Vapor Trails

Vapor Trails, Rush's 17th studio album, was released May 14, 2002 (May 13th in Europe, May 12th in Japan). Produced by Rush with engineer Paul Northfield, the album's first single, "One Little Victory", debuted Friday, March 29th, and climbed to #22 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart its first week. After the first week, the album climbed to #6 with sales of 111,199, while Soundscan reported it as #3 of the Top 100 albums in sales/#1 among the Top 50 Metal Albums.  For more information visit the Vapor Trails News Archive.

Country Star/Rush Fan Tim McGraw

While appearing on Larry King Live, Country singer Tim McGraw [known to non-Country fans as "the guy married to Faith Hill"] was asked "Do you listen to other kinds of music?", to which he replied:

"Yes, I'm a huge '70s classic rock fan...The Eagles -- big Eagles fan. I love Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, of course. I love Phil Collins, which I guess is a little more '80s but I love those guys in Genesis. Rush. Big Rush fan..." Click here for the complete transcript. - CNN's Larry King Live, December 10, 2002

Alex Lifeson Produces 3 Door Down

In Spring 2000, Alex Lifeson produced three songs with Mississippi-based 3 Doors Down: "Dangerous Game," "Dead Love," and "Wasted Time". In addition, at least two of the three tracks may also include Lifeson on guitar (although some fan sites state that he played on all three tracks).  Of the three tracks, "Wasted Me" was made available on a special 2CD Australian release of Better Life, as well as a b-side to the "Kryptonite" import single, while "Dangerous Game was later released on Away From The Sun. 

Hemispheres 35mm Short Film

Inspired by the Rush album of the same name, the short film Hemispheres is now available. The basis of the film is the struggle and battle of the left and right side of one's brain - the left being logic and the right being emotion. Gern Fletcher is stuck in the middle. Tonight he faces a decision that could change his life in ways he has never imagined - or so he thinks. As an added plus for Rush fans, the film makers included at least one visual reference from each Rush album. For additional information including production stills, a complete synopsis, and how to order, visit TheSouth40.com.

Emmerson Nogueira covers "Tom Sawyer"

An acoustic cover of "Tom Sawyer", performed by Brazil's Emmerson Nogueira, was released on Versão Acústica Vol. 2 (Acoustic Versions), on October 21st. This beautiful cover is performed on acoustic guitars, with a female vocal lead and male accompaniment, and sparse percussion. The keyboard solo now sounds like flamenco guitar! Other tracks on the album include covers of Supertramp, The Beatles, The Police, and more.

Peart Receives Zildjian Cymbal Plaque Award

"Zildjian representatives John DeChristopher, Lennie DiMuzio, Jim McGathey and Paul Francis paid a visit to Neil Peart when Rush pulled into Boston for one night at the Fleet Center. During the visit Lennie presented Neil with a Cymbal Plaque Award in recognition of his contributions to the art of drumming and his long time relationship with Zildjian. The award featured a vintage cymbal from Armand Zildjian's personal collection." www.zildjian.com, October 28, 2002

"One Little Victory" included in "Need for Speed - Hot Pursuit 2"

Need for Speed - Hot Pursuit 2, the latest release in the Need for Speed racing franchise includes two versions of "One Little Victory" in the soundtrack. Released July 9th, the game includes both the original studio version as well as an instrumental edit.  The complete soundtrack includes: Hot Action Cop - "Fever for the Flavor"; Hot Action Cop - "Going Down It"; Uncle Kracker - "Keep It Comin'"; Bush - "The People That We Love"; Rush - "One Little Victory"; Pulse Ultra - "Build Your Cages"; Course of Nature - "Wall of Shame"; Buzzhorn - "Ordinary".

"Exit Stage Right - The String Quartet Tribute to Rush"

No "Invisible Symphony", finally a REAL classical tribute to Rush! Exit Stage Right - The String Quartet Tribute to Rush is now available, and covers nearly the entire Exit Stage Left album from a classical chamber quartet approach; the album's cover includes a nod to the ESL as well, with a curtain drawn back to expose a violin.

A tribute by real Rush fans, the album was arranged, produced, mixed, and mastered by Todd Mark Rubenstein, who also co-handles the album's cello and bass duties. In the linernotes, Todd thanks (among others) "Neil Peart, Geddy Lee & Alex Lifeson for a lifetime of musical genius and the gift of great songs with brilliant performances that will be an inspiration to musicians of all genres for generations to come".

Rush Reunion at Superstar Birthday Party/Alex Jams with Extreme

"A gathering of several big rock music names came together May 11th to celebrate the 37th Birthday of Steve Hoffman - a part of SRO Management and brother to Sunshine Jive's Robby Hoffman. Reporting in for me is none other than Robby himself! 'On hand were all members of Rush, including Neal (mispelled!) Peart. All original members of Extreme, Valentine/Open Skyz and The Tea Party. The night started out with an all-star jam - Extreme (Gary, Pat and Paul) with Alex Lifeson on guitar doing Aerosmith's Sweet Emotion. Nuno joins the stage for Get The Funk Out and than turns it into a full Extreme re-union jam of all their classics including some Zeppelin and Aerosmith favorites as well. The night heats up when Nuno gets on drums and Robby Hoffman takes over on guitar for Custard Pie and Aint Talkin Bout Love. Then Valentine/Open Skyz join the stage with some friends. If thats not enough, The Tea Party takes the stage and covers a wide variety of classics. To end the night, Extreme take the stage one more time, joined by Jeff Martin (The Tea Party) for some of the best jamming ever witnessed. The birthday was not complete until Nuno and Gary closed the night with More Than Words...'" - Melodirock.com, May 21, 2002

"U.S. Protests Mexi-Canadian Overpass"

"U.S. Protests Mexi-Canadian Overpass", detailing the building of an overpass from Mexico to Canada which bypasses the U.S. One U.S. citizen complains "the honking, the chickens, the sound of thousands of cars going back and forth to Canada and Mexico is more than I can take. I can hear those goddamn radios blaring Mariachi music and Rush all day and night." - The Onion, May 15, 2002

Coming Soon: Rush.com

With little fanfare but after a long legal battle, Rush has won the rights to www.rush.com from cybersquatter Bob Ames.

"Work is being completed on the official Rush website www.rush.com and it will have all the bells and whistles. You'll find tour dates, streaming music, words from the guys, and more!" - Rush Backstage Club, April 5, 2002

Alex Lifeson's "Andromeda"

Alex Lifeson composed and performed the theme music for the first season of Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda, the Star Trek creator's final series which premiered the week of Oct. 2, 2000. The theme is now available as the opening song of the Andromeda soundtrack album. It is rumored that star/executive producer Kevin Sorbo (of Hercules fame) never liked the theme, and was behind changing the theme after the first season.

"It all began when co-executive producer Robert Hewitt Wolfe was talking to executive story editor Ethlie Ann Vare, a former rock journalist (Hollywood Reporter, E! Entertainment Television, ROCK magazine). He said that the top band on his wish-list to do music for Andromeda would be Rush. Inspired, Vare made some strategically-placed calls. Since Alex Lifeson is as big a science fiction lover as some science fiction fans are Rush lovers, he seemed a good fit for the job. Lifeson composed and performed the Andromeda theme, 'March of the High Guard'. Lifeson created the whole piece in his home studio, overdubbing an astonishing 20,000 guitars for a sound quite unlike any other main title theme on television." - www.andromedatv.com, Aug. 2000.

"The strongest composition on this collection is actually Alex Lifeson's invigorating 'Season One Main Title.' The cue lasts for only 59 seconds, but it packs a punch that, for the most part, is lacking throughout the rest of the CD...With the exception of Lifeson's lone contribution, the 25 cues on the collection are all written and played by Matthew McCauley...While McCauley's artificial Andromeda arias are invariably expressive, his tunes are also consistently mediocre and, in many respects, surprisingly rough-edged." - Scifi.com Review

Dave Bidini "The Sweet Rush Of Adolescence"

In The Sweet Rush Of Adolescence, a touching article by The Rheostatic's frontman Dave Bidini, Dave reminisces about his teenage years and "Rush, the first band with which I was truly obsessed with", changing tastes while growing up, and eventually recording with hero Neil Peart in 1992 for the Rheostatic's album Whale Music:

"The Barenaked Ladies were there, too; they'd laid in their background vocal to 'California Dreamline' earlier in the day and together we watched Neil warm up, a chimeric figure in his beaded African hat under the low studio lights. Head lowered, torso centered, feet kicking, his hands glancing over the drums, Neil played all afternoon. His touch was soft when it had to be, but propulsive, too, like a distance runner tugging the flow of blood to his heart. It's one thing to see your hero perform from a distant seat in Maple Leaf Gardens, but it's something else to feel close to his work, as I did that day. At one time in my life, I'd dreamed of what it would be like to simply attend a Rush concert, and there I was at the studio, not 20 feet from where he was crafting a part for a song that would appear on our album....As Neil commanded his kit, he painted my adolescence before me, evoking everything about it." - Dave Bidini, Toronto Star, January 6, 2002