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The Michigan Daily
ARTS
Friday, March 30, 1990
The Gear engages in rock
by Kim Yaged -____
Page8
Academy plays
Schoenberg
oBeethoven
by Sherrill L. Bennett
TWO rare events will take place in Hill Auditorium Sunday leaving
classical music enthusiasts sighing, "It's about time": the orchestra
performing will have a female conductor and will play the music of
Schoenberg.
The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, taking its name from the
church that funded the orchestra in its initial stages, will be conducted by
Iona Brown. Brown has been a violinist with the chamber orchestra since
1967, and in 1986 she was appointed artistic director - a great success for
a woman in the male-dominated field of conducting.
The orchestra was founded in 1959 by long-time conductor Neville
Mariner. He and the orchestra have made hundreds of recordings and also
provided the soundtrack for the movies Out of Africa and Amadeus.
Among the works to be performed in this, the orchestra's second Ann
Arbor appearance, are two Romantic concert works: Beethoven's Cavatina
and Grosse Fugue and Mendelssohn's Sinfonia no. 9.
Also rooted in Romanticism is Schoenberg's Verklarte Nacht
(Transfigured Night), based on a poem by Richard Dehmel. The music of
Schoenberg is largely ignored today and is often labeled "academic." But
Verklirte Nacht is intensely expressive and as explicit as anything written
by Schoenberg's German predecessors, Wagner and Mahler. The mood set
by the piece is that of a smoky, starless night. Schoenberg's orchestra is
one of strings, giving the piece a haunting glow. The many coloristic and
textual effects show the composer's keen awareness of sound and balance.
For anyone who's wondering, it ends on a major chord.
THE ACADEMY OF ST. MARTIN IN THE FIELDS, conducted by Iona
Brown, will perform at hill Auditorium Sunday at 8 p.m. Tickets are $14-
$22 ; student rush tickets will be available Saturday.
THE Gear, whose members insist
that their name is not a reference to
the automobile part, is hitting the
local club scene en route to their up-
coming show at New York City's
own CBGB. The band consists of
Bob Zabor performing lead vocals
and guitar, Tom Lynch on bass and
vocals, and Jeff Hunt on drums and
vocals, with Zabor writing both the
lyrics and the music. They will open
for The Holy Cows tonight at Club
Heidleberg.
The trio formed back in the
summer of '87, after a couple per-
sonnel alterations. Since then they
have released an EP, In The New
Ilitsville, and an LP, Blim. Accord-
ing to Tom, the second album was
christened as such because many
people repeatedly mispronounce the
word "album" as "alblim," hence,
the abbreviated form Blim.
The band sees some progression
in their second album from the first
As Tom says, "There's a variety of
stuff on the-new one. There's some
really rockin' (songs) and there's
some laid back ones. There's some-
thing for everyone." Live, they per-
form cuts from both albums in addi-
tion to a variety of new pieces as
well. About his writing, Bob says,
"I don't have any ulterior motives or
anything. It's just, I want to do rock
EXCUSE #3
FOR EATING
CHOCOLATE:
Moml love me for it!
Stop by and pick up one
of our festive English tins to
take home this weekend.
C1 E.Lclate5
107 E. Liberty 769-7759
The Sundays
Reading, Writing and
Arithmetic
Rough Trade
When the Sundays' single "Can't
be Sure" was released last Spring,
the genre of "sensitive" jangly guitar
pop was revitalized. Fans hoped the
Sundays could fill the position va-
cated by The Smiths, an expectation
that must have daunted the band after
only one 45 release; but the Sundays
bided their time and have fulfilled
some of our highest expectations
with Reading, Writing and Arith-
metic, an intelligent and quirky de-
but.
The group has clearly been influ-
enced by the Smithsonian school of
songwriting; familiar Marr-like
strumming accompanies youthful
meditations suffused with melan-
choly. But R, W & A doesn't exhibit
an anxiety of influence because it's
voice is unique. The voice of singer
Harriet is the allure of the Sundays.
Sexy and feisty, sad and lonely, her
demure tones fall somewhere be-
tween those of Liz Fraser (Cocteau
Twins) and Bjork of the Sugarcubes.
See RECORD, page 10
The band The Gear has been on the h
jobs, so give them some support.
'n' roll songs... to be exciting. I
want it to be good live. I'm trying
to write more for live performances
than studio tricks and effects."
The Gear has yet to "feel at
home" anywhere besides their base-
ment. But they have circulated the
Detroit club scene and single out the
audience at Finney's as treating them
well. Lili's in Hamtramck has been
good to them also, they say.-
Things have been improving for
The Gear, but the band members say
they see things as a gradual progres-
sion. As Bob says, "To be really big
and rich and famous and popular you
gotta do what people want to hear,
and we just wanna do what we
wanna do, and if people can appreci-
ate it then hot damn." The band is
getting a lot of air play on both
WDVM in East Lansing and CJAM
in Windsor. They have tentative
plans to perform live at 11 p.m. on
April 16th in the WCBN studio.
The members of the group say,
ocal scene for a couple of years now. They really want to quit their day
only half jokingly, that they see
themselves heading for bankruptcy.
Still, as Jeff puts it, "I just wanna
Things have been
improving for The
Gear, but the band
members say they see
things as a gradual
progression. As Bob
says, 'To be really big
and rich and famous
and popular you gotta
do what people want
to hear, and we just
wanna do what we
wanna do, and if
people can appreciate
it then hot damn.'
play and play and play..." Tom sug-
gested marrying Jeff off to "some
rich girly" in order to finance their
next album. They agree that the goal,
is to get to the point where they:
make enough to get by without hav-
ing to hold down other jobs. "I just
wanna set up in the middle of the
street somewhere and block traffic
off and play a show," says Jeff.}k
"Everyone just get out their and,
throw yourselves behind the local!
music ball because it's rollin'. It's
rollin' and it's important and it's
fun. And it's cheap," Tom preached
while Jeff urged, "Show your appre4
ciation; kiss a band member. Invite
one home for dinner." Bob adds;
more solemnly, "You guys gott4
come to the show though 'cuz;
umm, it's rumored Elvis might
show up."
TIDE GEAR will perform tonight
Club Ileidleberg. Doors open
9.15 p.m. Admission is $4.
aL
aL
"SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE'S"
DANA CARVE Y
Eddie Farrell is a con man.
He's out of luck,
out of time and out
of money.
But he'll be
ready when...
r
OPPORTUNITY
In the world of cons...
Eddie's a pro.
IMA E E iil nis
11111RENRN N(OR Producer
a PrOduce I IE uml llN fllMff f
70O9 GfN'N l K (AMPHU ad
e
THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
P,
t
The William W. Cook Lectures
on American Institutions
Thirty-third Series
RETURN TO ESSENTIALS:
REFLECTIONS ON THE
PRESENT STATE OF
HISTORICAL STUDY
SIR GEOFFREY RUDOLPH ELTON
Regius Professor Emeritus of Modern History
Cambridge University
/