Clarks click on chemistry

Expect up-tempo, infectious rock played by guys who’ve been together longer than some of their fans have been alive.

PREVIEW by Dave Richards Staff writer

Pittsburgh’s Clarks are no strangers to Erie. They pack fans into Sherlock’s every time they visit. This Saturday, however, they’ll rock a few blocks — including Sherlock’s — when they headline the main stage at Fourth and State streets during CelebrateErie. Guitarist Rob James said the band’s stoked about playing the big stage during Erie’s biggest summer block party.

“The big shows, the outdoor shows, they always have a different vibe that you can’t get in a club,” said James in a phone interview. “It feels more like a big concert. More like a big to-do.”

In Pittsburgh, the Clarks are as big as ever. Their release party in June for the CD/DVD package “Still Live” at Chevrolet Amphitheater drew more than 6,000 fans. New Clarks’ songs go into regular rotation on Pittsburgh radio; they’re hometown heroes.

Nationally, they’ve yet to break through in a big way, despite 20-plus years of cranking out accessible, melodic, guitar-driven rock. But they do well enough to maintain a viable career, which is what matters, James said. Plenty of bands have arrived, hit it big, and then disappeared while the Clarks have methodically plugged away.

“A lot of young bands have had their time, and they’re gone, and they really wish they could have stayed in a career for 20 years,” James said. “That’s what we all envisioned when we were growing up with a notion of what rock and roll is.

“We admired U2 and Tom Petty and R.E.M., to a certain degree. They all seemed like they had this longevity they were locked into and moving forward and growing and still releasing viable material and selling tickets. Those are the kind of things that inspire you. Not everyone’s fortunate to have that. Even on the level that we have it, it’s just nice to make a living.”

THEY’VE NEVER CHANGED their lineup. This is the same band that started at Indiana University of Pennsylvania in the 1980s.

“The thing that’s kept us together is we always set our sights on things that were attainable goals,” James said. “Along the way, you get to the point where you realize you’re waking up and doing the thing you love to do. It’s hard to turn your back on that.”
Clarks also realized the best way to stick together is for everyone to spread their wings from time to time. Scott Blasey is working on his third solo CD; Greg Joseph just released his first solo disk earlier this year.

“When Scott put out his first release, we had people saying, ‘Hey, man, don’t you feel threatened by that? What do you think about your singer trying to be bigger than the band?’ There were pangs of ‘What is going on here?’ but we realized you’ve got to let the members do their thing,” James said.

“Inevitably, Scott brought all that energy he had in making that record right back to the band. So that helps the band move forward. The stuff those guys do bring along a new energy.”

Side projects can also put the band in a holding pattern. “Still Live” followed a greatest-hits release, which means the Clarks haven’t issued a new studio set since 2004. With no new CD to highlight in concert, they’re playing favorites, new covers, and rarely performed songs such as “Brand New” and “Perfection Not Required.”

“We’re kind of dipping into stuff we haven’t been playing in a long time,” James said. “And we’re picking up some different covers. We’ve been doing this ’70s one people love, ‘Love Grows’ [by Edison Lighthouse]. But we give it more of a rock edge. I sing some falsetto harmonies on it.”

They’ll also play Clarks’ standards, such as “Better Off Without You” and Blasey’s quietly powerful “Hey You,” written in the wake of 9/11. But most of it is up-tempo, infectious rock with lots of hooks, played by four guys who’ve been together longer than some of their fans have been alive. Their chemistry shines through.

“I’ve tried playing out with other bands, and I still do. I play with Bill Deasy sometimes. We all do some acoustic stuff,” James said. “But it’s just not the same.

“When you grow through the years musically, when you can anticipate what the other members are doing, it’s special.”

The Clarks will perform Saturday at 9:30 p.m. on the North stage at CelebrateErie, located at Fourth and State streets. Admission is free.