What's an up-and-coming band to do if it's looking to expand its fan base? Hit the road! Greg Joseph, bassist for the Clarks, talked to The Cavalier Daily this past weekend as he traveled from Cincinnati to Knoxville, Tenn., part of the Clarks' most recent tour.
Battling a hilly terrain (and the resulting cell phone static), Joseph discussed the band's latest album, "Another Happy Ending," and their most recent tour, which takes Scott Blasey (lead vocals, guitars), Rob James (guitars, vocals), Dave Minarik (drums, vocals) and Joseph to Charlottesville this Wednesday for a 9 p.m. performance at Starr Hill.
Cavalier Daily: I understand you are incredibly popular in your hometown of Pittsburgh. How have you been working to expand your fan base?
Greg Joseph: We've been touring a lot. We've really increased the circle of places we go. We travel anywhere from Minneapolis to Boston, all the way down to Fort Lauderdale. Our newest CD, "Another Happy Ending" came out in June, and we've been touring straight through summer and fall. We'll continue all the way through December.
CD: Do you find certain locales responding differently to your music now?
GJ: Our following in big cities has definitely changed for the better
places like New York, Chicago and D.C. Washington, D.C., is actually our second or third-largest market now.
CD: Your last album, "Let It Go," was quite well received. What new elements have you added in "Another Happy Ending?"
GJ: "Another Happy Ending" is different from "Let It Go," more than anything. On each album we try to get a different sound. Strings are new; we've added drum loops, keyboards. The tracks "Boys Lie" and "On Saturday" better capture our live sound than on any other CD. Overall, this CD has a better feel.
CD: Do you have a favorite song off this album?
GJ: (chuckles) I've gone through about five favorites! Currently, I really like "Maybe."
CD: I really like the track "Hey You."
GJ: "Hey You" was actually written by Scott the evening of Sept. 11 last year. Watching television that day, everyone just got overloaded. Scott sort of wrote the song with a glimmer of hope, more so than many of the songs written about the event.
CD: You've been together for a long time. How has your style evolved over the years?
GJ: When we started out, six CDs ago, we were younger, angrier, angst-ridden. Now, we write about more life experiences, things going on around us, personal day-to-day situations.
CD: Do different members of the group have their own styles that get incorporated into the finished product?
GJ: It generally depends on what the influences are at the time. The producer brings all the elements together. With "Let It Go" and "Another Happy Ending" we worked with Justin Niebank in Tennessee. It's fun working with an outside person. He takes all the opinions and makes sense out of them. He's had really creative ideas -- it's taken our music to a new place. We're a band that really enjoys that outside influence.
CD: I was lucky enough to catch one of your concerts last year; you put on a great live show. Have you noticed any songs becoming crowd favorites?
GJ: "Hey You" is catching on everywhere; it's our first single off this album. It's been played across the country and received national attention. We concentrate on the new stuff, but we also play older material from all our CDs, along with a few cover songs -- we've been into the Replacements lately.
CD: You guys have a really cool Web site, www.clarksonline.com. It's very personal and comprehensive.
GJ: It's been really helpful. It gives us an opportunity for lots of interaction with our fans. We try to participate in the forums and such; it's really interactive.
CD: Are you looking forward to be being back in Charlottesville?
GJ: Oh yeah, Starr Hill's great -- intimate atmosphere, good food. If you want to come out and enjoy some good music and leave with a smile on your face, you should come out and see us.
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