Ice Cream Man

Joseph Arthur at the Troubadour

Words by Danielle Kelly
Photos by

Joseph Arthur’s show at the Troubadour poised itself to be an intimate experience, with chairs setup in the small venue for a special solo performance. Sauntering onstage with his trademark aviator shades, Arthur sat down to deliver soaring harmonica accompanying his angst-filled, gritty voice. Shortly into the set list, he rejected recumbence and stood up saying, “I don’t know about you, but I’m standing up. Shows are always more rocking if everybody’s standing.” Which rang true as the crowd willingly obliged and grew more engaged.

The pitch of Arthur’s vibrato poignantly reverberated through the house, occasionally breaking into a falsetto that cut into the soul and evoked empathy - impressive for a man with such a deep speaking voice. Layered sequences from his guitar were anchored by brooding lyrical vignettes of love: “I found myself a hiding place/I’ve been uncomfortable looking in your eyes/They always see right through my face”. Amidst the candid performance, tracks like, “A Smile That Explodes”, “King of the Pavement”, “Mexican Army”, and “Redemption’s Son” satiated requests shouted by a few grating audience members.

The artist exuded Ryan Adams’ reflection, Mick Jagger’s growls, and Bob Dylan’s cool disregard. Blowing his harmonica with affectionate labor and picking at the guitar with skillful precision, Joseph Arthur’s alluring musicianship is anticipated to carry through on his upcoming release, Temporary People.

Yielding to the “wild spirit” of the Troubadour, Arthur returned for a five-song encore, ending out the show with such vulnerable tracks as “Favorite Girl” and “In The Sun”. Offering to meet the crowd afterward, the artist ambled offstage and left behind his guitar, laid on the ground, next to a thick songbook chronicling over ten years of heartache.