"Subdivisions" DLC for Rock Band 3

"Subdivisions" is part of the Rock Band DLC for November 2nd. With the addition of keyboards in Rock Band 3, you'll be able to play the keyboards in addition to guitars and drums! The track is the original master recording. - Thanks to Michael Ruiz for the headsup!

"Get your first taste of Rush Pro Mode-style next week when the single 'Subdivisions' comes to the Rock Band 3 Music Store! The song comes from Rush's 1982 album Signals and is one of five Rush songs inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in March 2010. The track will be available on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii on November 2 for $1.99. The Pro Guitar/Pro Bass upgrade expansion is $0.99." - Rockband.com, October 29, 2010

The Rush App Now Available For Android and iPhone

The Rush Time Machine App is now available for the iPad, as well as the iPhone and Android smartphones. With the app, fans can get exclusive up to the minute news, music, and more in the palm of their hands. For more info visit rushapps.com.

Nelly Furtado Covers "Time Stand Still"

Canadian pop singer Nelly Furtado performed a cover of "Time Stand Still" for the Canadian film Score: A Hockey Musical. The film premiered across Canada Friday, October 22nd, and the soundtrack album containing Nelly's cover is now available.

"She was part of a Canadian film called Score: A Hockey Musical. We got a call that she wanted to sing that song. It's really sweet of her to do that. I don't know how she came about choosing that song, but she obviously responded to it." - Geddy Lee, BBC.com, November 10, 2010

Geddy Lee Featured on October's "Musician's Friend"

The October Rhythm issue of the Musician's Friend catalog features Geddy Lee on the cover. For the online version, click here.

Rock Aid Armenia Reissue: "Smoke On The Water: The Metropolis Sessions"

Originally released in 1990 on Rock-Aid Armenia, The Earthquake Album, the all star recording of "Smoke On The Water" is being reissued as Smoke On The Water: The Metropolis Sessions on November 22 (preorder the cd or (download from itunes). A benefit for the victims of the earthquake in Armenia on December 7, 1988, "Smoke on the Water" was recorded by an all star group of performers (see below) including Alex Lifeson.

"Smoke On The Water" was recorded over five sessions from July 8th to September 24th, 1989. Neil Peart had agreed to take part but was unable due to scheduling conflicts. Alex was in attendance for only the final session on September 24th:

"The one person from Rush who thankfully was able to make it was Alex Lifeson. He felt that there was enough solos on the record so he prepared some guitar lines that would underpin the song and give it some groove. You can hear his playing at the start of the guitar solos, in the Paul Rodgers verse and he's the one playing the crash chords at the end of the song. He did it all in one take. John Brough and I [Jon Dee, Founder of Rock Aid Armenia] were producing the session that day and we were duly impressed. When Alex left the room we just stared at each other and raise our eyebrows in awe." - RockAidArmenia.com

"Smoke On The Water" includes: Lead guitarists: Richie Blackmore (Deep Purple), Dave Gilmour (Pink Floyd), Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath), Alex Lifeson (Rush), Brian May (Queen) and Geoff Beauchamp. Vocalists: Ian Gillan (Deep Purple), Bryan Adams, Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden), Paul Rodgers (Free, Bad Company). Bass guitar: Chris Squire (Yes). Keyboards: Jon Lord (Deep Purple), Keith Emerson (ELP), Geoff Downes (Asia, ex-Yes). Drums: Roger Taylor (Queen).

For more information including an extensive history of the project including and photo gallery visit RockAidArmenia.com - Thanks to RushIsABand for the headsup!

Neil Peart: Fire on Ice, Making of "The Hockey Theme" DVD Now Available

Neil Peart: Fire on Ice, Making of "The Hockey Theme" is now available on DVD exclusively from Drum Channel.

"Neil Peart gives a behind the scenes tour of the making of "The Hockey Theme". Canada's TSN (The Sports Network) decided to recreate the hockey theme; they wanted to use iconic Canadians to help in the revisal. The Hockey theme is recognized as Canada's second national anthem so when they decided to recreate it, they wanted to use the best, and the first person that came to mind was Rush drummer, Neil Peart. Neil also discusses a custom drum kit made by DW Drums with all of the different hockey team logos on it. Total Content: 92 minutes" - DrumChannel.com (thanks to AndyO for the heasdsup!)

"Caravan" featured in TSN hockey opening montage

Last night TSN debuted their new pre-game video montage featuring "Caravan" as the theme song. As players talk about "thinking big" as the season begins, Geddy chimes in "I can't stop thinking big...". The video concludes with Neil Peart's recording of The Hockey Theme. - Thanks to RushIsABand for the headsup!

Rush's "Resist" Included On "The Rounder Records Story"

"Resist" from Rush In Rio is one of 87 tracks found on the new 4CD anthology, The Rounder Records Story, released October 12, 2010. - Thanks to Squintyt4e for the heads up!

"For forty years, Rounder Records has been on a singular mission to record the magnificent range of American roots music styles-bluegrass, New Orleans R&B, old time fiddling, singer-songwriter, blues, country, rockabilly, roots rock, Cajun and a few that cross enough boundaries to be genres of their own. The 87 songs selected for this 4CD set show the true breadth of the label's catalog, from the old time folk music of Ola Belle Reed to the Grammy sweeping triumph of Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. The discs are arranged by decade, and it is fascinating to hear both the underlying consistencies and the ongoing evolution of the label's vision, while the list of musicians includes many of the defining names in roots music. Includes extensive notes by Washington Post journalist Geoff Himes." - Rounder.com

Neil Peart Discusses Coleridge's Xanadu

Today's Guardian newspaper includes the story "Bard reputation: pop stars pick their favourite poets". Neil Peart is one of those "pop stars" quoted and discusses the inspiration of Samuel Taylor Coleridge on "Xanadu" (note, these comments are very similar to those he previously wrote in Roadshow):

"In 1975 I was trying to write a song inspired by the dark mood and subtle psychology of the film Citizen Kane, which features the opening lines of Kubla Khan by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. I looked up the poem and was overwhelmed by its imagery and emotional power. The song Xanadu was taken over by the poem in a way that has never happened since. I added the 'adventure travel' aspect to the song's story before I'd traveled further than the rock clubs of North America. I portrayed Coleridge's idea of immortality as a grim curse – Citizen Kane is the opposite: mortality as a punishment. There's a joke that goes, 'Rush is what happens when you let the drummer write the songs', which is funny, but of course I only write the lyrics. The line in the song Animate – 'daughter of a demon lover' – pays homage to these powerful lines from Kubla Khan: 'As e'er beneath a waning moon was haunted/ By woman wailing for her demon lover.' Now that's rock." - Neil Peart, The Guardian, October 7, 2010 - Thanks to Ed at RushIsABand for the headsup!

"Hockey Night in Canada" theme song drum kit now in HHOF

Neil Peart recorded an all new version of the "Hockey Theme" for TSN which premiered Thursday, January 12th. Click here to view the video, (click here for video featuring Neil only). The video is also available for purchase from iTunes US, while the theme is available from iTunes Canada. The master recording of "The Hockey Theme" is also available for download for only 99 cents (80 Microsoft points; 100 Wii Points) on Xbox 360, Wii, and PlayStation 3.

The Hockey Hal Of Fame website has announced "The drum kit used by Neil Peart, famed drummer of Canada's legendary rock group RUSH is now on display inside the TSN/RDS Zone. The drum set was used by Peart to record TSN/RDS's updated 'Hockey Night in Canada' theme song." - HHOF.com Thanks to RushIsABand.com for the headsup!

Click here for more on the recording of the Hockey Theme

Neil Peart Interviewed for "Mike Heppner and the Talking Man Project"

Neil Peart once reviewed Mike Heppner's second novel, Pike's Folley, for Bubba's Book Club. Peart is one of a group of participants interviewed by Heppner for an article titled Excerpts from Mike Heppner's Man Talking Project. - Thanks to RushIsABand for the headsup!