INTERVIEW : 2000-06-01 Career rolling on a royal bus (by Glenn Gamboa)

Firestone High grad Joseph Arthur has a new CD, a hit single -- and Prince's wheels

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS: Even at his most raucous, Joseph Arthur will never beat a listener into submission with his soft voice. He will never outgun a Metallica riff with a blast from his hand-painted acoustic guitar.

His music will never be overpowering. And he knows that.

In fact, his greatest asset -- even before his poignant voice, knack for gorgeous melodies and ingenious live presentation -- is that he knows himself.

The lanky 27-year-old Akron native knows his strengths and his limitations. He knows what he wants and what he is willing to do to get it. He knows others are unsure of themselves -- so he knows he is no different from anybody else.

Ask Arthur why he paints, and he'll say that he just started when he was in grade school in Akron and he never stopped. Ask him why he sings, and he'll give the only acceptable answer: He has to.

So he does -- even on nights when he doesn't exactly feel like it.

``This is a quiet song,'' he tells the crowd at the Grog Shop before launching into an acoustic number. ``You have a reputation with me for being loud, so I need you to be a little quieter. That means you folks over at the bar.''

The girls immediately to Arthur's left are giggling to each other about his butt. Guys at the bar are whooping it up about the Indians game on the TV above the bar. Canned golf claps blare from the Golden Tee video game in the corner after someone sinks a putt. And the creeeeek-ker-slam of the bar's wooden front door continues to add an unintended bit of percussion into Arthur's show.

Normally, it wouldn't bother him.

After all, things are going pretty well.

His new CD Come to Where I'm From has been well-received by critics. The first single Chemical is starting to get attention from rock radio stations, including hitting No. 1 at WAPS (91.3-FM) in Akron. The video for the song, directed by famed photographer Anton Corbijn with help from Arthur's mentor Peter Gabriel, is in rotation at MTV. And Arthur has just returned from a successful European tour, where he played in front of tens of thousands of people as the opening act for Ben Harper.

But on this night, he's battling a nasty lung infection. He's hopped up on Dayquil and wrestling with the effects of insomnia. And frankly, he was looking for some of the comforts of home.

``This is my hometown gig,'' said Arthur, dressed in a Cleveland T-shirt and jeans, ``and my jokes are falling flat.''

Less than half an hour later, he walks off the Grog Shop stage without saying a word, leaving while his final song still loops through the sound system.

``I was having a prima-donna moment,'' said Arthur, after the concert -- the second in his three-concert stint over six weeks. ``It got me mad, but I'm OK now.''

Plush on the bus

It was a mere bump in Arthur's road to the Big Time.

A slight disappointment? Sure.

Only two weeks earlier than that Arthur seemed to be heading to stardom on a highway paved with gold, rolling along in air-conditioned, cushioned comfort in the modified bus he rented from the Artist Formerly Known as the Artist Formerly Known as Prince.

``Don't ever let me complain about being on the road again,'' he said, showing off his swanky bedroom-on-wheels, which includes a Prince-size bed and a purple-lit screen with little doves on it. ``This is pretty great.''

Arthur had just delivered an excellent set worthy of the opening night of his American tour at the Grog Shop, a jaunt that could take his career to the next level.

His hourlong set was also worthy of a hero returning to his hometown.

The 12 steps between the stage and his bus were crowded with well-wishers and childhood friends.

``You were so awesome, man,'' said Jon Erisey, who played in a band with Arthur while they were both students at Firestone High School. ``I just have to hug you again.''

Erisey, who now works as a graphic artist, making large-scale signs, presented Arthur with a massive sign featuring artwork from the Come to Where I'm From CD.

``He was one helluva bass player in high school,'' said Erisey. ``Now, he's just great. I knew he was going to make it after he came to school one day with bandages on his fingers. It sounds (corny) now, but it was just like that Bryan Adams' song. He played until his fingers bled.''

It was that bass playing that first landed Arthur attention in local music circles. While still in high school, he began playing with local hero Frankie Starr, gaining a reputation as a bass prodigy.

After graduating from Firestone High in 1990, Arthur moved to Atlanta to launch his career. A twist of fate put Arthur's demo tape in the hands of Peter Gabriel, who immediately signed Arthur to his Real World label, resulting in a major-label deal and the debut Big City Secrets in 1997. Gabriel also covered Arthur's In the Sun, for a tribute CD for Princess Diana.

``(Big City Secrets) was basically shelved as soon as it came out,'' said Arthur, explaining how Virgin Records, the distributor of Real World, opted against a big media blitz to support the album. ``In a way, (Come to Where I'm From) is really my first release in the U.S.''

Because of the limited promotion for his debut, Arthur didn't get to play in Northeast Ohio much in the past few years. He's glad he gets to make up for that now.

So is his mom, Linda, who smiles from ear to ear, watching fans shower attention on her son.

``I've always thought he was great,'' she said. ``It's nice to see what other people think.''

Multiple shows

Joseph Arthur likes these multiple-show appearances, doing several of them at a time in various cities within a 500-mile radius.

He calls them ``residencies,'' though that makes more sense when he sets up shop in a city like Seattle or New York City to play the same place week after week.

He likes these residencies. They work to his advantage.

Songs like Chemical get inside your head and take up residence. The melodies stick with you. The meaning of the lyrics unfold when you least expect it. You find yourself remembering how he built a glorious song like Mercedes or Big City Secrets before your eyes -- laying down vocal tracks and rhythm tracks, looping them and then playing and singing over them.

Arthur does not overpower anyone with his music or his performances. He's far subtler than that. He succeeds because he gets the help from the listener, knowingly or not.

That plan of action will be in effect tomorrow night, as he rounds out his Cleveland residency at the Grog Shop.

It also remains intact when he thinks about the future.

``I don't want to be a huge superstar -- actually that seems to be more trouble than it's worth,'' said Arthur. ``I'm not thinking about selling millions of records. I just want some respect. I just want to be able to keep going. If I can keep going, I'll be happy.''

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