INTERVIEW: 2024-05-08 Joseph Arthur ‘relaunching’ his music career (by Christina Fuoco-Karasinski)

Renaissance man Joseph Arthur is calling from a playground near Phoenix, watching his 2 1/2-year-old daughter burn off a little energy. “Yes, sweetie,” peppers his conversation.

“She’s so cute it’s insane,” Arthur said, before putting aside the phone to say, “No, sweetie, you have to learn to share.”

Fatherhood has inspired Arthur’s new music, which will be included in his set at 191 Toole on Friday, May 10. Arthur sings over percussive loops and interweaving of guitars and vocals.

“I’ll be doing a bunch of new songs and some old ones,” Arthur said. “I’ll hopefully be live painting, too. Basically, I’ll explore the outer reaches of my soul, live on stage, through the vehicle called music.”

Discovered by Peter Gabriel and Lou Reed almost 30 years ago, Arthur called the new collection “a relaunch” of his music career. The first single is “One Life,” which he recorded with Lance Davis in Apache Junction.

“We’re going to start promoting it on socials and we’re going to get the first single mastered,” he said. “A 15-song record is done. It’s pretty strong. We’re excited.”

“It deals with questions of faith. I would say more spiritual themes, themes about God and spirit and seeking answers to those kinds of questions in this day. More and more people are questioning those things.”

“Serenity Prayer” is woven through “One Life.”

“It’s pretty important to everyone who is human,” he said about “Serenity Prayer,” a 25-word prayer that is often heard at Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.

“It’s an interesting philosophy. It questions, ‘Do we have free will or not?’ Those kinds of questions entice me for sure, just in day-to-day life and artistically.”

Arthur said the momentum behind his return is inspiring. He has upcoming shows in France, the United Kingdom and possibly Italy.(Joseph Arthur/Submitted)

Arthur lived in New York for 25 years before relocating to the Valley, to escape the COVID-19 “madness” and to provide a better life for his daughter. He has been hosting an Australian radio show, painting and raising his daughter.

“I pursue a lot of things,” he said. “I don’t always write songs, but that’s the way it’s been for me. Sometimes I take months off and think, ‘Maybe I’m done.’ Then I write 10 songs. Some of them are good.”

Arthur said the momentum behind his return is inspiring. He has upcoming shows in France, the United Kingdom, and possibly Italy.

“It’s almost like the beginning of my career,” he said. “There’s more energy over there. I’m doing these American dates and gearing it all back up again.”

He owes part of it to his daughter.

“Fatherhood has opened up my life,” he said. “It’s a hard thing to explain. It just basically shifts your whole being. It has this power of completely shifting your being and opening up pathways in the mind and heart that you didn’t really know you had.

“It’s so fun. I’m at a playground right now. I’m here all the time. I spend a lot of time in playgrounds right now. I didn’t think that’s where I’d be, but here I am. It shifts your world view. My favorite thing to do, really, is hang out with my daughter.”

Source