The name for the Christian rock band Jars of Clay symbolizes how fragile the human race is, says JOC singer Dan Haseltine.
"It actually comes from a passage in the Bible (2 Corinthians 4:7) that says there is a treasure in a jar of clay," Haseltine said during a phone call from Phoenix, Ariz. "We all thought that was pretty neat, and it sparked a lot of ideas we could write around."Jars of Clay will play Club DV8, 115 S. West Temple, Friday, May 24. Doors open at 7 p.m.
"We started in college about a year ago," Haseltine said. "A couple of us took studio recording classes and wanted to see if we could put together a CD. It was all for recreation, really."
The band played on the Greenville College campus in Illinois, eventually winning a battle-of-the-bands contest. And though Jars of Clay is considered a gospel rock band, Haseltine said it's the music that carries the message and not the other way around.
"We don't break during a concert and bear our testimony," said Haseltine. "We say what we want to say in a song. And if the audience gets something from the lyrics - great. If not, at least they enjoy the music.
"Though Christianity is an important factor in our lives, we don't approach our music with any type of hard agenda. We aren't trying to convert everyone, we're just playing our music."
Jesus Christ is, of course, a major influence, as are such diverse performers as Jimi Hendrix, Depeche Mode, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Abba and the Captain & Tennille.
"As I grew, the Who and P.M. Dawn became really interesting to me," he said.
The band's self-titled debut album currently rests at No. 51 on Billboard's Top 200, and the single "Flood" is moving up the charts as well as gaining airplay across the nation.
For the most part, Haseltine is pleasantly surprised at Jars of Clay's initial success.
"We weren't necessarily prepared for the drive `Flood' has gotten," he said. "It blew us away, but we're taking it as it comes and it's all been a real learning experience. We are feeling the pressures of following this album up, but we hope it doesn't affect our writing. We don't want to start writing to impress others. We want to write about what's inside ourselves."