Silverlites - "Silverlites"

 

On October 10, 2024, Joseph announced on Instagram the imminent release of an album by a supergroup named "Silverlites", consisting of Joe, Peter Buck (R.E.M), Barrett Martin (Screaming Trees and Mad Season) and Rich Robinson (The Black Crowes).

This album was mentioned publicly for the first time by Barrett Martin in February 2021 with a picture of Peter & Joseph :"I worked with @joseph_arthur Peter Buck, and Rich Robinson on an immensely cool new project, which was also helped along by Jack Endino"

Barrett gives more detail in May 2021:

"Well, that wraps up another album production, this time in New York City, where we just mixed the new album from Peter Buck, Rich Robinson, Joseph Arthur and myself. We recorded it all over the country starting back in 2019: Nashville, Washington State, Portland, and then we mixed it all in New York with Daniel Sanint at the superb Flux Studios in Manhattan. What a great vibe there. You’ll start hearing about this band soon enough, but it’s nice to complete yet another album in New York. Now we’re heading to Nashville! Love to all, Barrett"

Barrett was the guest of Joseph's podcast "Come To Where I'm From" in June 2021.

They talked about their new band, and explained how it came about. Rich reached out to Barrett to suggest they form a band. They met up in Nashville with Peter Buck in 2019 and started creating songs in a hotel room for about 3 days. Joseph came in on the final phase of the project by adding lyrics.

During the interview, Joseph compared the songs to "a cross between Zeppelin and REM."

Barrett clarified that the band did not yet have a name. It was supposed to be "Mother Karma," but they decided against it.

But a month later, the L.A. Times wrote an article about Joseph: “Being the relentless voice of what he sees as a disaffected minority has cost him dearly. This year, his longtime music manager dropped him as a client, followed by his booking agent. Arthur’s new band quit en masse, and he says he lost a record deal that would have provided his fans with a new double album.”

Joseph posted on July 2023 some pictures with Barrett, and wrote " Glorious day and wonderful to connect again".

We will have to wait until February 2024 to hear about this project again. Barrett writes on Facebook:

"”one of the last things Mark (Lanegan) and I worked on was I had him sequence this double album that I produced for Peter Buck, Rich Robinson and Joseph Arthur, and I’m in the band too – the record hasn’t come out yet, because of endless delays and the Black Crowes are releasing a new album – but someday it’ll come out and that’s Mark’s sequence. Because he loved the album, and none of us could figure out how to sequence it, so he sequenced it in Ireland and sent it back to me and I was like, “that’s perfect”.

On October 12, 2024, Barrett revealed the list of twelve songs from the album which is scheduled for release on November 15.

Still Don't Know

Forever And A Day

No One To Follow

Don't Go, Don't Stay

When You're Around

Need To Fly

No Time

Dark And Magic Sky

Looking For A Friend

Lifted

No More

Inside Your Love

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