Joy Clark, photo by Steve Rapport
(OCEAN GROVE, NJ) -- The Split Level Concerts series continues when rising Americana star Joy Clark and her band take the stage at the Jersey Shore Art Center's Palaia Theater on Saturday, March 21, 2026 at 8:00pm. Philadelphia-based singer/songwriter Sug Daniels will open the show.
Advance tickets are $30 ($35 on day of show) and are available for purchase online. The Jersey Shore Arts Center is located at 66 S. Main Street in Ocean Grove, New Jersey.
Louisiana born-and-raised singer-songwriter and guitarist Joy Clark is charting her own path with her debut album Tell it to the Wind. As the youngest of five children born into a tight knit, deeply religious family just outside of New Orleans, her release is both a declaration of her independence and a love letter to the traditions that shaped her.
Joy honed her guitar chops and was introduced to the stage in her parents' church, leading worship services with her siblings every Sunday in Harvey, Louisiana. While her duties at her parent's church combined two of her favorite things - family and music - she knew she just didn't quite fit. Homeschooled for the majority of her childhood, Joy had the freedom to study her craft, at the same time feeling isolated as a young queer woman growing up in a devout household.
While studying at the University of New Orleans, Joy ventured into New Orleans' legendary music scene. The city's traditions - most notably its "do whatcha wanna" attitude - were a far cry from her religious home just a few miles from the city center. Her newfound community of queer folks, poets, artists, and activists, combined with her social science studies, brought Joy closer to the self she was still defining. Eventually Joy earned herself a regular spot touring with living legend and Grammy winner Cyril Neville.
"Over the last several years, I've had the privilege of playing music and touring and learning from so many people I admire. And I continue to learn the same lesson—there's room for all of us and the world is only made more beautiful when we all shine as our unique selves," says Joy. "Tell it to the Wind is my story of how I learned to shine, and I hope that it might encourage others to stand out as their whole, true selves too."
Joy's songcraft continued to grow in its sophistication. Her lyrics, centered on themes of freedom, love and self-acceptance, gained her notice on the national folk and Americana scenes. An appearance at Americanafest caught the attention of Grammy-winner Allison Russell who offered Joy a regular spot in her backing band, The Rainbow Coalition. Joy found herself on the road jamming with the likes of Brandi Carlile and the Indigo Girls. Russells' mentorship was invaluable. Talking to The Tennessean, Russell described Joy as "a brilliant artist, writer and singer."
Joy teamed up with one of her musical heroes, 4x Grammy-nominated Margaret Becker, to make Tell it to the Wind. Becker's influence is apparent throughout the album, with her co-writing six of the album's nine tracks. Joy's choice to collaborate with Becker was no coincidence. It was Becker's music that Clark would learn to play and sing in the church where she was closeted. The magnitude of Becker's embrace of Joy as a queer artist making music on her own terms, is felt throughout the entire album as it is a soul-wrenching, at times jubilant call to put your stake in the ground and claim your rightful place as an individual. The album's leading 2-track single, "Lesson," is an unapologetic demand that we all take our rightful place in the struggle for freedom, and reminds listeners of rock n' roll's Black, queer, and Southern roots. The B-side track "Guest," boasts a special appearance on keyboards by Lisa Coleman, known for her time with Prince and the Revolution as well as Wendy & Lisa.
Tell it to the Wind is an album announcing the arrival of an important young artist we're sure to be hearing from for years to come.
Sug Daniels is a Delaware born, Philadelphia based, ukulele player, singer-songwriter, storyteller, and producer who is using the tools around her to capture the emotions of an era. Daniels' work is as colorful, vulnerable, and charismatic as her personality. She thoughtfully combines elements of folk, rock, and soul alternatives to create personal and tender music interlaced with messages of truth and positive change. Sug's full length debut LP, I Believe In You, was released in September, 2025.
Net ticket proceeds from all of the Split Level Concerts support the programming and arts education offered by the Jersey Shore Arts Center, a non-profit organization serving Ocean Grove and its surrounding areas. In addition to live music, JSAC offers a wide variety of programming, including visual arts, wellness, dance, theater, and comedy.
Jersey Shore Arts Center and Split Level Concerts are proud to partner with Brookdale Public Radio 90.5 The Night and Musicians On A Mission (MOAM) to promote the concert series. Musicians On A Mission is a non-profit organization dedicated to creating connection and inspiring giving through music. MOAM will be on hand for all shows in the series, collecting non-perishable food items and cash donations to benefit Fulfill (formerly the Food Bank of Monmouth & Ocean County). Concertgoers that visit the MOAM table in the lobby before the show, or during intermission, can learn more about Fulfill's mission and enter a drawing to win items donated by the artists, 90.5 The Night, and local businesses.
