JARTIFACTS: At the Zoo with Jars of Clay, All Access Magazine

At the Zoo with Jars of Clay

Text transcribed from All Access Magazine from Family Christian Stores, June/July 2000

Four years ago, the radio airways were drowned by the sound of "Flood," the mega-hit single from Jars of Clay's self-titles debut. Four million records later, the four men of Jars of Clay continue to create music embraced by both the Church and the mainstream.

Family Christian: Let's talk about your latest album, If I Left the Zoo. How has the tour gone?

Charlie: I think the music continues to be really fun to play live. And for some reason this tour that we just finished is really our most enjoyable tour, both relationally and on stage. It's fun and it's kind of quirky and it keeps it real interesting for us.

FC: We've been hearing a lot about the Roaring Lambs project. Did you know (author) Bob Briner?

Stephen: We love what Bob had to say about Christians in the culture and how we can affect people with our attitude and with our words... just what it means to be salt and light in a Biblical sense.

FC: How would you describe the difference between music geared for Christians and music by Christians geared to the mainstream?

Dan: You could probably compare it to a minister who goes out on the street corner and preaches and tries to get people to know who Jesus Christ is, versus a pastor of a church. They are serving different needs for the same purpose-getting people to Jesus Christ. You have to look at it that way, that some music you would equate to the pastor of a church who is there to teach Christians, people who are part of the flock, and show them different things and encourage them. Then there are the bands going out, who are more like missionaries out there. They are part of a church but have moved beyond that and are out there to pull people in. That's more what we've felt that we are, like Sixpence. Our faith is the biggest part of who we are but it won't come across as if we were in a church. I know that a lot of people wonder about what we do, but we hope that we can give them the assurance that, no matter where we are, even when we're playing in bars and clubs, our hopes and prayers are that we will always be writing songs that are in line with the truth of the Gospel. That allows us to go wherever and still carry the common thread.

Stephen: We're going to be recording that song for City on the Hill (a praise & worship compilation album) this summer and in the not too distant future, some festivals and golly, a tour in the fall with Jen Knapp and Luna Halo.

Stephen: We visited a Family Christian Store just recently and you know the calendar in the back where they do all the plans and everything? We titled each month like "Muchos Afraidos" month, and "If you leave the Christian book store, leave with If I Left the Zoo" month and "Jars of Clay album" month... just to kind of encourage them in the back room. Speaking of which, 2001, tentative plans are, unless we do the cover of that one song by that guy (Hums theme to 2001 Space Odyssey) and it becomse a huge hit, we'll go back in 2001 and start a new record.

FC: Your web site says you are all happily married and starting to raise families. Does someone have an announcement to make?

Charlie: Families of sea monkeys. That's a real test if you ever want to have a pet or something. Buy sea monekys, and see how you do. My wife wanted a dog, since I leave her so much. I bought her some sea monkeys, and said if you can keep these around for more than a month or two; we can have a dog.

Matt: The thing is that you can't kill them. You can always re-animate them. They come freeze dried.

Matt: Yeah, they are brine shrimp. You could boil them and maybe then they'd be dead.

Stephen: Yeah, you could boil them and put them in cocktail sauce. You eat them. You'd have to eat like a million to get like a spoonful.

FC: So the follow-up on your web site will have pictures of you with your sea monkeys?

Matt: With our sea monkeys, yeah, with the magnifying glass up to the sea monkey tank so you can see them.

FC: That's the theme of our Spring catalog, look at that (shows picture of catalog) (It's a little girl holding 2 daisies in a daisy field).

Charlie: You should have a picture of Steve on there. Take out the cute little girl.

Stephen: That would be much more convincing. Of course, a cute little girl, everybody loves a cute little girl.

Matt: Put him on the cover and all of a sudden you're saying something, "Wow, God loves him?"

Charlie: Seems like we keep learning about suffering and how we're basically guaranteed in scripture that if we profess Christ, we're going to suffer and that's such an un-American, evangelical church kind of thing to consider. But numerous times in scripture we keep stumbling over it, going, "Man, I never realized we're basically promised that we'll suffer and to almost expect it and be ready for it and know that suffering will lead to growth and surety and blessing.

Stephen: There's a verse in the Bible about that I think. (laughs). What's really mind blowing about learning about this reality of suffering is that, not only are we promised that we'll suffer, but we're promised that we'll have joy for our suffering too, and that kind of drives you to the Gospel in a whole new way.