Jules Shear
Encyclopedia
Jules Mark Shear is a US singer, songwriter
, and guitarist
born in Pittsburgh
in 1952. Although he has had only one minor hit as a performer ("Steady", which reached number 57 on the US charts in 1985), he has recorded almost 20 albums to date. He made his first appearance on vinyl with The Funky Kings; he also led the critically acclaimed but commercially unsuccessful pop group, Jules and the Polar Bears, along with later groups The Reckless Sleepers and Raisins in the Sun. He also conceived (and hosted the first 13 episodes of) the MTV series Unplugged
. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE3D71631F930A35755C0A964958260
He left the University of Pittsburgh after three years in 1973. He had distinguished himself with the Pitt Glee Club where he led a special side ensemble called Wooden Music, which used acoustic instruments, in a foreshadowing of his "Unplugged" concept. One of his noted songs of the time, which he performed in concerts with the glee club, was "Always in the Morning." After leaving Pitt, he headed to Los Angeles to pursue a music career. News filtered back to his college friends that he had befriended Severin Browne, brother of Jackson Browne.
His songs have been more commercially successful in the hands of other artists, notably Cyndi Lauper
, whose recording of "All Through the Night
" reached number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100
in 1984, and The Bangles
, whose recording of "If She Knew What She Wants
" reached number 29 in 1986. http://popdose.com/the-complete-idiots-guide-to-jules-shear/ Singer/songwriter Iain Matthews
(still using the spelling "Ian" for his first name at the time) recorded an album of Shear's material, Walking A Changing Line: The Songs of Jules Shear, with synthesizer-dominated arrangements (and containing some previously unreleased songs by Shear), in 1988; Matthews had earlier recorded songs by Shear on other albums.
Shear was the subject of a song by 'Til Tuesday
, "J for Jules", after the end of his relationship with that band's singer, Aimee Mann
. He also co-wrote the title track of that album, Everything's Different Now, with Matthew Sweet
.
He described his Sayin' Hello to the Folks as a "mix tape" of his favorite songs. "I felt like recording songs that I like a lot that I didn't write," he told Pastes Eliot Wilder in 2004. "I thought it would be good to record songs that didn't have a life but should've had a life. This is my attempt at giving them a life." He and Stewart Lerman, the album's producer, selected 12 songs from an original list of 60. These included covers by Todd Rundgren ("Be Nice to Me"), James Brown ("Ain't That a Groove"), and Brian Wilson ("Guess I'm Dumb"). http://www.pastemagazine.com/action/article/1103/feature/music/jules_shear
.http://www.seattleweekly.com/2000-03-15/music/pal-shazar.php
New York Times, June 3, 1992. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE3D71631F930A35755C0A964958260
"Pal Shazar," Kurt B. Reighley, Seattle Weekly, March 15, 2000. http://www.seattleweekly.com/2000-03-15/music/pal-shazar.php
"The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Jules Shear," Jeff Giles, POPDOSE, Tuesday, February 20, 2007 http://popdose.com/the-complete-idiots-guide-to-jules-shear/
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, and guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
born in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
in 1952. Although he has had only one minor hit as a performer ("Steady", which reached number 57 on the US charts in 1985), he has recorded almost 20 albums to date. He made his first appearance on vinyl with The Funky Kings; he also led the critically acclaimed but commercially unsuccessful pop group, Jules and the Polar Bears, along with later groups The Reckless Sleepers and Raisins in the Sun. He also conceived (and hosted the first 13 episodes of) the MTV series Unplugged
MTV Unplugged
MTV Unplugged is a TV series showcasing many popular musical artists usually playing acoustic instruments. The show has received the George Foster Peabody Award and 3 Primetime Emmy nominations among many accolades.-Unplugged:...
. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE3D71631F930A35755C0A964958260
He left the University of Pittsburgh after three years in 1973. He had distinguished himself with the Pitt Glee Club where he led a special side ensemble called Wooden Music, which used acoustic instruments, in a foreshadowing of his "Unplugged" concept. One of his noted songs of the time, which he performed in concerts with the glee club, was "Always in the Morning." After leaving Pitt, he headed to Los Angeles to pursue a music career. News filtered back to his college friends that he had befriended Severin Browne, brother of Jackson Browne.
His songs have been more commercially successful in the hands of other artists, notably Cyndi Lauper
Cyndi Lauper
Cynthia Ann Stephanie "Cyndi" Lauper is an American singer, songwriter, actress and LGBT rights activist. She achieved success in the mid-1980s with the release of the album She's So Unusual and became the first female singer to have four top-five singles released from one album...
, whose recording of "All Through the Night
All Through the Night (Cyndi Lauper song)
"All Through the Night" is a song performed by American singer-songwriter Cyndi Lauper from her debut album She's So Unusual. It was written by Jules Shear for his album Watch Dog, as a mid-tempo folk-rock song. After The Cars recorded their own version, which they did not use on any of their...
" reached number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in 1984, and The Bangles
The Bangles
The Bangles are an American all-female band that originated in the early 1980s, scoring several hit singles during the decade.-Formation and early years :...
, whose recording of "If She Knew What She Wants
If She Knew What She Wants
"If She Knew What She Wants" is a song by Jules Shear released on his 1985 album The Eternal Return. The song was later and famously covered by The Bangles on their 1986 album Different Light.-Variations:...
" reached number 29 in 1986. http://popdose.com/the-complete-idiots-guide-to-jules-shear/ Singer/songwriter Iain Matthews
Iain Matthews
Iain Matthews is an English musician and songwriter. He was born Iain Matthew McDonald, in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, England. He was known in the 1960s first as Ian McDonald, then as the 1960s progressed, as Ian Matthews...
(still using the spelling "Ian" for his first name at the time) recorded an album of Shear's material, Walking A Changing Line: The Songs of Jules Shear, with synthesizer-dominated arrangements (and containing some previously unreleased songs by Shear), in 1988; Matthews had earlier recorded songs by Shear on other albums.
Shear was the subject of a song by 'Til Tuesday
'Til Tuesday
Til Tuesday was an American New Wave band formed in Boston in 1982. Its original lineup was bassist/vocalist Aimee Mann, guitarist/vocalist Robert Holmes, keyboardist Joey Pesce, and drummer Michael Hausman.-History:...
, "J for Jules", after the end of his relationship with that band's singer, Aimee Mann
Aimee Mann
Aimee Mann is an American rock singer-songwriter, guitarist and bassist.-Early life:Aimee Mann grew up in Bon Air, Virginia, graduated from Open High School in 1978 and attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston, but dropped out to sing with her first punk rock band, the Young Snakes...
. He also co-wrote the title track of that album, Everything's Different Now, with Matthew Sweet
Matthew Sweet
Sidney Matthew Sweet is an American alternative rock/power pop musician. He was part of the burgeoning Athens, Georgia music scene in the early and mid-1980s before gaining commercial success during the early 1990s...
.
He described his Sayin' Hello to the Folks as a "mix tape" of his favorite songs. "I felt like recording songs that I like a lot that I didn't write," he told Pastes Eliot Wilder in 2004. "I thought it would be good to record songs that didn't have a life but should've had a life. This is my attempt at giving them a life." He and Stewart Lerman, the album's producer, selected 12 songs from an original list of 60. These included covers by Todd Rundgren ("Be Nice to Me"), James Brown ("Ain't That a Groove"), and Brian Wilson ("Guess I'm Dumb"). http://www.pastemagazine.com/action/article/1103/feature/music/jules_shear
Family
Shear is married to singer/songwriter Pal ShazarPal Shazar
Pal Shazar is a US singer/songwriter. She was a founding member, with Andrew Chinich, of the 1980s New Wave pop group Slow Children, and married one of the band's producers Jules Shear in the late 1980s....
.http://www.seattleweekly.com/2000-03-15/music/pal-shazar.php
Chart singles written by Shear
The following is a list of Jules Shear compositions that have been chart hits.| Year | Title | Artist | Chart Positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
Canada | UK | |||
| 1984 | "All Through The Night" | Cyndi Lauper Cyndi Lauper Cynthia Ann Stephanie "Cyndi" Lauper is an American singer, songwriter, actress and LGBT rights activist. She achieved success in the mid-1980s with the release of the album She's So Unusual and became the first female singer to have four top-five singles released from one album... |
#5 | #7 | #64 |
| 1985 | "Steady" co-written with Cyndi Lauper |
Jules Shear | #57 | ||
| 1986 | "If She Knew What She Wants" | The Bangles The Bangles The Bangles are an American all-female band that originated in the early 1980s, scoring several hit singles during the decade.-Formation and early years :... |
#29 | #29 | #31 |
| 1988 | "If We Never Meet Again" | Reckless Sleepers | #89 | ||
| 1988 | "If We Never Meet Again" | Tommy Conwell Tommy Conwell Tommy Conwell is a US guitarist, songwriter and performer. He is best known as the frontman for the Philadelphia-based band Tommy Conwell & The Young Rumblers. The band had a #1 US mainstream rock hit in 1988 with "I'm Not Your Man"... and the Young Rumblers |
#48 | ||
| 1989 | "(Believed You Were) Lucky" co-written with Aimee Mann Aimee Mann Aimee Mann is an American rock singer-songwriter, guitarist and bassist.-Early life:Aimee Mann grew up in Bon Air, Virginia, graduated from Open High School in 1978 and attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston, but dropped out to sing with her first punk rock band, the Young Snakes... |
Til Tuesday | #95 | ||
| 1990 | "Til The Fever Breaks" co-written with Blair Packham Blair Packham Blair Packham is a Canadian singer/songwriter. He was a guitar and lead vocalist for The Jitters in the 1980s and has released material as solo singer/songwriter since 2000. He has also written for numerous films and television programs and is a co-host for CFRB 1010's Rock Talk... , Danny Levy and Matthew Greenberg |
The Jitters The Jitters The Jitters were a Canadian band formed in Toronto in 1981 by Blair Packham, Danny Levy and Matthew Greenberg. Five years of constant performing established them as one of the premier club bands in the Greater Toronto Area.... |
#23 | ||
| 1990 | "The Bridge Is Burning" co-written with Blair Packham Blair Packham Blair Packham is a Canadian singer/songwriter. He was a guitar and lead vocalist for The Jitters in the 1980s and has released material as solo singer/songwriter since 2000. He has also written for numerous films and television programs and is a co-host for CFRB 1010's Rock Talk... , Danny Levy and Matthew Greenberg |
The Jitters | #40 | ||
| 1991 | "I Love Her Now" co-written with Blair Packham Blair Packham Blair Packham is a Canadian singer/songwriter. He was a guitar and lead vocalist for The Jitters in the 1980s and has released material as solo singer/songwriter since 2000. He has also written for numerous films and television programs and is a co-host for CFRB 1010's Rock Talk... , Danny Levy and Matthew Greenberg |
The Jitters | #55 | ||
| 1994 | "Whispering Your Name" | Alison Moyet Alison Moyet Alison Moyet , is an English singer, songwriter and performer noted for her bluesy voice.Her UK album sales have reached a certified 2.3 million, with 800,000 singles sold, all in the UK, where all seven of her studio albums and three compilation albums have charted in the Top 40 UK Album Chart,... |
#18 |
Jules and the Polar Bears
- Got No Breeding (1978)
- Fenetiks (1979)
- Economy Package (EP) (1980)
- Bad For Business (1980) (not officially released until 1996)
Studio albums
- Watch Dog (1983)
- Jules (EP) (1983)
- The Eternal Return (1985)
- The Third Party (1989)
- The Great Puzzle (1992)
- The Trap Door (EP) (1992)
- Unplug This (1992)
- Healing Bones (1994)
- Between Us (1998)
- Allow Me (2000)
- Sayin' Hello To The Folks (2004, Valley Entertainment)
- Dreams Don't Count (2006)
- More (2008)
Compilation albums
- Demo-Itis (1986)
- Horse Of A Different Color: The Jules Shear Collection (1976–1989) (1994)
About the Albums
- The Funky Kings also included band member Jack TempchinJack TempchinJack Tempchin is an American musician and singer-songwriter, best known for writing the Eagles classic "Peaceful Easy Feeling" and co-writing their hits "Already Gone", "The Girl From Yesterday," "Somebody," and "It's Your World Now."...
, and their album contains the original version of his song, "Slow Dancing". That number, and Shear's "So Easy To Begin", were both recorded by Olivia Newton-JohnOlivia Newton-JohnOlivia Newton-John AO, OBE is a singer and actress. She is a four-time Grammy award winner who has amassed five No. 1 and ten other Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 singles and two No. 1 Billboard 200 solo albums. Eleven of her singles and 14 of her albums have been certified gold by the RIAA...
for album Making a Good Thing BetterMaking A Good Thing BetterMaking a Good Thing Better is an album by Olivia Newton-John, released 1977.-Reception:The album peaked at No. 34 Pop and No. 13 Country. It was Newton-John's first album not to reach the Country Top 10...
(1977). "So Easy To Begin" was also covered by Art GarfunkelArt GarfunkelArthur Ira "Art" Garfunkel is an American singer-songwriter, poet, and actor, best known as being a member of the folk duo Simon & Garfunkel...
. As of this writing the Funky Kings album is unavailable on CD, and a second album recorded by them remains unreleased in any form. - Jules and the Polar Bears recorded Got No Breeding in 1978 and fənĕtĭks in 1979. (The title of the second is the phonetic spelling of "phonetics", and its lyric sheet and all credits were printed phonetically.) While the first album appeared on CD in the late 1980s, the second was not released on CD until 2006, and included the contents of the 1980 "Economy Package" EP. A third album, Bad For Business, was rejected by the label, ColumbiaColumbia RecordsColumbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, and the band broke up. That album was released on CD in 1995. - Watch Dog was produced by Todd RundgrenTodd RundgrenTodd Harry Rundgren is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and record producer. Hailed in the early stage of his career as a new pop-wunderkind, supported by the certified gold solo double LP Something/Anything? in 1972, Todd Rundgren's career has produced a diverse range of recordings...
and featured Elliot EastonElliot EastonElliot Easton plays lead guitar and sings backing vocals for The Cars. His guitar solos are integral part of the band's hit singles. He studied music at the Berklee College of Music...
on "Standing Still" (the two would later collaborate on Easton's solo album Change No ChangeChange No ChangeChange No Change, is the only solo album released by Elliot Easton of The Cars. It was originally released in 1985 by Elektra Records, re-released in 1995 by Rhino Records, and most recently, by Wounded Bird in 2006....
). In addition to featuring "All Through The Night", later a hit for Cyndi Lauper, the album opened with "Whispering Your Name", which was later recorded by Alison MoyetAlison MoyetAlison Moyet , is an English singer, songwriter and performer noted for her bluesy voice.Her UK album sales have reached a certified 2.3 million, with 800,000 singles sold, all in the UK, where all seven of her studio albums and three compilation albums have charted in the Top 40 UK Album Chart,...
and charted in the UK. - Jules was an EP which contained selections from Watch Dog, plus two mixes of a dance number, "When Love Surges".
- The Eternal Return was the album featuring "If She Knew What She Wants", originally written in the first person (The Bangles version is sung in the third person—i.e., "he'd be giving it to her" vs. "I'd be giving it to her".) Another song, "Steady", was co-written with Cyndi LauperCyndi LauperCynthia Ann Stephanie "Cyndi" Lauper is an American singer, songwriter, actress and LGBT rights activist. She achieved success in the mid-1980s with the release of the album She's So Unusual and became the first female singer to have four top-five singles released from one album...
and released as a single. - Demo-Itis was a collection of home and studio demos. Most of the songs had been previously unreleased, but the album contained demos of "All Through The Night", "If She Knew What She Wants", and other previous album tracks.
- The Third Party was recorded entirely with one acoustic guitar, played by Marty Willson-PiperMarty Willson-PiperMarty Willson-Piper is a guitarist and member of Australian independent rock band The Church.After busking his way around the world, he arrived in Australia...
of the Australian band The Church (band)The Church (band)The Church is an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1980. Initially associated with new wave and the neo-psychedelic sound of the mid 1980s, their music later became more reminiscent of progressive rock, featuring long instrumental jams and complex guitar interplay...
, and one vocal track, by Shear. The lyric sheet included the chords to each song. The song "The Once Lost Returns" was co-written with the Cars' Elliot EastonElliot EastonElliot Easton plays lead guitar and sings backing vocals for The Cars. His guitar solos are integral part of the band's hit singles. He studied music at the Berklee College of Music...
. - Horse Of A Different Color was a compilation of Shear's band and solo work. It included one song from Funky Kings, "Nothing Was Exchanged".
- "Miss Jean", co-written with Richard BaroneRichard BaroneRichard Barone is a rock musician born in Tampa, Florida who gained attention as frontman for The Bongos. He works as a songwriter, arranger, author, director, and producer, releases albums as a solo artist, tours, and has created major concert events at Carnegie Hall, Hollywood Bowl and New York's...
, appears on Barone's 1994 album, Clouds Over Eden. - The Great Puzzle included a duet with wife Pal ShazarPal ShazarPal Shazar is a US singer/songwriter. She was a founding member, with Andrew Chinich, of the 1980s New Wave pop group Slow Children, and married one of the band's producers Jules Shear in the late 1980s....
, "Dreams Dissolve in Tears". Early copies were packaged with a bonus CD called "Unplug This"—it featured acoustic versions of several of his songs. The title was a reference to the show "MTV Unplugged," for which Shear had been the host for its first several episodes. - The Trap Door EP contained not only that song (from The Great Puzzle) but also three non-album tracks recorded at the sessions for that album.
- Healing Bones featured Shear's first recorded cover, "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Any More" (originally a hit for The Walker BrothersThe Walker BrothersThe Walker Brothers were an American 1960s and 1970s pop group, comprising Scott Engel , John Walker , and Gary Leeds...
), and also included a song written with Rick DankoRick DankoRichard Clare "Rick" Danko was a Canadian musician and singer, best known as a member of The Band.-Early years :...
, "Never Again Or Forever". Elliot Easton played lead guitar on all tracks. The album was produced by Rod ArgentRod ArgentRod Argent is an English rock musician and a founding member of the 1960s English pop group The Zombies and the 1970s band Argent....
of ArgentArgentIn heraldry, argent is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures, called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it...
and The ZombiesThe ZombiesThe Zombies are an English rock band, formed in 1961 in St Albans and led by Rod Argent, on piano and keyboards, and vocalist Colin Blunstone. The group scored a UK and US hit in 1964 with "She's Not There"...
, and he performed on all tracks, along with Tony Levin, Jerry Marotta, and Easton. - Unplug This, Between Us, and Dreams Don't Count are dominated by Shear's unique rhythm-guitar style, previously unheard on his commercially-released studio albums. Shear plays left-hand guitar in open tunings by reaching over the neck to fret the strings with his thumb. Unplug This featured solo performances, mostly new acoustic versions of songs Shear had previously recorded. Between Us was a collection of original duets, featuring singers Paula ColePaula ColePaula Cole is an American singer/songwriter. Her single "Where Have All the Cowboys Gone" reached the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 in 1997, and the following year she won a Grammy Award for Best New Artist.-Early life:...
, Rosanne CashRosanne CashRosanne Cash is an American singer-songwriter and author. She is the eldest daughter of the late country music singer Johnny Cash and his first wife, Vivian Liberto Cash Distin....
, Carole KingCarole KingCarole King is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. King and her former husband Gerry Goffin wrote more than two dozen chart hits for numerous artists during the 1960s, many of which have become standards. As a singer, King had an album, Tapestry, top the U.S...
, Margo TimminsMargo TimminsMargo Timmins is the lead vocalist of the Canadian band Cowboy Junkies. She is the sister of Michael Timmins, the band's lead guitarist and Peter Timmins, the band's drummer...
, Susan CowsillThe CowsillsThe Cowsills are an American singing group from Newport, Rhode Island. They specialized in harmonies and the ability to sing and play music at an early age. The band was formed in the spring of 1965 by brothers Bill, Bob, and Barry, then shortly thereafter added John...
, and Angie Hart of Frente, among others. - Allow Me is a full-band project of original material, while Saying Hello To The Folks is a collection of covers.
- Big Boss Sounds (by The Reckless Sleepers) was an original band project of collaborations; its one success of note was "If We Never Meet Again", written by Shear alone. The single version received minor airplay, and was covered first by Tommy Conwell & The Young Rumblers, and later by Roger McGuinnRoger McGuinnJames Roger McGuinn is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is best known for being the lead singer and lead guitarist on many of The Byrds' records...
. Lead guitarist of the Reckless Sleepers was Jimmy VivinoJimmy VivinoJimmy Vivino is an American guitarist, keyboard player, singer, producer, and music director. He is best known as the leader of Jimmy Vivino and the Basic Cable Band, the house band for the TBS late night program Conan...
currently of The Max Weinberg 7. - Raisins in the Sun was a one-off collaboration with Harvey Brooks, Paul Q. Kolderie, Jim Dickinson, Chuck Prophet, Sean Slade, and Winston Watson, recorded in May 1999 and released by Rounder RecordsRounder RecordsRounder Records, originally of Cambridge, Massachusetts, but now based in Burlington, Massachusetts, is a record label founded in 1970 by Ken Irwin, Bill Nowlin and Marian Leighton-Levy, while all three were still university students...
two years later. - Dreams Don't Count was released on the student record label MAD Dragon RecordsMAD Dragon UNLTDMusic Industry Program Entities MIP, formerly known as MAD Dragon UNLTD is an umbrella company owned by Drexel University, run by University students and overseen by faculty. The purpose of the company is to provide industry experience to the students in the Music Industry program...
through Drexel UniversityDrexel UniversityDrexel University is a private research university with the main campus located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. It was founded in 1891 by Anthony J. Drexel, a noted financier and philanthropist. Drexel offers 70 full-time undergraduate programs and accelerated degrees...
. Produced by Jules and long-time friend Stewart Lerman, this album is full of melodic acoustic tracks. - For his next solo album, More, Shear began billing himself as Jules Mark Shear, as seen in the CD's title and credits. He is also credited with playing lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
(as in solos) for the first time on a major release (as opposed to his home recordings on Demo-itis). The album was released on his own label, Funzalo Records. - Shear was also a major contributor to Elliot EastonElliot EastonElliot Easton plays lead guitar and sings backing vocals for The Cars. His guitar solos are integral part of the band's hit singles. He studied music at the Berklee College of Music...
's 1985 solo album Change No Change, co-writing all songs and singing background vocals. In the liner notes, both Easton and Shear cite the closing ballad, "Wide Awake", as their favorite track from the album.
Guitar Technique
- Jules's aforementioned unique guitar playing style consists of tuning the guitar in an open-G with an E in the bass. The guitar is not left-hand style per se (with the strings installed in reverse order), but actually held upside down, with the fretting hand's thumb wrapped down over the upper edge of the neck, barring across the strings, and the low E being at the thumb's tip.
Sources
"Review/Television; With Paul Simon, MTV Slips Into Its Cardigan," John J. O'ConnorNew York Times, June 3, 1992. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE3D71631F930A35755C0A964958260
"Pal Shazar," Kurt B. Reighley, Seattle Weekly, March 15, 2000. http://www.seattleweekly.com/2000-03-15/music/pal-shazar.php
"The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Jules Shear," Jeff Giles, POPDOSE, Tuesday, February 20, 2007 http://popdose.com/the-complete-idiots-guide-to-jules-shear/
External links
- Jules Shear, official web site.
- Jules MySpace, Jules Shear's MySpace Page
- Jules Shear Makes It All a Little Clearer - article from KyndMusic May 2006
- Jules Shear interview on HearsayMagazine.co.uk