by Jay Cridlin - Tampa Bay Times, December 1, 2012
But the park did a smart thing in handing nightly entertainment duties to a humble and squeaky-clean headliner, Christian rock stars Jars of Clay.
With three shows per weekend from now through Dec. 23, it’s an unusual gig for one of the most famous groups in Christian rock, one that’s won multiple Grammys and even notched a Top 40 hit (Flood). And it’s unusual for any artist of their stature to play a dozen straight shows in Tampa Bay, making this residency feel more like a theatrical engagement than a series of concerts.
But on Friday’s opening night of Christmas Town, Jars of Clay didn’t overwhelm the Gwazi Park crowd with holly-jolly schmaltz and sentiment. They kept their 30-minute set relatively soft and simple, tasteful and tuneful, with a setlist that was diverse and even a little surprising. For anyone going to Christmas Town, it’s a great way to end each night.
You needn’t be a fan of Christian rock (or even Christmas music) to enjoy Jars of Clay’s performance. Heck, the band opened with Paul McCartney’s Wonderful Christmastime, which some have called the worst Christmas pop song ever recorded – only it was their own arrangement, a gentle, string-backed version that glowed like the two dozen Christmas trees surrounding them onstage.
Over one full album
(Christmas Songs) and two holiday EPs, Jars of Clay have proven adept at finding new sparkles of life in the Christmas canon. The group’s original Hibernation Day (during which singer Dan Haseltine brought a couple up to snuggle on a couch on the stage) was a plucky bit of chamber pop; and their zippy cover of Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) – played with quirky charm on a toy piano, ukulele and banjo – was a refreshing breather from the dreadfully morose Death Cab For Cutie version you’ve probably already heard five times at the mall this year.
Jars of Clay did play Flood – who knows, this might be the only time many Christmas Town patrons will ever see them, so they might as well toss in their big hit. And they brought a pair of high school choirs to fill the stage for a rousing, far-from-sleepy take on Silent Night.
But no song was quite as gorgeous as their cover of John Denver’s Christmas For Cowboys, a clippity-cloppity lullaby that, with its gentle Celtic banjo, was admirable in just how little it adhered to anyone's preconceived notions of Christian or Christmas rock. It was a bit precious, yes, but so is Sufjan Stevens, and this Christmas song could easily stand alongside any of his.
Jars Of Clay's Stephen Mason Talks Busch Garden's Christmas Town, Covering Paul McCartney's "Wonderful Christmastime" And More.
by Jay Cridlin - Tampa Bay Times, November 27, 2012
In this day and age, when everyone from Cee-Lo Green to the Oak Ridge Boys has a holiday album, it’s hard to believe one of the most successful Christian rock acts of all time was actually once dissuaded from recording a Christmas album.
“We were told by our label at the time that Christmas records don’t do well, and weren’t anything to bother with,” said Jars of Clay guitarist Stephen Mason. “It was a bit strange, but we took it in stride. And when we gained our independence, it was one of the first things we wanted to do.”
The result was 2007’s Christmas Songs, and five years later, it’s led to one of the more unusual gigs in Jars of Clay’s nearly two-decade career: A monthlong weekend residency at Busch Gardens’ new Christmas Town extravaganza. The band will play holiday songs and more each Friday, Saturday and Sunday night from now through Dec. 23.
Busch Gardens has brought in national headliners in the past, but never a single artist for a full month. Jars of Clay have long been one of America’s best-known Christian rock acts — if you know only one Christian rock song from the past 20 years, it’s probably their 1996 alt-rock hit Flood — and this is all new territory for them, too.
“Rarely do we play anywhere more than one time in a few months, so the idea of doing these shows was curious at first, but then we thought, 'Man, there’s no reason not to do this,’” Mason said. “They’re designing a fantastic stage for it, and we’re working on some interaction with the audience, but I wouldn’t want to give it away at this point. I think it’s going to make for a special night.”
Plus, a whole month at a theme park? Who wouldn’t love that? “There will be some roller coaster riding,” Mason said.
Founded in Illinois and now based in Nashville, Jars of Clay have remained successful in the gospel world in the years since Flood became a surprise Top 40 and MTV hit, touring consistently and winning three Grammy awards.
Though their Busch Gardens set won’t be entirely holiday-based — fans will still get to hear Flood, Mason said — it’ll draw heavily from Christmas Songs, a collection of indie-alternative twists on carols both religious and secular, from O, Little Town of Bethlehem to the Peanuts classic Christmastime is Here. They even succeed in putting a new twist on two of the most reviled holiday songs of all time: The Little Drummer Boy and Paul McCartney’s Wonderful Christmastime. Drummer Boy is synthy and glitchy, yet warm, a la The Postal Service; while McCartney’s anti-classic is transformed from a spacey ’70s oddity to an inviting sing-along replete with strings and horns.
“We felt like there was a song inside there that was probably obscured by some of the quirkiness. That phased keyboard is just unbelievably ridiculous,” Mason said. “I there’s some sincerity in that tune as well, and in terms of secular/sacred conversations, few songs articulate more for us the communal aspects of living life and doing family holidays together. Lyrically, it’s a brilliant picture of a lot of people’s Christmases.”
Covering a song like Wonderful Christmastime is a good example of how Jars of Clay tries to defy mainstream audiences’ expectations of how a Christian rock band should act. On Twitter, for example, Mason tracks a plethora of accounts that are about as far from faith-based as you can get, from comedian Rob Delaney to rapper 2 Chainz to oddball accounts like Weird Horse and Kim Kierkegaardashian.
“We don’t believe that true things about life and the world and humanity and love are exclusive to our faith, but they can be informed by people from all walks of life,” he said. “I like that sort of approach to worldview and faith, trying to find clues everywhere and in everything.”
When, during the Democratic National Convention, a comedian tweeted, The #RNC last week compared to the #DNC this week is like Jars of Clay opening for Slayer, the band replied with: HEY. We toured with Slayer. They were too weak. Had to cancel the tour.
“We like to be those who are hard to pin down that way,” Mason said. “We want to ask good questions of life and love and our faith. That keeps everything on the table. We want to be interesting and not easily summarized, so when someone tweets something like that, we want to be like, 'Eh ... you don’t know us, do you?’”
Jars Of Clay Planning Residency At Busch Gardens New Christmas Town
by Jay Cridlin - Tampa Bay Times, July 10, 2012
But for music lovers, the most interesting part is this: Christian music superstars Jars of Clay will be the headlining entertainment every weekend of the event. From Nov. 30 to Dec. 23 -- that's four weekends in all -- they'll play concerts on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The Grammy-winning group will play Christmas songs (probably, we're guessing from their 2007 album Christmas Songs) as well as old favorites, like their '90s crossover hit Flood.
Christmas Town and the concerts will be separate ticketed events, costing $29.99 in advance for adults and $9.99 for children ages 3 to 9. But through next Tuesday, premium pass holders can buy tickets for $9.99 each at Busch Gardens' Christmas Town Preview Center online. Tickets the night of the event are $39.99 for adults and $14.99 for children.
For more on Christmas Town, click here for Susan's story.
Jars Of Clay Celebrates Christmas On Gospel Music Channel
by Jennifer E. Jones - CBN's 'The Buzz', November 29, 2007
Gospel Music Channel’s Christmas at Union Station: Jars of Clay features the rock/pop band performing music from their first full-length Christmas project Christmas Songs, which has been unanimously praised by music critics for offering a stocking full of both traditional and original music. “Bringing their usual packed set of creative skills to the project, they do a great job of balancing nostalgia and respect for the classics with fresh contemporary interpretations of the season’s power. Which is to say, they rock it,” reviewed CMCentral.com. Jars of Clay is currently on a 12-city “Christmas Offerings” tour with fellow rockers Third Day.
The songs performed during Gospel Music Channel’s Christmas at Union Station: Jars of Clay include “Wonderful Christmastime,” “Love Came Down At Christmas,” “O, Little Town of Bethlehem,” “Hibernation Day ,” “Love Song For A Savior,” “Peace Is Here,” “God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen ,” “Christmas Time Is Here,” “Drummer Boy” and “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.” Artist/songwriter Jeremy Camp hosts the exclusive new Christmas special, which will air on Sat. Dec. 1 at 9:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. and again on Sunday, Dec. 2 at 1:00 a.m. 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. It can also be seen throughout the Christmas season.
The intimate and inspirational hour-long special was recorded at Nashville’s Union Station - A Wyndham Historic Hotel which the Gospel Music Channel turned into and elegant Christmas wonderland for the tapings. The shows were held in the hotel’s lobby which is adorned with 65-foot, barrel-vaulted lobby ceilings featuring gold-leaf mirrors, 100-year-old, Tiffany-style stained glass, and rare bas-relief sculptures.
The Jars of Clay show is one of five exclusive new Gospel Music Channel’s Christmas at Union Station specials.