A musician is an artist who writes, performs, or creates music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music.

An instrumentalist plays a musical instrument.

A multi-instrumentalist plays a diverse range of instruments such as different forms of percussion, plucked strings, vocals etc.

A singer is a vocalist.

Composers, songwriters and arrangers create musical compositions, songs and arrangements. These may be transcribed in music notation, performed or recorded.

A conductor leads a musical ensemble. A conductor can simultaneously act as an instrumentalist in the ensemble.

A recording artist creates recorded music, such as CDs and MP3 files.

There are many forms of musicians. From classical artist to rock artist. The spectrum is so diverse that there is no limitation to a musician's qualifications.

See also

American Federation of Musicians

External links

Category:Occupations in music

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Coordinates	53°10′″N6°45′″N
name	Nick Mason
background	non_vocal_instrumentalist
birth name	Nicholas Berkeley Mason
born	January 27, 1944Edgbaston, Birmingham, England
instrument	Drums, percussion, keyboards, guitar, vocals
genre	Progressive rock, psychedelic rock, instrumental rock
occupation	Musician, drummer, record producer, author, composer
years active	1964–present
label	Capitol, Columbia, Sony, EMI, Harvest
associated acts	Pink Floyd Sigma 6The Screaming AbdabsThe Tea SetMason & FennRobert WyattCarla BleyMichael Mantler }}

Nicholas Berkeley "Nick" Mason (born 27 January 1944) is an English drummer and songwriter, best known for his work with Pink Floyd. He was the only constant member of the band since its formation in 1965. Despite solely writing only a few Pink Floyd songs, Mason has contributed to some of Pink Floyd's most popular songs such as "Interstellar Overdrive", "A Saucerful Of Secrets" and "Echoes". He also competes in auto racing events, such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Early life

The son of the documentary film maker Bill Mason, he was born in Birmingham but brought up in Hampstead, London (many online biographies mistakenly cite the street address Downshire Hill – sometimes as "the Downshire Hills" – as a district of Birmingham) and attended Frensham Heights School, Surrey. He later studied at the Regent Street Polytechnic (now the University of Westminster), where he teamed up with Roger Waters, Bob Klose and Richard Wright in 1964 to form Pink Floyd's predecessor, Sigma 6.

Musical career

Mason has been the drummer on every Pink Floyd album (but not on every song; some session drummers have been used).

Despite legal conflicts over ownership of the name 'Pink Floyd', Roger Waters and Nick Mason are now on good terms. Mason joined Waters on the last two nights of his 2002 world tour to play drums on the Pink Floyd song "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun", and he also played drums on some concerts of Waters' European tour in 2006, and during performances in Los Angeles and New York City in the United States. On 12 May 2007, Mason joined Waters again on stage at Earls Court to play ''The Dark Side of the Moon''. Again on 12 May 2011 Mason was featured, along with David Gilmour, on the encore Outside the Wall at Waters´ concert who was performing The Wall it its entity. Gilmour also performed on Comfortably Numb that night.

In July 2005, Mason, Gilmour, Wright, and Waters played together on stage for the first time in 24 years. A four song set was played at the Live 8 concert in London. Mason also joined David Gilmour and Richard Wright for the encore during Gilmour's show at the Royal Albert Hall, London, on 31 May 2006, reuniting the post-Waters Pink Floyd. Mason has also claimed to be the link between Gilmour and Waters, and believes the band will play live again. His answers have ranged from "playing again for a charitable cause" to "a tour" given in various interviews in the last few years. He also stated in 2006 that Pink Floyd have not officially disbanded yet.

The only Pink Floyd songs that are solely credited to Mason are "The Grand Vizier's Garden Party Parts 1-3" (from ''Ummagumma'') and "Speak to Me" (from ''The Dark Side of the Moon''). The one-off song by the band entitled "Nick's Boogie" was named after him.

The only times Mason's voice has been included on Pink Floyd's albums are "Corporal Clegg", the single spoken line in "One of These Days" and spoken parts of "Signs of Life" and "Learning to Fly" (the latter taken from actual recording of Mason's first solo flight) from ''A Momentary Lapse of Reason''. He does, however, sing lead vocals on two unreleased but heavily bootlegged tracks, "Scream Thy Last Scream" (1967) and "The Merry Xmas Song" (1975–76). In live performances of the song "Sheep", he did the spoken section.

Unlike the other members of Pink Floyd, Mason has rarely played an instrument other than his usual one (drums), although he has contributed sound effects to many Pink Floyd albums. He has only ever played non-percussive instruments on "The Grand Vizier's Garden Party", his personal composition from ''Ummagumma'', where he provided some keyboard, guitar and bass noises, and on live versions of "Outside the Wall", where he played acoustic guitar along with the rest of the band. He has claimed that he took some failed violin and piano lessons as a child. However, on the ''Profiles'' album Nick released with Rick Fenn in 1985, he is also credited with keyboards. He can be seen playing a synthesizer in the promo video for "Lie for a Lie", but it is unknown if he actually played on the recording.

Mason has done some work with other people, notably as a drummer and producer for Steve Hillage, Robert Wyatt, The Damned and Gong. He also drummed for Michael Mantler.

Nick Mason used Premier drums in the 1960s and occasionally in the 1970s (mainly on recordings up to Wish You Were Here). After that, he used Ludwig drums from 1970 until 1992. He currently uses Drum Workshop (DW) drums, pedals and hardware. His kit is a DW double bass kit with the ''Dark Side of the Moon'' logo on the drums. He has also used Paiste cymbals during his entire career with Pink Floyd. He currently uses a mixture of Paiste Traditional, Signature and 2002 cymbals.

Nick Mason's book, ''Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd'', was published in the UK in October 2004. It is also available, abridged, as a 3CD audio book, read by Mason.

Notable Pink Floyd songs co-written by Mason

Interstellar Overdrive (1967) (''The Piper at the Gates of Dawn'')

A Saucerful Of Secrets (1968) (''A Saucerful of Secrets'')

Atom Heart Mother (1970) (''Atom Heart Mother'')

One of These Days (1971) (''Meddle'')

Echoes (1971) (''Meddle'')

Time (1973) (''The Dark Side of the Moon'')

Non-musical ventures

name	Nick Mason
nationality	British
years	1979–80, 1982–84
team(s)	Dorset Racing AssociatesEMKA ProductionsDome RacingGTi Engineering
best finish	18th (1979)
class wins	0 }}

Mason is married (to his second wife, Nettie) and has four children; two daughters (Holly and Chloe) from his first marriage and two sons (Guy and Cary) from his second. They live in Hampstead, London; however they often stay in the Wiltshire town of Corsham in the former home of Camilla Parker Bowles.

As Floyd's recording and touring schedule grew more sporadic, Mason was left with more time to pursue his favourite hobby: car racing. He owns (through his company Ten Tenths) and races several classic cars, and has competed successfully at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. His collection has been a subject of his 1998 book, ''Into the Red'' in which he documents his experience with his cars, along with some histories. He is also a qualified pilot, and flies an Aerospatiale AS 350 Squirrel helicopter in specially painted colours.

Mason was invited by Ferrari to purchase one of their 400 Enzos, which Jeremy Clarkson pleaded with him to borrow for reviewing purposes on the BBC motoring programme ''Top Gear''. Mason agreed, on the sole condition that throughout the review, Clarkson promoted the release of the book ''Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd''. This led to Clarkson using Pink Floyd album titles in his description of the Enzo and The Stig driving round the track with "Another Brick in the Wall" playing (despite the fact that the Enzo does not come equipped with a stereo). Mason says that his favourite car of all time is the Ferrari 250 GTO, and owns one of the 39 built (which is valued at between £16,000,000 and £20,000,000).

His wealth amounts to £55 million, according to the Sunday Times Rich List 2006–07. (although this figure is believed to be inaccurate as his car collection alone would be worth a substantial part of this figure).

Views and advocacy

Mason is a supporter of the Countryside Alliance and has played concerts to raise funds for the organisation. He is a board member and co-chairman of the Featured Artists' Coalition.

Discography

With Pink Floyd

With Nick Mason's Fictitious Sports

''Nick Mason's Fictitious Sports'' – 3 May 1981

With Rick Fenn

''Profiles'' – 29 July 1985

''White of the Eye'' – 1987 (soundtrack)

''Tank Malling'' – 1988 (soundtrack)

With Michael Mantler

''The Hapless Child'' - 1976

''Something There'' – 1982

''Live'' – 1987

''Review'' - 2000

''Concertos'' – 2008

As a producer

Principal Edwards Magic Theatre – ''The Asmoto Running Band'' (1971)

Principal Edwards Magic Theatre – ''Round One'' (1974)

Robert Wyatt – ''Rock Bottom'' (1974)

Gong – ''Shamal'' (1976)

The Damned – ''Music for Pleasure'' (1977)

Steve Hillage – ''Green'' (1978); Co-produced with Steve Hillage. Mason also plays a drum on "Leylines to Glassdom"

Books

''Into the Red: 22 Classic Cars That Shaped a Century of Motor Sport'' (with Mark Hales) – 3 September 1998 (first edition), 9 September 2004 (second edition)

''Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd'' – 28 October 2004

References

External links

Nick Mason's Drummerworld profile

Nick Mason Interviews

Ten Tenths official site

Inside Out book page from Pink Floyd official site

Pink Floyd Drums: The Division Bell Tour Drums

Nick Mason's interview for Hit Channel website

Category:1944 births Category:Living people Category:People from Edgbaston Category:Old Frenshamians Category:Alumni of the University of Westminster Category:English drummers Category:English rock drummers Category:Pink Floyd members Category:English record producers Category:24 Hours of Le Mans drivers

bs:Nick Mason bg:Ник Мейсън ca:Nick Mason cs:Nick Mason da:Nick Mason de:Nick Mason el:Νικ Μέισον es:Nick Mason eo:Nick Mason fa:نیک میسن fr:Nick Mason ko:닉 메이슨 hr:Nick Mason id:Nick Mason it:Nick Mason he:ניק מייסון ka:ნიკ მეისონი lt:Nick Mason hu:Nick Mason nl:Nick Mason ja:ニック・メイスン no:Nick Mason nn:Nick Mason pl:Nick Mason pt:Nick Mason ro:Nick Mason ru:Мейсон, Ник sk:Nick Mason sl:Nick Mason sr:Ник Мејсон fi:Nick Mason sv:Nick Mason tr:Nick Mason uk:Нік Мейсон

Coordinates	53°10′″N6°45′″N
name	Keaton Simons
background	solo_singer
origin	Los Angeles, California
genre	Rock, Acoustic, Singer/Songwriter
label	CBS Records
website	http://www.keatonsimons.com }}

Keaton Simons (born 20 July 1978) is a Los Angeles recording and performing artist. He is signed to CBS Records and his music has been featured on shows such as ''NCIS: Los Angeles'', ''Crash'', ''American Dad!'', ''Harper's Island'', and ''The Cleaner'' to name a few. Recent performances have included performing for Desmond Tutu at a United Nations event with members of Toto, Paul Simon, and John Mayer's band.

Keaton's multifaceted talents are not just in music, they have landed him appearances on television and film. He has made guest appearances on shows such as ''The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson'', ''Malcolm in the Middle'', and ''American Dreams''. Keaton also appeared in the feature film ''Hollywood Dreams''.

Keaton has shared the stage with many independent singer/songwriters including Tony Lucca, Curtis Peoples, Joe Firstman and Tyrone Wells. In the summer of 2010, Keaton was the opening act on a national tour for REO Speedwagon and Pat Benatar. In 2009 and 2010, Keaton performed at Hotel Carolina, an annual two-day singer-songwriter festival held in South Carolina.

The music video of his song "Good Things Get Better" parodies the documentary ''An Inconvenient Truth'', featured on ''Strictly Global'' VII.

He is the stepson of Eric Roberts.

References

Category:Living people Category:American performance artists Category:1978 births

Coordinates	53°10′″N6°45′″N
name	Imelda May
background	solo_singer
birth name	Imelda Mary Clabby
birth date	July 10, 1974
origin	Dublin, Ireland
spouse	Darrell Higham (2002-present)
instrument	Vocals, bodhrán, guitar
genre	Rockabilly, blues, jazz
occupation	Singer, songwriter-composer
years active	2003–present
label	Foot Tapping, Ambassador (Universal Ireland)), Decca
website	}}

Imelda Mary Higham, Clabby (born 10 July 1974), known as Imelda May, is an Irish vocalist and musician. She began her career in music at 16 and released her debut album in 2005. She also plays the bodhrán and guitar. She won the Best Female Artist of the Year award at the 2009 Meteor Awards.

Early life and career

May was born in Dublin on 10 July 1974 in an area known as The Liberties. She is the youngest of five siblings, with sisters Edel Foy and Maria O'Reilly, and brothers Brendan Clabby and Fintan Clabby. Her early musical influences were Folk and Rock & Roll, especially the music of Buddy Holly, Eddie Cochran and Gene Vincent. By the age of nine, she was a fan of Rockabilly and Blues, particularly Elmore James and Billie Holiday. At fourteen, she sang in an advertisement for Findus Fish Fingers. However, her career began at age 16 when she began touring the Dublin club circuit and she was occasionally barred from her own shows at Dublin's Bruxelles club for being underage. "I was getting tips from the best musicians in Dublin," May said. "One of them said, 'your voice is great, but it needs to roughen.'" It was around this time, when driving a tearful Imelda to a gig after a boyfriend break-up her father asked her, "Is your heart broken? Excellent. Now you can sing the blues." After moving to the UK in 1998, May began singing with Blue Harlem and Mike Sanchez.

Professional career

May began her professional career in 2003, forming her band and releasing ''No Turning Back'' (Foot Tapping Records) under her maiden name, Imelda Clabby. Specializing in rockabilly music, the album was later re-recorded and re-issued by Foot Tapping Records under her married name in 2005.

In 2007, she joined a recording contract with Ambassador Records (a subsidiary of Foot Tapping Records), and recorded her second album. ''Love Tattoo'' reached No. 1 in Ireland and received wide critical acclaim. It caught the attention of Jools Holland, whom she later supported on tour, which led him to request that she appear on his well-known music show ''Later... with Jools Holland''. She was well received in the United Kingdom, performing to an audience that included Jeff Beck, Elbow, and Roots Manuva. Her first two singles, ''Johnny Got a Boom-Boom'' and ''Big Bad Handsome Man'', were released on 23 January 2009. She performed on Ireland's most popular television show, ''The Late Late Show''. She won Female Artist of the Year at the 2009 Meteor Awards. May has also toured the United States including, most recently, a tour with Jamie Cullum. On 14 August 2009, she appeared on RTÉ's ''Other Voices'' singing ''Johnny Got a Boom Boom'' and an unplugged version of ''Big Bad Handsome Man.'' thumb|250px|May at the Azkena Rock Festival, Spain, 2010 }}

On 31 January 2010, she performed at the 52nd Grammy Awards with Jeff Beck in tribute to Les Paul. After some promotional performances at festivals, such as the Eurosonic Festival in Groningen, Netherlands, she released her third studio album, ''Mayhem'', in Ireland on September 3, 2010 — again reaching No. 1 in the Irish Album Charts — and in the United Kingdom on 4 October 2010. On July 18, 2011, May made her network television debut on ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'', performing "Mayhem," in promotion of the album's recent release in the U.S. and later appeared on ''Conan'' on August 8.

Imelda May has recently contributed a cover of Buddy Holly's "I'm Looking For Someone To Love" for the upcoming tribute album, Listen to Me: Buddy Holly to be released on September 6, 2011.

Performances with other artists

May has shared the stage with Wanda Jackson, Alison Moyet, Lou Reed, David Gilmore, Sharon Corr, The Supremes, Brian Setzer, The Dubliners, Madeleine Peyroux, Matt Bianco, Elvis Costello, Jools Holland, Jeff Beck and Meat Loaf . She has worked with producers Tony Visconti and Peter Asher. She also sings in The Candy Box Burlesque Club in Birmingham. She has appeared alongside The World Famous Palookaville! Burlesque Orchestra at every Candy Box show since it started in February 2006.

May has sung for the Flashmonkey burlesque band, a popular night at Cafe De Paris in London, also featuring trumpeter/composer Eacott.

In 2009, she recorded the official Children In Need single alongside Cara Dillon, Terry Wogan, Hayley Westenra, and others at Abbey Road Studios. In 2010, she participated on ''Emotion & Commotion'' by Jeff Beck, singing on the track ''Lilac Wine'' and also on the Japanese CD bonus track ''Poor Boy.'' On 11 November 2010, she appeared as a guest on BBC2's comedy panel music show, ''Never Mind The Buzzcocks''.

In 2010, she performed with Meat Loaf as part of the UK leg of his Hang Cool Tour. During 2011, she and her band toured with Jeff Beck.

In August 2011 she performed on Jay Leno, Conan O’Brien and the Craig Ferguson show

Personal life

May is married to her guitarist and band member, Darrel Higham. She is a vegetarian.

Discography

Studio albums

Year	Album details	Peak chart positions
		! style="width:30px;"	! style="width:30px;"
2005		* Released: 2002 as Imelda Clabby, re-released in 2005 as Imelda May.	* Label: Foot Tapping Records	* Formats: CD	—	—
2008		* Released: October 20, 2008	Universal Records>Universal	* Formats: CD, Download	1	58
2010	style="text-align:left;"	* Released: October 4, 2010	* Label: Universal	* Formats: CD, Download	1	7

Singles

Year	Single	Chart positions
!style="width:4em"	!style="width:4em"
	"Johnny Got a Boom Boom"
"Big Bad Handsome Man"
	style="text-align:left;"

Band members

Imelda May – vocals, bodhrán

Al Gare – double bass, bass guitar

Steve Rushton – drums

Darrel Higham – guitar

Dave Priseman – trumpet, flugelhorn, percussion, guitar

Awards and nominations

style="background:#B0C4DE;"	Year	Organisation	Nominated work	Award	Result
	2009 Meteor Awards		Imelda May	Best Irish Female
	RTÉ Radio 1	rowspan="2"	Album of the Year
	Choice Music Prize	Choice Music Prize

References

External links

Imelda May Album Review

No Turning Back (Imelda Clabby) Review

Blue Harlem (featuring Imelda May) Reviews

Music On-Air Interview

Liberation Frequency interview

Category:1974 births Category:Living people Category:Irish female singers Category:Irish jazz singers Category:Music from Dublin (city) Category:People from Dublin (city) Category:Irish musicians Category:Rockabilly musicians

de:Imelda May es:Imelda May fr:Imelda May pt:Imelda May ru:Имельда Мэй

Coordinates	53°10′″N6°45′″N
name	Joseph Arthur
background	solo_singer
birth name	%7C alias
birth date	September 28, 1971
origin	Akron, Ohio, United States
instrument	Vocals, guitar, harmonica, bass
genre	Alternative rock, folk rock
years active	1996–present
label	Lonely Astronaut Records
associated acts	The Lonely Astronauts, Fistful of Mercy
website	www.josepharthur.comwww.lonelyastronautrecords.com }}

Joseph Arthur (born September 28, 1971) is an American singer-songwriter and artist from Akron, Ohio. Combining poetic lyrics with a layered sonic palette, Arthur has built his reputation over the years through critically acclaimed releases and constant touring; his unique solo live performances incorporate the use of a number of distortion and loop pedals, and his shows are recorded live at the soundboard and made available to concertgoers immediately following the show on recordable media. Arthur was discovered by Peter Gabriel in the mid-'90s, and signed to Gabriel's Real World label as the first North American artist on the label's roster. Arthur released his debut album ''Big City Secrets'' (1997) and follow-up ''Come to Where I'm From'' (2000) on Real World before signing with various independent labels between 2002 and 2006. He established his own record label, Lonely Astronaut Records, in 2006.

Arthur is also an acclaimed painter and designer. His artwork has graced the sleeves of his entire discography; the sleeve design for his 1999 extended play ''Vacancy'' was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Recording Package.

Musical history

Early life and ''Big City Secrets''

Joseph began writing and playing music in his early teens, after inheriting an electronic keyboard from his aunt. At age 16, he played bass in a blues band called Frankie Starr and the Chill Factor, which disbanded by 1995. Joseph graduated from Firestone High School in 1990 and continued developing his music. 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.

In 1996, Peter Gabriel's A&R; associate Harvey Schartz presented Gabriel with a demo of Arthur's first EP, ''Cut and Blind''. Gabriel and Schwartz arranged a live audition at ''The Fez'' nightclub in New York City, and Arthur flew up from Atlanta. The night was a success; not only was Lou Reed a guest in the audience, but within a few months Arthur was officially signed, Arthur recorded his debut album at Gabriel's Real World Studios in England with producer Markus Dravs (Björk, Coldplay, Arcade Fire). The debut album ''Big City Secrets'' was released worldwide in spring 1997, and Arthur joined Gabriel's WOMAD tour in Europe. ''Big City Secrets'' displayed Arthur's often angsty and emotionally-wrought lyrics coupled with diverse instrumentation, which he himself described as "someone struggling to heal over experimental folk-rock", but went virtually unnoticed by the mainstream. Two years later, he recorded an EP called ''Vacancy'', which earned him a Grammy nomination in 2000 for best recording package.

2000–2003: ''Come to Where I'm From'' and ''Redemption's Son''

In April 2000, Arthur released his sophomore studio album ''Come to Where I'm From'', which was co-produced with T-Bone Burnett and Tchad Blake. The album exhibited a more polished and accessible sound, and received positive accolades from Pitchfork Media and ''Entertainment Weekly''. Arthur began playing for larger audiences, opening for Ben Harper and Gomez. During that same period, he released a promotional live album recorded at the Gypsy Tea Room bar in Dallas, Texas.

After releasing a series of four EPs called ''Junkyard Hearts'', which were only available to purchase at his live shows, his third album, ''Redemption's Son'', came out in May 2002 in the UK. The American release was delayed until November 2002 since Arthur had been dropped by EMI in North America, having been picked up by Universal Music Group imprint Enjoy Records. The double album furthered the themes of emotional and spiritual dislocation found on ''Come to Where I'm From'', and was described by Allmusic reviewer Thom Jurek as a "sleeper hit."

While on tour, Arthur regularly released recordings of his performances soon after each show. He also recorded an album with alternative rock side project Holding the Void, featuring himself on vocals and guitar, Pat Sansone on vocals and bass, and Rene Lopez on vocals and drums. In Summer 2003, he toured with Tracy Chapman in the US.

2004–2006: ''Our Shadows Will Remain''

Arthur signed a new recording contract with Vector Recordings and began recording his fourth studio album, ''Our Shadows Will Remain'' across New Orleans, New York City, London, and Prague. The album was released in September 2004, and was Arthur's first album to feature string arrangements, provided by the City of Prague Philharmonic. The album was released to widespread critical acclaim; Allmusic's Thom Jurek awarded the album 4.5 out of 5 stars, praising that, "Arthur is in a class of his own and ''Our Shadows Will Remain'' is a monstrous, memorable outing, his finest moment in a career that is thus far full of them." ''Entertainment Weekly'' gave the album an A rating, hailing the album as "especially forceful and cohesive"; ''The Guardian'' hailed that Joseph "might just be a genuine mad genius"; ''Stylus Magazine'' gave the album an A– rating; and Chris Rubin of ''Rolling Stone'' named ''Our Shadows Will Remain'' as the number 1 album of the year 2004 in the year-end critics' pick list.

Arthur toured the US alone and with Joan Wasser to promote the album, and a new EP called ''And the Thieves Are Gone'', which collected unreleased tracks from the ''Shadows'' recording sessions, came out in December. Shortly afterward, Arthur went on a brief tour of Europe with R.E.M.. ''Our Shadows Will Remain'' was picked up by 14th Floor Records for distribution in the United Kingdom in 2005, which yielded the release of four singles: "Can't Exist" in July, "Even Tho" in September, "Devil's Broom" in February 2006 to coincide with his first headlining appearance at London's Shepherds Bush Empire, and a reissue of "Can't Exist" in May 2006, although none of the singles charted on the UK Singles Chart.

In August 2006, Joseph was invited to help launch the project A River Blue, where a group of young people in northern Uganda were brought together to participate in a music, drama, and art festival. Joseph also recorded the song "A River Blue" for the foundation.

2006–2007: Lonely Astronaut Records, ''Nuclear Daydream'', and ''Let's Just Be''

Also in 2006, Arthur started the record label Lonely Astronaut Records with longtime professional partner Lauren Pattenaude. He released a book entitled ''We Almost Made It'', a visual collection of his artworks, along with an accompanying instrumental CD titled ''The Invisible Parade'' in May 2006. In September 2006, Arthur released his fifth studio album, ''Nuclear Daydream'', which was recorded in Berlin and Los Angeles. The album would be the first release on his new label. Joseph then embarked on a worldwide tour with 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. The EP includes six versions of the song, one featuring Arthur himself singing with Stipe and another remixed by Justin Timberlake, and is available only on iTunes. On March 26, 2007, Joseph's then-UK label 14th Floor Records released a re-recorded version of his 2002 song "Honey and the Moon" as a special single in the UK only. In April, he released his sixth studio album, ''Let's Just Be'', and embarked on an extensive US tour. This was Joseph's first album with The Lonely Astronauts; the band recorded as many as 80 songs in late 2006, with only sixteen appearing on the album. The album was released to lukewarm critical reception, with Pitchfork Media calling the album "unfocused" and "sloppy," summarizing that the album "sounds like it came together on the fly, in jam sessions that didn't stem from any kind of solid idea."

2008–present

In 2008, Arthur released four EPs in a four-month span: ''Could We Survive'' on March 18, ''Crazy Rain'' on April 15, ''Vagabond Skies'' on June 10, and ''Foreign Girls'' on July 8. Regarding these releases, Arthur noted, "I have so much music piled up, like strange animals in a cosmic cage begging for release. The jails were overcrowded. I had to let some of them go." He played seven solo shows during the SXSW 2008 Festival, six in Austin and one in Dallas. Live dates in Europe and an extensive US solo tour coincided with the new releases. ''Temporary People'', his seventh full-length studio album and second with The Lonely Astronauts, was released on September 30, 2008. The album was received warmly by critics, with ''The Times Online'' stating that it "evokes the loose, rocking swagger and country melancholy of early-1970s Stones", and Crawdaddy! noting that Arthur "treats his audience to a brawny and brooding rock album, notching his most fully realized LP to date in the process." The album came out in Europe in late October, and afterward Arthur embarked on a solo tour and opened for Tracy Chapman on her six-week "Our Bright Future" European tour, followed by tour dates in Canada.

Arthur recorded a cover of The Afghan Whigs's "Step Into the Light" from their 1996 album ''Black Love'' for the tribute album, ''Summer's Kiss: A Tribute to The Afghan Whigs''. Following UK tour dates with The Lonely Astronauts in July, Arthur embarked on a solo tour of France in October 2009. A reissue of his 2006 album ''Nuclear Daydream'' with six previously unreleased bonus tracks was released during this tour.

Arthur, Ben Harper, and Dhani Harrison formed the supergroup trio Fistful of Mercy in 2010, and their debut album ''As I Call You Down'' was released on October 5, 2010. Arthur's first solo studio album since ''Nuclear Daydream'', titled ''The Graduation Ceremony'',was released on May 23, 2011.

Visual art

Arthur has also received acclaim as a painter and designer. His artwork has graced the sleeves of his entire discography, notably the album covers for ''Come to Where I'm From'' and ''Our Shadows Will Remain'', which included a 36-page booklet featuring prints of his original artwork, and was released with a die-cut outer slipcase sleeve. Arthur and frequent graphic design collaborator Zachary Larner's sleeve design for the 1999 extended play ''Vacancy'' was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Recording Package. He staged his first art exhibition in 2006 at the Vertigo Gallery in London from February 10 to February 12, and released a 110-page book entitled ''We Almost Made It'', a visual collection of his artworks, along with an accompanying instrumental CD titled ''The Invisible Parade'' in May 2006.

He set up his personal art gallery ''The Museum of Modern Arthur'' in June 2007 as a brick and mortar location in Brooklyn's DUMBO District. According to an article on Stereogum.com, Joseph and the MOMAR were evicted from the building. Joseph held a record release party for ''Temporary People'' before the closing of the gallery in September 2008. The MOMAR gallery soon morphed into an online gallery.

Live performances

Arthur's one man band live performances incorporate looping techniques and several distortion techniques. His live performances are recorded through to the last note and then burnt to CD-R. They are sold immediately to fans after the concert. Beginning with his fall 2006 tour, Arthur incorporated a full band, The Lonely Astronauts. They are no longer together.

The Lonely Astronauts were:

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

Instruments and loops

Of the guitars that Joseph utilizes, his primary acoustic guitar is an Irish Lowden 012C. Some of Joseph's other guitars include a Garrison G-50-CE, a Gibson ES-335, and a '70s Fender Strat.

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. When performing solo live, he often records a sample of guitar, percussion, or vocals which he can then loop periodically throughout a song, allowing him to perform verses with the added effect of harmonizing with himself.

Discography

Studio albums

''Big City Secrets'' (1997)

''Come to Where I'm From'' (2000)

''Redemption's Son'' (2002)

''Our Shadows Will Remain'' (2004)

''Nuclear Daydream'' (2006)

''Let's Just Be'' (2007) (with The Lonely Astronauts)

''Temporary People'' (2008) (with The Lonely Astronauts)

''The Graduation Ceremony'' (2011)

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)

References

External links

Joseph Arthur's official website

Joseph Arthur's Tumblr blog

Lonely Astronauts – fan website

Lonely Astronaut Records website

Category:Living people Category:American male singers Category:American rock singers Category:American singer-songwriters Category:Songwriters from Ohio Category:1971 births Category:People from Akron, Ohio Authur, Joseph Category:People self-identifying as alcoholics

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