The Official Monthly Jars of Clay Email News Digest
9/21/96
3,327 Subscribers
web site: http://www.jarsofclay.com
CONTENTS:
*Message from Matt: Holy Joy
*Soundtrack song
*Recent Publicity
*Autumn Tour Dates
*Concert Review #1: July 9, 1996 Redlands, CA
*Concert Review #2: July 23, 1996: Starfish Room, Vancouver, BC
*Concert Review #3: August 12, 1996 Bayou, Washington, D.C.
*Concert Review #4: August 24, 1996 Purple Door Festival Lancaster, PA:
*Jars get Sassy!
*Vibe Central - Jars Remixed
*Prayer Requests
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*Message from Matt:
Holy Joy:
Written for all of our internet subscribers by Matt Odmark (guitar), we pray that God will use this to touch your hearts.
"Holy Joy and the daily grind - the supernatural and the salmon"
A recent letter from a friend of mine on the internet poses this question, (I am paraphrasing because I admit that I deleted the email that it came in), "what does it look like to experience real closeness to God, when this is what I desire more than anything but wherever I go I cannot escape monotony, redundancy, and routine? I wish that I could feel like I did when I first encountered Christ."
I think that at the root of this question, lies the very scandal of the Gospel, and a concept with which the Lord has been haunting me with for several weeks since. What does it mean to live the Christian life in the midst of the daily grind? How does the fact that two thousand years ago God reached down from heaven, buckled on flesh and became one of us affect the way that we get up in the morning, shave, shower, eat, work and then go back to sleep? Does it? Can it? How do we see or hear or somehow touch God, in the midst of monotony, the daily shabbiness of life, the way that we think we see or hear him in those quiet moments of rewarded reflection, or genuine awe? Those experiences that all of us chase, the moments of epiphany, where his words ring truer than maybe they ever have. Or those brief times of true, sincere contentment that come to us like still quiet evenings, when the air is neither too cold nor too hot, and the stars seem brighter than you ever remember them being. This chasing, or this frequent attempt to recreate what we feel are these monumental moments in our redeemed life I think are common to any of us who know that we have had an actual encounter with Jesus Christ. Yet I think that we can all only walk too long down the narrow road before we realize that these moments when we feel closest to God somehow seem to become further and further apart, and we live more and more of life not so much in these states of heightened rapture, or even the valley of the shadow of death, although God meets us in these places, I think that in some ways it is easiest to see how God meets us in these places. Yet sooner or later the discovery is made that most of life is lived somewhere in between, on the plains of indifference, numbness, and routine. And the sometimes terrifying realization is made that, if our religion, God, worldview, or whatever we use to measure the value of our life and who we are on a daily basis, does not meet us in those places then we are at best only seasonal Christians, fair-weather friends of the Father, and what's more, that is all that we could ever hope to be.
Perhaps this letter is more confessional than instructional - you see, I too am one that lives in the daily reality of this question. I continue to live my life partially for God, giving him only those things that cost me the least, on those rare days when I can muster even enough faith to actually listen to his voice much less dare to answer its call. I think that the reason that my heart moves to even deal with this question is because of the reality of how much of my true heart it touches. Yet recently I find that there is even to be some revelation in the harrowing and uninspiring reality our own faithlessness. For is this not the very mystery of the gospel?
Chasing Restlessness - on these places, if we do call ourselves Christians, the persistent faithfulness of a God, who not only offers to save the faithless, but purposes to save them and pursues them to this end? Could it be that the reality of life even for the prophets and the saints is lived in the day to day - and that those brief moments of "religious experience" are simply yet another display of our fathers mercy towards the faithless, gifts to the week at heart, to whom the word of God, the prophets, and the church is not enough witness to fuel our mustard seed of faith. Or maybe this hunger, this restlessness is exactly what God intended. Maybe this is what Christ himself was hinting at when he promises, "I have said this to you in figures; the hour is coming when I shall no longer speak to you in figures but tell you plainly of the Father." Maybe it is these long intervals of monotony that breed exactly the kind of enduring faith and character that the Father desires, which is inevitably his character. For would it not be true faith to actually take Christ at his word? To live each day knowing that what we know of the Father in this life is only figures, fragments, broken pieces of a staggeringly larger whole, but to know that our hope is in the promise that the hour is coming when he can speak plainly to us of the Father. Is this not what all of us truly desire? Is this not what we ache for at the pit of our very soul? Our very restlessness and emptiness bears witness to it. So it is here that we must put our hope. God does hear our cry, and has promised that the day is coming when he will answer it, plainly. But for now we must resign to live life day to day in the messiness and self-abandonment of faith, living as best we can within the sketchy framework of the God we partially know yet whose presence even in part has so affected our hearts, as to keep us ever hungry for more of him.
Broken and in need of his grace-
Matt Odmark
Odie74@aol.com
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*Soundtrack Song:
Jars have written a song entitled "The Chair" for an upcoming movie called "Long Kiss Goodbye" starring Samuel Jackson & Geena Davis. They were asked to remake a David Bowie tune called "Heroes" with Adrian Belew but felt better about writing their own song to go along with the movie. This does not mean they've sold out to secular culture because they've written a song for a movie - they are simply letting people hear the music and the message that they have. Also, the producers of The Chamber movie (book by John Grisham) asked if they could use "Flood" in the movie so will be heard once again by the secular world.
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*Recent Publicity:
Jars made an appearance on Conan O'Brien on September 5th and played Flood. Conan announced the Sting tour dates and that the album had gone Platinum officially the day before, and Jars were happy to have the exposure. Also, the latest Rolling Stone contains an article about Christian music including Jars, DC Talk and some others.
There is also an article in the latest "Acoustic Musician", as well as the latest Details, on Christian music. It will make you nauseus but it is an interesting perspective of an outsiders view of the Christian industry. The author traveled with Jars for four days or more and actually said some things that weren't true in the article, but it is an interesting (though disheartening) account of Christian music.
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*Autumn Tour Dates:
The Autumn tour is being booked, and Jars will be double-billing with the Samples, an XTC-style secular band that has a large underground following and about six full length albums. Jars plan on taking a violinist out with them for the tour. Meanwhile, Dan & Steve are at a songwriting conference with many other top artists at Sting's castle in Paris. Other artists who will be at the conference include Sting, Alanis Morrissette, Carole King & Jewel among others. (By the way, the Sting shows went terrific, the audiences were receptive and gave them a standing ovation the third night in Houston - a rare occurence for an opening Christian band on a tour such as Sting's...) Upon their return the band will start rehearsing for the fall tour. Here are the dates we've received so far:
10/1: Richmond, VA: Flood Zone
10/4: Bloomington, IN: Indiana University 10/5: Columbus, OH: Battelle Hall
10/6: Salem, VA: Civic Center
10/8: Grand Rapids, MI: Calvin College
10/9: Macomb, IL: Western Illinois University
10/11: Cullowhee, NC: W. Carolina
10/12: Salisbury, MD: Civic Center
10/17: Chicago, IL: Riviera Theater
10/18: South Bend, IN: Morris Civic Center
10/22: Wichita, KS: Cotillion
10/23: Pella, IL: Central College
10/25: Decorah, IA: Luther College
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CALL THE JOC CONCERT HOTLINE: 615-361-0444
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*Concert Review #1: July 9, 1996 Redlands, CA
From: patton@yooper.switch.rockwell.com
Jarheads,
Last month I took a group of teenagers (I am a 42 year old teenager myself) to see JOC at Pharoah's Amusement park in Redlands, California. The concert was the debut for the park, and it was sponsored by a local alternative station, definately not a Christian venue by the smell of burning plants in the air. Jars headlined with an opening act so laid back that he had people snoozing in the aisles (I can not even remember the guy's name). But when JOC took the stage with their 4 candelabras, the atmosphere became electric. They opened with LIQUID, going on to one song after another, until time came for the "acoustic" set. Stools were brought out and Charlie strapped on an accordion for one number. The "COFFEE" song was a big hit, Matt doing his cappo imitation, and then the infamous "When I was in high school, I read a book" line caused various cat calls and crowd interaction. This was all in good fun & stopped when the subject of child abuse was finally revealed and the band launched in to "HE". JOC then played a tongue-in-cheek lounge version of "CRAZY TRAIN" that, frankly, was somewhat lost on the GEN-X crowd that was in attendance, but I got a big kick out of it. They played two new numbers that are to be included on their new album, both pretty good as I recall. FLOOD was a monster hit and then it was encore time. JOC came out and admitted that since they only have one album, they didn't have much material left (the only song left unplayed was BLIND), they repeated LOVE SONG FOR A SAVIOR and did the audience participation thing on the chorus, then ended with FOURSEVEN and left to meet with the throngs. As the crowds dissipated I heard many remarks about how much everyone liked JOC, lots of tapes & CDs & promo pics were sold, mostly to a non-Christian audience. The teens that I took, don't like & won't even listen to Christian music, were impressed and recently got the JOC tape.
I pray that the Lord will continue to guide and bless this ministry, for the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few!!!!
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*Concert Review #2: July 23, 1996: Starfish Room, Vancouver, BC
From: penninga@twu.ca (Martin Penninga)
Dear Jars of Clay,
I just wanted to drop you a little note to say how much I appreciated your concert in Vancouver BC on July 23. Your music was amazing and the energy you played with was electrifying.
But what really impressed me the most was the fact that the band members on stage seemed so real and genuine and I could see that they were not just a Christian band in name. You truly were witnessing to the people at the concert (where many were non-Christian). The concert wasn't just a praise and worship time, it was an evangelical event even though Jars did not preach on stage. If they would have started talking about Jesus Christ, it would have turned off a lot of people and ruined the seeds that may have been planted. I'm sure non-believers there realized the joy of Christianity by listening to the lyrics, seeing the postive influence of the band on stage, and by coming in contact with other Christians there who could show them that it is possible to enjoy a concert without being high or intoxicated.
Also, I was extremely impressed when after the concert my friends and I began talking with a homeless person who asked us for money outside the club where the concert was. He said that the band were "a bunch of good guys" and that he had talked with them a while before the concert. Not many bands would stay around after the concert and visit with and witness to people there on the street (let alone a homeless person). Wow! It just shows that the band have their hearts and motivations rooted in our heavnely father.
Thanks again for a wonderful night and for what your ministry through your music . God Bless!
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*Concert Review #3: 8/12/96 Bayou, Washington, D.C.
From: chaoa@dncx.com
I just attended an AWESOME JOC concert at the Bayou in Washington, DC. It was phenomenal! The Bayou's atmosphere lent itself to the Jars style of music. The layout is a small stage(just enough to fit the band) with two floors in a U shape surrounding the stage. Any seat in the house was a great seat!
The opening act was a secular artist called Duncan Sheik. His music was similar in flavor to the Jars, and had an interesting message to it. He played for about 45 minutes. When the stage was cleared, 4 candelabra were brought in and lighted. With smoke filling the air, you could feel the buzz and the electricity in the air as Jars took the stage to a background of Gothic Medieval style church music(not just chant). The church music faded and the familiar guitar intro to Liquid erupted.
Dan looked a little drained during the first few lines of Liquid (probably just from touring and getting warmed up). After this, they transitioned into Boy on a string and Like a Child. Dan stopped at this point to do an 80s flashback, and the band performed Crazy Train(Jars style). This was followed by a ripping version of Good Coffee Strong Coffee. The Jars played a tune that will be on their next album, Blame. It had portions which reminded me of Like a Child, and was upbeat, banging like Flood or Liquid.
All in all the playlist included: Liquid, Boy on a String, Like a Child, He, Crazy Train(the 80's hit), Good Coffee Strong Coffee, Blame, Fade to Grey, Sinking, and Love Song for a Savior. The final encore set included: Blind and Petra's Rose Colored Stain Glass Windows. I especially enjoyed Steve's Electric Guitar solo on Blind that transitioned into Rose Colored... All in all, a fantastic evening of JARS OF CLAY music! The two hours spent in line waiting for tickets was worth every minute!!
Keep the faith!
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*Concert Review #4: August 24, 1996 Purple Door Festival Lancaster, PA:
From: fatwog@m-net.arbornet.org (Alyssa Huston)
This festival was by far, the coolest thing I've ever been to. We just don't have fests like that up in Maine, and we rarely ever have great Christian artists in concert. So, I took a vacation to visit friends in the Philly region, centered around the Aug. 24th festival date!
The 10am-11pm festival was long but eventful. I got there in time to catch a few songs, in the morning and afternoon, from great alternative bands: Seven Day Jesus, Supertones, Driver 8, Vigilates of Love and MxPx. There wasn't time to see all of the others: The Huntingtons, Ghoti Hook, Danielson Family, and White Trash. But I had to say I was mainly there for the evening concert: Rainchildren, The Waiting, Morella's Forest, Hoi Phlloi, Jimmy A and of course, JARS OF CLAY!
But at around 2pm, I heard them singing Like a Child - I ran to the Main Stage and there they were doing sound checks! I listened to them sing that song, then Petra's Rose Colored Stained Glass Windows. Then, being such a laid back, friendly and open Christian festival, I got to meet the band... I also got to meet their PFR friend, Mark Nash.
Jars played a friendly game of soccer with fans in the late afternoon! The end of it ran into the beginning of Rainchildren's concert! Jars came on at 9:30pm, and came on strong with a dramatic & long intro to Liquid. The crowd was wild! They then did Like a Child and Boy on a String. Dan did some friendly talking and joking, with a question about why the fest was called Purple Door. He thought maybe it was the latest Lucky Charm!
Dan introduced the band, and yes, Matt did his cappucino impression! That led into Good Coffee, Strong Coffee - first time I heard it! The band then did most of their album: He, Blind, Sinking, and Worlds Apart, including Dan's talk about the book he read about child abuse. It was very moving, and a rowdy crowd grew silent. Jars then sang Rose Colored Stained Glass Windows, Fade to Gray (another first!), and a rocking, crowd hopping Flood! I took part in the fan's dancing called, "pogoing" where you hop straight up like a pogo stick. Interesting to watch 2-3,000 people do it!
They ended with a moving Love Song for a Savior, ending in halleluja's. But they came back for an encore, and did Four Seven.
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*Jars get Sassy!
(This is included for humorous purposes only) :)
(Sassy Magazine, September '96 [page 38] -Listen Up-by Shonda Gatling)
"CUTE BAND ALERT: jars of clay" [photo inset- "Stars in Jars (left to right): Steve, Dan, Matt and Charlie."]
WE HEARD JARS OF CLAY'S SINGLE "Flood," and it was good. We didn't wonder if it was about THE flood (you know: Noah, the ark, the animals.), 'cause we had no idea the Nashville-based Jars were a Christian band. "We're commited to making music out of our own experience, and a lot of our reality has to do with our Christianity-so it comes very naturally," explains Matt Odmark, who's joined in the semi-acoustic, melodically lovely alternapop Jars by lead vocalist Dan Haseltine, bassist/guitarist Steve Mason and keyboardist Charlie Lowell. The guys met in college and formed the band for fun. But things took off fast for them, not just on the Christian music circuit, since their self-titled LP (Silvertone) crossed over to radio, MTV and the pop charts. So Jars are stars- but don't expect them to succumb to the "evil" rock 'n' roll stereotype. "We do our best to lead disciplined lives because of what we believe in," says Matt, "but what we're doing is so physically and mentally demanding-I mean, I look at artists who party hard-core and stay up really late, and I don't know how they do it!"
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*Vibe Central - Jars Remixed:
Jeff Savage (Jars drummer Scott Savages little bro) has remixed Flood, Liquid & Blind for a special Essential CD release called Vibe Central, which will also include remixes by other Essential bands such as Imagine This & Eric Champion. This should be available at any local Christian bookstore. You can also hear the jars remixes at: http://www.wayfm.com and they will soon be at our web site. We will also soon be putting live clips & more video clips at the web site so check the multimedia section often!
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From: Vnlarsen@inet-serv.com (Naomi Larsen)
I am having a difficult time at school this year... I have just been overwhelmed with the amount of work we are given each night... I am very drained, emotionally and physically. I also don't feel "right" in doing what I'm doing. I go to a Christian school, so nothing goes against my beliefs, but it's not what I want to do with my life. My parents and I are now prayerfully considering whether or not I should be going to this school anymore, but all my closest friends go to school here, so relocating would mean making all new friends and adjusting to a new schedule and way of life, and I'm not quite sure if that is worth doing in my junior year of high school. I would appreciate any prayers.
Thank you so much!!!
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From: mstu071@midway.dans.com
Hi! I just have a couple of prayer requests: I was planning to go to Vet School originally, but over the summer I decided to transfer to University of Cincinnati and take the Vet Tech program. At this point I don't know whether to transfer in Dec. or wait till next year-- things are beginning to happen here and I'm not sure how soon God wants me in Cincinnati. Also, there is a girl in our BSU who has been having seizures for the past 3 weeks. They still don't know what's causing them. She had 6 seizures last night and they admitted her to the hospital-- she doesn't want to take the semester off, but her doctor advised her to. Please pray that they can find the cause of these seizures and stop them. And pray for Kelly as she goes through this. Also continue to pray for REVIVAL at Midway College!!!
Love, in His Awesome Name,
Kim Miller
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From: epresto@drk.sph.emory.edu (Inarticulate angel)
Hello everyone!
I have a wonderful friend, Rebecca, from college, who has dedicated two years of her life to missionary work. She just left last week to return to Petrozavodsk, Russia (up near the Arctic Circle) to continue her missionary work there. One of her friends, Bob, is also over in the same hemisphere, in the Ukraine, doing missionary work. They both would appreciate you prayers for a prosperous year!
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From: Randy_Fehr@CCCO.NET (Wendy Fehr)
I also would like to ask for prayer for my youth group. Our present youth leaders just what resigned and we have 5 couples filling in for them till the end of September. We aren't sure how youth will continue with these fill-ins. Please pray that we will find new youth leaders that will be as good as the last. Thanks.
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From: palmtc@UCBEH.SAN.UC.EDU
Hi, I have a prayer request. Basically, I will be going back to school on August 28 and at school, me and three other friends run a youth group called Student's on a Mission for Christ.I just ask that you guys pray that we will be able to touch people in our school and that people will come to the group. Attendance dropped massively last year. Thank you. God Bless!
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From: meadams@web.netusa1.net (Michael E. Adams)
I have a prayer request : My mom is going to be having surgery in a few weeks. The doctors found a mass in each breast and are going to be performing a double mastectomy. It's not known right now if it's cancer, but after surgery they will determine if it is and if she will need radiation.
Julie Adams
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From: unknown@iastate.edu
I have a prayer request. A member of my church just found out that their 3 year old nephew has cancer of the liver. I ask that you remember him in your prayers. I also ask that you pray for all of us who have non-Christian friends. Please pray that we are given a perfect opportunity to share the love of Christ with them. thanks.
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Karleen Weitzel
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From: Spiffy_Dog@prodigy.com (MR ROBB J SCHUNEMAN)
Hello,
I am writing to please ask that you pray for a good friend of mine. His name is Stephen Case, and he has just recently been diagnosed with Leukemia, it was nearly out of the blue, and hit me like a load of bricks. He is doing very well, the Leukemia he has, is the most treatable kind, the Lord has already performed miracles, and God- willing, will continue to. Would you please pray with me that the Lord will help him through the three years of treatment that he will have to go through, and that he will help me be the friend and support that I need to be in Stephen's time of need. Thank you very much in advance, your prayers will be much appreciated.
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Please pray for Chad Brantley in Ft. Worth, TX who has 4 types of cancer and is undergoing some major hospitalization and procedures. (original message got deleted).
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