The Clarks Are Just As Good As Ever With Let It Go

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The Clarks Are Just As Good As Ever With Let It Go
by Nick Law - November 10, 2008

For the past few years, I’ve heard a lot about The Clarks. I finally decided it was time to listen to at least one of their albums so I could at best be that guy who wants to talk about a record that came out almost a decade ago. Just like the guy in the Jim Gaffigan joke who wants to talk about the Pacino/DeNiro movie Heat just a bit too late, I’ll bring up the fact that I just listened to Let It Go at my next party and nobody will care.

The fact is, this group from Pittsburgh is just as relevant as they ever were. Throughout the past 20 years, The Clarks have produced over a dozen studio, live and solo releases, selling near a quarter of a million copies. Their rabid fan base in Western Pennsylvania has made them a staple of the area’s music scene. Just listen to any local Pittsburgh alternative rock station and you’re sure to hear at least one of their songs every hour.

For many people outside of the Pennsylvania/Ohio border, however, the group is still somewhat of a mystery. So in case you missed their 2004 appearance on Letterman, here is a little history of the band.

After making their debut as “The Administration” in the early 80s, Scott Blasey (lead vocals/electric and acoustic guitars), Robert James (electric and acoustic guitars/vocals) and Dave Minarik (drums/vocals) welcomed the fourth member of their group, Greg Joseph (bass guitar/vocals) and changed their name to “The Clarks.”

The Clarks started out like many college bands, performing mainly at fraternity and sorority parties as they gained popularity in Western Pennsylvania and started to branch out by writing their own music and appearing in local competitions. The band eventually toured along both coasts where their performances earned them thousands of hardcore fans across the country.

More recently, The Clarks have headlined Rolling Rock Town Fair in 2005, performed at Milwaukee’s Summerfest and shared performances with some of the biggest names in the industry, such as John Mayer, Steely Dan, O.A.R. and Three Doors Down.

When I finally got around to listening to what is considered the band’s most well known album, I was disappointed in myself for not picking it up sooner. The music itself reminds me a lot of Guster, another famous regional band that gained national attention a few years ago.

The two tracks that have become the most famous are without a doubt the title track, “Let It Go,” which found it’s way into the 2001 film Summer Catch and “Better Off Without You,” which was featured at the end of every episode of The Anna Nicole Show. Neither of the aforementioned are any great works of cinema or television by any means, but fans should still be happy to see their band getting the national attention it rightfully deserves.

Who knows? With a library of other extremely well written tracks, you might want to listen for The Clarks in a movie coming soon to a theater near you.

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