Jars of Clay
Jars of Clay is an American alternative rock band that originally started in Greenville, Illinois. The band consists of Dan Haseltine on vocals, Charlie Lowell on piano and keyboards, Stephen Mason on lead guitar and Matthew Odmark on rhythm guitar. Although the band has no permanent drummer or bass guitarist, Jeremy Lutito and Gabe Ruschival of Disappointed by Candy fill these roles for live concerts. Past tour band members include Aaron Sands, Scott Savage, and Joe Porter. Jars of Clay's style of music is alternative rock, folk, acoustic and R&B.
The band's name is derived from 2 Corinthians 4:7, which says:
"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.
Charlie Lowell and Matt Bronleewe originally met as friends in high school. There, Lowell first learned of 2 Corinthians 4:7, which later became the basis for the band's name. Dan Haseltine, Steve Mason, Charlie Lowell and Matt Bronleewe formed Jars of Clay at Greenville College, in Greenville, Illinois around 1993. 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. 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 Gospel Music Association and were selected as finalists. Back in Greenville, they self-released a limited-run of the same demo, Frail, after their song of the same name. The buzz from their performance in Nashville and the demo's popularity resulted in offers from record labels, so the band decided to drop school and move to Nashville, Tennessee. At this time, Bronleewe left the band to finish school and settle down with his fiancée. He was replaced with Matt Odmark, Lowell's childhood friend and fellow McQuaid Jesuit High School alum.
The band signed with Essential Records and started recording their first full-length studio album, Jars of Clay. Adrian Belew, of progressive rock band King Crimson, heard the band and offered to produce, leading to him producing two songs: "Liquid" and "Flood." The band's self-titled debut released in 1995. When the single "Flood" began to climb the charts on mainstream radio stations, Silvertone Records (Essential's parent company) started to heavily promote the song, turning it into one of the biggest mainstream hits ever by a band on a Christian label. The album has since reached multi-platinum certification according to the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of American). "Flood" peaked at No. 37 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 12 on the 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.
The band released a Christmas EP entitled Drummer Boy, at the end of 1995. The EP was re-released, on Silvertone Records, in 1997 with a slightly different track listing. The band's second album, Much Afraid, produced by Stephen Lipson was also released in 1997. The album sold well and like its predecessor and enjoyed crossover success. The album went on to earn a Grammy Award for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album. The album has since earned Platinum certification by the RIAA. They released two music videos for this album for the songs "Crazy Times" and "Five Candles (You Were There)." Both were released as singles to Christian radio.
In November 1999, Jars of Clay released their third studio album, If I Left the Zoo, which was produced by Dennis Herring. The record was their third to crossover into the mainstream, and it earned the band their second Grammy Award. 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. "Collide" was also featured on the motion picture Hometown Legend. Upon the release of If I Left the Zoo they also released a live EP Front Yard Luge and then another EP 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. 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.
Jars of Clay released more album into the 2000s, starting with The Eleventh Hour, which earned them another Grammy Award, a double-disc release Furthermore: From the Studio, From the Stage, Who We Are Instead (2003), Redemption Songs (2005), Good Monsters (2006), the live EP Live Monsters (2007), the two-disc retrospective collection The Essential Jars of Clay (2007), and a single discs compilation Greatest Hits (2008). After more than a decade, Jars of Clay were no longer on Essential Records and have started an independent label called Gray Matters, which would be a partnership with Nettwerk Music Group. The band's first release through Gray Matters is a full-length Christmas album titled Christmas Songs. It was released in October 2007. Jars of Clay next released an EP titled Closer and featured reworked versions of "Flood" and "Love Song For a Savior," both taken from their 1995 self-titled debut album.
The band's next full-length album, The Long Fall Back to Earth, was released in April 2009. Their Christian single and music video for "Two Hands" was one of their final hits. The Shelter was released in October 2010. 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. In July 2012, the band began work on their next studio album, Inland, in Portland, Oregon. It was released in August 2013.
After Inland, Jars of Clay's activities were limited throughout the 2010s as each band member were pursuing individual projects outside the band. They continued to release music (mostly EPs) and perform sporadically. Jars of Clay collaborated with female pop/rock 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. As of 2022, Jars of Clay contributed a track, "Broken Places," for the Randy Stonehill tribute album There's a Rainbow Somewhere.
More information on Jars of Clay at Wikipedia:
Discography
full-length studio releases and compilations:
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)
Good Monsters (2006)
The Essential Jars of Clay (2007) (2-CD compilation album)
Christmas Songs (2007)
Greatest Hits (2008) (compilation album)
The Long Fall Back to Earth (2009)
The Shelter (2010)
Inland (2013)
extended plays (EPs):
Drummer Boy (1995)
Front Yard Luge (1999)
The White Elephant Sessions (2000)
Roots & Wings (2005)
Mini Monsters (2006)
Live Monsters (2007)
Closer (2008)
Live at Gray Matters, Volume 1: Songs from The Long Fall Back to Earth (2010)
Flood (ed): A Benefit (2010)
Live at Gray Matters, Volume 2: The Rewind Edition (2010)
Live at Gray Matters, Volume 3: The Christmas Edition (2010)
Live at Gray Matters, Volume 4: One Mic (2011)
More Christmas Songs (2011)
Reinvent, Remember, Repeat (2011)
Under the Weather (Live in Sellersville, PA) (2013)
The Others (2015)
A Family Christmas (2019) (with SHEL)
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