A night full of fun, festivities, and a whole lot of Christmas Spirit, join us Wednesday,
December 16th for our first annual Jars of Clay Family Christmas Show.
Fan-Curated Album & Anniversary Tour Pledge now and you can help pick the Top 20 Jars of Clay songs for our new acoustic album.
Howdy from out on the road during our Inland Christmas Tour! We have a lot to update you on for the last few weeks of 2013 so let's jump right in:
If You have not seen it already take a look at these great videos and podcast from our recent visit to Relevant Magazine. Listen to the audio here:
Here are a handful of sneak peeks of INLAND if you haven's seen them yet. All in one place.
Review from INK 19 here:
Check out this great interview with Mr. Mason from the NY Examiner!
Early review of INLAND in UK's Culturefly here:
First 2 Tracks from INLAND Available NOW!!!
AFTER THE FIGHT: iTunes:Amazon
INLAND: iTunes
Free Video Sneak Peek of new INLAND tracks live from East Side Manner:
We have jetted off to Portland, OR to work at Flora Recording and Playback with the Indie Pop Dream Team of Tucker Martine and Beau Sorenson. Here are some images to stir your imaginations for the tasty sounds that are being architected.
From Stephen Mason:
"Stay" is a re-imagining of the song "Forgive Me" from our last full-length Jars of Clay release, The Long Fall Back To Earth. This is a favorite of mine on the record. It's been really fun to change the melody and add some different textures.
I love remixes, and the opportunity to approach our music like this was a cool opportunity. It revealed the DNA of the song and presented an opportunity to highlight musical and lyrical pieces that challenge and inspire me personally.
Greetings friends!!
It's been quite a busy and exciting season for the band... we are just rested up from two back-to-back tours. Roadshow was a new experience- we had an absolute blast with MercyMe and a handful of other bands playing on the Roadshow tour this year. We did enjoy the "big stage" but had some pretty special moments playing acoustic songs for a number of you that came out early and got your requests in. We played songs that we literally have never played since recording them... like Scarlet, Redemption, River Constantine, Forgive Me, and more... a good brain exercise for us, but it was truly a treat to hear stories of how these songs have connected with you over the years... thank you!! We hope to do more of that in the future. Following the Roadshow tour was our Shelter headline tour- all through the making of The Shelter, we knew that the songs would really take form live- hearing you sing along with us, as these songs were written to be sung by "the people"!! We toured with Derek Webb, Matt Maher, and Audrey Assad, who all sang on the record with us. It truly felt like family (if not camp!) out there, which may sound like a bit of a cliche, but we say it with honesty and gratitude. If you don't have any of their projects, please check them out!
Right now, we're doing just a handful of tour dates in the next month, but primarily starting to write for the next project, whatever that may be! We really have no idea what is on the horizon until we get in the habit of gathering, turning our chairs toward one another, and seeing what is waiting for us. It's an odd combination of scary and exciting! We have enjoyed the acoustic sets lately (if you haven't seen it, here's a nice intimate version of "Closer", acoustic at a club in Nashville opening for Burlap To Cashmere last month: (VIDEO), and may do some select dates this fall in that vein- stripped down arrangements and stories about songs...
As always, thanks for listening and coming out to see us in concert!! It's a great season to look ahead and anticipate what is next, what we are passionate about saying and creating, and expecting God to meet us in unexpected ways, as is most always the case!
May you find joy in your journey today-
Charlie Lowell
Jars of Clay
New VIDEO update from Matt...
modmark video blog from Jars of Clay on Vimeo.
Thanks to our friends at Lightning 100 and The Funky Umbrella for the following videos from this past Sunday night, May 15, 2011 at Lightning 100's Nashville Sunday Night show, where we played with Burlap To Cashmere.
Blood: Water Mission - the organization that began as the vision of Jars of Clay’s Dan Haseltine to impact Africa with safe water—had reason to celebrate (May 10) in Nashville. The concert staging of the “Well:Done Celebration” was held in honor of the successful completion of the ‘1000 Wells Project’ now producing water in communities all over Africa through the work of Blood:Water Mission. The event held at the historic Ryman Auditorium raised over $100,000.
Jars of Clay's Dan Haseltine (third from left) joins in the 'Well: Done Celebration' with (left to right) Rich Hoops, Chairman of the Board of Blood: Water Mission; BWM Director Jena Nardella; (TN) Governor & Mrs. Bill Haslam; Mike Hamilton, Althletic Director at the University of Tennessee and BWM Board member.
Jars of Clay with friends and fellow artists from 'Well: Done Celebration' in Nashville. Included in photo are: HANSON, Eric Wainaina and band, Brandon Heath, Charlie Peacock, Derek Webb, Sandra McCracken, and Blood: Water Mission Director, Jena Nardella.
As we count down to the release of our new album, The Shelter (Oct. 5), we are spending time sharing more about each song on the project. Today, track 3: "We Will Follow."
Charlie: I love the imagery that we as a church are carrying on a pilgrimage that started in the Old Testament...wandering, straying, remembering, following....
Dan: We may not know where we are going, we know who leads us, and thus we can sing with confidence even into the valley of death.
Stephen: To make yourself available to God's love and His people is to push against fear and offer yourself to God's service as an ambassador of love and an agent of change.
Matthew: Nothing in our view you haven't made, No one that you've touchd you that you haven't saved.
As we prepare for the October 5 release of The Shelter, we are sharing specific thoughts on each song from the album. This week we share about track 2, "Call My Name."
Charlie: A prayer that we might know the value of each individual life - and our calling to value dignity and story as we bring God's hope into brokenness.
Dan: Good community never lets us stay in its safe fold for long, rather it allows our hearts to venture out to harm's way in search of God.
Stephen: God calling your name means being known by the creator of everything, who redeems us and everything around us in beauty.
Matthew: To think that God knows us by name has deep and far-reaching implications. To actually hear him use it changes everything.
