The Official Monthly Jars of Clay Email News Digest
7/1/98
Approx. 7,000 Subscribers
www.jarsofclay.com
CONTENTS:
*News & updates
*Concert Review: 4/26/98 Carpenter Center, Richmond, VA
*Concert Review: 5/3/98 Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN w/ Nashville String Machine
*Concert Review: 5/10/98 Springfield Auditorium, MA
*Concert Review: 5/23/98 Kings Island, Cincinnati, OH
*An interview with Jars in Singapore
*Article: Singapore-8 Days-People
*Interview: Singapore - 8 Days Feature
*Article: Goody Magazine Replay
*Article: "Fast Look: Charlie Lowell", Release Magazine
*Article: The Buffalo (New York) News: May 7, 1998
*Prayer Requests
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*News & Updates:
><> Earthen Vessels Subscriptions:
Our sincere apologies for the recent irregularity of the EV issues. This is a direct result of having too many irons in the fire, so to speak. There are other projects our team is working on including the fan club which will take an abundance of our time! Thank you for your patience and despite the sporadic nature of the issues, please be confident that you are in fact still subscribed! The latest issues of Earthen Vessels will always be posted at the website.
><> Dan and Steve, are co-producing an album from Honey, their Sub-Lime label-mates. (Essential and Sub-lime are closely tied)
><> Also, rumor has it Steve is doing background vocals on Cadence Communications artist, Erin O'Donnell's new album, Scratching the Surface. Erin's album is due in stores August 11.
><> Jars recently performed for yet another Billy Graham Crusade, in Ottawa, Ontario. It was a huge success and nearly 30,000 people were in attendance. Many new lives in Christ were begun due to the ministry of Billy and Co.
><> Michael W. Smith's "Exodus Project" contains a song written & performed with the Jars, entitled "Needful Hands". It is a worshipful song and fits very well with the rest of the songs on the album.
><> Jars are currently working on demos for a future album! No word yet on when this would be released.
><> The fan club is still in the early stages, but an advertisement has been put in the latest CCM Magazine to increase the exposure of this endeavor. We hope that you will all participate in this in some way! The fan club subscription will include a complementary copy of "Stringtown", the live recording of Jars at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville with the Nashville String Machine symphony, from May 3, 1998. We will continue to update you on our ideas for this, through the website and future issues of Earthen Vessels.
><> Summer touring is sporadic as a break is necessary and new songs are being written, but the fall tour will be a full tour with a surprise band or two (we'll tell you soon when it's confirmed!) and will tour Christian and secular college campuses! Although we do not have many confirmed dates, keep an eye on the website, as usual, for the latest dates!
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*Concert Review: 4/26/98 Carpenter Center, Richmond, VA
From: ljbenson@hotmail.com
I caught the Jars concert April 26. Three of my friends and I drove an hour and a half to the Carpenter Center in Richmond. I'd been waiting to go to this concert for almost 2 months. We were all really excited. We got in about 20 minutes before the show started (due to the fact that we missed the exit-oops!) , and we had just enough time to shop at the product table and get our seats before it started. We had pretty good seats and we were all really excited, since this was the first time we'd had the opportunity to see them. Plumb came on. They were great. They played Send Angels, Pennyless, and Crazy, plus some others that I don't remember (I'm not too familiar with their music-for the time being, anyway). My friends liked Tiffany's angel wings. Between sets Plumb signed autographs. We raced upstairs to get at the beginning of the line. Everyone was so nice. We made it downstairs just in time for Jars. They opened with Weighed Down, and then Crazy Times. Then they played (not in order) Like a Child/Boy on a String combo, Truce, Overjoyed, and Tea and Sympathy. Steve was evidently having some problems. Dan sang "Fare thee well" and then they stopped and he and Matt conferred. I guess Steve didn't have the right guitar or something. Then Dan made a joke about Steve being back from vacation. They had to start over. I think after that they played Love Song with the whole audience singing the chorus. Then they played a great 60s/70s song. I think it was called "It's You". Then they played the Beach Boys song God Only Knows. Before they played the Coffee Song, Dan made a few jokes, and after that he introduced Sinking as a song about addictions. Steve was having some more problems with his instrument, and I think he had to tune it. So Dan joked that Sinking was becoming Waiting. They finally played it and followed with (again not in order) Truce, 5 Candles, Worlds Apart, Fade to Grey, and a rockin' version of Blind that I really liked. Dan introduced 5 Candles as "a song about 4 guys going through the desert, called 5 Camels". Last they played Flood. As soon as they started, my friend started punching my other friend on the arm screaming "This is it!". Flood was the only Jars song she really knew and she was very excited. They stopped it short, left the stage, and left the audience screaming for more. For their encore, they did Liquid and Four Seven. We met them after the show. They were SO nice and so down-to-earth. Steve was very patient while I tried to get my temperamental camera to work. My friends all fell in love. It was definitely an awesome and very memorable evening.
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*Concert Review: 5/3/98 Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN w/ Nashville String Machine From: WindNLion@worldnet.att.net (John Arndt,Jr.)
Here is the review from the May 3 concert at the Ryman Auditorium, here in Nashville.
"These guys have taken the music industry by storm. Man, these guys are huge." Jars of Clay was given this glowing introduction by Prime Time Country host Gary Chapman. The concert took place at the Ryman Auditorium, in Nashville, TN. It was part of a monthly series called Sam's Place, and the Jars were the last of the three country and two Christian acts to play. They opened with Overjoyed, followed by I Don't Mind, a song from Contemporary Christian artist Brent Bourgeois. This cover seems to be a favorite, as it has been included in their sets on the last several concerts. The ever popular "ode to the bean beverage", as Dan calls it, Good Coffee, Strong Coffee, was next. It was well received in the Auditorium, as most of the crowd was there to see Jars. The next song, a Poco cover called Crazy Love, was, in Steve's words, "like most good songs, written before we were born." That would put the song out around 1972 or so, as the oldest Jar is only about 24. Five Candles, the new single, followed. Dan then showed his penchant for saying "y'all" adding that it was soon to be added to the English dictionary, as the second person plural. The comment was well-received, as you can't go five minutes in Nashville without hearing "y'all". The last song was Hymn. It added a tone of worship to the evening, and showed the Jars serious side. Dan remarked that "hymn writers have a good grasp on how big God is and how small they are, that they recognize Christ's gift to us." By those standards, I'd say the Jars are officially hymn writers.
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*Concert Review: 5/10/98 Springfield Auditorium, MA
Well, this was a very enjoyable show, as always. Being Mother's Day and Dan's homecoming to Springfield (his grandmother was even in the audience), it was special. I too was with three of my favorite people in the world, plus Jars, so how could I not enjoy myself?
The setlist was the exact same as the night before, but that was expected, and did not take away from the show (for me at least). Again, Rose Colored Stained Glass Windows was incredible. It's now second on my list of favorite live songs (Blind still holding first). I still have not heard Art In Me in concert. In seven Jars shows now, it's the only song from the self-titled that I have experienced live.
More and more people are now throwing coffee. I didn't last night for the first time in over a year. I can't imagine how the guys use all of that coffee if they get that much every night (2-6 bags a night). Actually, someone threw some tea during Tea & Sympathy. I haven't seen that before.
I got some GREAT pictures (providing that they come out), and I hope to send them out (Online) to anyone who wants them.
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*Concert Review: 5/23/98 Kings Island, Cincinnati, OH
From: vpbrooks@indiana.edu
I had to send this and tell everyone that the concert on May 23 at Kings Island was awesome. it was my third time seeing JoC, and by far the best. I was a little disappointed with how short it was, however I was even more ddisappointedabout Plumb, who only played 3 songs! Although it may have been a short concert, it was the most gratifying, spiritually, that I've ever been to. I really sensed that they were feeling close to God individually and that it helped the audience also do so. God's presence was felt there and i know many people would strongly agree with me. I also would like to see them make a live album. live albums show the genuineness of praise, and jars was definitely full of that on May 23.
In Christ,
VB
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*An interview with Jars in Singapore
Clay Figures
by Stella Thng
January 1998
Once thought of as dull and stodgy, Christian rock is now super-hip--thanks to Jars of Clay and their rollickin' smash tunes! Stella Thng meets the American band and finds out their deadly sins!
It's interesting how the Jars of Clay guys attack their food. Stephen Mason (22), the bassist with the sideburns, pounces on the satay, waving the stick about like a mad symphony conductor. Chattering away non-stop, he tries to steal a peek at my interview questions. Sly fella! Sweet-tempered lead vocalist Dan Haseltine (24) munches on chicken crunch, waiting patiently for a lull in the conversation to add his two cents worth. Keyboardist Charlie Lowell (24) pokes at a nacho with his fork, his other hand playfully grabbing my question list. Guitarist Matthew Odmark (23) holds the ends of his buffalo wing with both hands and quietly nibbles away like a chipmunk.
We're enjoying lunch and some chit-chat with Jars of Clay at Planet Hollywood and it's apparent these lads are as different as um... the way they eat! Steve and Charlie are talkative, lively and they'll answer every question you ask. Dan and Matt are quieter, perfectly content with sucking on ice cubes, adding little thoughtful comments now and then.
Contrary to what some people think, this bunch of Christian rockers aren't prissy or worse -- a dead bore! Friendly, charming and ever-mindful of their P's and Q's, the Jars are pretty wacky and always game for a laugh! Not convinced? Check'em out!
LIME: Hi guys, ready for some juicy questions?
All: (Enthusiastically) Yeah!
Steve: You know, it's so funny how people keep expecting us to be ultra-serious. Yesterday, every question this reporter asked was about our religion, about it's impact on showbiz, blah blah... heavy stuff! Finally we told her, "You know, you can ask u s silly questions, we don't mind!"
LIME: Erm... here's one: how do you keep from falling asleep in church?
Charlie: (Guffaws) We're honestly not home that often, so going to church is such a big treat! We'll never fall asleep!
Steve: Yeah, the church we go to is not the solemn, preachy sort. We wear jeans and tees and the pastors talk about their personal experiences.
Charlie: It's a great church, but it isn't really beautiful. My wedding was held in a prettier church.
Matt: (Shyly) I'm getting married soon. It'll be at a church in my fiancee's hometown.
LIME: Speaking of marriages, how do you guys keep the spark alive when you're on the road and apart from your wives so much?
Steve: It takes extra effort, but even if we weren't traveling, there'd still be problems in every marriage.
Matt: Lots of phone calls, email...
Charlie: We travel with a laptop. Sometimes, we bring our wives with us. I just got married a few weeks ago and my wife in here in Singapore, too!
LIME: Gosh, is this your honeymoon?
Charlie: No way! We had a proper one, but it's sure fun to have her around.
LIME: You're four cute guys in a band. Do people ever label you a boyband?
All: (Laugh for ages) No, no, no!
Dan: I think as long as people are enjoying our music, we're happy. We don't really think about how they categorize us.
Charlie: But nobody would call us a boyband 'cos we play musical instruments and we're not very good at dancing!
Matt: And we're not THAT cute!
LIME: What do you guys do for fun?
Steve: We go bowling very often. We listen to a lot of music, you'd catch us at Tower Records all the time. We listen to The Verve....
Charlie: ...Radiohead, Sheryl Crow.
Matt: And Sting! He's amazing.
LIME: You opened a concert for him, didn't you? How was it?
All (Loudly) It was great!
Steve: Yeah, they gave us free tickets, so after our part was done, we went right out to catch his gig. We're such fans so it was a real honour to perform with him. That was one of the highlights of our career.
LIME: Who'd you most like to work with?
Steve: U2, Sheryl Crow, Sting....
LIME: Who'd you like to be stuck in a lift with?
Steve: Sean Connery [Old actor famous for playing the first James Bond]. I'd just listen to him talk. About anything!
Dan: Er... my wife?
LIME: We hear you guys have a 'no profanity' rule when you're on stage. Off stage, what happens if you're having a bad day and someone makes you really, really mad?
All: (Shamefaced) Oh yeah, we swear.
Steve: I think that's one of the greatest misconceptions about us. It's not true that when you're a Christian, you don't get frustrated and mad at people.
Charlie: When we get really mad, we don't kick stuff or anything, but we sort of seethe inside until we cool down. There's a kind of understanding in the band that if say, Matt, is having a crappy day, we'd give him space and not bug him. It's kind of like a marriage.
Dan: (Sadly) I've said cuss words on stage before. I felt real bad about it.
LIME: If you weren't in Jars of Clay, what would you be doing now?
Steve: (Cheekily) Probably sitting in Starbucks, drinking coffee and thinking about what I'd like to be doing. Haha! Maybe I'd be a manager at Denny's or be in a sales position 'cos I talk a lot. Or I'd have a radio talkshow!
Charlie: I'd probably be teaching high-school or music to elementary school kids.
Matt: I'd be a teacher, too.
Dan: I'd have a camp for kids. It's a long time dream of mine.
"Saints or sinners?" (How many of the Seven Deadly Sins are the Jars of Clay guilty of? They 'fess up!)
PRIDE --- Steve: I suppose as performers, it's pretty inevitable. We struggle with the issue of pride all the time. We want to remain humble folks and not be swell-headed about our success.
COVETOUSNESS --- Dan: When we notice that other bands have nicer guitars, boy, do we feel like grabbing them!
ENVY --- Charlie: Sometimes I look around and spot a fella with a great body. He's probably worked out really hard while I've been lazing about. Yeah, I admit I get envious of his bod.
WRATH --- Matt: Like, I'm having an awful night and right before a show, one of my guitar strings break. That gets me all mad! Dan: I hardly ever get mad, but when I do... The rest: Arrghh!!
GLUTTONY --- All: We're crazy about Starbucks Coffee. Soon as we touched down in Singapore, we started asking if there was a Starbucks around! Er... that's gluttony, innit?
SLOTH --- All: We're too busy to be lazy!
LECHERY --- Charlie: Heh, heh, heh! I just got married, I'm allowed to be lecherous! Seriously, I think it's something everybody struggles with. Especially guys, because we're er... scientifically proven to be more prone to it. We try to face it honestly and talk it out!
"In the beginning..." * Four American college-mates Dan Haseltine, Charlie Lowell, Steve Mason and Matt Bronleewe (later replaced by Matt Odmark), united by their love for Christian contemporary music, form a band. * Calling themselves Jars of Clay, they win a gospel music competition in 1994. Pretty soon, record companies are banging on their hostel room doors in a bid to sign them up! * Their curious moniker comes from a Bible verse which describes humanity as frail "jars of clay." * Their debut self-titled album, released in 1995, sells two million copies. Hits 'Liquid' and 'Love Song for a Savior' top the Perfect Ten charts. Old rocker Sting invites them to be his opening act. * In 1996, they win Perfect Ten's Discovery of the Year award. * Their new album Much Afraid debuts at No. 8 on the Billboard charts. Their most recent hit, 'Crazy Times', has already hit No. 1 on the Perfect Ten charts!
Much Afraid is out in the stores.
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*Article: Singapore - 8 Days - People
Jars of Clay
by Angela Lee
Singapore - 8 Days - People
January 1998
The quartet came out of nowhere to lead the charge of Christian contemporary music into mainstream charts. Angela Lee talks to guitarist Matt Odmark about the perils of fame.
Pop in Jars of Clay's enhanced CD-ROM single for 'Crazy Times' and watch a mildly unsettling scene unfold in front of you. As a lounge singer croons out a lacquered-up version of the Jars hit, 'Flood,' the four members of the Illinois college band-made-good, saunter across the screen in ... uh, polyester lounge suits.
"The lounge suits?" echoes Jars guitarist Matt Odmark from Nashville, when you demand an explanation. "That was a complete blast! I have to admit it wasn't the first time we've worn them. We've grown up with that whole '70's culture, so we're well acquainted with velour and platform shoes."
Well, this could explain the retro feel to their much-anticipated second album, Much Afraid, with its jangly guitars and layered harmonies. Or maybe it's a symptom of fatigue. After all, in less than three years, the Jars have managed to find mainstream success, sell two million copies of their 1995 self-titled debut album, open for Sting and play 300 shows last year alone. And as 1998 unfurls, lead singer Dan Haseltine, keyboardist Charlie Lowell, and guitarists Odmark and Steve Mason have just embarked on an international tour hitting Singapore, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and then South Africa.
Has success changed the Jars, whom writers call one of rock's most humble bands around, one wonders. You ask half-jokingly if there have been any big rock-star moments. "I think being able to ask for Starbucks coffee and bottled water in the dressing room were two of the bigger ones," jokes the soft-spoken Odmark. Actually, a lot of possibilities have been opened up to us. We struggle between allowing ourselves to grow as artists, while remaining true to our roots."
Their "roots" are in Christian Contemporary Music: formed when the guys were still attending Greenville College in Illinois, the Jars (then with guitarist Matt Bronleewe) entered a gospel music competition on a whim... and won. Then watched with slack-j awed amazement as record companies began knocking on their dormitory door with contracts a-waving.
Theirs is a story of four guys in their early 20's -- sorry girls, all of them are either hitched or soon-to-be-hitched -- who found fame without having to spend years playing their trade in seedy watering holes (or, in their case, making church-hall rounds).
"Even in normal circumstances, you get told who you are by the people around you," notes Odmark. "When fame's involved, the situation gets amplified. We've had to learn really quickly who we are."
With Much Afraid debuting at No. 7 on Billboard's Hot 200 (their first album peaked at 37), Jars' success looks set to continue. Locally, the first single, 'Crazy Times', has already visited top spot on the Perfect 10 charts, bringing to three the number of No. 1 hits (including 'Liquid' and 'Love Song for a Savior') the band's garnered on Perfect 10 alone.
Fans, of course, will keep their fingers crossed that the infamous Harbour Pavilion sound-system will behave itself long enough for the band's sweet melodies and Haseltine's gently reassuring vocals about life buoyed by faith, to flow forth.
"Our music is heavily acoustic, and Dan has a very soft voice," says Odmark. "Those are the two biggest challenges we face when we play live. But we've really worked this year on improving the quality of the sound. Dan's been sounding really good lately."
Asked what Singaporean audiences can expect at their two concerts here, Odmark replies, "The focus will be on music. We mainly save the talking for introducing the songs. It'll be a really dynamic show in that there'll be moments of high-energy rock and moments where we'll let things get quiet. We'll also throw in a couple of songs that aren't on either of our albums."
You wonder if a hectic touring schedule has taken any toll on the young band. "Tensions do arise," Odmark admits. "If you really want to get to know yourself as a band, all you have to do is spend well over 90 per cent of the year locked in a vehicle together smaller than a tour bus and go two or three days at a time without sleep!"
Thankfully, the Jars are a buncha easy-going guys. Asked to describe each member of the band, Odmark replies, "Steve's energetic, humorous and probably the most musically creative. Dan's the visionary, he's lyrically very creative. Charlie's one of the most understated keyboard players I know, and a really giving person. And I guess... I'm the peacemaker and pragmatist."
The band have also vowed never to produce their own album again, saying the experience nearly cost them their friendships. For Much Afraid, they looked to Steve Lipson, famous for working with Annie Lennox and Sophie B. Hawkins. The title Much Afraid is taken from a character from the parable Hind's Feet on High Places, who learns, as the opening paragraph states, "that love conquereth all fear."
"The album was written out of a response to where we've been the last two years," explains Odmark, "of moving from a place of fear to a place of faith." Odmark pauses, then chuckles. "And that's an important thing to remember when you're constantly sacrificing to this thing called Jars of Clay -- something that will trek you all over the world, and pretty much suck up every free hour of your life."
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*Interview: Singapore - 8 Days Feature
Jars of Clay
by Angela Lee
January 1998
They're the college band whose brand of Christian music has moved into the mainstream in a big way. Angela Lee gets on the phone with them.
Somewhere backstage at an open-air theatre in Houston, Texas, Sting waits to perform songs from his latest album, Mercury Falling. First on stage, though, is opening act Jars of Clay -- a young, Christian folk-rock band whose first single 'Flood' is creating a buzz around college campuses and alternative radio.
The jeans 'n' jersey-clad guys may lack the veteran singer's finesse but their emotive songs strike a resonant chord with a standing ovation at the end of the gig.
Locals say they haven't seen an opening act elicit this kind of response in a long, long time.
It's a reaction Jars lead singer Dan Haseltine and keyboardist Charlie Lowell, both 24 -- along with guitarist Matt Odmark, 23, and guitarist/bassist Steve Mason, 22, have had to get used to since they first formed the band out of Greenville College five years ago.
8 DAYS: Jars of Clay went from playing showcases in Nashville to being the biggest-selling Christian band of all time. What's your take on your meteoric rise?
Charlie Lowell: We have to claim God's providence in that because we really don't have any idea (laughs). We were just college kids writing songs that expressed our perspective on life and the struggles we faced with things like relationships and faith . When things started to catch on we were like, wow, other people can relate to this!
8 DAYS: Unlike Amy Grant who had to sing 'Baby Baby' before she was accepted by mainstream radio, this generation of crossover artists hasn't had to couch it's faith in vague lyrics. When did things start to change?
Dan Haseltine: Our generation is searching for something more than just the cynical, angst-ridden music we've had in the past. People are getting sick and tired of just wandering around not knowing where to go or what to believe in. So music in and of itself has taken on a more spiritual form in just the past few years. It's becoming more acceptable to have songs about faith and to deal with issues about God. Even artists like PM Dawn, Sting and Sarah McLachlan have dealt with spirituality.
8 DAYS: One of the criticisms of early Christian pop music was that it always seemed to lag five years behind regular music. What about today?
Lowell: [It's] come a long way, but it still has a long way to go. One of the problems is the idea that there should be two separate industries -- one Christian, the other secular or mainstream. But a lot of the newer bands are making an effort not to be 'cookie cutter' cut-outs of mainstream groups. They're saying 'We should be original. We should do our own thing. And we should be excellent at it.'
8 DAYS: What are some of the stereotypes about Christian artists you're hoping to break?
Haseltine: That we come into this with an agenda to convert. That's not necessarily what Jars of Clay are all about. We're here to perform music. We have a hope that we hope people will want to know about, but ultimately that decision is theirs, not ours.
8 DAYS: As a Christian artist, you can't separate the music from the lifestyle. So how do you handle the temptations that come with fame?
Lowell: It may seem kind of ludicrous, but we have a kind of buddy system when we're on the road. We stick together and hold each other accountable. We talk about things that frustrate us or tempt us so that we know where our weaknesses lie and help each other out.
8 DAYS: I hear you invite your church pastor out on the road with you.
Lowell: Yeah. He encourages us and gives us advice. Like when we had to decide last summer if we should play bars and clubs because of all the mainstream attention we were getting. We approached him and asked what he thought would be a wise thing to do.
8 DAYS: So what did he have to say?
Lowell: He encouraged us to play the bars and for different kinds of audiences. If you look at the life of Jesus, that's very much what he did in his ministry. People criticised him for it, but he wasn't afraid to hang around all sorts of people.
8 DAYS: You've gotten flak for canceling church dates to play the club circuit. People believed you did it for the money and feared you'd water down the content of your concerts.
Lowell: We sat down and decided we wanted to play where those people who had heard our song on the radio would be comfortable seeing us. We would have made much more money playing churches! (Laughs)
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Goody magazine Replay:
by Jim Meyer
Replay Reader Review Contest: Jars of Clay
Now that they've won a Grammy for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album, maybe the mainstream press will give a fair listen to Jars of Clay's Much Afraid, instead of writing it off as just so much Biblical babble. The fact that leader Dan Haseltine sings in a delicate, sincere voice like Dan Fogelberg hasn't helped their hip factor, but who cares? Their philosophical lyrics are uncommonly thought-provoking in this day and age. And hey, if you're not in the mood for theological pondering, the music is some of the most beautiful since the Beatles' Abbey Road. Check it out, and if you disagree, write us back. But frankly, we'd rather hear about your secret admirations or overlooked favorites.
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Release Magazine February/March 1998
FAST LOOK --------- Charlie Lowell (Jars of Clay)
FULL NAME: Charlie Daniel Lowell
NICKNAME: "Char"
BORN WHERE AND WHEN: Rochester, NY; October 21, 1973
FAMILY STATS: Mom, Dad, two brothers: Andy (25) and John (19)
PETS: "Specks" (Springer Spaniel)
FAVORITE LYRIC FROM A SONG: Do I dare believe and let love lead my life? Could I not believe and leave that love behind? (from David Wilcox's "Do I Dare?")
WORD OR PHRASE YOU MOST OFTEN OVERUSE: "Fabulous!"
FIRST JOB: Cleaning my father's dental office (while in high school)
HIDDEN TALENT: Skateboarding
MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENT: Getting caught by the youth group --making out in the choir loft with my high school sweetheart
GUILTY PLEASURE: Starbucks' latte
CURRENTLY IN THE CD PLAYER: The Bends --Radiohead; Hourglass --James Taylor; Turning Point --David Wilcox
YOU'VE BEEN HANDED THE KEYS TO A TIME MACHINE; WHERE ARE YOU GOING TO GO FIRST? Scotland during Medieval times
BEST WAY TO MAKE YOU LAUGH: Impersonate characters from King of the Hill
MOST ANNOYING HABIT: Fingernail biting
FIRST CHRISTIAN ALBUM YOU OWNED: Amy Grant's Lead Me On
THING YOU CAN'T DO TO SAVE YOUR LIFE: Drive in New York City
FIRST ALBUM YOU REMEMBER BUYING: Synchronicity --The Police
MOST INCREDIBLE DATE: Dinner and Harry Connick, Jr. concert
IF MUSIC WASN'T YOUR CAREER, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'D BE DOING? Playing accordion in downtown Nashville for change
IF YOU WERE AN ANIMAL, WHAT WOULD YOU BE? A hedgehog
IF YOU COULD SWAP LIVES WITH SOMEONE FOR ONE DAY, WHO'D YOU SWAP WITH? Composer/pianist Frederic Chopin
NUMBER OF SPEEDING TICKETS (... HONESTLY): Two or three
NUMBER OF MILES ON YOUR ODOMETER: 15,000
BEST ADVICE YOU'VE EVER BEEN GIVEN: "The best thing I ever did was faithfully tithe" (from my Dad)
IF A MOVIE WAS MADE OF YOUR LIFE, WHO SHOULD PLAY YOU? Johnny Depp
LAST VIDEO RENTED: The Spitfire Grill
MOST MEMORABLE MEETING: Shawn Colvin
WORST MOVIE YOU'VE EVER SEEN: Congo
PET PEEVES: People who tailgate, drive slow, and don't use turn signals
CARTOON CHARACTER THAT REMINDS YOU OF YOU: Schroeder (from Peanuts)
WHAT PRODUCT WOULD YOU DEFINITELY ENDORSE IF ASKED? Coca-Cola COLLECTIONS: Accordions, Celtic music
FOOD YOU REFUSE TO EAT: Cow liver
DREAM ROLE IN A MOVIE: Mel Gibson in Braveheart
FIRST CAR: Oldsmobile ("The Boat")
DREAM CAR: BMW Z3
MOST PRIZED POSSESSION: 1959 Hammond B-3 Organ
NUMBER OF E-MAILS ANSWERED MONTHLY: 20-30
YOU'VE BEEN MADE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES FOR THE DAY. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO? Open the White House to the public.
BEST GIFT EVER RECEIVED: The Lord's abundant grace
FUTURE PLANS: Keep doing what I'm doing, get married and buy a piano
QUESTION NO ONE HAS EVER ASKED YOU BEFORE: "Why are you bow-legged?" ANSWER: Because my father is
WHAT YOUR EPITAPH WOULD SAY IF YOU WROTE IT: "A servant and lover of people, to the glory of God"
FAVES AND RAVES
VACATION SPOT: Alaska
BOOKS: To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee; Transforming Grace by Jerry Bridges
ALBUMS: Plumb by Jonatha Brooke and the Story; Meanwhile by Third Matinee; Shak man by Medeske, Martin and Wood
MOVIES: Braveheart; Tombstone
GOSPEL HYMN: "O Love That Will Not Let Me Go"
FOOD: Sweet and sour chicken
BIBLE VERSE: Romans 8:38-9
COLOR: Gray
BREAKFAST CEREAL: Honey Nut Clusters
ICE-CREAM FLAVOR: Pralines and Cream
COLOGNE: Om (from the Gap)
SEASON: Autumn
'70's TV SERIES: CHIPS
SALAD DRESSING: Ranch
CITY: Montreal, Canada
SOAP: Bath & Body Works
PIZZA TOPPINGS: Ham and pineapple
FAST FOOD ORDER: Arby's Beef and Cheddar
PASTIME: Drinking coffee; golfing
BOARDGAME: Scrabble
CHILDHOOD TOY: Transformers
SHAMPOO: Vibrance
TOOTHPASTE: Crest Smooth Mint Gel
NEWSPAPER COMIC STRIP: Calvin and Hobbes
SONG: "In Your Eyes" by Peter Gabriel
BIBLE CHARACTER: The Apostle Paul
HANGOUT: Urban Outfitters
For Subscription Information for Release Magazine Call: 1-800-545-6264 or e-mail: RELEASEmag@aol.com
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*Article: The Buffalo (New York) News: May 7, 1998
By: Toni Ruberto / Buffalo News
Concert burnout can happen to the most music-crazy person after a while. That's when all the annoying factors of watching live music begin to boil over: the late start times; the guys more interested in balancing a pitcher of beer and screaming to their friends than in watching the show; the kids taking prime real estate at the front of the stage so they can body-slam with their back to the musicians.
Sometimes you just want to sit back and enjoy. That rare opportunity was presented Tuesday night by the award-winning Christian rock band Jars of Clay at Shea's Performing Arts Center.
On stage at a wonderfully early 8:30 pm, Jars of Clay enthralled its enthusiastic, screaming young audience with more than 20 passionate, acoustic- based songs that could rock out with fervor on demand. The crowd was having a blast hanging on to every word, watching every move and clapping along with the beat.
Jars of Clay is classified under Christian rock, but the band's sound carries a wide appeal for anyone interested in savoring a delightful taste of pure pop music. You don't need to hang on to the meaning behind songs detailing faith, love and helping others (subjects also broached in "mainstream rock") to enjoy this music, but those thoughts will leave an impression.
Opening with "Weighed Down", one of the many songs performed off the recently released gold album "Much Afraid," the band quickly set a lovely, acoustic- based tone for the evening. The ethereal number, reminiscent of music from London's Manchester scene, utilized the lullaby-like vocals of Dan Haseltine perfectly. His all-American good looks had the girls squealing, and the mesmerizing tone of his soft voice made even the goofy "Good Coffee Strong Coffee" enchanting. Haseltine, guitarist Steve Mason and Rochester natives guitarist Matt Odmark brought along a couple of other musicians to flesh out the sound. They created lovely, delicate tapestries on "Overjoyed" that were carried through the sad urgings of "Tea and Sympathy" and the destructive nature of pride in "Worlds Apart."
The songs often kicked in with some of the catchiest hooks around on numbers including the recent single "Crazy Times" and the outstanding "Truce." The music was upbeat and rollicking on "Like a Child" and "Boy on a String," both off the band's self-title d double platinum debut. And there was a lighthearted feeling on a couple of appropriately titled cover songs, "God Only Knows" by the Beach Boys and Badfinger's "No Matter What."
The group rocked hard on "Rose Colored Stained Glass Windows," from a 1996 Petra tribute album, and the new single "Five Candles," before letting loose on the No. 1 crossover hit "Flood."
Opening the show was the five-piece Nashville band Plumb, fronted by lovely vocalist Tiffany Arbuckle, whose smoky voice added character to the group's rock sound. The band had the crowd on its feet and clapping - a rare feat for an opening group.
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*Prayer Requests:
From: WindNLion@worldnet.att.net
I have an update on a prayer request that I sent you for the last issue of EV. It was about the band Shaded Red, who had been in a serious car accident. I saw them last night in concert, and they looked and sounded great. Their frontman, John Roberts, who was hospitalized with a broken pelvis, is doing great. I told him that I put the prayer request in EV, and he was really encouraged. If you could please put an update in the next EV, I'd greatly appreciate it.
From: liveforchrist@usa.net
One of my friends, Wendy Dunn, wants to commit suicide, seriously. God is really working through me though and helping me to explain to her why God doesn't want her to do this. I'm trying to help her but I need a lot more help. My parents know, but her parents don't. I can't do this on my own, and I really need extra prayers and help. I'm not trying to get the attention on me, or am saying that I'm gonna solve this problem, cause I'm not going to solve this problem! It's just that Wendy says I'm the best friend she's ever had and I'm about the only one that will listen to her. Please be praying, and if you know any verses from the Bible or anything that could help, please tell me ASAP!!!!!!!! I gave her a number for a counseling place, so please pray that she would be responsive to it.
Thanks a lot. She is a Christian, at least she told me she is. Please tell all of your Christian friends about this and ask them to pray for her every day, and please spread this around as much as you can, so Wendy has a lot of people praying for her! Thanks a million, and please write back soon!
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