A Decade of Making a Difference
In 10 years together, Jars of Clay's music has affected millions. Now they're looking to affect even more—those suffering from HIV/AIDS in Africa. And you can help.
by Michael Herman and Andy Argyrakis | posted 10/11/2004
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Hard to believe it's been ten years since Jars of Clay's humble beginnings on the tiny campus of Greenville (IL) College. In the decade since, the foursome has grown considerably, finding themselves with dual footing in Christian music and the mainstream while selling millions of albums and winning numerous awards in both markets. But rather than focusing on the fame, the guys define true success in their families and in making music that connects. They also want to connect with the world's needs, and thus have invested much time into developing Blood:Water Mission, an organization dedicated to HIV/AIDS relief in Africa. Here's more from a face-to-face conversation with front man Dan Haseltine and keyboard player Charlie Lowell.
With the Jars: Steve Mason, Matt Odmark, DanHaseltine, and Charlie Lowell (front) circa 1995
After being in the business for ten years, what do you know now that you wish you would've known in the beginning?
Dan Haseltine I really get the sense that we could've relaxed a little more back when we started. I think there's just a sense that you want everything to be perfect and you want to control everything. The music world just isn't a place where you can control anything.
I think also everybody seemed to think success was something you could kind of create, but it's a lot wilder than that. You can't predict what people are going to like. And you can't really write songs with that as your goal. You just have to be honest and write about the things you believe. That's something I wish I had a much greater grasp of when we were kind of navigating the post-"Flood" hurricane damage [when that song, from their 1995 debut, became a huge hit on MTV and mainstream radio].
As an established band, how do you view independent artists and seek to help younger artists?
Haseltine We have a pretty good connection to the independent scene. One of the guys we work with, Mitch Dane, does a lot of producing for independent artists and we've stayed connected [through] him. He does a good job helping artists find their purpose, their vision and their goals. I believe we have a role in that and that's exciting, like to be able to watch a new artist like Sarah Kelly. She's doing some shows with us and she's an incredible talent who maybe not since Janis Joplin have we heard such a great earthy voice. She has all this nervous energy and I feel like we're able to say, "Just relax. Even if you mess up, most of the audience finds it endearing because you're letting them into your show and a side that rarely gets seen. You've just got to be a good sport about it and not take yourself too seriously." It's fun to be around a new artist like that because they have the potential to do great things.
How would you define success?
Haseltine We were taking stock of where we were as a band recently, thinking about a lot of bands that were doing music when "Flood" came out. And only a few of them are around anymore. I think when it comes to success in terms of our music, we still feel like we're connecting with people and talking about things we feel are relevant. But success is really our families and being good dads and husbands. That seems like a greater success story—that we can do music and still keep our marriages intact.
How do you balance that with so much time on the road?
Charlie Lowell It's a constant give-and-take. We try and set up boundaries and limits. We'll only do this many shows out before we'll come home for a couple days. Trying to be in tune with the families' needs and being understanding of one another and each others' different seasons is key. We do a lot of weekend runs and then we're home for a few days. There's a lot of sacrifice and it gets tricky with more kids being born.
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