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| Arthur Yoria | mp3.com/arthuryoria |
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Arthur Yoria - "I'll Be Here Awake"Arthur Yoria is one of those musicians that have the rare ability to churn out one gem of a tune after another. His uncanny ear for melody, hooks, and arrangement is paralleled only by his captivating voice which seems to carry the weight of a thousand break-ups but somehow manages to soar effortlessly to a place where joy, goose bumps, and repeated listens are unavoidable. Built on beefy rhythms, unforgettable riffs and clever lyrics that can quickly go from touching to venomous, Arthur's songs are models of contemporary pop song craft. After stints in the Houston based bands, The Jeepneys and Lavendula, Arthur decided to set out on his own and released a self-titled EP in 2001 to much critical acclaim as well as some interest from various major labels. With a solid backing band and a commitment to play live as often as possible, the end of the year brought with it a nomination in the Houston Press Music Awards "Best New Act" category and a management deal with Los Angeles based Kio Novina Management (Tenacious D, Actual Tigers). In 2002, Arthur released his second EP, can you still look adorable and this time received nominations in the "Musician of the Year," "Songwriter of the Year" and "Song of the Year" categories of the Houston Press Music Awards. Shortly before the nominations, however Arthur discovered that he had a devoted fan in former Houston Rocket, Matt Maloney. Having similar tastes in music and also sharing a strong belief in the effectiveness of solid fundamentals when it comes to winning in OT, the two rapidly became good friends. One year and several drunken conversations about the state of the music industry later, 12 Records, Inc. was formed by Matt and Arthur for the purposes of recording and promoting music that has to provide the answer, "yes" to a simple question that they will each ask themselves: Would I buy this? I'll Be Here Awake is Arthur Yoria's debut full-length on 12 Records. A stunning achievement, this record shows the Houston based, Chicago native at the apex of his talents. From beginning to end, this 37 and-a-half minute pop/rock masterpiece delivers one swift kick after another while leaving imprints, not soon erased of it's well-crafted melodies, undeniable hooks and raw emotions. One of those rare releases that not only wins over the reluctant music snob, but gets the reluctant music snob's grandmother humming-along, I'll Be Here Awake is that CD that becomes more reliable than your best friend. "It's funny; this record basically came about as a result of me getting laid off from my full time day job" Arthur admits, "When the news came, I decided right then that I needed to somehow make a living out of writing, recording, and performing songs; even if it meant store-brand tuna and crackers every day for a while. So the next step was to make a record that I wouldn't be ashamed to cram down people's throats for the next year or so in order to not have to return to the cubicle habitat for 40 hours a week with my rock-and-roll tail between my legs." Fresh faces give festival a varied taste of talentBy MICHAEL D. CLARK (Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle) AUSTIN -- Since 1986, the beautiful frustration of the annual South by Southwest Music Conference has been options. Too many options. With more than 50 clubs and stages featuring several artist showcases a night, there is no end to the possibilities. Well-known superstars (Blur, Liz Phair), regional favorites (Billy Joe Shaver) and eclectic oddities (The Yardbirds, actor Billy Bob Thornton) all can be heard. Ha Lam / Special to the Chronicle Liz Phair takes to the stage during the South by Southwest music festival in Austin, March 13. But the real prizes are the fresh faces, like Houstonian Arthur Yoria, Denmark's the Raveonettes and New York's White Light Motorcade. All played here on Thursday. There is music in "every car, every store and on every corner," said Thursday's keynote speaker Daniel Lanois, a prolific artist / producer who helped make U2's The Joshua Tree and Bob Dylan's Time Out of Mind, two of the most memorable rock albums of the past 15 years. "There is a danger that you might stop loving it." Some 30,000-35,000 records are released each year, even amid recent reports that music sales were down almost 10 percent last year. At SXSW, too much music can make the audio connoisseur second-guess himself. No matter what you're listening to, there's always the possibility that better, more groundbreaking or more unexpected music might be available somewhere else. An early Thursday arrival at the Austin Convention Center found R.E.M. Guitarist Peter Buck hanging in a hallway, looking like he needed caffeine and directions. Buck had made the trip to sit in with Arkansas bluesman Cedell Davis, who provided a musical prelude to Lanois' keynote address. Lanois spoke in reverent terms about his role as a collaborator and about creating the steel-pedal melodies of Shine, his first solo album in nine years (release date April 22). "You are great. This is your moment of originality," he said about the feeling of completing a fulfilling song. The message from a variety of panels seemed to be that the art of music is still enlightening, even if the marketing is often distasteful.
Phair, participating in a Q&A moderated by National Association of Recording
Arts and Sciences president Neil Portnow, said her self-titled new album (due
June 24 ), her first in five years, rocks harder than anything she's ever done
because she now understands the industry game. She put Portnow on the hot
seat, asking him why elegant Norah Jones scored a Grammy sweep over the
"white trash" element of Eminem and Avril Lavigne. Portnow acknowledged
that maybe a broader range of voters is needed.
All debates about the music industry were put to rest once the evening performances started. Yoria played to an intimate gathering at the club Spill on Sixth Street, but this Houston boy's following could be multiplying soon. Songs like Sevilla and My Best Routines start as acoustic emo-core romances that explode into a chorus of extended, bombastic jams. His shaved head emphasizes a carved jaw line and eyebrows that furrow with the pleasure and pain of his lyrics. The buzz of Thursday was a set by the Raveonettes. Aside from delivering a feedback-drenched death-march cover of the Buddy Holly favorite Everyday, vocalists Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo (the best rock bassist since Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon) ran through Joy Division-inspired harmonies from the new album Whip It On at earsplitting volume. The Raveonettes were good, but they couldn't surpass the set by opening band White Light Motorcade. Arriving from the same West Village scene that produced the Strokes, the group plays messy guitar rock polished with the contrasting voice harmonies of nasal vocalist Harley DiNardo and guitarist Mark Lewis. By this time next year the members of White Light Motorcade will be stars. Right now, however, they hang around to drink beer in the club with new fans.
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