Jars of Clay
Jars of Clay is a Christian rock band from Nashville, Tennessee. They met at Greenville College in Greenville, Illinois.
Jars of Clay consists of Dan Haseltine on vocals, Charlie Lowell on piano and keyboards, Stephen Mason on lead guitars and Matthew Odmark on rhythm guitars. Although the band has no permanent drummer or bassist, 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 is a blend of alternative rock, folk, acoustic, and R&B.
The band's name is derived from the New International Version's translation of 2 Corinthians 4:7:
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
Formation and early success
Dan Haseltine, Steve Mason, Charlie Lowell and Matt Bronleewe formed Jars of Clay at Greenville College, in Greenville, Illinois in the early 1990s.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".
Jars of Clay (album)
Jars of Clay is the eponymous first full-length studio album by Christian rock group Jars of Clay. It was released on October 24, 1995 by Essential Records. The album has been highly acclaimed, being one of few Christian albums of the mid-nineties to achieve platinum status. As the group's debut album, Jars of Clay introduced many internationally to the group and established the group due to their distinctive style.
Overview
Jars of Clay's eponymous first full-length album is characterized by a combination of drum loops and acoustic guitar strumming that would become an early trademark of the band. Strings are also used prominently in most of the songs. Honest, intense, poetic, and harmonic with sonic influences as diverse as Gregorian chants, mandolin, and gothic layered vocals, Jars of Clay was a refreshing break from the pessimism and alterna-angst that dominated the mid-90s music scene.
The album was mostly self-produced, with the exception of "Liquid" and "Flood" which were produced by King Crimson guitarist Adrian Belew.
Podcasts:
Jars of Clay
ALBUMS
- 20 released: 2014
- Inland released: 2013
- Gather and Build: A Collection released: 2011
- The Shelter released: 2010
- The Long Fall Back to Earth released: 2009
- Greatest Hits released: 2008
- Christmas Songs released: 2007
- The Essential Jars of Clay released: 2007
- Good Monsters released: 2006
- Redemption Songs released: 2005
- Who We Are Instead released: 2003
- Furthermore released: 2003
- The Eleventh Hour released: 2002
- Jar of Gems released: 2001
- Stringtown released: 1999
- Front Yard Luge. released: 1999
- The White Elephant Sessions released: 1999
- If I Left the Zoo released: 1999
- Much Afraid released: 1997
- Jars of Clay released: 1995
- Frail released: 1994
Christmas Songs
Released 2007- The Gift of St.Cecilia
- Wonderful Christmastime
- Love Came Down at Christmas
- O Little Town of Bethlehem
- Hibernation Day
- Winter Skin
- Peace Is Here
- God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
- Evergreen
- Christmastime Is Here
- Drummer Boy
- Gabriel's Message
- In the Bleak Midwinter
- I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
- God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (acoustic version)
Redemption Songs
Released 2005- God Be Merciful to Me (Psalm 51)
- I Need Thee Every Hour
- God Will Lift Up Your Head
- I'll Fly Away
- Nothing but the Blood
- Let Us Love and Sing and Wonder
- O Come and Mourn With Me Awhile
- Hiding Place
- Jesus, I Lift My Eyes
- It Is Well With My Soul
- On Jordan's Stormy Banks I Stand
- Thou Lovely Source of True Delight
- They'll Know We Are Christians by Our Love
The White Elephant Sessions
Released 1999- Unforgetful You (remix)
- Crazy Times (demo)
- Goodbye, Goodnight (demo)
- River Constantine (partial demo)
- Grace (Hudson & Wells demo)
- Headstrong (IA demo)
- Coffee Song
- Can't Erase It (Tweed Horse sessions demo)
- Kaylos
- New Math (Tweed Horse sessions demo)
- Fly Farther
- Collide (Tweed Horse sessions demo)
- Frail (Frail demo album version)
-
by Jars Of Clay
Surprise
by: Jars Of ClayShoot a dream in your arm and sleep away
It's not the stuff that kills you, that keeps your life at bay
Every crash pulls you in reach
Of a watershed of signal flares that cover your beach
These are just placebos to make us feel all right
Illusions in our pockets make our feather float us high
For a second I thought I saw you eyelids rise
A moment, something restless caught you by surprise,
Surprise, surprise
We are so beautiful when we sleep
Hearts of gold and eyes so deep, deep, deep
But love won't cure the chaos
And hope won't hide the loss
And peace is not the heroine that shouts above the cause
And love is wild for reasons
And hope though short in sight
Might be the only thing that wakes you by surprise
Surprise, surprise
Dream little one
See the world just begun
Love is wild for reasons
And hope feels short in sight
Might be the only thing that wakes you by surprise
For a moment I thought I saw your eyelids rise