caption associated_acts years_active birth_place label name background birth_date instrument genre image article_title birth_name occupation
arthur , 2010 in seattle washington performing with fistful of mercy , november 9 the lonely astronauts , fistful of mercy , rndm 1996 -- present akron , ohio , united states lonely astronaut records , real world records joseph arthur solo_singer 28 september 1971 vocals , guitar , harmonica , bass , keyboards alternative rock , folk rock , indie folk joseph arthur by sbeals.jpg joseph arthur
 joseph arthur musician
joseph arthur

joseph arthur -lrb- born september 28 , 1971 -rrb- is an american singer-songwriter and artist from akron , ohio , united states .
he is best known for his solo material , and as a member of fistful of mercy and rndm .
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 often 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-1990s , 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 '' -lrb- 1997 -rrb- , and follow-up , `` come to where i 'm from '' -lrb- 2000 -rrb- , on real world before signing with various independent labels between 2002 and 2006 .
he established his own record label , lonely astronaut records , in 2006 , and released two studio albums , `` let 's just be '' -lrb- 2007 -rrb- and `` temporary people '' -lrb- 2008 -rrb- with backing band the lonely astronauts .
arthur subsequently returned to performing and recording as a solo artist , releasing `` the graduation ceremony '' in 2011 and the double album , `` redemption city '' in 2012 .
in 2013 , arthur started a pledge music campaign to fund the release of his tenth studio album , `` the ballad of boogie christ '' .
the album was released on june 11 , 2013 .
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 .
