The Clarks come back to Indiana

You could hear the crowd's steady roar from
across the street at the Coney April 11 and 12 when, you guessed it, the Clarks were back in town and playing two shows at the Indiana Theatre on Philly St.





Joined by supporting act HaHa Tonka, an independent rock group from Southern Missouri, the Clarks filled the house both nights with everything from their classics to some new songs to be released on an upcoming project in the fall.





"We try to come back [to Indiana] once a semester," said Greg "G" Joseph, bass guitarist and vocals for the group. "I try to drive through campus when I get the chance, it's really changed since we went here," he said regarding IUP's Residential Revival project.





As part of the true nature of the group (or as they put it, "team"), the Clarks took a moment out of their show Friday to help promote two cyclists pedaling their way to Alaska from Indiana this summer for the American Cancer Society. Michael Frederick (senior, art education & studio) and Daniel Esten (junior, dietetics & nutrition) were brought to the stage by Joseph before the Clarks' started playing.





"[John Williams] (the Clarks' tour manager) and I are both cyclists and we'd love to help them out," Joseph said.





The Clarks did just that, bringing the two students to the stage and asking the crowd to make a donation on their way out after the show.

"They are a really cool group of guys,"

- Daniel Esten

"They helped us raise $640 for the American Cancer Society and were totally cool about the whole thing. They even brought us on stage to promote the trip," Frederick said.

The packed crowd of all ages went nuts at the end of every song, cheering for more from the IUP grads gone rock stars. During a particularly popular part of "Cigarette," a classic from the group, Scott Blasey (guitar and lead vocals) accepted several cigarettes from the crowd, checking each one of them before finally finding a favorite brand and letting out an, "ahh, finally," and announcing, "If I'm going to spoil my lungs, I might as well make it a Marlboro," - a regular act from the group.

Brittany Adamson and friends enjoyed seeing the Clarks from the front row during the Friday night show. Adamson, of Indiana, was celebrating her 18th birthday at the concert.

"This isn't my first ttime seeing these guys play," she said, "they are a good act."

Lennon bone, drummer from supporting act HaHa Tonka, agreed. "We've been touring with the Clarks for a few weeks now. We met their tour manager in Lancaster, Pa., and he asked us to come along," he said. "It's been a good time."

So, what have the Clarks been up to since graduating from IUP in the late 80s? The answer to that riddle is a lot. They moved to Pittsburgh in the early 90s and quickly found a name for themselves, playing several venues in the city. From bars to small theaters on the South Side, the Clarks played them all.

"When you hear about Pittsburgh, you hear about Donnie Iris and the Clarks - I think that we've become part of the fabric of what Pittsburgh is and we are proud to be a part of that," Joseph said.

In 2004, the group recieved the Distinguished Alumni Award from IUP for their success as a rock band, and in Dec. 2006, the Clarks helped raise $25,000 for a new recording studio in Cogswell Hall, which was later named after the group.

Having toured the U.S., the Clarks are now getting ready to take a trip to Parma, Italy at the end of May as part of St. Francis University's cultural exchance program.

"We're going over to open up the opportunity for an exchange of culture, and we're excited to kick open the door for that," Joseph said.

With 13 albums and counting, the Clarks aren't about to end thier rocking plans anytime soon.

"We're in the midst of finishing up writing songs and we will start recording in June to hopefully have a new project out in the fall," Joseph said, "we'll also be playing a show at the Post-Gazette Pavilion on June 21."

Even after two decades of making music and a name for themselves in Western Pennsylvania, the Clarks are still unsigned, and they plan to stay that way according to Joseph.

"We feel like in this day and age it's not really worth having a label. What we can do on our own far outweighs what it would cost for a label," he said.

What can fans look for in the Clark's next endeavor? "I think we will keep true to our form in our next project, no crazy stuff," said Joseph.

One thing that is for sure, according to Blasey, is that the Clarks are nowhere near the end of their career. He wrapped it up nicely and with a giant smile on his face - "Even after all of these years together, getting up on stage and doing what we love and nothing else really turns us on."