Around 1985, singer Scott Blasey, guitarist Robert James Hertweck and drummer David Minarik, Jr. were all enrolled at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP), located in Indiana, Pennsylvania, approximately 45 miles northeast of Pittsburgh. Hertweck and Minarik (along with a bass player and saxophonist) were putting together a new band, and through a mutual friend, recruited Blasey to be their lead vocalist. The band, calling themselves the Administration, primarily played cover versions of songs. After the Administration's sax player graduated and bass player transferred schools in the spring of 1986, Greg Joseph was brought in to round out the band. Settling on the quartet of Blasey, Hertweck, Joseph and Minarik, the group decided upon adopting a new name, effectively ending the Administration. They unceremoniously settled on the name "the Clarks." As the Administration had been, the Clarks were initially a cover band in their earliest months of existence. They covered artists such as the Replacements, the Rave-Ups and Hoodoo Gurus, as well as Joe Jackson and U2. However, they soon began writing their own material, helping them to take second place at the Tri-State Rock Competition in Pittsburgh.