Misunderstood?
Last night I had the chance to see Jars Of Clay play a hand full of songs for some TV / Film Showcase thing that was going on in Nashville. Now, I’ve seen these guys probably four or five times live, and every time they bring it. Last night was no different but with their new stuff it was even better. Yes, I know. I’ve said it before. Somehow these guys manage to outdo themselves with every record and there aren’t many bands out there that can actually do that. I don’t know how they do it, but I’m glad they do.
Now here’s the thing. With every record taking a musical step up, brilliant lyrics on literally every record and the ability to adapt to ‘cultural’ musical relevance there’s no reason these guys shouldn’t be massive. Am I right? And not to knock the Jars guys at all, because they are easily one of my favorite bands out there, but sometimes I fell like they are a little misunderstood. People don’t “get” them for some reason. And it’s not just me. Every artist that I know, and every artist that I have toured with loves them and completely respect them as musicians. So what is it? Is it that they are to ‘arty’? Too smart? Too introspective? Too honest? What do you think? What’s stopping them from dominating the music world?
Either way, I’m continually blown away by these guys and one day I hope to have them on the SkörInc roster. So if any of you out there know how to make that happen let’s hear it. And if you haven’t, go get their new record today. Then listen to it over and over and over. You’ll thank me.
If you don’t have an answer for all of that, let’s hear your favorite Jars record so far. I think I’d have to go with “Who We Are Instead”, no question. That record blows me away every time I put it in.
Ready? Go.
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Hmmmm…
The cynic in me says they are too artistic. Meaning, we as a culture don’t really celebrate true art, we celebrate what’s popular and unfortunately the Christian community does this even more, at least from my perspective. Since culture doesn’t popularize or even understand good art, Jars is forgotten or looked over.
I too am a huge Jars fan, I think they’ve done what they need to do and have done it with integrity. If the popular culture rewards that, then cool, but I kind of hope they don’t. I like the fact that there is an un-abandoned purity to what they do and I’d hate to see it guided by something else.
They too blow me away with every album. They seem to evolve and mature in every aspect yet somehow still sound like Jars of Clay. I already have their latest and love it. As far as a favorite, I don’t think I can decide. I love them all for different reasons. They are all so unique.
I am not sure why they aren’t enormous rock stars. I think people in the Christian market are looking for a certain mold, a mold that they do not fit in.
I fell in love with Frail before anybody knew who these guys were. I guess I’m disappointed that they changed so much from that original sound.
Is it that they are to ‘arty’? Too smart? Too introspective? Too honest?
Short answer: yes.
From my (cynical) perspective, people love to pay homage to great, smart, thoughtful artists. But really they’re just trying to make themselves look good by claiming interest in these artists. In the end, what they really want is a nice little ditty, something they can hum or sing along with, pick up or leave off at any point, and ir doesn’t disturb the rest of their day with nasty thoughts like “why do I live in a way that I don’t believe is right”.
Like I said, I’m a bit of a cynic.
No, I really like Jars of Clay. Very thoughtful lyrics, good music, good overall package. But, like you said, it constantly amazes me that they (and others like Shaun Groves, Sara Groves, Andrew Peterson, Pierce Pettis, etc.) don’t totally dominate in their respective musical styles. All have the same common thread of being too smart, artsy, and thought-provoking.
I agree with the comments above. I’ve seen them live twice now. Once was their Christmas tour (which I loved), and on the Music Boat. Do I think they’re too smart? No…I think I’m too dumb. I met these guys, and they’re very nice people. I think that they are honest, and their lyrics make us take a good hard look at ourselves. Most people, and me at times, don’t want to do that. It can be ugly looking at our true hearts with gut-wrenching honesty. It’s easier to live a mediocre life (believer or non-believer.)
I’m not much of an artsy-type, and don’t own any Sarah Groves (although I do love her) or Jars of Clay. I respect what they do, and some days think I would love to go buy all the cds of the artists that are “off the beaten path.” In reality, our Christian radio station is good, and my kids like the top-20 stuff. So, that is mostly what we listen to. If that makes me not-smart, then I’m guilty as charged.
I have always loved the music that Jars has put out there. I think it’s sad, but true, that most of their music isn’t “pop” enough to sing along with. The lyrics are so simple, but wise. They are the one band I would love to see live that I haven’t already seen. They came through Amarillo a long time ago & I didn’t go then. I should have! Watched them streaming live the other day on harvest.org from NY. I think that how the artist engages the audience is so important. Maybe that’s part of the problem. I don’t know that it’s so much artsy as they seem unapproachable. Every artist has a way of touching the audience & so many audiences want a song that is simply simple. That engages them right away. With Jars you do have to think about the life lessons being sung. They are so real.
Fav? I’m like Kyle. It depends on my mood & what I find soothing & inspiring at that moment. From the new CD I love “Boys (lesson one)” or “Two Hands”. Right now I need “Lesson one-do not hide”.
Good topic today, Brody.
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That’s it…I’m going out this weekend and buying one of their albums to see for myself! You have peeked my interest Brody!
lbee and the gang!!
Because people, especially in CCM, are tuned to like Tomlin and Casting Crowns.
Its like Tolstoy writing books for preschoolers. I’m not saying Jars is that deep, or christian music listeners that shallow, but its not too far from the truth.
Listeners want “yay, I was having a hard time, then I found jesus” or “Jesus is great (pep rally)” songs. They can’t handle anything with actual depth, anything with a shred of the unknown.
Sonically as well, if it doesn’t sound like their church volunteers, or some whacky dance pop (looking your way crowder), they can’t handle it.
Jay, that ‘original sound’ was 1995 or something.
Again, music nerd here, and I will agree with you Brody, I love Jars. I too think they get better with each and every record. I remember way back in the day when i first saw their music videos, I though they had cute little lyrics and nice little music in their songs so I bought their album. That was back when my music nerdiness was ebarly starting to grow inside of me, so I didn’t think too much about it.
As my music nerdiness started to ddevelop, I started to appreciate them more and more. Once I understood what was going on (in terms of the music theory, the prodictiona nd editing elements being used, ect.) I saw how with every new song and album, the guys were just geniouses (I’m sure I spelled that wrong, sorry, again, English was my second language, so I apologise now for any spelling and grammar mistakes).
I have a lot of friends that totally appreciate how amazing Jars are. There is only one friend that saw them in concert one time and you could tell she didn’t get it. Everyone else sees their brilliance (is that even a word, oh well, I jsut amde it up).
Jars are big, but they SHOULD be way bigger. I agree with you on that.
As far as a fave…eh, can’t pick. I’ll think about it and get back to ya, hehe.
Jay – I hear that a lot, but I can’t quite understand. I get if that is your favorite album. When I listen to that album i hear glimpses of where they have gone musically. So in my mind they haven’t left that original sound, just matured around it.
I think they haven’t sold out to “the man” and that makes a difference in culture wide acceptance. Call that a good or bad thing.
I think their latest album is their best since their first which stands on immortal ground for me.
I agree with Dan ^^^ Christian stations play songs that are “pop” or “pep” songs. Jars is MUCH deeper lyrically. My favorite CD of theirs is Good Monsters. I think that is a WAY under promoted CD. Speaking of promotions… I think that the lack of promotion might have something to do with their current under rated status.
I’m a huge Jars fan. I’ve shared your sentiment for years about them being “under appreciated”. I think the real issue is that they are “stuck” in the Christian Music Industry. Maybe it’s the name “Jars of Clay”. Maybe it’s their first (amazing) album and how it was embraced by the Christian Radio.
I definitely think that, had they started out on “secular” radio and record labels they’d have an even wider audience, who would “get” and appreciate the amazing art they create.
But, as things are, I appreciate them. A lot.
P.S. “Worlds Apart” is still the best written, produced, and performed song I’ve ever heard.
As far as my favorite record goes, I think it’s a tie between Much Afraid and Good Monsters.
My all-time favorite song is “Oh My God” … from what I hear, it’s the duet with Bono that never happened.
I agree with many of the comments here. Many artists with depth seem to go under appreciated.
I like every Jars record, but my favorite is still Who We Are Instead.
Interesting discussion. I’ve loved JOC for 10 years and they really spoke to me when I first became a Christian. I’m very thankful for them!
Why aren’t they more popular? People don’t want to think. People don’t want to be told the truth. People don’t want to have to “dig” for meaning behind a song. They want to listen to generic pop songs or dirty rap music, etc etc. It’s too much work to make the effort.
Now the people who do go the extra mile are extremely blessed and brought closer to God through JOC’s music. But the problem is simple. People are too lazy!
A favorite song or album is a hard thing to pick! Worlds Apart and The Valley Song are probably my faves..
I think a couple people have harped on my thoughts, but I feel that the mass opinion of Jars is still stuck in the 90’s “flood” rock.
I think you nailed it when you said they are writing “culturally relevant” music, but CCM giants like Jars “aren’t supposed to” write culturally relevant music, they’re supposed to define CCM culture (typically with a sound that isn’t very relevant at all).
I think the CCM crowd sees them as “Classic Rock” (even though they’re still writing) and the “culturally relevant” crowd writes them off as CCM before they give their sound a chance.
No expert here, but I’ve puzzled the same question about these guys. Basically, anytime I’ve seen them live I, myself, have wondered “why aren’t these guys massive?”
I agree. They should be huge. Their music challenges me like few artists out there. Heck they challenge me like few artists out there.
Honesty is what holds them back. The mass amount of people churched or unchurched don’t like the truth because its hard to face but in the end the truth will set you free.
why is Jars of Clay misunderstood…
They tackle social justice, they write trendy and thought provoking songs, so why are they still a niche band and not a billboard giant alongside U2 and Coldplay?
There are alot of reasons, but I think the problem is mostly about perception/expectations/the box.
I can’t say that Jars is “too” anything, be it artsy or candid, etc… because they’re too EVERYTHING for their genre (including too good), so I can’t limit it to a handful of “too’s”.
Everyone loved their first CD, because it was edgy, and Christian music fans wanted to get their foot in the door of the 90’s alternative movement.
Then they came out with Much Afraid, and it sold even MORE copies than the Self-Titled, because after the big splash of the first CD, they polished this one up a bit more and took the edge off, and it was way more in line with what CCM was
already playing.
So they were edgy enough to grab attention (and several grammys), but soft enough to make folks (and parents) comfortable.
It was “If I Left The Zoo” that changed everything. It’s a truly amazing album, very beatles-esque. Charlie actually de-tuned his piano to create the right level of dissonance.
But most of their listeners wanted mindless quasi-spiritual pop singles, not artsy songs about the titanic sinking, or sad metaphorical clowns.
They were perceived to be another family friendly Christian rock band, like DC Talk or the Newsboys, so their musical experiments went over the heads of an audience who thinks of the band less as musicians and more as a Christian pop single making machine.
The album was largely seen as a flop, because it was only marketed to one very un-enlightened fan-base.
It’s like taking a 2 year old to a 5 star restaurant, and watching them throw a fit because there are no tater-tots.
(reiterate what whosey-whats-it said about Tolstoy)
And that holds true for all of their other albums (each in it’s own way).
For instance, “Who We Are Instead” is a great album, but Jars offered wondrous bluegrassy soul when too many of their
listeners wanted repetitive pop ballads.
And I personally love the remixes of their old songs, I actually liked the new “Liquid” better than the old one, but most
of the people that I know absolutely hated it (along with the new “Flood”, which I also love).
I’ve been to a ton of their shows, and I’ve noticed this limited-perception trend in what kinds of songs the fans request.
I see the request line as an opportunity (that’s often wasted) to ask for songs that you’ll never hear them play in concert. But instead, everyone requests “Worlds Apart” and “Flood”, etc… songs that they’re very likely to play whether or not it’s requested.
And what that says to me, is that alot of the fans want the current, challenging, constantly evolving Jars of Clay to just be a cover band of old JOC singles. They want Jars to be the same as they were 15 years ago, the same cozy words just with new hooks.
They’re still in the Christian music box, so they’re cut off from the majority of folks who would really jive with their ideas.
But they’re not so preachy that the spirituality would turn off non-Christian listeners either.. I think their sound would really catch on, if marketed outside of the current demographic.
I saw them 2 weeks ago, and when Dan started talking about their motivations for the album, a bouncer who had been walking around next to me stopped the conversation he was having and listened to everything Dan said, and then just stood there and listened for the remainder of the show.
I could easily see any song off the new album playing on mainstream radio, and getting call-ins saying “why haven’t I heard this band before”.
Amazing discussion. So much I agree with. The core of all of this is–Jars is who they are and they refuse to change who they are to simply be “more understood and popular”. There is a huge lesson in that. We should be who God has asked us to be, do what God has asked us to do, and not allow the world around us, or even other believers, to dictate anything differently to us.
The fact that they have stood the test of time in an industry that is all about molding while remaining themselves proves that they really are that good.
Maybe they are the Christian equivalent of Joy Division/New Order. Or Leonard Cohen. Or the Ramones. Meaning their influence lies with their peers, more than the general population.
Maybe it will take a generation for others to see and appreciate their influence and contribution.
From my layman’s perspective, it appears they don’t have an idea or story that spreads…to borrow from Seth Godin. They don’t have a movement behind them moving them toward cumulative advantage (which is when something begins to sell simply because it’s selling). Maybe SkörInc could help them get there – if they value that.
At the same time, Joy Division, Cohen and the Ramones wouldn’t have been the same (to those who love them) had they gone galactic. So, maybe they’re where they need to be.