Jars of Clay is a four-member Christian band formed at Greenville College in Greenville, IL. The band has been praised for the unique mix of pop, folk, rock, and mild electronica, as well as for the graceful way they communicate their beliefs through their music. The religious overtones, acoustic guitars, and programmed drum loops of their early work have led people to refer to them as a Christian Rock band, in spite of the band's lack of a drummer and bassist.

Jars of Clay is: Dan Haseltine, Charlie Lowell, Stephen Mason and Matthew Odmark. The band has no permanent drummer or bass player, though these roles are currently filled by Joe Porter and Aaron Sands in their live concerts.

The band's name is derived from the Bible verse II Corinthians 4:7 New International Version, which states: "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 the namesake for their song "Four Seven" (a hidden track on the CD release of their first album), which paraphrases the verse.

Band History

The Early Years

Jars of Clay was first formed at Greenville College, Illinois in the early 90s, by Dan Haseltine, Steve Mason and Charlie Lowell. They had been playing and writing without thinking about an actual career in music, but more for fun ("like a dormitory acoustic group"). Second guitarist Matt Bronlewee joined some time later, and drummer Scott Savage also accompanied them in some live shows at this time.

Catching Attention

In 1994, they submitted a demo to a talent competition run by the Gospel Music Association

Jars Success

Jars of Clay signed with Essential Records and started recording their first full-length album. Former prog-rocker from King Crimson and recent Christian convertee, Adrian Belew, heard the band and offered to produce the album. This debut album was released in 1995 and one of the songs, "Flood", became a hit in Christian radio stations. When the song began to climb the charts on mainstream radio stations, Silvertone (Essential's parent company) heavily promoted the song, turning it into one of the biggest mainstream hits ever had by a Christian band. The album has since passed the double platinum mark.

Following Albums

The band toured in support of bands such as PFR and even with areligious bands like Matchbox 20. This resulted in a small backlash from conservative Christian groups. They also released a Christmas EP titled Little Drummer Boy at the end of 1995. A re-release of the Christmas EP was released in 1997. 1997 also saw the release of their second album, Much Afraid, produced by Steve Lipson. The album sold well and won them a Grammy. However, it didn't reach the same level of success as its predecessor. Fans suspect that this is because Christian groups who backed their first album were hesitent to back a less overtly religious (although still strongly Christian) release.

In 1999, they released their third album, If I Left The Zoo, produced by Dennis Herring, and it reached gold status. It also earned them their second Grammy. By this time, touring drummer Savage left the band's live performance to play for Jaci Velasquez and was replaced by Joe Porter.

Jars in the New Millennium

In 2001 the four members of the band received Honorary Degrees at Greenville College, where three of them had studied before dropping out in 1994 to move to Nashville.

In 2002, the band produced and released their fourth album called The Eleventh Hour which earned the band their third Grammy in a row. Unlike earlier albums, The Eleventh Hour was conceived as a Christian rock album, relying on studio

2003 saw the band retreating back to their folksier sound. The double-disc Furthermore: From The Studio, From The Stage featured an acoustic EP and a live EP. The acoustic EP consisted of reworked The Eleventh Hour songs, rearranged fan favorites, two The Eleventh Hour b-sides, and a cover of Adam Again's "Dig" (intended as a tribute to the then-recently departed Gene Eugene). The live EP featured a sampling of hits from the bands career.

The band continued the more acoustic and organic approach of Furthermore on their fifth studio album called Who We Are Instead. Released on November 4th, 2003, Who We Are Instead showcased them revisiting various styles they'd tried up to that point, as well as experimenting with new influences, such as gospel, hymnsong, and Nickel Creek's "newgrass" style.

In 2005, the band released Redemption Songs, a collection of old hymns the band used to play in church. Although the band did not write any new songs for the project, they did rework most of the songs with new melodies. Particularly exciting was an acoustic rocker called God Will Lift Up Your Head, which was a hit for the band on Christian radio.

Also in late 2005, the band announced that the writing for a new album was nearing completion, and that they would be returning to the studio to record the album in the Spring. There is currently no word as to what type of sound this album will have in relation to their previous efforts.

Blood:Water Mission

Lead singer Dan Haseltine visited Africa in 2002, which in turn inspired the founding of Bloodwater Mission, a non-profit organization created to raise awareness and money for the poverty and AIDS stricken regions of the continent. The name is derived from, as Haseltine says, "The two things Africa needs most" - clean blood and clean water. The mission has begun the 1000 Wells project, an effort to have a thousand new wells built throughout Africa.

Jars' Beliefs

The band has always been open about their Christian beliefs. This hasn't spared them the backlash from some Christian groups though. However, they have stood firm. "The music comes from a place of true reverence and appreciation of our past and an attempt to leap across the years and articulate that past in a language that could be embraced by us as 21st-century people of faith.", they've said.

The Jars of Clay are also considered role-models by many Christians for their morality, which does not line up with the "rock star" stereotype. Their music lacks moralizing tones and focuses on the biblical theme of redemption. This has increased the appeal of the band beyond traditional Christian niches; however, members of some Christian groups wish the band's spirituality had more in common with their own. "A lot of Christians probably wish we had a greater agenda than we do," Haseltine says, "we don't need to prove the validity of what we believe."

Band Members

Current Members

• Dan Haseltine - vocals, percussion
• Charlie Lowell - piano, organ, accordian, keys, background vocals
• Stephen Mason - guitar, vocals, lap & pedal steel, national, mandolin, background vocals
• Matthew Odmark - acoustic guitar, banjo, background vocals

Former Members

• Matt Bronlewee - guitar (1993 - 1994)

Touring Members

• Scott Savage - drums (1993 - 1999)
• Joe Porter - drums (1999 - present)
• Aaron Sands - bass guitar

Discography

Studio Albums

• 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, Review: )

Other Recordings

• Jars of Clay Interactive (1995), a CD-ROM release that featured behind the scenes photography, the Flood music video and audio from the independent release "Frail".
• Drummer Boy (1996), a Christmas EP that was re-released with different tracks a year later.
• Seatbelt Tuba (1997), a 3-track bonus disc accompanying early editions of "Much Afraid", with live acoustic performances.
• Stringtown (1998), a fan club exclusive live album.
• The White Elephant Sessions (1999), a B-Sides and outtakes disc from the If I Left The Zoo sessions.
• Front Yard Luge (1999), a live EP that accompanied certain online orders of If I Left The Zoo.
• Jar of Gems (2000), a best-of compilation released exclusively in Asia.
• "iTunes Originals" (2005), a digital only release compiling interview footage, live performance and existing audio. Exclusively released on iTunes.

Album Charts & RIAA Certifications

Single Charts

Singles - Billboard (North America)

Jars of Clay