ARTS

4

Page 10

Thursday, July 14, 1983

The Michigan Daily


Jules]
By Larry Dean
J ULES SHEAR AND the music of
are difficult to categorize. First, he,
singer/songwiter/leader of the cheer-
fully-named Polar Bears, has been
compared vocally to everyone from
Bob Dylan to Bruce Springsteen to Bur-
ton Cummings, yet none of those . folks
come close to the unique urgency that
has become the Shear trademark.
Second, the music...well, one listen to
either Got No Breeding or Fenetiks will
tell you why they never hit it off with
the record-buying public of the late
'70s: the Polar Bears were fast and
furious, with delirious guitar solos
courtesy of med student Richard
Bredice, the bubbly-bounce of Stephen
Hague's keyboard-work, Shear's
chunky rhythm guitar, and drummer
David Beebe's rolling percussion.
The Polar Bears, however, broke up
after the Economy Package EP, a four-
song collection of demos that Columbia
Records released in late 1979. "We were
sort of getting into a rut," Shear ex-
plains, "all living in Los Angeles and
playing the same clubs over and over
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provides
again. We were on a record label that
didn't really seem interested in letting
us record, and yet they also didn't seem
interested in letting us go. All we could
do was play live. Plus Stephen Hague
and I wanted to live on the East Coast
for a while. So we took the opportunity
to break up the band and move."
Shortly after his release from Colum-
bia, Shear signed with EMI America
Records and began working with
producer Todd Rundgren. Initially the
news was that he was to be produced by
Cars guitarist Elliot Easton, but the
guys at EMI didn't think he was the
soundest choice. Rundgren, though,
was a professed Polar Bears fan, and
his resume of previous production
credits convinced the execs that it was
OK to go ahead.
Watch Dog, the first Jules Shear solo
album, is a real departure from the
Polar Bears. Along with Shear, the
musicians are Easton, Rundgren, Rick
Marotta, Hague, and Tony Levin (from
the new King Crimson line-up). Roger
Powell from Utopia contributes trum-
pet to one tune, and Ann Sheldon, fresh
from a tour with the Psychedelic Furs,
adds cello to the single, "Whispering
Your Name." Shear met Levin when, in
England, the Polar Bears opened a
string of dates for Peter Gabriel, who in
turn produced a live EP that only came
out in Britain and that today remains
an obscure item. "You'd think they
would have released it at the time and
at least exploited the fact that Peter
produced it," bemoans Shear. "His
album had just been released and had
gone straight to number one, but I had
trouble finding the EP in the stores over
there."
Why didn't Shear produce the record
himself? "I wanted someone who was

'Shear' ecstasy

I
I

going to let me be as free as I wanted to
be in the studio, and who was going to
work fast. I also didn't want the album
to turn into a 'techno-pop' record...the
batch of songs were sort of American
sounding and I didn't want it to sound
like an English record. I talked to Todd,
and we decided to go ahead and do it. I
really got the feeling that he wasn't
going to hold me back. We did the whole
album in two-and-a-half weeks, and it
was a particularly - painless ex-
perience."
While the songs on Watch Dog are not
as frantic or boppy as Shear's older
material, they are in that 'Polar Bears'
vein, albeit a tad more controlled. Run-
dgren gets a steadier delivery from
Shear which works especially well on
songs like "Standing Still" and "She's
In Love Again," but doesn't forsake the
qualities that made Shear so fun to
begin with.
So Jules Shear is back, and busy. His

current touring ensemble includes
Richard Stekol - ex- of the Funky
Kings, a group Shear worked with who
put out one album on Arista on guitar,
Sam Bryant on keyboards, David
Beebe (from the Polar Bears) on
drums, and Alan Deremo on bass.
There may or there may not be Polar
Bears material in the show; since
Shear is so prolific, he already has a
backlog of new material, of which the
latest to hit vinyl is a dance tune called
"When Love Surges," produced by Don
Was of Was (Not Was), and recorded in
Detroit.
"Things do change," Shear says, and
indeed they do. Watch Dog takes time
to set in, but when it does, that old
Shear magic surfaces, and we are once
again listening to the work of one of the
finest singer/songwriters in music
today. Music this good is rare, and
Jules Shear is a rarity. Don't let the
past catch up with you too soon!

4

4


Bars and Clubs
The Blind Pig (208 S. First; 996-8555)
Friday and Saturday rock the night
away with Steve Nardella, an artist
who performs vintage rock with style.
Joe's Star Lounge (109 N. Main; 665-
JOES)
The
George Bedard and the Bonnevilles
will be present this Friday and Satur-
day to swing you with rockabilly
classics.
Mr. Flood's Party (120 W. Liberty;
995-2132)
PAMPHLETS WANTED
Are you capable of writing and
producing a pamphlet? Any subject.
If so, we are in the business of selling
them, and need more, 50% royalties.
Enclose $1 for information pamphlet:
The National
Pamphleteer,
Box 223
Unalaska, AK 996115

Willie D. Warren and the Brush
Street Blues Band bring hot street
blues to the scene this Friday and
Saturday.
Second Chance (516 E. Liberty; 994-
5350)
Friday and Saturday catch The
Look, a fresh rock sound from Detroit.
Rick's American Cafe (611 Church;
996-2747)
VVT, a dance band that plays an in-
credible variety of popular music
along with some originals, is featured
this Friday and Saturday.
Theater
Department of Theatre and Drama
The hit musical, Company, from
the hand of Broadway master Stephen
Sondheim, fills the Power Center
stage with laughter, singing, and ex-
citement, July 13 through 16. Gary
Garrison acts as both director and
choreographer for the show which
deals with marriage and the dif-
ficulties of making one to one
relationships work. Tickets range
from $5-$7 with a 10% discount for
students and senior citizens. For fur-
ther information call 764-0450.
Ann Arbor Civic Theatre
Another musical hitting the stage
this summer is The Apple Tree, a
trilogy of musicals about love. The
three stories include, "The Diary of
Adam and Eve," "The Lady or the
Tiger," and "Passionella." The
major roles for each musical are

played by members of an ensemble of
13. The show opens tonight and will
play on Thursdays, Fridays, and
Saturdays for three weeks. For ticket
information call 662-7282.
Student Theatre Arts Complex
Chapter Two, a comedy by Neil
Simon, is the main attraction for the
Summer Dinner Theatre on July 14-16
and 21-23 at the Michigan Union
Ballroom. A buffet style dinner will be
served with a cash bar available
during dinner and intermission. For
ticket information call 764-5234.
Exhibits
University Artists and Craftsmen
Guild
The 13th Annual Arts Festival will
begin July 20 and continue through
July 23 on State and Main Streets. Six
hundred Guild artists from across the
United States will exhibit original
hand-crafted pieces in ceramics,
painting, drawing, jewelry, sculpture,
leatherworks, wooden toys,
photography, and leaded glass. Eclip-
se Jazz will provide live jazz enter-
tainment in front of the Michigan
Union on State Street.
The Ann Arbor Street Art Fair and
the State Street Area Association Art
Fair will be held on the same dates on
South University and State and Liber-
ty Streets Respectively. For more in-
formation on the Guild Fair, call 763-
4430. Free.

DAILY: 1:30 3:30 5:30 7:30 9:30
ANN ARBOR LATE SHOWS
Fri & Sat Night All
Seats $2.25
At- 11:30 PM
"LIANNA" (R)
At-11:30 PM
"TWILIGHT ZONE" (PG)