Avoiding the confines of the "singer-songwriter" genre, Arthur Yoria makes a unique and powerful statement w/ his debut full-length, I'll Be Here Awake(12Records). Imbuing his touching and sometimes venomous love stories with rock'n'roll edge, raw emotions and undeniable hooks is Arthur's way of setting himself apart from the average "solo-artist." "The goal was to have the songs be simple and to-the-point sonically but have the lyrics provide some unexpected twists and turns." says Arthur. The result is an infectious 37 and-a-half-minute power-pop manifesto with charm and appeal to spare. "I'd be willing to bet that every song could be a successful single"(Smother.net). Songs off of I'll Be Here Awake have been featured in MTV's Camp Jim, FOX's The OC and in several independent films. In addition, I'll Be Here Awake(title track) reached #8 in the country on the FMQB Specialty Commercial Radio Chart this fall and I'll Pretend(track 8) was the #1 song(all genres) on Garageband.com for 6 consecutive weeks. Based in Houston, TX, the Chicago native got a late start in music when he first picked up the guitar while attending the University of Houston. After stints in the Houston based bands, The Jeepneys and Lavendula, Arthur decided to set out on his own and released a 4-song, self-titled EP in 2001 followed by a 5-song EP, can you still look adorable in 2002. Having racked up rave reviews, nomination after nomination in the Houston Press Music Awards and some friendly but frivolous phone calls from the major labels, Arthur felt it was time to record a full-length. So with the help of good friend and former Houston Rocket, Matt Maloney, 12Records, Inc. was created for that very purpose. Arthur has toured the U.S. as well as the U.K. playing in venues such as the Knitting Factory in L.A., Sin-e' and CBGBs in NYC and the world-famous Cavern Club in Liverpool, England. Scheduled for 2005 is another U.S. tour followed by some European dates to promote an EP of songs in Spanish recently recorded by the Colombian/American Yoria.