Two summers ago found the members of Jars of Clay desperately seeking low-cost entertainment to consume the empty afternoons following the May 1995 release of their debut album. Now, a short 18 months later, the post-college age foursome would be fairly content to just have an afternoon off as the phone continues to ring off the hook with requests for more and more appearances, interviews and performances.

The group's success has included a platinum-selling debut album, a Grammy nomination, and a radio single that hit No. 2 on the Triple A College Radio chart, No. 7 on the Adult Alternative chart, and No. 15 on the Modern Rock chart. Additionally, the band has received video airplay on VH1 and MTV and been interviewed for a myriad of national television and print appearances. Add to that a year and a half of touring, first with PFR then Michael W. Smith, and string of club dates and a few performances with Sting, and the success story reads like a musician's wildest dream come true.

But what makes Jars of Clay even more unique is the fact that in the same year it captured the attention of the general marketplace, the band also took home the Gospel Music Association's Dove Award for New Artist of the Year-a somewhat contradictory set of accomplishments.

Along with the success, however, has come some criticism from Christian retailers, radio stations and yes, even the occasional fans who have indicated their disapproval of performances in mainstream clubs that are open to 21-and-over crowds only. There have also been complaints of a "watered-down" message in such venues, a different agenda than what the group has in its "Christian" concerts.

In a recent interview with THE CCM UPDATE, Jars members Dan Haseltine, Charlie Lowell, Steve Mason and Matt Odmark discussed the issues facing them as they continue to achieve unsolicited stardom in an industry that is supposed to shun the spotlight.

Mason explained, "We do feel some pressure now, but a lot of this has just happened so unexpectedly for us in a sense that we didn't set out to do this. We didn't say, 'Okay, what's the next plan?' We just kind of kept doing what we were doing, and those doors have opened."

I think God has really shown us and taught us a lot about how, for Jars of Clay, it's really a platform that doesn't necessarily find its entire life within the Christian marketplace," said lead vocalist Haseltine. "We've tried really hard to break that separation of Christian band and mainstream band because as far as we're concerned there really shouldn't be that separation. We don't want our music to be just for the Christian marketplace."

Mason added, "We've heard stories of Christian retailers who have heard us play in a club and who have said they've decided to pull our product from the shelves, which I can't say makes a lot of sense. I don't profess to know necessarily that what we're doing is exactly what we should be doing, or have the full knowledge that this is exactly right. But I can say that it's just cutting off a part of the body of Christ when people are pulling our product from the shelves, when I believe that's how you get the message out. It's just real frustrating.

"My youth pastor has said that when people ask him what's going on with Jars of Clay, he'll say three things. First he'll ask, 'How have you been praying for them?' Then he'll say, 'Have you tried to contact them if you have questions or if you've heard things?,' because the rumor mill is really bad. Third, he'll ask the question, 'How is your neighborhood?,' implying that as a Christian community we can't put all our expectations of converting the world onto types of platforms like 'What's Jars of Clay doing?' It needs to start on a personal level."

According to Haseltine, the bad canceled quite a few church dates this past summer as their focus was shifting to the club circuit. "We had to rework a lot of schedules, and I think we made a lot of people mad. Many of them feel that we copped out on the Christian shows so that we could make more money in the mainstream, but the funny thing is that we were making anywhere from $10,000-$15,000 a show in the Christian market, and when we started doing clubs, we were making $500 a night. We even ate our shirts some nights and didn't make anything.

"For us, our ministry is between us and God," Haseltine continues. "It's where we feel God has us in His will, and that's what we're trying to seek after and be obedient to, not necessarily to be obedient to man. We pray most nights that our motivations aren't for the acceptance of man or for the approval of man, just that when we walk off stage we'll feel like we did something worth being on stage for.

"So when those people criticize, we take their opinions to heart, but we also realize that they're not going to fully understand what we're doing because they're not out on the road with us. They're not out night after night seeing what happens. They're not getting the letters we're getting from people who say they bought our album simply because they heard the song 'Flood" and became a Christian because that was a catalyst. So all we can do is try to love those critical people, and often those are the hardest people to love.

Greg Frey, music buyer for Baptist Bookstores, thinks that any general market attention Jars of clay receives is only fueling sales within the Christian marketplace, too. "This [album] has just been a huge gangbuster for us… As their exposure gets greater, it's just going to increase our sales. The only negative thing would be if they don't hold true to what their testimony and their mission is. But there would be no reason that we would pull something from a shelf just because they're visiting those types of venues. If they can do what they're doing out there and still maintain their commitment, it's great."

Family Bookstores Sr. Music Buyer Bob Elder agrees, "When they started the club tour, I was actually expecting to hear more than I did from our stores, and I was actually pleased that I didn't. Even though they haven't gotten a fair shake in every article, I've been very pleased with the integrity they've displayed as Christian artists, identifying who they are in Christ. I think their witness has been tremendous. It's a breath of fresh air for the entire music industry. Even though they may have also taken some flack from the secular marketplace, I couldn't be happier with who they are and what they've done and how meek they've been about it."

Haseltine said "It's a neat thing when we can sit down with people after our shows and they ask, 'What are you guys really about?' Or when we go to a mainstream radio station and they ask us, 'What does it feel like to be a Christian band in this marketplace?' They don't understand what it means to be a Christian. They don't understand the difference between religion institutionally and being a Christian. When we can go in and break down those barriers, it's great. We can show that we can just be normal human beings who love and accept people and who don't fit under the stereotype of being judgmental or preachy, or who just have an agenda to convert people."

Jars of Clay will head back into the studio after the first of the year to begin work on its second project. In the meantime, Silvertone Records, the band's general market distributor, is considering the release of a third single ("Boy on a String") to general market radio, following "Flood" and Liquid."

Does the band expect similar success with a new album? "I think if it doesn't happen, we'll be fine with it and know that it was just a season for us,' said keyboardist Charlie Lowell. "We are definitely at a different place now than we were when we wrote the songs on the debut album. I'm sure what we've seen in the past year and a half is going to affect our writing."

Mason adds, "I think our favorite question is when kids come up to us and say, "Man, how are you guys ever gonna top your first album! That's, like, impossible!' And we just say, "you know what, we're not gonna.'"*

*Article transcribed from CCM Magazine, November 1996, pages 24 and 28.