EARTHEN VESSELS -- THE JARS OF CLAY NEWSLETTER vol 2
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* EARTHEN VESSELS -- THE JARS OF CLAY NEWSLETTER *
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* BACK ISSUES COURTESY OF ANDY LOWELL, EDITOR *
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* EARTHEN VESSELS IS PUBLISHED VIA E-MAIL ONLY AND IS AVAILABLE FREE OF *
* CHARGE VIA THE INTERNET BY E-MAILING EARTHPOTS@AOL.COM AND REQUESTING *
* YOUR SUBSCRIPTION *
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E A R T H E N V E S S E L S
The Official Jars of Clay Email News
Volume 2
CONTENTS:
*Introduction
*Fade to Grey lyrics
*Concert Review: Cornerstone
*Jars magazine articles/ad listing
*Christian Retailing article transcribed
*Press Kit Biography transcribed
*Jars on Much Music TV!
*Comments & Questions
*Love Song for a Saviour: New Single
*********************************************************************************
*Introduction:
We've had great success so far with the newsletter! :) Thanks to all for
their help, encouragement, comments, suggestions, and most of all for
subscribing! Remember that any questions you have for the guys will be
answered, so feel free to ask away...The 3rd issue of Earthen Vessels will
hopefully bring you messages from the guys themselves. They have been keeping
very busy with spot dates around the country this summer! Their ministry is
going great! Read on and enjoy~
********************************************************************************
*Fade to Grey lyrics:
Here are the lyrics for the song Fade to Grey on the demo disc by Jars,
entitled "Frail". It was an independent release and is now out of print, but
the guys have been performing this one live lately, so thought I'd include
the lyrics! :)
"Oh it's not hard to know what you're thinking
as you look down on me now
Your trance of love is seeking
to turn this world around
But in this state of blind confusion
No god can pull me out
Then I see Your love is willing
to turn me inside out
Then I see you there with your arms open wide and you're trying to embrace me
These lonely tears I cry they keep me in chains and I wish they'd release me
Cold is the night but colder still is the heart made of stone turned from
clay
And if you follow me you'd see all the black, all the white fade to grey
Spinning twisted ignorant bliss
falling farther out of grace
crawling closer to the dust
won't you save me from myself
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*Concert Review: Cornerstone
Subj: Cornerstone JoC review
Date: 95-07-05 00:31:48 EDT
From: qwerty@grfn.ORG
I began anticipating Cornerstone more than ever when I found out
that Jars of Clay would be performing on a newly added stage dubbed the
"7-ball". After seeing Jars of Clay perform with PFR in March, it was only
natural.
The Jars were scheduled to perform on the first day of the
festival, right after the band "Third Day". A few hours before their
performance, I found the Jars in the large merchandise tent, selling
their CDs and other items. After introducing myself as one of those
"friends of Charlie's brother on the Internet", I learned they would be
doing a slightly stripped down performance that afternoon due to the
constraints of performing in such a small tent. Apparently that meant
they left most of the prerecorded stuff in the trailer, because I didn't
notice it during the show. I may be wrong, but that seems to imply they were
forced to play without the bass parts...Luckily, it wasn't too
noticable. After cleaning them out of their T-Shirt supply (a recent
show apparently left them with only 4 shirts remaining, and God moved me to
buy 3 of them), I went on to wait in the 7-ball stage for their performance.
The Jars took the stage at exactly 4:40pm on Thursday, June 29, right after
the high-energy band "Third Day". It seemed to be a tough act to follow
since Third Day was a more electric guitar-driven band, which left the crowd
hyper and wanting more. I was a little worried that the Jars' signature
acoustic guitars and beautiful ballads wouldn't keep the crowd's energy up,
but I was pleasantly mistaken. The band launched with no warning into their
first song, "Like a Child". The crowd, which I would estimate to be around
300 people (the large tent was packed - no
chairs), instantly began to groove to the energetic song. Next, "Like a
Child" flowed seemlessly into "Boy on a String", which continued to keep the
crowd excited. The band was obviously enjoying themselves also as they
laughed and smiled while dancing around the stage. After "Boy on a String"
ended, Dan (lead vocals) took a moment to say "hi" to the crowd.
He commented that this was his first time at Cornerstone, and he hadn't seen
so many interesting hair styles before. He joked that he may need to try out
a new hair style himself. :) Personally, I like his hair the way it is. :)
Next, the music picked up again with "Sinking", a song about addicitions.
After this was my personal favorite, "Love Song for a Savior". I have
always loved this song since I saw the Jars perform with PFR. The song is
beautful enough as is, but it only gets better as the Jars encourage the
crowd to sing the chorus with them at the end, and eventually the entire
crowd was singing "I want to fall in love with you" accapella. More than
just being beautiful, it was extremely worshipful. It was exciting to see
this rock and roll crowd lifting their voices and hands to Jesus in this way.
This was a highlight of the show for me.
Throwing many of us for a loop was their next song, which I
believe was titled "Fade to Gray". This was a song off their indie
release "Frail", which didn't make it onto their debut release. Hopefully it
will reappear on a later album, since it seemed to go over well with the
crowd despite the fact that very few of us knew the lyrics.
"Flood", the first song released by the Jars, was the next song on the
lineup. Although this song has never thrilled me on the album for some
reason, I have always loved singing along to it during their shows. This
song proved to be a crowd pleaser as the audience clapped and sang along. In
some ways it reminded me of Steve Taylor's new arrangement of "On the Fritz"
- the song has a soft, calm feel during the verses, but becomes high strung
and wild on the chorus. :) The band was really moving during this one,
dancing around the stage and really enjoying themselves. The audience was
almost just as active. :)
Believe it or not, I can't remember if the Jars had an encore or not. It
would seem so, yet I can't remember if their last song was part of the
regular set or an encore. Anyhow, during a long pause after "Flood", the
audience began shouting requests... To my delight, they played mine - the
bonus track many are familiar with, which is known as "4:7". As it may be
obvious, the song is called "4:7" because it is essentially II Corinthians
4:7 put to music. The Jars rocked through this short song, and ended it with
a delightful bit of audience participation. Normally, the song ends with Dan
singing"Whoa-oh, yeah-ah, whoa-oh, yeah-ah..." and so on, but here they
changed it first to a sing-a-long of "nah-nah-nah-nah-nah" (try to fit it to
the music - it is tricky to remember), and lastly to "Hallelujah". And so
this is how their set ended - with the audience singing "Hallelujah" to the
music as the band left the stage one by one, until only Dan was left to say
goodbye to the crowd. It was wonderful! It was only too bad their set only
lasted 30 minutes - it ended at exactly 5:10pm.
During the entire show, the audience was obviously very familiar with the
Jars' music as they were singing along to every word. This seemed to be a
clear indication of their popularity more than anything else. However, as
the Jars often remind us, their talent is from God and not from themselves.
This more than anything else impresses me most about the Jars - as talented
a band as they are, they are very humble and centered on serving Christ, and
they want us to know that. Of all the bands I met during Cornerstone, I
never felt more welcome or relaxed then when I was talking with Jars of Clay.
Overall, this show was a big highlight for me. It was too bad they couldn't
use their prerecorded stuff, since I could see where it would've helped the
sound quite a bit in certain songs, and I think it
made the song "Liquid" impossible (one of their best songs and they
didn't play it...dang!) Still, despite these limitations, they were well
received and appreciated at Cornerstone. I noticed a day or so later
that their CDs had sold out in the True Tunes store...True Tunes had set up a
huge store in the big merchandise tent, with thousands of CDs from many
artists...One day I noticed at least 40 or so Jars of Clay CDs on the table,
and within a day or two they were all gone with a note saying there were more
available at the PFR booth. :)
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*Jars magazine articles/ads:
I'm currently trying to form a list of magazines the guys have been in. If
anyone can help make additions to this list, it'd be very much appreciated!
:) And, I would be very happy to trade photocopies of them for the ones I've
found, then transcribe them for the newsletter. Here's what I have found
(with much help!) so far:
( * denotes a full page (picture, ad or article), ** denotes 2 pages, etc.
Also, "~" denotes a new issue or magazine, listings of articles will follow)
~CCM July '95: ad*, On the Beat p.13, Mud picture p.16, In Concert w/ PFR p.
75 w/ picture of all the guys together.*
~CCM June '95: On the Beat p.24, album review p.66.
~CCM May '95: Walking a Tightrope p.6, Faces to Watch* p.32, ad* p.85, Making
Contact (their address) p.92.
~CCM July '94: On the Beat (Unsigned/Indies): GMA Spotlight winners
~CCM Update 9 (18): 5/8/95: CHR chart
~CCM Update 9 (19): 5/15/95 CHR charts
~CCM Update 9 (20): 5/22/95 CHR charts
~CCM Update 9 (22): 6/5/95 ad* back page w/ picture & comments, Charts: CHR,
Top Albums, Most adds Rock (#1), Rock charts, Out and About (re:CD-Rom).
(Please note: these are the only CCM updates I've been able to obtain, they
are probably in many more issues as well so it's not complete)
~CCM Update 5/23/94 p.6 "Gallery", picture.
~Performance:24 (51): 4/21/95: Spotlight**** article, pull-out 4 color pages
+ picture on front cover.
~Release: May/June '95: ad* p.53, picture p.54.
~Shout Summer '95, ad*, free compilation cd ad from shout & Z-tv
~Bookstore Journal May '95: picture p.34, album review p.132.
~Christian Retailing 4/25/95: Music News p.28 (New Artist Profile).
~Christian Retailing 6/25/95: p.? album review. (see below for review!)
~New Music Guide Spring '95: Interview w/ Charlie Lowell re:Jars.*
~Syndicate #45: "Breaking Jars of Clay"* p.11, album review p.15.
~GMA Today June/July '94: picture/article on Spotlight '94 p.3.
~Billboard 5/27/95: Single Reviews (for Flood) p.?
~Billboard 6/?/95: p.105 Belew Article mentions work w/ Jars.
Newspaper articles:
~Greensboro, NC News & Record: 7/1/95*
~VOG Atlanta: 4 (10): June '95: Review p.8
~Parkminster Presby. (home church) * by youth pastor (See E.V.#1)
Flyers:
~Network Church 7/2/95*
~Rocketown w/ Sixpence, 10/4/94.
The Jars Press Kit Includes:
~Three possible promotional photos
~Gatefold cardboard jar, opens w/ pictures and describes songs.
~Lyric packet, 14 pages (same text as inside cd booklet)
~Three page biography
!Phew! OK, I know it's quite an exhaustive list, but I wanted to catalogue
everything... :)
********************************************************************************
*Article: Christian Retailing 6/25/95: album review:
When listening to this new Christian artist, one cannot take the typical
approach of finding a secular band comparison. Jars of Clay upsets the
status quo and actually stands on its own musical identity. Perhaps this
debut act can set a trend for Christian artists to create a genre instead of
merely imitating it.
Musically, the group's folk-based rock integrates diverse
instrumentation with unusual sound effects, from the chanting of monks to the
chirping of crickets. Jars of Clay uniquely incorporates these nuances
without forfeiting the songs' integrity.
Lyrically, the group paints with an artistic stroke. Some listeners may
find it necessary to listen to the album a few times to comprehend the
four-some's message of the frailty of humanity.
Jars of Clay is tantalizing at first sip, yet listeners who savor and
allow the flavor to resonate are likely to discover vessels of treasure, both
musically and lyrically. The cuts "Liquid" and "Flood" (first radio single)
are ones to note.
Don't hesitate recommending this project to customers who are looking
for new blood. Jars of Clay should be especially pleasing to fans of Rich
Mullins and Iona. --David Davore
****************************************************************************
*Biography (taken from the Jars of Clay press kit):
In his second letter to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul wrote, "We
have this treasure in jars of Clay to show that this all-surpassing power is
from God and not from us." Almost 2,000 years later, Steve Mason sees the
band's purpose in much the same way. "The jar of clay is a picture of
something so easily broken that you wouldn't put a valuable treasure in it,
yet God does that anyway," he says. "That one verse paints in full the
picture of what we're trying to communicate."
Taking their name and their mission from II Cor. 4:7, Jars of Clay, on
their self-titled debut album, put a message as old as scripture itself to
music that is on the very cutting edge of modern rock.
Jars of Clay's sound is built on Dan Haseltine's lead vocals laid
overtop the driving, rhythmic acoustic guitar interplay of Steve Mason and
Matt Odmark, colored by Charlie Lowell's often ethereal keyboards. With
influences that range from the Beatles to Jimi Hendrix, to Christian stalwart
Rich Mullins, and modern alternative rockers Toad the Wet Sprocket and
Depeche Mode, Jars of Clay have crafted a sound that is indeed all their own.
"I would like to think what we're doing here is unique," says Steve. "I
get frustrated with acts being 'the Christian equivalent' of anybody else,
because I think that if it's of God, it can be better than anything the world
has to offer."
Jars of Clay came together in late 1993, and in a little over a year
became one of the most sought-after acts in Christian music when they won the
1994 Gospel Music Association Spotlight Award, winning out over more than 200
acts as the best unsigned band on the scene.
Charlie and Dan met in 1992 at Greenville College in Illinois. Both
lived on the same dormitory floor and were majoring in the school's
contemporary music program. When they discovered they had similar musical
tastes, they began working on a demo recording project together in the studio
at Greenville.
The following year bass player Steve Mason, who was a Freshman, teamed
up with the two-some and Charlie's guitarist/roommate to form a legitimate
band. "People seemed to really enjoy what we were doing," says Charlie, "and
we were ourselves, so we did a CD demo just to see if we could pull it off.
It was more for fun. We didn't have intentions of going to Nashville and
trying to get a record deal."
Matt Odmark, a childhood friend of Charlie's, joined the band after the
departure of the group's original guitar player, and things began to take off
quicker than the group ever dreamed.
"After we'd finished three or four songs, we submitted them to the GMA
Spotlight Song Contest in 1994 and decided to try and finish an entire
album," Charlie recalls. "We spent all our weekends and vacations in the
studio. People started looking at us as a real band.
"Winning at GMA was really the beginning of everything. We weren't
expecting anything, so we hadn't even taken the energy to send the demo out
to anyone yet. After we won, people started approaching us and we started
getting a lot of positive feedback. We started sending out our CD to the
industry and gettin ga lot of good response, and began considering coming
down to Nashville and taking it more seriously."
It would be more accurate to say that record labels began beating the
band's door down. "We were getting calls on the pay phone on our dorm
floor," says Charlie. "We weren't even sure how some of them got our number.
We finally put a sign by the phone that said "If anybody calls regarding
Jars of Clay, take down their number and tell them "this"...but don't tell
them "this."' School ended three weeks later and we came to Nashville and
started meeting with people."
Jars of Clay signed with Essential/Brentwood Music and soon went to work
on their album, produced in part by Adrian Belew, whose track record includes
stints with progressive rock giants David Bowie and King Crimson, as well as
a number of major-label solo projects. Although all four men had felt
callings to careers in music and ministry for much of their lives, the
enthusiasm with which they were received still sent their heads spinning.
Yet Jars of Clay has managed to keep their feet on the ground.
"We find ourselves more humbled than egotistical," says Charlie.
"Seeing the response of people in the industry, and other musicians we look
up to who've commented on our music, makes us feel honored, and unworthy, and
very blessed. One thing we're trying to establish as a band is a lifestyle
ministry going beyond the music and what we do as a band, and more than
anything, trying to let people see that we are very normal humans, who have a
faith in Christ, but are really no different from them."
"I don't feel like God gives gifts of fame," comments Matt. "I think if
we're in a position where attention is going to be drawn to us, there will be
a way for that attention to be refocused on Christ."
All of the members of Jars of Clay collaborated on the album's songs.
Choosing standouts from an album as uniformly inspired as Jars of Clay is a
hard thing to do. But still the best-of-the-best have a way of identifying
themselves.
"'World's Apart' is about really breaking down the walls we put around
us of pride and selfishness, and becoming vulnerable as humans, and holding
that out and offerring it to God," says Charlie. "It has a certain mood
about it that's bery strong and compliments the lyrics."
"I'm really happy with 'Art in Me,'", says Matt. "I've always felt Dan
did an amazing job of communicating lyrically on that song. It deals with
discovering the beauty of God's creation in us, and coming to terms with the
art He's created and intended in us. Musically, it's a bit of a departure in
that it's very acoustic, like much of the album, but it features a lot of
live drums rather than samples. It starts almost gently and builds to a
dramatic intensity by the end."
"I think 'Blind' is really strong both musically and lyrically," Steve
says. "It's done with a nylon string guitar and Ron Huff did a string
arrangement behind it that's just haunting. It talks about the cynical
nature of man, and how we crucify Christ daily with our unbelief. We deny
the sacrifice He made for us. I see a culture today that's living in denial
and cynicism. Many have heard the message, but just choose not to believe."
While Jars of Clay have become the talk of the Christian music industry,
the experience of having a national platform from which to perform and
minister is brand new to them,and something they don't take lightly.
"All I really feel qualified to do is tell what God has done in my life,
and what I believe He can be to others," states Matt. "And there's also a
great responsibility to do that correctly in accordance with the scripture."
"If I'm going to be up there in front of kids," continues Charlie,
"potentially being a role-model, telling them where I think they need to be,
I better be sure that I'm in the Word every day, and where I need to be."
As their tour bus departs for the first time, and Jars of Clay head out
to meet the world at large, each has his own individual, yet common, set
hopes and dreams.
"My main hope is not to get caught up in the differences with people,
but rather just to model and follow the life of Christ," Charlie offers. "I
want to keep to simple messages -- portraying the sacrifice Christ has made
for us, and that we need to surrender to Him and follow Him. There's a
desire in me to create art of integrity that also glorifies Christ."
"We want to offer something that's an alternative to everything else
that's out there," says Matt. "Something that's different and interesting
musically with artistic integrity, that sends a true picture of that
relationship." "I'm trusting that as we head out, that whatever we're
confronted with," Dan adds, "the Lord will see us through."
"Creatively, I just hope we continue to progress with the times and keep
up with things, and can share our creative vision with others," says Steve,
giving voice to a vision shared by all four members of Jars of Clay.
"Spiritually, I've already gotten a new sense of how God works in a creative
atmosphere, and just hope -- along the way -- to get another small glimpse of
who He is."
******************************************************************************
*Questions & Comments:
Jars' video was recently featured on Much Music, Canada's MTV equivalent
(the video for Flood). Here's what I was told by the Canadian person who saw
it all:
Sender: sgarrity@isn.net
To: earthpots@aol.com
"Much Music is Canada's MTV. It's a full time music video station and
it rocks way harder than MTV. When JoC was on, they were on what they
call the "indie video spotlight", which is just a thing where thay
show the video's of unsigned bands (odd, isn't it because JoC is
signed)."
From: ad326@leo.nmc.edu (Steve Carlson)
To: earthpots@aol.com
I have some questions to ask for the next issue....Such as,
Why does th einside of the CD have "Truck" printed there? What's the
point? :) How do they like their music to be described? What do they
have planned for a second album, if they've even thought of one? What
will come after the PFR tour?
[I will try to answer some questions for you:
"Truck" was printed by the manufacturer's although they weren't told to
print
this. On the proof cd, the guys thought it looked artistic and although
there
is no purpose to the word, thought they'd keep it. The picture was taken on
one of their photo shoots when they came upon an abandoned truck and
thought
it might make a good picture. They were thinking of having a contest to see
who could come up with the best meaning for it...any takers? Not that I
have
many prizes I could give out! My thought was that the Truck could symbolize
a
jar in a way (are you lost yet?). This could be a valid interpretation
because the truck is man-made (like a jar), broken and rundown (like we get
sometimes, this is a theme on the album) and has LIFE growing in it! There
are plants growing in the back of it which can symbolize the life that
grows
in us despite the hardships and being broken. That's the best I can come up
with, any other comments are welcome for the next issue! :)
I think they'd most like their music to be desribed as spiritual, but we'll
leave that question for them sometime. Musically I know they admire the
production techniques of many bands including The Trio, PFR, Sarah
McLachlan,
Seal, Toad the Wet Sprocket, and MANY more...
They are planning a second album, as their contract is for multiple albums,
and a CD-Rom is in the works for January '96 or so. A Christmas single will
also be released in October-November, and they're beginning work on that
right now. It'll probably include Little Drummer Boy, God Rest Ye Merry
Gentleman, and another acoustic song or two from their debut album.
I haven't heard anything specific for after the PFR tour, but am sure it'll
be good. :) We'll keep you posted! Hopefully they can answer questions like
these in the next issue. -Ed.]
From: Lilroxie
To: earthpots
Re: National CBA Meeting
What I really wanted to tell you is about an award Jars won. Every year,
there is this thing called Impact Awards for different catagories, such as:
best album jacket, best display, and even one called total promotion
campaign for music. The last one being the one jars was in. They had set
up
a display of all the promo stuff essential had done and cba members like
myself were to vote for the best one. We had to choose between groups like
Point of Grace, Newsboys, etc...who all had pretty impressive things set
up.
However; the winner was none other than the jars boys! It was definitely
well deserved, I think Essential did an excellent promotion job!
Q & A from Charlie
Date: 95-07-20 02:39:28 EDT
From: Pdljmpr7
I will attempt to answer some of your questions, posted previously. I hope
this makes sense.......
1. The chants on "Liquid"......
Basically, we had a tape from the library full of traditional Gregorian
Chants and we sampled a small portion of a chant and took it to the studio.
When we slowed it down to the key of "liquid," (Eb minor) it just fit
perfectly, so we left it there! That's about it- Divine Intervention, some
would say!? As to what the chant is saying, we don't know (something in
Latin...), but if anyone finds out and can prove it, we'll award you!
Here's
what we think they're saying: "Are you sleeping little lamb? Please don't,
please don't step on me!" :)
2. Who's the woman singing on "World's Apart"?
That is the beautiful voice of our good friend, Mancy A'lan Kane, who lives
near us in Nashville. We heard Mancy's demo, and shortly thereafter, got
to
know her a bit as a friend. Her voice seemed perfect for the "vibe"of the
song.
3. Do we listen to the album for casual listening?
Sort of. We did a bit after it was recorded, just to put the whole thing
in
perspective and to be simply blown away by what God was doing through us. I
like to listen to Worlds Apart from time to time because it is my favorite
song on the album, and the words really minister to me- how it is so
important to constantly humble ourselves and allow the Lord to break us
from
ourselves and our selfishness......
4. Do we ever get tired of our songs?
To an extent, but it's hard to really get sick of them because we feel like
they are such gifts from God. They are still pretty new to us, but ask us
again in a year.........
5. Do we answer e-mail?
We love getting personal e-mail, and try to answer as many as we can. We
really like staying in touch with our "audience"/ friends, and love to hear
how God is working in your lives. E-mail us at "Clayjars@aol.com". We are
on the road a bit, but always are anxious to check our mail when we come
home.
6. What is "four seven" in the album credits?
four seven is the two minute song that appears a few minutes after "Blind,"
the last track. It is titled after the scripture it is taken directly
from,
2nd Corinthians four seven. The lyrics are:
"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels,
To show that this power is from God,
and not from us."
Please pray for us as we travel lots and minister to friends across the
country- thanks!
God's Grace and Peace that Surpasses,
Charlie
******************************************************************************
*Love Song for a Saviour: Released for Radio!
Yes, the second release is out...please call your radio station and request
it! It was released a couple weeks ago and has not yet recieved the
attention
that Flood did, but we'll see what happens. The artwork on the cd's sent to
radio stations is quite nice. A three-fold cover with a Jar on the front
and
jars of clay written in the background lightly over a marble black & gray
design, you open it to find the signature verse first, then 9 blocks of
different pictures. Here's what they are: 1. the Truck! :) Except this time
from the front end. 2. The guys, a promo picture not used yet for anything
else. 3. An old serene bridge in the middle of a forest (my personal
favorite) 4. a dogs face (?) 5. the middle block, a Jar with the logo. 6. a
group of about 12 mailboxes pointing in different directions (?) 7. another
promo smiley picture 8. the back of the truck 9. the picture of the guys
that's on the album cover. Now, if this wasn't enough, you open it again
and
find all the lyrics to Love Song... then pull out the cd with a somewhat
hidden jar in gray on it and the logo. The cd contains the album version
and
a shorter radio edit. Please note that this cd can not be found in stores,
it is merely to send out to radio stations for airplay.
***********************************************************************************************
END
* *
* EARTHEN VESSELS -- THE JARS OF CLAY NEWSLETTER *
* *
****************************************************************************
* *
* BACK ISSUES COURTESY OF ANDY LOWELL, EDITOR *
* *
****************************************************************************
* *
* EARTHEN VESSELS IS PUBLISHED VIA E-MAIL ONLY AND IS AVAILABLE FREE OF *
* CHARGE VIA THE INTERNET BY E-MAILING EARTHPOTS@AOL.COM AND REQUESTING *
* YOUR SUBSCRIPTION *
* *
****************************************************************************
E A R T H E N V E S S E L S
The Official Jars of Clay Email News
Volume 2
CONTENTS:
*Introduction
*Fade to Grey lyrics
*Concert Review: Cornerstone
*Jars magazine articles/ad listing
*Christian Retailing article transcribed
*Press Kit Biography transcribed
*Jars on Much Music TV!
*Comments & Questions
*Love Song for a Saviour: New Single
*********************************************************************************
*Introduction:
We've had great success so far with the newsletter! :) Thanks to all for
their help, encouragement, comments, suggestions, and most of all for
subscribing! Remember that any questions you have for the guys will be
answered, so feel free to ask away...The 3rd issue of Earthen Vessels will
hopefully bring you messages from the guys themselves. They have been keeping
very busy with spot dates around the country this summer! Their ministry is
going great! Read on and enjoy~
********************************************************************************
*Fade to Grey lyrics:
Here are the lyrics for the song Fade to Grey on the demo disc by Jars,
entitled "Frail". It was an independent release and is now out of print, but
the guys have been performing this one live lately, so thought I'd include
the lyrics! :)
"Oh it's not hard to know what you're thinking
as you look down on me now
Your trance of love is seeking
to turn this world around
But in this state of blind confusion
No god can pull me out
Then I see Your love is willing
to turn me inside out
Then I see you there with your arms open wide and you're trying to embrace me
These lonely tears I cry they keep me in chains and I wish they'd release me
Cold is the night but colder still is the heart made of stone turned from
clay
And if you follow me you'd see all the black, all the white fade to grey
Spinning twisted ignorant bliss
falling farther out of grace
crawling closer to the dust
won't you save me from myself
******************************************************************************
*Concert Review: Cornerstone
Subj: Cornerstone JoC review
Date: 95-07-05 00:31:48 EDT
From: qwerty@grfn.ORG
I began anticipating Cornerstone more than ever when I found out
that Jars of Clay would be performing on a newly added stage dubbed the
"7-ball". After seeing Jars of Clay perform with PFR in March, it was only
natural.
The Jars were scheduled to perform on the first day of the
festival, right after the band "Third Day". A few hours before their
performance, I found the Jars in the large merchandise tent, selling
their CDs and other items. After introducing myself as one of those
"friends of Charlie's brother on the Internet", I learned they would be
doing a slightly stripped down performance that afternoon due to the
constraints of performing in such a small tent. Apparently that meant
they left most of the prerecorded stuff in the trailer, because I didn't
notice it during the show. I may be wrong, but that seems to imply they were
forced to play without the bass parts...Luckily, it wasn't too
noticable. After cleaning them out of their T-Shirt supply (a recent
show apparently left them with only 4 shirts remaining, and God moved me to
buy 3 of them), I went on to wait in the 7-ball stage for their performance.
The Jars took the stage at exactly 4:40pm on Thursday, June 29, right after
the high-energy band "Third Day". It seemed to be a tough act to follow
since Third Day was a more electric guitar-driven band, which left the crowd
hyper and wanting more. I was a little worried that the Jars' signature
acoustic guitars and beautiful ballads wouldn't keep the crowd's energy up,
but I was pleasantly mistaken. The band launched with no warning into their
first song, "Like a Child". The crowd, which I would estimate to be around
300 people (the large tent was packed - no
chairs), instantly began to groove to the energetic song. Next, "Like a
Child" flowed seemlessly into "Boy on a String", which continued to keep the
crowd excited. The band was obviously enjoying themselves also as they
laughed and smiled while dancing around the stage. After "Boy on a String"
ended, Dan (lead vocals) took a moment to say "hi" to the crowd.
He commented that this was his first time at Cornerstone, and he hadn't seen
so many interesting hair styles before. He joked that he may need to try out
a new hair style himself. :) Personally, I like his hair the way it is. :)
Next, the music picked up again with "Sinking", a song about addicitions.
After this was my personal favorite, "Love Song for a Savior". I have
always loved this song since I saw the Jars perform with PFR. The song is
beautful enough as is, but it only gets better as the Jars encourage the
crowd to sing the chorus with them at the end, and eventually the entire
crowd was singing "I want to fall in love with you" accapella. More than
just being beautiful, it was extremely worshipful. It was exciting to see
this rock and roll crowd lifting their voices and hands to Jesus in this way.
This was a highlight of the show for me.
Throwing many of us for a loop was their next song, which I
believe was titled "Fade to Gray". This was a song off their indie
release "Frail", which didn't make it onto their debut release. Hopefully it
will reappear on a later album, since it seemed to go over well with the
crowd despite the fact that very few of us knew the lyrics.
"Flood", the first song released by the Jars, was the next song on the
lineup. Although this song has never thrilled me on the album for some
reason, I have always loved singing along to it during their shows. This
song proved to be a crowd pleaser as the audience clapped and sang along. In
some ways it reminded me of Steve Taylor's new arrangement of "On the Fritz"
- the song has a soft, calm feel during the verses, but becomes high strung
and wild on the chorus. :) The band was really moving during this one,
dancing around the stage and really enjoying themselves. The audience was
almost just as active. :)
Believe it or not, I can't remember if the Jars had an encore or not. It
would seem so, yet I can't remember if their last song was part of the
regular set or an encore. Anyhow, during a long pause after "Flood", the
audience began shouting requests... To my delight, they played mine - the
bonus track many are familiar with, which is known as "4:7". As it may be
obvious, the song is called "4:7" because it is essentially II Corinthians
4:7 put to music. The Jars rocked through this short song, and ended it with
a delightful bit of audience participation. Normally, the song ends with Dan
singing"Whoa-oh, yeah-ah, whoa-oh, yeah-ah..." and so on, but here they
changed it first to a sing-a-long of "nah-nah-nah-nah-nah" (try to fit it to
the music - it is tricky to remember), and lastly to "Hallelujah". And so
this is how their set ended - with the audience singing "Hallelujah" to the
music as the band left the stage one by one, until only Dan was left to say
goodbye to the crowd. It was wonderful! It was only too bad their set only
lasted 30 minutes - it ended at exactly 5:10pm.
During the entire show, the audience was obviously very familiar with the
Jars' music as they were singing along to every word. This seemed to be a
clear indication of their popularity more than anything else. However, as
the Jars often remind us, their talent is from God and not from themselves.
This more than anything else impresses me most about the Jars - as talented
a band as they are, they are very humble and centered on serving Christ, and
they want us to know that. Of all the bands I met during Cornerstone, I
never felt more welcome or relaxed then when I was talking with Jars of Clay.
Overall, this show was a big highlight for me. It was too bad they couldn't
use their prerecorded stuff, since I could see where it would've helped the
sound quite a bit in certain songs, and I think it
made the song "Liquid" impossible (one of their best songs and they
didn't play it...dang!) Still, despite these limitations, they were well
received and appreciated at Cornerstone. I noticed a day or so later
that their CDs had sold out in the True Tunes store...True Tunes had set up a
huge store in the big merchandise tent, with thousands of CDs from many
artists...One day I noticed at least 40 or so Jars of Clay CDs on the table,
and within a day or two they were all gone with a note saying there were more
available at the PFR booth. :)
********************************************************************************
*Jars magazine articles/ads:
I'm currently trying to form a list of magazines the guys have been in. If
anyone can help make additions to this list, it'd be very much appreciated!
:) And, I would be very happy to trade photocopies of them for the ones I've
found, then transcribe them for the newsletter. Here's what I have found
(with much help!) so far:
( * denotes a full page (picture, ad or article), ** denotes 2 pages, etc.
Also, "~" denotes a new issue or magazine, listings of articles will follow)
~CCM July '95: ad*, On the Beat p.13, Mud picture p.16, In Concert w/ PFR p.
75 w/ picture of all the guys together.*
~CCM June '95: On the Beat p.24, album review p.66.
~CCM May '95: Walking a Tightrope p.6, Faces to Watch* p.32, ad* p.85, Making
Contact (their address) p.92.
~CCM July '94: On the Beat (Unsigned/Indies): GMA Spotlight winners
~CCM Update 9 (18): 5/8/95: CHR chart
~CCM Update 9 (19): 5/15/95 CHR charts
~CCM Update 9 (20): 5/22/95 CHR charts
~CCM Update 9 (22): 6/5/95 ad* back page w/ picture & comments, Charts: CHR,
Top Albums, Most adds Rock (#1), Rock charts, Out and About (re:CD-Rom).
(Please note: these are the only CCM updates I've been able to obtain, they
are probably in many more issues as well so it's not complete)
~CCM Update 5/23/94 p.6 "Gallery", picture.
~Performance:24 (51): 4/21/95: Spotlight**** article, pull-out 4 color pages
+ picture on front cover.
~Release: May/June '95: ad* p.53, picture p.54.
~Shout Summer '95, ad*, free compilation cd ad from shout & Z-tv
~Bookstore Journal May '95: picture p.34, album review p.132.
~Christian Retailing 4/25/95: Music News p.28 (New Artist Profile).
~Christian Retailing 6/25/95: p.? album review. (see below for review!)
~New Music Guide Spring '95: Interview w/ Charlie Lowell re:Jars.*
~Syndicate #45: "Breaking Jars of Clay"* p.11, album review p.15.
~GMA Today June/July '94: picture/article on Spotlight '94 p.3.
~Billboard 5/27/95: Single Reviews (for Flood) p.?
~Billboard 6/?/95: p.105 Belew Article mentions work w/ Jars.
Newspaper articles:
~Greensboro, NC News & Record: 7/1/95*
~VOG Atlanta: 4 (10): June '95: Review p.8
~Parkminster Presby. (home church) * by youth pastor (See E.V.#1)
Flyers:
~Network Church 7/2/95*
~Rocketown w/ Sixpence, 10/4/94.
The Jars Press Kit Includes:
~Three possible promotional photos
~Gatefold cardboard jar, opens w/ pictures and describes songs.
~Lyric packet, 14 pages (same text as inside cd booklet)
~Three page biography
!Phew! OK, I know it's quite an exhaustive list, but I wanted to catalogue
everything... :)
********************************************************************************
*Article: Christian Retailing 6/25/95: album review:
When listening to this new Christian artist, one cannot take the typical
approach of finding a secular band comparison. Jars of Clay upsets the
status quo and actually stands on its own musical identity. Perhaps this
debut act can set a trend for Christian artists to create a genre instead of
merely imitating it.
Musically, the group's folk-based rock integrates diverse
instrumentation with unusual sound effects, from the chanting of monks to the
chirping of crickets. Jars of Clay uniquely incorporates these nuances
without forfeiting the songs' integrity.
Lyrically, the group paints with an artistic stroke. Some listeners may
find it necessary to listen to the album a few times to comprehend the
four-some's message of the frailty of humanity.
Jars of Clay is tantalizing at first sip, yet listeners who savor and
allow the flavor to resonate are likely to discover vessels of treasure, both
musically and lyrically. The cuts "Liquid" and "Flood" (first radio single)
are ones to note.
Don't hesitate recommending this project to customers who are looking
for new blood. Jars of Clay should be especially pleasing to fans of Rich
Mullins and Iona. --David Davore
****************************************************************************
*Biography (taken from the Jars of Clay press kit):
In his second letter to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul wrote, "We
have this treasure in jars of Clay to show that this all-surpassing power is
from God and not from us." Almost 2,000 years later, Steve Mason sees the
band's purpose in much the same way. "The jar of clay is a picture of
something so easily broken that you wouldn't put a valuable treasure in it,
yet God does that anyway," he says. "That one verse paints in full the
picture of what we're trying to communicate."
Taking their name and their mission from II Cor. 4:7, Jars of Clay, on
their self-titled debut album, put a message as old as scripture itself to
music that is on the very cutting edge of modern rock.
Jars of Clay's sound is built on Dan Haseltine's lead vocals laid
overtop the driving, rhythmic acoustic guitar interplay of Steve Mason and
Matt Odmark, colored by Charlie Lowell's often ethereal keyboards. With
influences that range from the Beatles to Jimi Hendrix, to Christian stalwart
Rich Mullins, and modern alternative rockers Toad the Wet Sprocket and
Depeche Mode, Jars of Clay have crafted a sound that is indeed all their own.
"I would like to think what we're doing here is unique," says Steve. "I
get frustrated with acts being 'the Christian equivalent' of anybody else,
because I think that if it's of God, it can be better than anything the world
has to offer."
Jars of Clay came together in late 1993, and in a little over a year
became one of the most sought-after acts in Christian music when they won the
1994 Gospel Music Association Spotlight Award, winning out over more than 200
acts as the best unsigned band on the scene.
Charlie and Dan met in 1992 at Greenville College in Illinois. Both
lived on the same dormitory floor and were majoring in the school's
contemporary music program. When they discovered they had similar musical
tastes, they began working on a demo recording project together in the studio
at Greenville.
The following year bass player Steve Mason, who was a Freshman, teamed
up with the two-some and Charlie's guitarist/roommate to form a legitimate
band. "People seemed to really enjoy what we were doing," says Charlie, "and
we were ourselves, so we did a CD demo just to see if we could pull it off.
It was more for fun. We didn't have intentions of going to Nashville and
trying to get a record deal."
Matt Odmark, a childhood friend of Charlie's, joined the band after the
departure of the group's original guitar player, and things began to take off
quicker than the group ever dreamed.
"After we'd finished three or four songs, we submitted them to the GMA
Spotlight Song Contest in 1994 and decided to try and finish an entire
album," Charlie recalls. "We spent all our weekends and vacations in the
studio. People started looking at us as a real band.
"Winning at GMA was really the beginning of everything. We weren't
expecting anything, so we hadn't even taken the energy to send the demo out
to anyone yet. After we won, people started approaching us and we started
getting a lot of positive feedback. We started sending out our CD to the
industry and gettin ga lot of good response, and began considering coming
down to Nashville and taking it more seriously."
It would be more accurate to say that record labels began beating the
band's door down. "We were getting calls on the pay phone on our dorm
floor," says Charlie. "We weren't even sure how some of them got our number.
We finally put a sign by the phone that said "If anybody calls regarding
Jars of Clay, take down their number and tell them "this"...but don't tell
them "this."' School ended three weeks later and we came to Nashville and
started meeting with people."
Jars of Clay signed with Essential/Brentwood Music and soon went to work
on their album, produced in part by Adrian Belew, whose track record includes
stints with progressive rock giants David Bowie and King Crimson, as well as
a number of major-label solo projects. Although all four men had felt
callings to careers in music and ministry for much of their lives, the
enthusiasm with which they were received still sent their heads spinning.
Yet Jars of Clay has managed to keep their feet on the ground.
"We find ourselves more humbled than egotistical," says Charlie.
"Seeing the response of people in the industry, and other musicians we look
up to who've commented on our music, makes us feel honored, and unworthy, and
very blessed. One thing we're trying to establish as a band is a lifestyle
ministry going beyond the music and what we do as a band, and more than
anything, trying to let people see that we are very normal humans, who have a
faith in Christ, but are really no different from them."
"I don't feel like God gives gifts of fame," comments Matt. "I think if
we're in a position where attention is going to be drawn to us, there will be
a way for that attention to be refocused on Christ."
All of the members of Jars of Clay collaborated on the album's songs.
Choosing standouts from an album as uniformly inspired as Jars of Clay is a
hard thing to do. But still the best-of-the-best have a way of identifying
themselves.
"'World's Apart' is about really breaking down the walls we put around
us of pride and selfishness, and becoming vulnerable as humans, and holding
that out and offerring it to God," says Charlie. "It has a certain mood
about it that's bery strong and compliments the lyrics."
"I'm really happy with 'Art in Me,'", says Matt. "I've always felt Dan
did an amazing job of communicating lyrically on that song. It deals with
discovering the beauty of God's creation in us, and coming to terms with the
art He's created and intended in us. Musically, it's a bit of a departure in
that it's very acoustic, like much of the album, but it features a lot of
live drums rather than samples. It starts almost gently and builds to a
dramatic intensity by the end."
"I think 'Blind' is really strong both musically and lyrically," Steve
says. "It's done with a nylon string guitar and Ron Huff did a string
arrangement behind it that's just haunting. It talks about the cynical
nature of man, and how we crucify Christ daily with our unbelief. We deny
the sacrifice He made for us. I see a culture today that's living in denial
and cynicism. Many have heard the message, but just choose not to believe."
While Jars of Clay have become the talk of the Christian music industry,
the experience of having a national platform from which to perform and
minister is brand new to them,and something they don't take lightly.
"All I really feel qualified to do is tell what God has done in my life,
and what I believe He can be to others," states Matt. "And there's also a
great responsibility to do that correctly in accordance with the scripture."
"If I'm going to be up there in front of kids," continues Charlie,
"potentially being a role-model, telling them where I think they need to be,
I better be sure that I'm in the Word every day, and where I need to be."
As their tour bus departs for the first time, and Jars of Clay head out
to meet the world at large, each has his own individual, yet common, set
hopes and dreams.
"My main hope is not to get caught up in the differences with people,
but rather just to model and follow the life of Christ," Charlie offers. "I
want to keep to simple messages -- portraying the sacrifice Christ has made
for us, and that we need to surrender to Him and follow Him. There's a
desire in me to create art of integrity that also glorifies Christ."
"We want to offer something that's an alternative to everything else
that's out there," says Matt. "Something that's different and interesting
musically with artistic integrity, that sends a true picture of that
relationship." "I'm trusting that as we head out, that whatever we're
confronted with," Dan adds, "the Lord will see us through."
"Creatively, I just hope we continue to progress with the times and keep
up with things, and can share our creative vision with others," says Steve,
giving voice to a vision shared by all four members of Jars of Clay.
"Spiritually, I've already gotten a new sense of how God works in a creative
atmosphere, and just hope -- along the way -- to get another small glimpse of
who He is."
******************************************************************************
*Questions & Comments:
Jars' video was recently featured on Much Music, Canada's MTV equivalent
(the video for Flood). Here's what I was told by the Canadian person who saw
it all:
Sender: sgarrity@isn.net
To: earthpots@aol.com
"Much Music is Canada's MTV. It's a full time music video station and
it rocks way harder than MTV. When JoC was on, they were on what they
call the "indie video spotlight", which is just a thing where thay
show the video's of unsigned bands (odd, isn't it because JoC is
signed)."
From: ad326@leo.nmc.edu (Steve Carlson)
To: earthpots@aol.com
I have some questions to ask for the next issue....Such as,
Why does th einside of the CD have "Truck" printed there? What's the
point? :) How do they like their music to be described? What do they
have planned for a second album, if they've even thought of one? What
will come after the PFR tour?
[I will try to answer some questions for you:
"Truck" was printed by the manufacturer's although they weren't told to
this. On the proof cd, the guys thought it looked artistic and although
there
is no purpose to the word, thought they'd keep it. The picture was taken on
one of their photo shoots when they came upon an abandoned truck and
thought
it might make a good picture. They were thinking of having a contest to see
who could come up with the best meaning for it...any takers? Not that I
have
many prizes I could give out! My thought was that the Truck could symbolize
a
jar in a way (are you lost yet?). This could be a valid interpretation
because the truck is man-made (like a jar), broken and rundown (like we get
sometimes, this is a theme on the album) and has LIFE growing in it! There
are plants growing in the back of it which can symbolize the life that
grows
in us despite the hardships and being broken. That's the best I can come up
with, any other comments are welcome for the next issue! :)
I think they'd most like their music to be desribed as spiritual, but we'll
leave that question for them sometime. Musically I know they admire the
production techniques of many bands including The Trio, PFR, Sarah
McLachlan,
Seal, Toad the Wet Sprocket, and MANY more...
They are planning a second album, as their contract is for multiple albums,
and a CD-Rom is in the works for January '96 or so. A Christmas single will
also be released in October-November, and they're beginning work on that
right now. It'll probably include Little Drummer Boy, God Rest Ye Merry
Gentleman, and another acoustic song or two from their debut album.
I haven't heard anything specific for after the PFR tour, but am sure it'll
be good. :) We'll keep you posted! Hopefully they can answer questions like
these in the next issue. -Ed.]
From: Lilroxie
To: earthpots
Re: National CBA Meeting
What I really wanted to tell you is about an award Jars won. Every year,
there is this thing called Impact Awards for different catagories, such as:
best album jacket, best display, and even one called total promotion
campaign for music. The last one being the one jars was in. They had set
up
a display of all the promo stuff essential had done and cba members like
myself were to vote for the best one. We had to choose between groups like
Point of Grace, Newsboys, etc...who all had pretty impressive things set
up.
However; the winner was none other than the jars boys! It was definitely
well deserved, I think Essential did an excellent promotion job!
Q & A from Charlie
Date: 95-07-20 02:39:28 EDT
From: Pdljmpr7
I will attempt to answer some of your questions, posted previously. I hope
this makes sense.......
1. The chants on "Liquid"......
Basically, we had a tape from the library full of traditional Gregorian
Chants and we sampled a small portion of a chant and took it to the studio.
When we slowed it down to the key of "liquid," (Eb minor) it just fit
perfectly, so we left it there! That's about it- Divine Intervention, some
would say!? As to what the chant is saying, we don't know (something in
Latin...), but if anyone finds out and can prove it, we'll award you!
Here's
what we think they're saying: "Are you sleeping little lamb? Please don't,
please don't step on me!" :)
2. Who's the woman singing on "World's Apart"?
That is the beautiful voice of our good friend, Mancy A'lan Kane, who lives
near us in Nashville. We heard Mancy's demo, and shortly thereafter, got
to
know her a bit as a friend. Her voice seemed perfect for the "vibe"of the
song.
3. Do we listen to the album for casual listening?
Sort of. We did a bit after it was recorded, just to put the whole thing
in
perspective and to be simply blown away by what God was doing through us. I
like to listen to Worlds Apart from time to time because it is my favorite
song on the album, and the words really minister to me- how it is so
important to constantly humble ourselves and allow the Lord to break us
from
ourselves and our selfishness......
4. Do we ever get tired of our songs?
To an extent, but it's hard to really get sick of them because we feel like
they are such gifts from God. They are still pretty new to us, but ask us
again in a year.........
5. Do we answer e-mail?
We love getting personal e-mail, and try to answer as many as we can. We
really like staying in touch with our "audience"/ friends, and love to hear
how God is working in your lives. E-mail us at "Clayjars@aol.com". We are
on the road a bit, but always are anxious to check our mail when we come
home.
6. What is "four seven" in the album credits?
four seven is the two minute song that appears a few minutes after "Blind,"
the last track. It is titled after the scripture it is taken directly
from,
2nd Corinthians four seven. The lyrics are:
"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels,
To show that this power is from God,
and not from us."
Please pray for us as we travel lots and minister to friends across the
country- thanks!
God's Grace and Peace that Surpasses,
Charlie
******************************************************************************
*Love Song for a Saviour: Released for Radio!
Yes, the second release is out...please call your radio station and request
it! It was released a couple weeks ago and has not yet recieved the
attention
that Flood did, but we'll see what happens. The artwork on the cd's sent to
radio stations is quite nice. A three-fold cover with a Jar on the front
and
jars of clay written in the background lightly over a marble black & gray
design, you open it to find the signature verse first, then 9 blocks of
different pictures. Here's what they are: 1. the Truck! :) Except this time
from the front end. 2. The guys, a promo picture not used yet for anything
else. 3. An old serene bridge in the middle of a forest (my personal
favorite) 4. a dogs face (?) 5. the middle block, a Jar with the logo. 6. a
group of about 12 mailboxes pointing in different directions (?) 7. another
promo smiley picture 8. the back of the truck 9. the picture of the guys
that's on the album cover. Now, if this wasn't enough, you open it again
and
find all the lyrics to Love Song... then pull out the cd with a somewhat
hidden jar in gray on it and the logo. The cd contains the album version
and
a shorter radio edit. Please note that this cd can not be found in stores,
it is merely to send out to radio stations for airplay.
***********************************************************************************************
END
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