[Scroll down for an interview with The Clarks.]
At 9:30 p.m., the 9:30 club was nowhere near capacity as the opening act, Stephen Kellogg, took the stage. When the second act, the Lost Trailers, began its set, the club seemed to be half full, but by the time the headliners came on, there was hardly any room to breathe. This cramming of souls into the club in Northeast D.C. was not for recent acts Blink 182 or any band currently on MTV's TRL, but for Pittsburgh rockers the Clarks.
The Clarks have been playing clubs and college campuses since forming in 1988 at Indiana University of Pennsylvania in Indiana, Pa. The band's contemporary rock style is hypnotizing behind the extraordinary guitar-work of lead guitarist Rob James and the powerful vocals of front man Scott Blasey.
For an hour and a half the crowd sang along to fan favorites "Caroline" and "Born Too Late" as the band gave a top-notch performance that seemed to be devoid of breaks. Each song melded into the next, whether a past hit or one of their newest creations.
After a simple "Hello D.C." from Blasey, the band was off with its hit "Better Off Without You" from the 2000 release "Let It Go." A continuing mix of old and new, each member of the band gave outstanding performances to the packed D.C. crowd, but none shone brighter than those by James and Paisley.
Past favorite "Chasin' Girls" prompted much audience participation with its opening line, "I've been chasin' girls/ I've been drinkin' beer/ I've been gettin' stoned right here." Dave Minarik lifted the song to a higher level thanks to his skilled drum play. Later on, bass guitarist Greg Joseph showed off his talent with great riffs in the new song "Happy," which was performed live for only the second time ever.
The band was not the only ones to put on a show. Twice a young woman climbed onto the stage and danced beside Blasey. During a cover of Prince's "Kiss," a staple of the Clarks' concerts, the woman reached the stage and danced seductively, twice lowering her pants in front of the crowd. After being removed at the end of the song eliciting applause from the audience and band, she returned later on in the performance and was quickly whisked off stage. This came just as another female member of the audience won the distinction of the being the first person to flash the band in concert, according to James.
The Clarks wrapped the set with its song "Cigarette," bringing in the audience almost singing louder than Blasey as well as several cigarettes being thrown on the stage. Blasey took a step back during the performance to allow James and Joseph to rock out in a scorching battle of lead versus bass guitar.
Once the band left the stage, chants of "Here we go, Steelers! Here we go!" brought them back for a three-song encore that did not disappoint as they played the rock ballad hit "Penny on the Floor" to start and closed with "On Saturday," a song that gives a fun alternative to somber break-up tunes.
The Clarks will be touring throughout the month of February with Cowboy Mouth; additional dates for the following months will be announced soon. In October, the band will rejoin Cowboy Mouth and numerous other bands in the Rock Boat concert on a cruise ship leaving from Miami.
Until then, the Clarks will be working on two new albums. "Strikes and Gutters 2," a follow-up to their 2001 release "Strikes and Gutters," will contain B-sides and other hits and is due in March. In June, the band will release a full-length album with new songs.
Pittsburgh band 'the Seabiscuit of Rock 'n Roll'
Take four guys from Pittsburgh with growing musical talent and send them to Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and the contemporary rock group the Clarks emerges. Last Friday, that band came to D.C. to play the 9:30 club.
The Clarks released their first album in 1988 and, 14 years later, through several recording labels big and small, the band is still a growing force on the rock music scene. Performer Stephen Kellogg, who opened for the Clarks, called the group, "the Seabiscuit of rock 'n' roll."
Through all its time together, the Clarks have not yet formed the celebrity status that accompanies other bands, but instead they have a loyal fan base that is spreading nationwide. This fan base was recently shown, and expanded, through a nationwide tour.
"Since September, we've seen the whole [country]," bass guitarist Greg Joseph said. "It was just one big loop and ... everywhere, there were pockets of people who heard of us and came out to see us."
The rest of the band is made up of Scott Blasey on vocals and guitar, Rob James on lead guitar and Dave Minarik on drums. Each come from Western Pennsylvania, but all ended up at IUP where they joined together.
"We started playing fraternities and bars," Joseph said. "It's how we got our start."
The band's most recent album, "Another Happy Ending," premiered in 2002 at number two on Billboards Heatseekers list for up and coming performers. The group Music Awareness Pittsburgh noted this, calling the band "Pittsburgh's favorite sons."
Joseph was unaware of this distinction but is happy to wear it nonetheless.
Although Blasey and Joseph write many of the songs, James and Minarik also chip in a few tunes, and are expected to have a couple each on the next album. Blasey has previously done two solo albums, "Don't Try this at Home" and "Shine," Joseph said, but is continuing with the band and currently writing songs for the band.
As for a new album, the band is first going to revisit its 2001 release "Strikes and Gutters" with a re-release entitled "Strikes and Gutters 2." This new CD will contain B-Sides as well as "things we've collected and thrown in the closet over the years," according to Joseph. That CD is expected to hit shelves in mid-March, and will then be followed by a full-length CD in June that is yet untitled.
"We are way behind [on the new CD]," Joseph said. "We're going on a two-year clip [to release albums], basically."
The full-length will be the band's third with label Razor and Tie. The label "is actually one of the largest independent labels," according to Joseph. The Clarks were previously with MCA but prefer Razor and Tie because their distribution is large, but they are still relativey small.
The Clarks have visited D.C. many times over the years and have played places such as the IOTA club in Arlington, but, according to Joseph, they prefer the 9:30 club.
"It's one of the best clubs in America," Joseph said.
After playing to larger audiences in Pittsburgh as well as smaller ones, Joseph said he had no preference to the size of a place.
"It doesn't matter," he said. "Just as long as there's a couple thousand fans in the audience, [any place is] good"
