few of the songs rattlin' around in my noggin' (the title song is definitely one of my favorite things of 2007 so far) and i've been itching to hear the whole thing ever since it arrived, always good signs. The first 5000 copies come with a bonus DVD -- a complete 1986 Danny and Dusty performance in LA that, at its tightest, is racous and fairly ramshackle. Speaking of boozy reverie! If you wanna see the prototype for the modern day, devil-may-care side-project "supergroup" thang ala Golden Smog, look no further than this. An obviously rare historical document and a rather enjoyable one at that.
I also ordered yet another Wynn side project at the same time: Smack Dab, which features Wynn, Linda Pitmon and Paco Loco, a Spanish producer/musician whose studio in Puerto de Santa Maria the album was recorded at. Some may recognize Paco's name from the last Golden Smog album -- that project was started at his studio before things moved to Ed Ackerson's Flowers studio in Mpls and his wife Muni sang on one of the songs. Smack Dab is a far more left field kinda thing than D&D -- lots of odd little creations and studio jaberwocky that may or may not have been conceived after long sessions consuming good rioja and other exotic confections. This stuff is all over the map; it's hard so far to get a handle on things. There are pretty little pop songs (one of the sung by Ms. Linda Pitmon), John Cale-ish downers, metallic thump, a healthy dose of Wynn in full stun-gun guitar mode, and some really wigged-out shit that sounds like the Gang of Four meets Pavement on acid. Or something like that. Some of the lyrics are as "adventerous" as the music: "mezcal tape loop on the motorway" or "truth or dare and seconal/white wine and that's not all!" or "sylvia walked like a leper/on steroids and diet pills/she was my neil young/and i was her stephen stills" or "my life is big enough/i complete me/quarantine" or "b-girl milkshake/surfer boy cheesecake/bit part, union pay/doubles as a PA." Some of this stuff reads like an unholy marriage between a bad language translating app and the William Burrouogh's cut-up method. There is one fairly "normal" offering, "My Cross to Bear," that would fit in on one of Wynn's recent albs, and there's also an amazingly straight reading of "Never Been to Spain." I imagine it must have been at least a little liberating for Steve to do a "no rules" kind of project. So often such things are indulgent bores but i'm finding myself liking much of this, some of it quite a bit.
This album reportedly won't have a domestic release, so WynnWeb is the easiest place to get it for now for us statesiders.
smack dab on myspace
Smack Dab and the return after 20 years of
Danny and Dusty!
I've only given it a few listens, but the first Danny and Dusty album since Ronald Regan was prez has been a pretty good ride so far. The album is bookended with a couple of overt looks to the past: the boozy reverie of "The Good Old Days" and the wistfully autobiographical "That's What Brought Me Here." In between you get everything from the kind of proto alt-country that made "Lost Weekend" so enjoyable (i hear Ronnie Lane/Slim Chance references all over this) to the pure Paisley Underground magic of the title song, which would sit proudly on any of the early Dream Syndicate records. Stuart sounds amazingly together, Wynn, not surprisingly, is in fine form and they're again ably assisted by Chris Cacavas and Steven McCarthy, whose expertise on a variety of stringed instruments and keyboards elevates the proceedings every time he shows up. I think this album will be a "grower" for me -- i've got a few of the songs rattlin' around in my noggin' (the title song is definitely one of my favorite things of 2007 so far) and i've been itching to hear the whole thing ever since it arrived, always good signs. The first 5000 copies come with a bonus DVD -- a complete 1986 Danny and Dusty performance in LA that, at its tightest, is racous and fairly ramshackle. Speaking of boozy reverie! If you wanna see the prototype for the modern day, devil-may-care side-project "supergroup" thang ala Golden Smog, look no further than this. An obviously rare historical document and a rather enjoyable one at that.
I also ordered yet another Wynn side project at the same time: Smack Dab, which features Wynn, Linda Pitmon and Paco Loco, a Spanish producer/musician whose studio in Puerto de Santa Maria the album was recorded at. Some may recognize Paco's name from the last Golden Smog album -- that project was started at his studio before things moved to Ed Ackerson's Flowers studio in Mpls and his wife Muni sang on one of the songs. Smack Dab is a far more left field kinda thing than D&D -- lots of odd little creations and studio jaberwocky that may or may not have been conceived after long sessions consuming good rioja and other exotic confections. This stuff is all over the map; it's hard so far to get a handle on things. There are pretty little pop songs (one of the sung by Ms. Linda Pitmon), John Cale-ish downers, metallic thump, a healthy dose of Wynn in full stun-gun guitar mode, and some really wigged-out shit that sounds like the Gang of Four meets Pavement on acid. Or something like that. Some of the lyrics are as "adventerous" as the music: "mezcal tape loop on the motorway" or "truth or dare and seconal/white wine and that's not all!" or "sylvia walked like a leper/on steroids and diet pills/she was my neil young/and i was her stephen stills" or "my life is big enough/i complete me/quarantine" or "b-girl milkshake/surfer boy cheesecake/bit part, union pay/doubles as a PA." Some of this stuff reads like an unholy marriage between a bad language translating app and the William Burrouogh's cut-up method. There is one fairly "normal" offering, "My Cross to Bear," that would fit in on one of Wynn's recent albs, and there's also an amazingly straight reading of "Never Been to Spain." I imagine it must have been at least a little liberating for Steve to do a "no rules" kind of project. So often such things are indulgent bores but i'm finding myself liking much of this, some of it quite a bit.
This album reportedly won't have a domestic release, so WynnWeb is the easiest place to get it for now for us statesiders.
smack dab on myspace
Sunday, April 1, 2007
Burnbarrel: the intersection of Tim Easton, JP Olsen and The Haynes Boys
"Who/what is Burnbarrel?"
Burnbarrel was the name of a 1999 release on the Heathen label, the original home of Tim Easton's "Special 20" album the year before. The "band" was Tim Easton, JP Olsen (lyricist for many of Tim's song and formerly of The Beetkeepers -- more on them in a sec), a coupla Haynes Boys and the bass player from Special 20. Burnbarrel was basically a showcase for Olsen -- he wrote all the songs and sings them, too. It's a fine album -- lots of strange songs and odd characters and, not surprisingly, it bears more than a passing sonic similarity to the mighty 1996 Haynes Boys album. For Easton fans it's significant cuz it features the original versions of two songs Tim would later cover (a stripped down "Far Rockaway"/"John Gilmartin" and a truly amazing version of "Bad Florida"). Anybody who's familiar with the Olsen songs that Easton has done over the years know that his lyrical skills are quite accomplished and rather distinctive -- his songs are often very literary and full of interesting, memorable characters (i find myself thinking of the likes of John Prine and Warren Zevon when i listen to his words -- pretty high praise i guess). Olsen has been in and out of the music biz over the last few decades, balancing a career in journalism with his songwriting. Burnbarrel are supposedly still a viable thing and were slated to have a new album out last year, but i don't remember hearing anything about it lately.
http://www.myspace.com/burnbarrelband
The Beetkeepers were a late 80s band from Columbus who were supposed to be the schnizzle. They were a trio, again featuring JP's (known then as James) songs and voice. They put out one extremely hard to find album in 1988 on No Other; there may be other releases, but i had a hard enough time tracking this one down. It's similar to the Burnbarrel vibe, although a bit "rockier." Again, Easton has dipped into this well for songs; the album features the original versions of 3 songs Tim later covered, including one of his signature live songs, "Don't Walk Alone."
As for the Haynes Boys, i know i'm not the only one who has sung their praises. There sole album, "Guardian Angel," is a definite must own, especially if you have more than a passing interest in Mr. Easton. There's not a whole lot around in the Haynes Boys rarities dept., but enough for a mini box set: two pre-Guardian Angel 45s, a promo-only outtake from the album sessions, a track on a Pere Ubu tribute album (?!), a couple of great 1997 soundboards, and some post-album demos that feature songs that later would show up on Burnbarrel and Special 20. They also put out 2 or 3 casette-only releases, but they've proven to be too elusive for this detective (if anybody has these, they need to contact me pronto!).
Burnbarrel was the name of a 1999 release on the Heathen label, the original home of Tim Easton's "Special 20" album the year before. The "band" was Tim Easton, JP Olsen (lyricist for many of Tim's song and formerly of The Beetkeepers -- more on them in a sec), a coupla Haynes Boys and the bass player from Special 20. Burnbarrel was basically a showcase for Olsen -- he wrote all the songs and sings them, too. It's a fine album -- lots of strange songs and odd characters and, not surprisingly, it bears more than a passing sonic similarity to the mighty 1996 Haynes Boys album. For Easton fans it's significant cuz it features the original versions of two songs Tim would later cover (a stripped down "Far Rockaway"/"John Gilmartin" and a truly amazing version of "Bad Florida"). Anybody who's familiar with the Olsen songs that Easton has done over the years know that his lyrical skills are quite accomplished and rather distinctive -- his songs are often very literary and full of interesting, memorable characters (i find myself thinking of the likes of John Prine and Warren Zevon when i listen to his words -- pretty high praise i guess). Olsen has been in and out of the music biz over the last few decades, balancing a career in journalism with his songwriting. Burnbarrel are supposedly still a viable thing and were slated to have a new album out last year, but i don't remember hearing anything about it lately.
http://www.myspace.com/burnbarrelband
The Beetkeepers were a late 80s band from Columbus who were supposed to be the schnizzle. They were a trio, again featuring JP's (known then as James) songs and voice. They put out one extremely hard to find album in 1988 on No Other; there may be other releases, but i had a hard enough time tracking this one down. It's similar to the Burnbarrel vibe, although a bit "rockier." Again, Easton has dipped into this well for songs; the album features the original versions of 3 songs Tim later covered, including one of his signature live songs, "Don't Walk Alone."
As for the Haynes Boys, i know i'm not the only one who has sung their praises. There sole album, "Guardian Angel," is a definite must own, especially if you have more than a passing interest in Mr. Easton. There's not a whole lot around in the Haynes Boys rarities dept., but enough for a mini box set: two pre-Guardian Angel 45s, a promo-only outtake from the album sessions, a track on a Pere Ubu tribute album (?!), a couple of great 1997 soundboards, and some post-album demos that feature songs that later would show up on Burnbarrel and Special 20. They also put out 2 or 3 casette-only releases, but they've proven to be too elusive for this detective (if anybody has these, they need to contact me pronto!).
Friday, March 30, 2007
SUSSTONES SPRING BREAK 2007!
Susstones "Spring Break" 2007
Saturday - March 31
400 Bar - Minneapolis
The Melismatics
The Mood Swings
"unnanounced artists" (aka Ed Ackerson solo set)
Chrash Pipe
If you're anywhere near the West Bank of Mpls Saturday night, you really should be at the 400 Bar to catch an extremely rare solo appearance by Susstones guru / Polara mastermind Ed Ackerson. Ed will be playing some stuff from his upcoming solo release and, i'm here to tell ya, these tunes are effin' awesome. Not so much "solo" or "acoustic," but definitely not the layered, effect-laden "dream pop" of Polara or The 27 Various either. Ed's band will include ex-Jayhawk Marc Perlman and super-drummer Peter Anderson as well as a keyboardist and possible special guests. This is all part of the Susstones "Spring Break" wingding which also features The Melismatics (just back from SxSW) and The Mood Swings (who will be previewing material from their upcoming EP). Music starts at 9 or so; Ed goes on at 10:30. 6 bucks at the door - thongs optional.
http://www.susstones.com/
http://edackerson.com/blog/
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Mood Swings set to rock Voltage 07 Fash Bash!
The Mood Swings will be appearing at the local fashion/music event of the year -- Voltage 07: Fashion Amplified - April 11 @ First Ave. - Mpls.
This event features the best local designers showcasing their clothes on not only a bunch of models, but the musical performers as well.
Also appearing with The Mood Swings will be The Plastic Constellations, The Alarmists, The God Damn Doo Wop Band, Black Blondie and Dance Band.
Buy tix early -- sure to sell out.
Mood Swings - Voltage 07
Monday, January 8, 2007
"Sussed-tacular 3" bash @ BLB - Mpls - Jan. 23
Hot off the press from Susstones Central Command:
=================================
We’re celebrating the three-year anniversary of Sussed! at the Bryant-Lake Bowl with Sussed-tacular 3 on Tuesday, January 23rd.
The BLB Theater will be the scene for a fast-moving two hours of music featuring (in no particular order):
The Melismatics
The Mood Swings
Astronaut Wife
Ed Ackerson
Marc Perlman and Janey Winterbauer
Sideways
DJ sets throughout the evening from Marc “Guv’nor” Mueller and his Sussed! crew.
Additional surprise musical guests may be conjured if / when appropriate
In the tradition of previous Sussed-taculars and Susstones Soirées, Susstones artists and fellow travelers will perform short sets of tunes and collaborate / mutate in new combinations. Average set length will be about 15-20 minutes, perfect for the already supercharged sounds of The Melismatics and The Mood Swings. The show features a very rare solo showing from Ed Ackerson of Polara, who will be previewing a few of his new non-band songs. Marc Perlman and Janey Winterbauer will bring their new luminous, atmospheric tunes to the stage. Other rare birds on sonic display include instrumental outfit Sideways and the recently reinvigorated Astronaut Wife.
In appreciation of all the support the community has given Sussed! at BLB, this event is ABSOLUTELY FREE and open to anyone 18 or older. The show runs from 10 to midnight sharp, so come on out and help celebrate Sussed! with some fine live pop music.
Friday, January 5, 2007
Great Joseph Arthur article in the LA Times
On his own, in a new spirit of community Longtime do-it-yourself singer-songwriter Joseph Arthur ditches one solo gig as he launches another: an indie record label.
By Richard Cromelin
LA Times Staff Writer
December 24, 2006
JOSEPH ARTHUR'S band is setting up at the Troubadour for the night's show, but their leader isn't in the room. Try out back, one of the musicians says.
In the alley behind the club, Arthur stands in the sunlight working intently on a bright red jacket spread out on the hood of a pickup truck, applying abstract shapes to the fabric with an artist's crayon.
"Purple makes it make sense, man," says Arthur, eyeing his work.
The man standing next to him looks over and nods. Angelbert Metoyer, an on-the-rise figure on the national art scene and a friend of Arthur's, is sharing the truck's hood and working on his own piece, a drawing packed with Miro-like organic shapes and fanciful figures.
Welcome to Joseph Arthur's traveling art and music circus, a sort of bohemian road show where this visual work is incorporated into the freshly minted music played by Arthur and his band.
There's a fertile, freewheeling feel about this enterprise. The Troubadour show will include songs that the band wrote the night before, and the following day they'll go into a studio in Arcadia and record them and others for an album that will come out in April, an unconventionally short six months after Arthur's latest release, "Nuclear Daydream."
A collection of plangent ballads and emotion-drenched rock songs that crossbreeds Neil Young with the Velvet Underground, "Daydream" is one of the best-reviewed albums of the year, and it figures to resurface prominently as the year-end best-of lists appear.
Such acclaim isn't new for the Akron, Ohio, native, who's been a consummate cult hero for most of this decade. But with "Nuclear Daydream" and in its aftermath, Arthur has shaken up his whole creative world, becoming a high-profile case study of an artist responding to the challenges and opportunities afforded by the decline of the old-line music industry.
After years with large independent labels and major-affiliated companies, Arthur started his own label, Lonely Astronaut Records, to release "Nuclear Daydream." That move could be the reason that he has suffered a drop in sales with his most accessible album, from his customary cult-hero range of 30,000 to 50,000 to a meager 12,000 since its release in September.
But Arthur feels more than compensated by the new freedom it affords him.
"We're playing our new songs as we write them, and then we bootleg ourselves and sell copies of the show that night," says the singer, sitting in the Troubadour's empty bar, now wearing his freshly decorated red jacket. "So most of our new songs have already been released now.
"I would just rather be open than afraid of what that means," he says. "I like a sense of openness to everything. I think people are finding out that counterintuitive thinking along those lines is actually more the way to go. Like people letting their records be streamed for free. It's counterintuitive to logic that that would help record sales, but I guess it does."
It remains to be seen whether it will boost Arthur's, but at the moment he's most excited about being liberated from the pressure to make a commercial breakthrough.
"That's why I'm not afraid anymore," says Arthur. "The source of frustration for that breakthrough was the fear that I wouldn't be able to do this anymore. That was sort of the mode of thinking back then: You get a record deal, and in order to maintain a record deal you have to do such and such; if you don't do that you're gonna get dropped and then what, you have to go find a minimum-wage job again? "
So that breeds all kind of crazy fear," he says. "Now, I just trust that I'll basically always get to sing for my supper on some level."
Help from friends
THE sounds of Arthur's band warming up in the showroom occasionally blast into the adjacent bar as he talks, a reminder of a musical change that's proving as revolutionary for him as his new business model. This is the first time in his career that he's toured and written with other musicians, and the experience has him all charged up.
"It's interesting that after doing this for so many years really on my own, kind of extremely alone, there's this collection of people around me that's like — I've got incredible people around me right now," he says, "and I just feel like I'm having the time of my life
"I don't know what's happened in my mind or what. I've broken through in my soul…. I trust whatever's happening as what's supposed to happen with this whole band that's formed around me. I feel like everything's just beginning."
When Arthur says "extremely alone," he's talking about the solo performance method that he used for years, in which he electronically layered, distorted and enhanced his voice and guitar to create rich, atmospheric arrangements onstage. That technique became identified with Arthur and contributed to his high standing among aficionados of art-rock-inclined singer-songwriters.
But it was his evocative, wide-ranging songwriting and richly textured music that originally gave him a career foothold and earned the admiration of such elders as Peter Gabriel (who signed him to his Real World label and released his first records in the late '90s) and R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe, who recorded Arthur's aching ballad "In the Sun," in several versions with different singers, for Stipe's Hurricane Katrina benefit EP.
"Joe is one of those rare writer-performers where you get the sense, whatever your belief, that something greater is being channeled through his music and voice," says Stipe. "Like Patti Smith, Grant Lee Phillips, Thom Yorke, Joe trances, and the voice, the meaning, becomes bigger than him, bigger than a few pop chords or words strung together. It touches something very deep and universal."
Or as David Letterman put it after the singer's transporting performance of the falsetto anthem "Slide Away" on his "Late Show" program recently: "I want to go with those people. I would like to be with those people. I think they're probably doing things that I'm not."
Arthur, 35, can have that intoxicating, Pied Piper effect, with his old-school rock-dandy charisma and, this day anyway, a loopy enthusiasm that borders on euphoria. His music might be shadowy and atmospheric, but he's all puppy-dog eagerness as he snacks on some trail mix and regards this new combustion in his life and career.
In a group made up of guitarist Jennifer Turner (who used to back Natalie Merchant and had her own band, Furslide), bassist Sibyl Buck, keyboardist Kraig Jarret Johnson (from the Jayhawks and Golden Smog) and drummer Greg Wieczorek, rock's definitive solitary man has found a community and a collaborative laboratory, as well as partners in an exhilarating if exhausting road adventure marked by impromptu turns. They pulled his friend Metoyer onto the tour bus when they passed through the artist's hometown of Houston, so abruptly that he didn't even have a chance to pack a change of clothes. They booked the Troubadour show at the last minute when they came back to Los Angeles to appear on Craig Ferguson's late-night CBS show.
Material from the Arcadia recording sessions will be released as "Abwoon Part One (Let's Just Be)," scheduled to come out April 17, with a second CD coming out later in the year.
"I like that, two records a year. I think that's creatively very active," the Brooklyn resident says. "You're not releasing every single thing you come up with. I think you can have a nice quality there, and I think it's a pace that people can keep up with, those that want to, and those that don't can check in every other record or every three records."
Wherever this new road leads, Arthur is ready for the ride. There's his side career as a visual artist (he self-published a book of his work and had a gallery show in London) and a new passion to help war-orphaned children in Uganda, where he traveled this year.
And although he jokes that he'll "write the hits that never become hits," his low commercial yield has actually struck the ideal balance.
"It's been an amount that's made me feel like it wasn't enough, which kept me hungry, which is really vital for an artist, to be hungry and to stay where everything's a necessity," he says. "And I've been in that place since I started releasing records professionally….
"I feel incredibly fortunate that I've had a career that's been so long and so submerged. It's been a perfect ground for me to evolve as an artist in a way I could never have conceived of when I made my first record."
richard.cromelin@latimes.com
By Richard Cromelin
LA Times Staff Writer
December 24, 2006
JOSEPH ARTHUR'S band is setting up at the Troubadour for the night's show, but their leader isn't in the room. Try out back, one of the musicians says.
In the alley behind the club, Arthur stands in the sunlight working intently on a bright red jacket spread out on the hood of a pickup truck, applying abstract shapes to the fabric with an artist's crayon.
"Purple makes it make sense, man," says Arthur, eyeing his work.
The man standing next to him looks over and nods. Angelbert Metoyer, an on-the-rise figure on the national art scene and a friend of Arthur's, is sharing the truck's hood and working on his own piece, a drawing packed with Miro-like organic shapes and fanciful figures.
Welcome to Joseph Arthur's traveling art and music circus, a sort of bohemian road show where this visual work is incorporated into the freshly minted music played by Arthur and his band.
There's a fertile, freewheeling feel about this enterprise. The Troubadour show will include songs that the band wrote the night before, and the following day they'll go into a studio in Arcadia and record them and others for an album that will come out in April, an unconventionally short six months after Arthur's latest release, "Nuclear Daydream."
A collection of plangent ballads and emotion-drenched rock songs that crossbreeds Neil Young with the Velvet Underground, "Daydream" is one of the best-reviewed albums of the year, and it figures to resurface prominently as the year-end best-of lists appear.
Such acclaim isn't new for the Akron, Ohio, native, who's been a consummate cult hero for most of this decade. But with "Nuclear Daydream" and in its aftermath, Arthur has shaken up his whole creative world, becoming a high-profile case study of an artist responding to the challenges and opportunities afforded by the decline of the old-line music industry.
After years with large independent labels and major-affiliated companies, Arthur started his own label, Lonely Astronaut Records, to release "Nuclear Daydream." That move could be the reason that he has suffered a drop in sales with his most accessible album, from his customary cult-hero range of 30,000 to 50,000 to a meager 12,000 since its release in September.
But Arthur feels more than compensated by the new freedom it affords him.
"We're playing our new songs as we write them, and then we bootleg ourselves and sell copies of the show that night," says the singer, sitting in the Troubadour's empty bar, now wearing his freshly decorated red jacket. "So most of our new songs have already been released now.
"I would just rather be open than afraid of what that means," he says. "I like a sense of openness to everything. I think people are finding out that counterintuitive thinking along those lines is actually more the way to go. Like people letting their records be streamed for free. It's counterintuitive to logic that that would help record sales, but I guess it does."
It remains to be seen whether it will boost Arthur's, but at the moment he's most excited about being liberated from the pressure to make a commercial breakthrough.
"That's why I'm not afraid anymore," says Arthur. "The source of frustration for that breakthrough was the fear that I wouldn't be able to do this anymore. That was sort of the mode of thinking back then: You get a record deal, and in order to maintain a record deal you have to do such and such; if you don't do that you're gonna get dropped and then what, you have to go find a minimum-wage job again? "
So that breeds all kind of crazy fear," he says. "Now, I just trust that I'll basically always get to sing for my supper on some level."
Help from friends
THE sounds of Arthur's band warming up in the showroom occasionally blast into the adjacent bar as he talks, a reminder of a musical change that's proving as revolutionary for him as his new business model. This is the first time in his career that he's toured and written with other musicians, and the experience has him all charged up.
"It's interesting that after doing this for so many years really on my own, kind of extremely alone, there's this collection of people around me that's like — I've got incredible people around me right now," he says, "and I just feel like I'm having the time of my life
"I don't know what's happened in my mind or what. I've broken through in my soul…. I trust whatever's happening as what's supposed to happen with this whole band that's formed around me. I feel like everything's just beginning."
When Arthur says "extremely alone," he's talking about the solo performance method that he used for years, in which he electronically layered, distorted and enhanced his voice and guitar to create rich, atmospheric arrangements onstage. That technique became identified with Arthur and contributed to his high standing among aficionados of art-rock-inclined singer-songwriters.
But it was his evocative, wide-ranging songwriting and richly textured music that originally gave him a career foothold and earned the admiration of such elders as Peter Gabriel (who signed him to his Real World label and released his first records in the late '90s) and R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe, who recorded Arthur's aching ballad "In the Sun," in several versions with different singers, for Stipe's Hurricane Katrina benefit EP.
"Joe is one of those rare writer-performers where you get the sense, whatever your belief, that something greater is being channeled through his music and voice," says Stipe. "Like Patti Smith, Grant Lee Phillips, Thom Yorke, Joe trances, and the voice, the meaning, becomes bigger than him, bigger than a few pop chords or words strung together. It touches something very deep and universal."
Or as David Letterman put it after the singer's transporting performance of the falsetto anthem "Slide Away" on his "Late Show" program recently: "I want to go with those people. I would like to be with those people. I think they're probably doing things that I'm not."
Arthur, 35, can have that intoxicating, Pied Piper effect, with his old-school rock-dandy charisma and, this day anyway, a loopy enthusiasm that borders on euphoria. His music might be shadowy and atmospheric, but he's all puppy-dog eagerness as he snacks on some trail mix and regards this new combustion in his life and career.
In a group made up of guitarist Jennifer Turner (who used to back Natalie Merchant and had her own band, Furslide), bassist Sibyl Buck, keyboardist Kraig Jarret Johnson (from the Jayhawks and Golden Smog) and drummer Greg Wieczorek, rock's definitive solitary man has found a community and a collaborative laboratory, as well as partners in an exhilarating if exhausting road adventure marked by impromptu turns. They pulled his friend Metoyer onto the tour bus when they passed through the artist's hometown of Houston, so abruptly that he didn't even have a chance to pack a change of clothes. They booked the Troubadour show at the last minute when they came back to Los Angeles to appear on Craig Ferguson's late-night CBS show.
Material from the Arcadia recording sessions will be released as "Abwoon Part One (Let's Just Be)," scheduled to come out April 17, with a second CD coming out later in the year.
"I like that, two records a year. I think that's creatively very active," the Brooklyn resident says. "You're not releasing every single thing you come up with. I think you can have a nice quality there, and I think it's a pace that people can keep up with, those that want to, and those that don't can check in every other record or every three records."
Wherever this new road leads, Arthur is ready for the ride. There's his side career as a visual artist (he self-published a book of his work and had a gallery show in London) and a new passion to help war-orphaned children in Uganda, where he traveled this year.
And although he jokes that he'll "write the hits that never become hits," his low commercial yield has actually struck the ideal balance.
"It's been an amount that's made me feel like it wasn't enough, which kept me hungry, which is really vital for an artist, to be hungry and to stay where everything's a necessity," he says. "And I've been in that place since I started releasing records professionally….
"I feel incredibly fortunate that I've had a career that's been so long and so submerged. It's been a perfect ground for me to evolve as an artist in a way I could never have conceived of when I made my first record."
richard.cromelin@latimes.com
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