Jars of Clay

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For the album, see Jars of Clay (album).

Jars of Clay
Background information
OriginGreenville, Illinois, U.S.
Genres
Years active1993–present
Labels
Members
Matthew Odmark
Charlie Lowell
Past membersMatt Bronleewe
Websitejarsofclay.com

Jars of Clay is a

R&B
.

The band's name is derived from the

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 paraphrased in their song "Four Seven", which appears as a hidden track on the CD release of their self-titled album.

Band history

Greenville College, in Greenville, Illinois in the early 1990s.[1] Charlie Lowell first met Dan Haseltine after noticing that he was wearing a Toad the Wet Sprocket shirt. Pursuing a career in music together was not necessarily their original goal; some of the first songs they wrote together were for music and recording classes they were taking at the time.[1] Their second guitarist Matt Odmark joined some time later. While in college playing together at local coffee houses, Jars gained a reputation for their original arrangement of "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" which had been adapted to the tune of Nirvana
's "Smells Like Teen Spirit".

In 1994, the band submitted a demo to a talent competition run by the

Matt Odmark, Lowell's childhood friend and fellow McQuaid Jesuit High School
alum.

The University of Texas at Austin

The band signed with

Billboard Modern Rock
chart, and was the band's only secular radio hit.

The band toured in support of other Christian acts, such as PFR, and with mainstream acts like Matchbox Twenty, Duncan Sheik, and Sting. This resulted in a small backlash from some Christian groups.[5]

The band released

platinum certification by the RIAA.[4] They released two music videos for this album for the songs "Crazy Times" and "Five Candles (You Were There)
".

In 1999, Jars of Clay released their third album, If I Left the Zoo, which was produced by Dennis Herring.[9] The record was their third to crossover into the mainstream,[7] and it earned the band their second Grammy award.[8] It was during this time that touring drummer Scott Savage left the band's touring group to play for Jaci Velasquez and was replaced by Joe Porter. Lead radio single, "Unforgetful You", was also featured on the soundtrack to the motion picture Drive Me Crazy.[10] "Collide" was also featured on the motion picture "Hometown Legend". Upon the release of If I Left the Zoo they also released Front Yard Luge and after a year The White Elephant Sessions. If I Left the Zoo so far has the most singles released by Jars of Clay.

In 2001, the four members of the band received honorary degrees at

Greenville College.[11] Only three of them, Haseltine, Lowell, and Mason, had studied at the school before dropping out in 1994 to move to Nashville. Odmark still received an honorary degree, despite having attended the University of Rochester in upstate New York.[12]

In 2002, the band self-produced and released their fourth album,

11Live: Jars of Clay in Concert
.

The double-disc

b-sides, and a cover of Adam Again's "Dig".[14] The latter was actually intended for a tribute album for Gene Eugene
, who had died recently. The live disc features a recent concert recording that include songs from throughout the band's career.

The band continued the acoustic and organic approach that was featured on Furthermore for their fifth studio album entitled Who We Are Instead, which released on November 4, 2003. On the album, the band revisited various styles they had used previously, as well as experimenting with new influences, such as gospel, hymns, and Nickel Creek's "newgrass" style.

In early 2005, the band released

God Will Lift Up Your Head", reworked as an acoustic rocker, was a hit for the band on Christian radio. They also covered five hymns from the Indelible Grace CD series (a series which originated from the work of Reformed University Fellowship).[15]

Their next album, Good Monsters, was released on September 5, 2006 and was labeled by Jars of Clay "their first ever rock record".[16] In the September 2006 edition of CCM Magazine, the band credited fellow artist Ashley Cleveland with inspiring the improvisational sound of the album.[17][18] The magazine called it "the most profound album the Christian music community has released in years".

On September 4, 2007, two albums from the band were released simultaneously. The first was a mainstream release of Live Monsters, an EP of live concert recordings of songs, originally recorded for Good Monsters and that had been previously released through the iTunes Store and the official Jars of Clay online store. The second release, through Essential/Legacy, was a greatest hits album, The Essential Jars of Clay. On April 1, 2008, Essential Records released the band's third greatest hits album, the second in that year, Greatest Hits. Included was the new song "Love is the Protest".

In March 2007, the band announced at a concert in

Nettwerk Music Group.[19] Along with the announcement of their new label, the band mentioned that they are planning to record the soundtrack to Honoring a Father's Dream: Sons of Lwala, a documentary about Milton and Fred Ochieng' - brothers from the African village training to be doctors in the States, working to build a clinic in their home town.[20] The band's first release through Gray Matters was a full-length Christmas album, Christmas Songs, on October 16, 2007. On July 29, 2008, Gray Matters Records released Closer EP
exclusively through online digital music stores. It was subsequently released on CD on August 19, 2008 and included reworked versions of "Flood", called "Flood (New Rain)", and "Love Song For a Savior ('08)" from their debut album.

The band's tenth studio album, The Long Fall Back to Earth, was released on April 21, 2009. and contained 14 songs, including "Closer" and "Safe to Land", from the Closer EP, and is influenced by 80s music, specifically Tears for Fears and The Cure.[21] The Long Fall Back to Earth debuted at No. 29 on the Billboard 200 mainstream charts, which was Jars of Clay's highest debut since The Eleventh Hour which debuted at No. 28 in 2002.[22] The second single off the album is "Heaven."[23] The song "Hero" was featured on a trailer for NBC's Kings.[24] The Long Fall Back to Earth was nominated for the Grammy to the "Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album", though they didn't win in the category.

The Shelter was released October 5, 2010 and features eleven tracks. During their promotion for the album, the band streamed the entire album for a few days before its release on their website. In early 2011 they toured the United States on the Rock And Worship Roadshow headlined by MercyMe.[25] In July 2012, the band traveled to Portland, Oregon, to begin recording Inland at Flora Recording & Playback, a music studio owned and operated by Tucker Martine.[26] The new album was released on August 27, 2013 and features twelve tracks.[27] On March 18, 2013, the band released an exclusive track, "Love in Hard Times", that could only be acquired with the purchase of their EP Under the Weather (Live in Sellersville, PA) directly from their website.[28] On June 17, 2013, the band released a free download of the song "Inland" through Rolling Stone's website.[29] The first single off of the album, "After the Fight", was released on June 18.[30]

The group's activities have been limited in recent years (as of 2022), each band member focusing on individual pursuits, but they continue to release music and perform sporadically. They collaborated with pop group SHEL, performing a Christmas concert in Nashville that led to a 6-song Christmas-themed EP titled A Family Christmas, which included four original songs.[31] In 2022, they contributed a track to There's a Rainbow Somewhere, a tribute album to Randy Stonehill.[32]

Blood: Water Mission

Main article: Blood: Water Mission

Lead singer Dan Haseltine visited Africa in 2002, which in turn inspired the founding of

wells built throughout Africa.[34] The group recently met their goal of providing clean water to 1,000 African communities through the organization they founded, Blood: Water Mission, and its 1,000 Wells Project.[35] Former Bassist for Jars of Clay Aaron Sands serves as Administrative Director for the project.[36]

Beliefs

In a 2002 interview with NPR's Scott Simon on Weekend Edition Saturday, responding to a question about the relatively subtle religious content of their music, Haseltine said that the band's songs are not meant to explain their faith but are written about their lives, which are affected by their faith. Haseltine explained the decision to "shy away from ... traditional religious language" as a conscious one, in part to make their music more accessible to those "put off by religion" and to "love people in a way that isn't exclusive to simply people that understand the language of Christianity".[37] Haseltine also stated that art can "make people feel what's true rather than telling them".[37]

Band members

Current

  • Dan Haseltine – vocals, percussion, melodica (1993–present)
  • Charlie Lowell – piano, organ, accordion, keys, background vocals (1993–present)
  • Stephen Mason – guitar, vocals, bass, lap and pedal steel, national, mandolin, background vocals (1993–present)
  • Matt Odmark – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, banjo, background vocals (1993–present)

Former

Current touring musicians

  • Jake Goss – drums (2009–present)

Former touring musicians

  • Gabe Ruschival – bass (2006–2011)
  • Jeremy Lutito – drums (2005–2009)
  • Aaron Sands – bass (1995–2005)
  • Joe Porter – drums (1999–2005)
  • Scott Savage – drums (1995–99)

Discography

Main article: Jars of Clay discography

Awards

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Jars of Clay

Jars of Clay has been nominated for and won several awards, including

Broadcast Music Incorporated
(BMI) awards.

In June 2009, Jars of Clay was named as one of PeaceByPeace.com's first peace heroes.[39]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Jars of Clay. (2005). Making the Grade. iTunes Originals - Jars of Clay Archived June 7, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. [AAC Audio]. Essential Records.
  2. ^ "Jars of Clay Credits". Retrieved March 23, 2008.
  3. ^ a b Jars of Clay. (2005). The Other Side of Lightning in a Bottle. iTunes Originals - Jars of Clay Archived June 7, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. [AAC Audio]. Essential Records.
  4. ^ a b "RIAA.com". RIAA.com. Retrieved December 31, 2011.
  5. ^ Lutes, Chris. "Faith Under Fire". Retrieved March 23, 2008.
  6. ^ "Much Afraid Credits". Retrieved March 23, 2008.
  7. ^
    ISBN 978-0-313-37942-0
    .
  8. ^ a b c "The Grammy Awards". Archived from the original on February 29, 2008. Retrieved March 22, 2008.
  9. ^ "If I Left the Zoo Credits". Retrieved March 23, 2008.
  10. ^ Jars of Clay. (1999). Unforgetful You. Drive Me Crazy. [CD]. Jive.
  11. ^ "Jars of Clay Receive Honorary Diplomas". Retrieved March 22, 2008. [dead link]
  12. ^ Jars of Clay. (2005). We Were Becoming One With the Mud. iTunes Originals - Jars of Clay Archived June 7, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. [AAC Audio]. Essential Records.
  13. ^ "Jars of Clay - Jars of Clay Intimately Involved in the Eleventh Hour". Archived from the original on February 3, 2011. Retrieved March 22, 2008.
  14. ^ "Jars of Clay - Furthermore-From the Studio: From the Stage". Archived from the original on April 18, 2009. Retrieved March 22, 2008.
  15. ^ Wray, Burton (September 10, 2005). "Redemption Songs".
  16. ^ "Jars of Clay 2006 Interview, "Good Monsters"". Retrieved March 22, 2008.
  17. ^ "Big Monster on Campus". Retrieved March 23, 2008.
  18. ^ Jars of Clay. (2005). A Modern Day Hymn. iTunes Originals - Jars of Clay Archived June 7, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. [AAC Audio]. Essential Records.
  19. ^ Moring, Mark. "Jars of Yule". Retrieved March 22, 2008.
  20. ^ Price, Deborah Evans (June 15, 2007). "Jars of Clay Launching Own Label With Nettwerk". Billboard.com.
  21. ^ Dave Richards (December 11, 2008). "Love Coming Down". Erie Times-News. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved January 21, 2009.
  22. ^ "Music Albums, Top 200 Albums & Music Album Charts". Billboard.com. Retrieved December 31, 2011.
  23. ^ "Music News, September 2009: JFH MORNING NEWS SHORTS FOR THURSDAY OCTOBER 29, 2009". Jesusfreakhideout.com. October 29, 2009. Retrieved December 31, 2011.
  24. ^ "YouTube - NBC's TV show "Kings" trailer feat. JARS OF CLAY's song "Hero"". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 11, 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2009.
  25. ^ "MercyMe, Jars of Clay part of The Rock and Worship Road Show in Sioux City". Argus Leader. January 30, 2011. Retrieved February 5, 2011. [permanent dead link]
  26. ^ "Jarlandia". Archived from the original on July 24, 2013. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  27. ^ "instajars on Instagram". Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  28. ^ "StageIt, 20 Years and New Live EP". Archived from the original on May 18, 2013. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  29. ^ "'Inland' by Jars of Clay - Free MP3". Rolling Stone. June 17, 2013. Archived from the original on June 20, 2013. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  30. ^ "First Single from INLAND available on iTUNES!". Archived from the original on June 24, 2013. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
  31. ^ "SHEL and Jars of Clay Collaborate for "A Family Christmas" EP". December 5, 2019.
  32. ^ @jarsofclay (February 18, 2022). "We have a new song out today on the Randy Stonehill tribute. Enjoy!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  33. ^ "Why We're Here". Retrieved March 22, 2008.
  34. ^ "What We're Doing". Retrieved March 22, 2008.
  35. ^ "Jars of Clay completes 1,000 Wells Project". Fusemix.com. Archived from the original on March 8, 2012. Retrieved December 31, 2011.
  36. ^ "Staff". Blood Water Mission. Archived from the original on January 3, 2012. Retrieved December 31, 2011.
  37. ^ a b Dan Mitchell (March 30, 2002). "NPR Weekend Edition Saturday interview". Npr.org. Archived from the original on February 13, 2011. Retrieved December 31, 2011.
  38. ^ "Dove Awards". Archived from the original on March 23, 2011. Retrieved March 22, 2008.
  39. ^ "Goshen College | Healing the world, peace by peace". Peacebypeace.com. Retrieved December 31, 2011.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jars_of_Clay&oldid=1210107301"