CARISSA MARSH
A&E Editor
This Saturday, Student Programming Board’s fall concert series continues with Jars of Clay taking the stage at Alumni Park to perform tracks off their newly released album, “Good Monsters.”
Gates open at 5:30 p.m. and the show begins at 6:30 p.m. Tickets cost $12 for Pepperdine students and $18 for the public. So far a little more than 500 tickets have been sold, according to Dustin Vyers, director of Student Activities.
Tickets can be purchased in the caf or online at pepspbtickets.com. An In-N-Out truck will be on site to feed hungry concert-goers for free with their ticket.
According to Vyers, the reason SPB slated Jars of Clay to perform is because the band wanted to come to Pepperdine.
“Their agent contacted us and offered us a deal that we couldn’t pass up,” Vyers said. He said SPB got a great price that included sound and equipment.
Matt Wertz and Kate York will open the show.
Hopefully the typically chilly fall weather will hold up for the outside venue. Vyers said that SPB decided to hold the concert outside “just for something different.”
“We’ve done concerts at Alumni Park in the past, and that’s the environment we wanted to go for again,” he said.
Fortunately for fans, the concert comes on the heels of Jars of Clay’s new CD. Released Sept. 5, “Good Monsters” is the eighth full-length album from the pop-rock Christian band that has been blending spiritual themes with alternative rock sounds since it first formed in Greenville, Ill., back in 1993.
Jars of Clay is made up of four core members: lead singer Dan Haseltine, guitarists Stephen Mason and Matt Odmark and keyboardist Charlie Lowell. Longtime tour bassist Aaron Sands is also featured on “Good Monsters,” as well as new drummer Jeremy Lutito.
The Grammy-winning group first came to the forefront with the popular radio hit “Flood” off their double-platinum self-titled debut in 1995. Over the years, Jars of Clay’s ability to mix acoustic elements with a rock ‘n’ roll feel has helped the group become a mainstay in the Christian music scene as well as develop a loyal fan base.
“I’ve been a fan of theirs since their first album,” said junior Stephen Banks. “They’re really what turned me on to Christian music in the first place.”
Banks has seen Jars of Clay in concert twice before and said he is looking forward to hearing the group’s new songs.
“I saw the concert poster and I got really excited,” Banks said. “They put on a great show.”
“Good Monsters” was completely self-produced by the band and includes 11 original songs. The guys take a new direction on the CD, and fans will notice the striking musical departure from their last album, “Redemption Songs,” which featured acoustic hymns.
The first single released off the new album was “Dead Man (Carry Me),” a song that juxtaposes more serious themes with a light and stunted jive. The band’s second single, “Work,” features a heavy drum beat driving the rhythm courtesy their new drummer.
Perhaps the most surprising song on the album is “Light Gives Heat,” which features the African Children’s choir. Once again, Jars of Clay shows they are not afraid to do something different.
CCM magazine took notice and named “Good Monsters” Album of the Year in their September issue, an amazing feat considering that the CD was released in early September. Nevertheless, Editor Jay Swartzendruber stated in the magazine that the band’s new release is “the landmark album of 2006.” He even went on to call the CD “the most profound album the Christian music community has released in years.”
Freshman Evelin Caceres said she is a fan of the band primarily because they have stuck to their Christian beliefs, unlike other bands that run away from “Christian artist” label.
“They’re pretty upbeat and they seem to be focused on God’s word,” Caceres said. “It’s always very uplifting to listen to music that inspires you, and at the same time have fun.”
On tour with the band is singer-songwriter Matt Wertz, who will open Saturday’s show. Audiences should listen for his song “Everything’s Right,” which was featured in the summer flick “My Super Ex-Girlfriend.”
Like Jars of Clay, Wertz also recently released a new CD — his third studio album — entitled “Everything in Between” on Sept. 19.
Leigh Nash, former lead singer of Sixpence None the Richer, was originally slated to perform as an opener but had to cancel due to a family emergency. Nash and Haseltine recorded a duet together called “Mirrors and Smoke” for “Good Monsters.”
Nashville-based singer-songwriter Kate York, who is featured on “Even Angels Cry,” has been billed as Nash’s replacement for Jars of Clay’s fall tour and will perform as an opener on Saturday along with Wertz.
While big names, boredom, or the smell of double-doubles may draw some, others like Banks will come for Jars of Clay’s music.
“I’ve enjoyed everything they’ve ever done,” he said. “I look forward to it.”
11-02-2006
