Joan Jett bashes Rush

Back in 1977, one of the many bands who opened for Rush was The Runaways, the all girl band fronted by Joan Jett, Cherrie Curie and Lita Ford. In fact, the Runaways attended a party in Rush's honor as pictured here. However, although it seems out of character for Rush, the Runaway's Joan Jett has less than fond memories of their time touring together. - Thanks to Tony Stiles for the headsup!

"Their Order of Canada is probably safe. But Joan Jett says members of Rush were anything but polite Canucks when the Runaways opened for them in the 1970s. In the new film biopic about the band titled The Runaways, Jett (played by Kristen Stewart) is derided by an unidentified rock group they’re opening for. She later retaliates by breaking into their dressing room and urinating on one of their guitars. Jett doesn’t hesitate to identify the real-life inspiration for the scene. 'Rush! They sat on the side of the stage and laughed at us,' Jett says. 'That sort of stuff pisses me off.'" - Joan Jett, Jam!Music, January 29, 2010

Geddy Lee On The Canadians For Haiti Telethon

Geddy Lee appeared on the Canada For Haiti benefit telethon on Friday night which raised over $9.4 million for a group of Canadian charities working in Haiti following the earthquake of January 12th. Geddy Lee made an appearance at the event but did not perform; click here for Geddy's appearance. For more information visit canadaforhaiti.com. - Thanks to Rushisaband for the headsup!

Caress Of Steel, A Record To Die For

In the February issue of Stereophile, writer Brian Damkroge includes Caress Of Steel in his "Records To Die For" feature. - Thanks to RushIsABand for the headsup!

"Caress of Steel, Rush's third album narrowly edges out their fourth, 2112, as my R2D4. The sparse arrangements showcase their playing; in particular, Alex Lifeson's chord-based guitar style is shown off far better here than on their later, more complex albums. With Caress and 2112, Rush exploited the album format with longer, more developed operettas than were possible with their later focus on radio-friendly singles. Yes, 'I think Im going bald' is woefully out of place, the lyrics a little pretentious, and Geddy Lee's vocals are an acquired taste, but the music and sound are incredible. Rush at their very best."

Neil Peart "Soulscape" Print

International artist Tom Noll paints various musicians and is now featuring his Neil Peart "Soulscape" as a giclee art print from the original oil painting. The print has an image area of 27" x 18" (68.6 cm x 45.7 cm), is printed on 100 lb cover stock using fade resistant UV inks and sells for $350 plus shipping. For more information visit creativeboneartworks.com; click here for a closeup of the painting. - Thanks to Frank Ray for the headsup!

RushPetition.com Is Back For 2010 Tour

RushPetition.com is back for a fourth consecutive tour to take your votes on the top five songs you would like the band to bring back from "the vault". This go round, however, they are only offering up songs that have not been played in the last 20 years (songs not heard since the Presto tour). Surprisingly, there are 85 songs to choose from! - Thanks to Skip Daly for the headsup!

30th Anniversary Of Permanent Waves On "In The Studio"

The 30th anniversary of Permanent Waves was the subject of "In The Studio - The Stories Behind History's Greatest Rock Bands" which aired the week of January 11th. The show was a compilation of past interviews, and can now be heard at inthestudio.net.

"Crafting A Neil Peart Prototype"

"Do artists really influence the designs of the cymbals that bear their names? And, if they do, by what process does a drummer design a cymbal? We sat down recently with Sabian's west coast artist relations director Chris Stankee to discuss the design of a new Chinese cymbal with Neil Peart. You'll see how over the course of two years Neil and Chris worked together, They would receive new prototypes, test the, take them on the road, and then ask the factory for changes. With each generation of the design, this cymbal got closer and closer to what Neil heard in his head. You can see the whole story of Paragon cymbals on youtube at http://www.youtube.com/sabianparagonlounge."- DRUM!.com, January 10, 2010 - Thanks to Frank Ray for the headsup!

Sonic Reality Releases "Neil Peart Drums Vol. 1: The Kit"

Announced at this week's NAMM show: "Neil Peart Drums Vol. 1: The Kit. This sample library for BFD2 and Infinite Player, and powered by Kontakt, is part of Sonic Reality's Drum Masters series. Neil Peart, drummer of the band Rush, collaborated with Sonic Reality and producer/engineer Nick Raskulinecz to digitize the sound of Snakes and Arrows’ Custom DW Drum Kit. It features deep level dynamics, humanized random alternating hits, discrete multiple mic mixing, and more. It gives e-drummers, keyboardists, and composers the ability to play rock drum samples with the distinctive Neil Peart sound, and have a drum kit suitable for many styles of music from Progressive Rock to Heavy Metal. It comes mapped in GM, iMap, V-Drum and a Custom Map mode to be controlled by any electronic drum kit. It also includes discrete mic mixing and album-quality presets. It ships in the first quarter, but the price has not been announced." - Macworld.com, January 15, 2010 - Thanks to Rushisaband.com for the headsup!

Neil Peart On Paragon Brilliant "More Than A Shine - It's A Matter Of Sound"

In a new article at Sabian.com, Neil Peart discusses Paragon Brilliant cymbals. - Thanks to Frank Ray for the headsup!

"The evolution of Paragon Brilliant is about more than spit and polish. It began with the pursuit of the openness and responsiveness of an older cymbal, right 'out of the bag.' I have always found that brand-new cymbals have a certain 'tightness,' both in their physical response and in their sound, and it takes a few shows to play them in. Then they loosen up and start to 'dance' on the stand, and the swell of sound from attack to decay would become smooth and open..."- Neil Peart, Sabian.com, December 22, 2009

Alex Lifeson Makes "VH1's 100 Most Shocking Music Moments"

Alex Lifeson makes list of VH1's 100 Most Shocking Music Moments. Moment number 62, titled "When a Rush Comes to Shove", discusses Alex's New Year's Eve at the Ritz in 2003 (click here for a complete history of the event). Several musicians, including Scott Ian from Anthrax, comment on how Rush is a "geeky prog rock band" and "who would've thought they'd actually be on the list", while a comedian states "maybe Rush is using the prog rock geekiness as a front. Maybe they all could kick your ass." The segment includes Alex saying, "Gives a whole new meaning to spending the night at the Ritz."