Jars of Clay

Jars of Clay<tr style="text-align: center;"><td colspan="3"> Left to right: Matt Odmark, Dan Haseltine, Steve Mason, Charlie Lowell </td></tr>

Background information <tr><td>Origin</td><td colspan="2">Greenville, Illinois</td></tr><tr><td>Genre(s)</td><td colspan="2">CCM, Pop rock, Alternative</td></tr><tr><td>Years active</td><td colspan="2">c1993–present</td></tr><tr><td style="padding-right: 1em;">Label(s)</td><td colspan="2">Provident, Essential Records</td></tr><tr><th style="background: ;" colspan="3">Members</th></tr><tr><td style="text-align: center;" colspan="3">Dan Haseltine, Stephen Mason, Matthew Odmark, Charlie Lowell</td></tr><tr><th style="background: ;" colspan="3">Former members</th></tr><tr><td style="text-align: center;" colspan="3">Matt Bronlewee, Scott Savage, Aaron Sands, Joe Porter</td></tr>

Jars of Clay is a four-member Christian rock band formed at Greenville College in Greenville, Illinois. The band has been praised for the unique mix of pop, folk, rock, and mild electronica, as well as for the graceful way they communicate their beliefs through their music. The poetic overtones, acoustic guitars, and programmed drum loops of their early work have led people to refer to them as a Christian Rock and/or alt rock band, in spite of the band's lack of a permanent drummer and bassist.

Jars of Clay is Dan Haseltine, Charlie Lowell, Stephen Mason and Matthew Odmark. While the band has no permanent drummer or bass player, for live concerts, these roles have been filled previously by Joe Porter and Aaron Sands, and as of 2006, are filled by Jeremy Lutito and Gabe Ruschival.

The band's name is derived from the New International Version's translation of 2 Corinthians 4:7,

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us."

This verse is the namesake for their song "Four Seven" (a hidden track on the CD release of their first album), which paraphrases the verse.

Band history

The early years

Jars of Clay was formed at Greenville College, in Greenville, Illinois in the early 90s, by Dan Haseltine, Steve Mason and Charlie Lowell. They had been playing and writing without thinking about an actual career in music, but more for fun ("like a dormitory acoustic group"). Second guitarist Matt Bronlewee joined some time later, and drummer Scott Savage also accompanied them in some live shows at this time.

Catching attention

In 1994, the band submitted a demo to a talent competition run by the Gospel Music Association and were selected as finalists. They traveled to Nashville to perform and won the contest. Back in Greenville, they released a self-released demo called Frail. The song that is the album title was originally written by Steve Mason as an audition track for a scholarship to Greenville (his submission was successful). Their performance in Nashville and their demo managed to catch the attention of record labels, so the band decided to drop school and move to Nashville. At this time, Bronlewee left the band to finish school and settle down with his fiancee. He was replaced with Matt Odmark (Lowell's childhood friend).

Jars of Clay performing at The University of Texas at Austin.

Jars' success

Jars of Clay signed with Essential Records and started recording their first full-length album. Former prog-rocker from King Crimson and recent Christian convert Adrian Belew heard the band and offered to produce the album. This debut album was released in 1995 and one of the songs, "Flood", became a hit in Christian radio stations. When the song began to climb the charts on mainstream radio stations, Silvertone (Essential's parent company) heavily promoted the song, turning it into one of the biggest mainstream hits ever had by a Christian band. The album has since passed the double platinum mark.^[1]

Following albums

The band toured in support of other Christian acts, such as PFR and Michael W. Smith, and also with main-stream acts like matchbox twenty and Sting. This resulted in a small backlash from conservative Christian groups. They also released a Christmas EP titled Little Drummer Boy at the end of 1995. The Christmas EP was re-released in 1997. 1997 also saw the release of their second album, Much Afraid, produced by Stephen Lipson. The album sold well and won them a Grammy. However, it didn't reach the same level of success as its predecessor. Fans suspect that this is because Christian groups who backed their first album were hesitant to back a less overtly religious (although still strongly Christian) release.

In 1999, they released their third album, If I Left The Zoo, produced by Dennis Herring, and it reached gold status. It also earned them their second Grammy. By this time, touring drummer Savage left the band's live performance to play for Jaci Velasquez and was replaced by Joe Porter.

Jars in the new millennium

Jars of Clay with their diplomas at Greenville College.

In 2001 the four members of the band received Honorary Degrees at Greenville College, where three of them had studied before dropping out in 1994 to move to Nashville.

In 2002, the band produced and released their fourth album called The Eleventh Hour which earned the band their third Grammy in a row. Unlike earlier albums, The Eleventh Hour was conceived as a Christian rock album, relying on studio musicians and the band's touring musicians to fill in for the band's lack of drums and bass.

2003 saw the band retreating back to their folksier sound. The double-disc Furthermore: From the Studio, From the Stage featured an acoustic disc and a live disc. The acoustic disc consisted of reworked The Eleventh Hour songs, rearranged fan favorites, two The Eleventh Hour b-sides, and a cover of Adam Again's "Dig" (intended as a tribute to the then-recently departed Gene Eugene). The live disc featured a sampling of hits from the band's career.

The band continued the more acoustic and organic approach of Furthermore on their fifth studio album called Who We Are Instead. Released on November 4th, 2003, Who We Are Instead showcased them revisiting various styles they'd tried up to that point, as well as experimenting with new influences, such as gospel, hymnsong, and Nickel Creek's "newgrass" style.

In 2005, the band released Redemption Songs, a collection of old hymns the band used to play in church. Although the band did not write any new songs for the project, they did rework some songs with new melodies and recorded others to melodies written for the "Indelible Grace" series of CDs, which feature hymns set to new tunes written for use in worship meetings of Reformed University Fellowship.^{[citation needed]} Particularly exciting was an acoustic rocker called "God Will Lift Up Your Head", which was a hit for the band on Christian radio.

Also in late 2005, the band announced that the writing for a new album was nearing completion, and that they would be returning to the studio to record the album in the spring. This new project, entitled Good Monsters, was released on September 5, 2006. Backstage at the 2006 GMA Awards, Jars of Clay called it their first ever rock record. In the September 2006 edition of CCM Magazine, the band credited fellow artist Ashley Cleveland with inspiring the improvisational sound of the album.

Jars of Clay popularity has risen as their acclaimed song "Flood" became the theme song to A&E's documentary God or the Girl, tracking the lives of four young men deciding whether to become Catholic priests.

Jars of Clay's catalogue is published by Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing, the CCM division of BMG Music Publishing.

Blood:Water Mission

Lead singer Dan Haseltine visited Africa in 2002, which in turn inspired the founding of Blood:Water Mission, a non-profit organization created to raise awareness and money for the poverty and AIDS stricken regions of the continent. The name is derived from, as Haseltine says, "The two things Africa needs most" - clean blood and clean water. The mission has begun the 1000 Wells project, an effort to have a thousand new wells built throughout Africa.

Jars' beliefs

The band has always been open about their Christian beliefs. Though this hasn't spared them the backlash from some Christian groups, they have stood firm. They claim that "the music comes from a place of true reverence and appreciation of our past and an attempt to leap across the years and articulate that past in a language that could be embraced by us as 21st-century people of faith."^{[citation needed]}

The members of Jars of Clay are also considered role-models by many Christians for their morality, which does not line up with the "rock star" stereotype. Their music lacks moralizing tones and focuses on the Biblical theme of redemption. This has increased the appeal of the band beyond traditional Christian niches; however, members of some Christian groups wish the band's spirituality had more in common with their own. "A lot of Christians probably wish we had a greater agenda than we do," Haseltine says, but adds that he feels that they "don't need to prove the validity of what [they] believe."

Musical Progression

Jars of Clay remains a favorite of fans from all music-genres. Their remarkable musicality, their unique blend of practical and poetic lyrics, their faith, and their spirit, have given them a sound that is truly unmistakable. The band has developed their music through many sounds and genres, from the mid-90's characteristic "jangle" sound of their self-titled debut, to the blue-grassy, mellow and powerful rural sounds of Who We Are Instead. To the classic, acoustic/electric nostalgia of Much Afraid, to the questions, the allegories, the anthemic music of The Eleventh Hour. To the explorative, quirky and ironic humor of If I Left the Zoo, and the simple, reverent mood of Redemption Songs. The team released Good Monsters in September of 2006. CCM magazine called it "... the most profound album the Christian music community has released in years". (http://jarchives.com/jartifacts51.htm). It is, the band says, their first rock album.

Band members

Current members

• Dan Haseltine – vocals, percussion
• Charlie Lowell – piano, organ, accordion, keys, background vocals
• Stephen Mason – guitar, vocals, lap & pedal steel, national, mandolin, background vocals
• Matthew Odmark – acoustic guitar, banjo, background vocals

Former members

• Matt Bronlewee – guitar (1993–1994)

Touring members

• Gabe Ruschival - bass (2006–present)
• Jeremy Lutito - drums (2005–present)
• Aaron Sands – bass (1995–2005)
• Joe Porter – drums (1999–2005)
• Scott Savage – drums (1993–1999)

Trivia

• Dan Haseltine is the brother of Matthew Haseltine, formerly of the band Marzuki.
• Dan Haseltine first met Steve Mason at college after noticing that he was wearing a Toad the Wet Sprocket shirt.
• Dan Haseltine wants to know why people have dogs. The answer may be: to remind us of how much they need us - how much we want them to obey (unconditional love). Hmmm...kinda sounds like our relationship with God.
• Their album "Good Monsters" is considered as "The Joshua Tree" of Jars of Clay.

Discography

Studio Albums

• Jars of Clay (1995)
• Much Afraid (1997)
• If I Left The Zoo (1999)
• The Eleventh Hour (2002)
• Furthermore: From the Studio, From the Stage (2003)
• Who We Are Instead (2003)
• Redemption Songs (2005, Review: The Phantom Tollbooth)
• Good Monsters (2006)

Virtual Albums

• iTunes Originals - Jars of Clay

Other recordings

• Jars of Clay Interactive (1995), a CD-ROM release that featured behind the scenes photography, the Flood music video and audio from the independent release "Frail".
• Drummer Boy (1996), a Christmas EP that was re-released with different tracks a year later.
• Crazy Times (1997 or later), a 4-track enhanced maxi-single
• Seatbelt Tuba (1997), a 3-track bonus disc accompanying early editions of Much Afraid, with live acoustic performances.
• Stringtown (1998), a fan club exclusive live album.
• The White Elephant Sessions (1999), a B-Sides and outtakes disc from the If I Left The Zoo sessions.
• Front Yard Luge (1999), a live EP that accompanied certain online orders of If I Left The Zoo.
• Jar of Gems (2001), a best-of compilation released exclusively in Asia.
• Roots & Wings (2005), digital-only EP preceding the release of Redemption Songs.
• "Waiting for the World to Fall" (2005), a song for the soundtrack of the blockbuster The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
• Mini Monsters (2006), digital-only EP preceding the release of Good Monsters.

Album charts & RIAA certifications

Single charts

Singles - Billboard (North America)

11ive concert

An additional DVD of a live Jars of Clay concert (from which were recorded the tracks on Furthermore: From the Stage) during The Eleventh Hour tour was released in 2002. The concert includes eighteen songs and additional behind-the-scenes material with the band.

1. "Disappear"
2. "Like a Child"
3. "Unforgetful You"
4. "Crazy Times"
5. "Collide"
6. "Love Song for a Savior"
7. "I Need You"
8. "Fly"
9. "I'm Alright"
10. "Revolution"
11. "Flood"
12. Encore - "The Edge of Water" and "Worlds Apart"
13. "Boy on a String"
14. "Liquid"
15. "Needful Hands"
16. "Something Beautiful"
17. Bonus - "Frail"

References

1. ^ See RIAA.com

External links

• Official site
• Official site of Good Monsters Site of Jars of Clay's latest album "Good Monsters"
• Jarchives.com (fan site)
• The Jars World longest-running fan site^{[citation needed]}
• whoweareinstead community Philippine-based Jars of Clay Community
• Jars of Clay lyrics
• NPR interview
• Jars of Clay guitar tabs
• Jars Of Clay ‘Take Over’ hearitfirst.com with GOOD MONSTERS
• Jars of Clay Launches Fall Leg of GOOD MONSTERS TOUR on Oct. 6
• Jars of Clay Music video

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