Thursday, Sept. 12, 2002

Great day for music music
By Caleb Sheaffer
Collegian Staff Writer

The Clarks' fans might have to stop "chasing girls and drinking beer," or at least change their location for these activities this weekend. The Clarks are holding a new festival, called Great Day, which begins at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday at the Post-Gazette Pavilion in Burgettstown.

The day will be kicked off by a special Clarks acoustic set, and the night will end with an electric performance by the band. Sandwiched in between the Clarks' sets will be performances from the Juliana Theory, Stroke 9, Martin Sexton, Bleu, Glen Phillips, Seven Nations, and Seether.

Rob James, the Clarks' guitarist, said the festival came out of a mutual idea between the band and its management. "Our management was looking for new ways to present the band and, ironically, we were already thinking about something like this," James said.

Fans can expect a rousing, fun set as the Clarks always have a great time playing in its native Pittsburgh area, James said.

The band's fan-following in its hometown is extensive, covering all demographics. Bret Detar, lead singer/guitarist of the Juliana Theory, said the Clarks' fame in Pittsburgh is a great phenomenon. "They are the legendary Pittsburgh rock band. They are the champs of blue-collar Pittsburgh rock," Detar said. "We couldn't hope to be doing any better."

But James and the rest of the Clarks are shooting for national recognition, and with the release of their latest disc, Another Happy Ending, the band is gaining more attention. James was surprised to read a review of the disc in the Washington Post. "They could have been covering other national acts, but they were covering us." James said. But what surprised him the most was how favorable the review was, especially in a nationally renowned paper. "There has been this piece of the puzzle missing for sometime," James said. "And now since we have a publicist, a lot of the pieces of the puzzle are starting to fill in."

On Another Happy Ending, James said the band found a new way of interpreting studio techniques in order to create a more layered sound than its previous efforts. Meanwhile, the Clarks' have been having a great time touring to promote the album.

"Our live performances are totally at a different level," James said. "We have been playing really great shows."

At Great Day, the band will probably not repeat songs from the acoustic set to the electric set.

"They should expect something unique from the acoustic set," James said. "But we haven't really talked about what were are going to play yet." The band usually doesn't plan too far in advance, as James called them an "on-the-fly type band."

"Generally we try to find a balance of really creating a performance of highs and lows. We try to build a momentum each show," James said. Taking the stage just before the Clark's final set will be Latrobe-based band, the Juliana Theory.

Detar, who classified his band as emotional and energetic rock 'n roll, said the great part about the festival is that the Juliana Theory will be playing for an audience who doesn't normally see the band. Since Detar has never seen his own band live, he had little opinion on its live show.

"I have never seen us before. Hopefully we don't suck," Detar said, laughing. "We feed off the energy of the crowd and just rock out." Also on the bill is soulful pop musician Martin Sexton, who decided to play the festival after his friends, the Clarks, asked him to join.

Sexton, who hails from Syracuse, said he is excited to be bringing his music to Pittsburgh, after his opening slot for John Mayer. "People can expect a lot of participation from the audience. And let me quote the Beatles, 'A splendid time for all,'" Sexton said. " It's great to be sharing the festival with so many other great musical acts."

Clarks' fans who don't want to take the road trip from State College to Pittsburgh this weekend will get a chance to see the band's electrifying live show later this semester. The band is scheduled to perform on Oct. 2 at Crowbar, 420 E. College Ave. "I'm looking forward to getting back to Happy Valley," James said. "It feels like home right when you walk in [Crowbar], and the crowds there are great."

Tickets for the Great Day Festival are still available through Ticketmaster.

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