Darkstar Is Finally Here!

Darkstar, the long anticipated interactive videogame from J. Allen Williams, is finally here. The game is available for purchase for your Mac or PC from most online retailers, as well as Darkstarstore.com. and strategyfirst.com. Future platform releases are expected to follow next year.

When we first learned of the development of Darkstar back in 2004, the game's cinematics were to feature over an hour of the music of Rush.

"We are now negotiating with Universal and Atlantic to include the following songs to be featured in the feature length scifi film that serves as back-story to the project: Anthem, Bastille Day, The Twilight Zone, Cygnus X-1, Cygnus X-1 Book II, Tom Sawyer, YYZ, The Camera Eye, Witch Hunt, Vital Signs, Subdivisions, Red Sector A, The Enemy Within, Red Lenses, Mystic Rhythms, Manhattan Project, Time Stand Still, Test for Echo, Time and Motion, Limbo, One Little Victory and Nocturne. The band and their management has approved the use of all of these songs, but final negotiations must be completed with Universal and Atlantic before we can announce the final songlist. We're hoping we can include this entire list." - J. Allen Williams/Parallax Studio L.L.C., December, 2009

Unfortunately, negotiations broke down with Universal Music who control the use of most of the songs, and last summer the producers were forced to remove all Rush from the soundtrack and replace it with original music.

"'The band gave us a green light years ago, but tough negotiations with Universal more recently have gone nowhere - and at the end of the day, they own the RUSH masters. They simply want too much money, more than was ever talked about during this process.' commented Studio owner J. Allen Williams. 'At this point we've made the difficult decision to pull the music and produce an original score for Darkstar so we can release, and that is now in process. We wish it could have gone better for both RUSH and our project, but that's Hollywood for you. Clearance rights were our last worry as we were told repeatedly over the years that the band was behind us. Anthem encouraged us to talk about it in interviews, which we did.' said Williams. 'We are disappointed, of course, as I'm sure there will be fans who have been writing us for so long waiting to see their favorite band in Darkstar. I have a true love for RUSH and a vision that could have glorified them to a new generation of listeners. It sucks, it's sad, but that's the final word.' Darkstar began production in mid-2000, featuring the original cast of the television series Mystery Science Theater 3000, Clive Robertson (Sunset Beach), and was veteran actor Peter Graves final performance. Darkstar is back on schedule for release now that these issues are resolved." - Darkstar Press Release, July 1, 2010

As a Rush fan, the first question that came to mind was, "who replaced Rush?" Well, the old adage "if you want something done right, do it yourself" came into play as J. Allen Williams, who not only wrote, produced, directed and animated the game, also stepped up to the plate to co-write the soundtrack with musical partners Bill Bruce (guitars) and Jimmy Pitts (keyboards). As it turns out, in another lifetime the multi-talented Williams also played bass in the 80's band "Wilder". The band regrouped, and along with additional members, formed "Progressive Sound and Metal Worx" to record 38 original songs for Darkstar. The final product is a progressive metal soundscape that will satisfy any progressive rock fan. The 2CD original soundtrack is also available for purchase at Darkstarstore.com; here is the opening track of the soundtrack album, "Surfing The Velvet Abyss".

The game features the entire original cast of Mystery Science Theater 3000 as well as Clive Robertson as the captain. I have had the opportunity to take "The Westwick" (the starship featured in the game) for a test drive, and the anticipation was well deserved. The game opens with an elaborate opening film comprised of live action and CGI elements, which concludes with your character, Captain John O'Neil, waking up from hibernation after 312 years. As it happens, your character coincidentally has amnesia, so as you begin the game your first task is to learn as much about yourself and your surroundings as possible. Described as an interactive movie, the game play at first glance is similar to that of Myst, but much more cinematic in nature.

For more information, visit Darkstar.gs.

The Lost Fingers' Cover "Tom Sawyer"

The Lost Fingers is a Canadian gypsy jazz music group from Quebec City. The group was nominated for two Juno Awards in the categories of Fan Choice Award and Album of the Year based on the success of their debut release, Lost In The 80's.

This past Tuesday The Lost Fingers released their latest album, Gypsy Kameloneon, which includes their take on "Tom Sawyer". Like all clever covers, upon close scrutiny one will find that all of the intricate parts are meticulously reproduced, albeit in a "gypsy jazz" vein. - Thanks to Patric Lafortun for the headsup!

V-DRUMS ON STAGE!...exit stage left.

Roland.com has added a new article featuring Neil Peart and his V-Drums. An advertisement featuring Neil and his drums appears on page 3 of the Nov/Dec issue of Canadian Musician.

"I first introduced Roland V-Drums into my setup in 2001, during the writing and recording of our Vapor Trails album. On the subsequent tour, they became a fixture in my drum solos, as well as to trigger samples throughout our live show. I also played the V-Drums on our 30th Anniversary tour in 2004, on the Snakes and Arrows album and tours in 2006, '07, and '08 (thus they appear on the Rush in Rio, R30, and Snakes and Arrows Live DVDs and CDs), and now on our 2010 Time Machine tour. Over the years, the V-Drums have continued to improve in touch sensitivity, and in sound quality and variety, and I still find them not only fun to play, but a great creative addition to my percussion world." – Neil Peart, Roland.com, November, 2010

Website Updates: Multi-screen Smartphone Wallpapers and Firefox Personas

I've updated two features of the Downloads section of Power Windows:

Smartphone Wallpaper Update: Recently I upgraded my cel phone to a Droid which has multi-screen panning wallpaper functionality. First order of business was to update the graphically intensive Smartphone Wallpaper page to include a set of wallpapers specifically created for this wallpaper size. These images have also been tested on the HTC Sense desktop. Ideally I would like to create a Droid App with a core set of Rush wallpapers, but that's currently above my level of expertise...

Firefox Personas: Personas are free "skins" for the Firefox browser. I did some investigating and found a shortage of Rush Personas, so I took the time to create a few; the current collection contains ten album Personas (there were 11, but Firefox dropped my Hemispheres Persona due to "nudity"!). You can find my collection here.

As always, additional Smartphone wallpapers or Firefox Personas can be added upon request. These downloads are of course free of charge, but Tips Are Welcome!

Rush Featured In AT&T High-Speed Internet Television Commercial

In a new television commercial for AT&T High-Speed Internet which has the tagline "now everyone can explore the world from home", a man wearing a Rush tshirt featuring the logo from the debut album is shown visiting various retail stores on a giant computer mouse. The mouse represents that he is shopping online, and he eventually stops at a music store to purchase a matching Rush "onesie" for his newborn baby girl. You can see the video here.

Both the tshirt and onesie featured in the commercial are available at the Rush Backstage Club. Proceeds from the sale of this product and revenues received by Rush for the use of this product in the AT&T spots will be donated to War Child Canada in Haiti.

Bubba's Book Club - December 2010 Issue

Neil Peart has updated the "Bubba's Book Club" section of his website, where he gives his literary recommendations for your consideration. In this issue, Neil reviews The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, by Michael Chabon, and The Lacuna, by Barbara Kingsolver. About The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Peart writes:

"The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 2001, and I know of no reason not to start by saying, 'I love this book'...The story brings together Sammy Klayman, growing up in Brooklyn, and his cousin Josef Kavalier, a refugee from the Nazi takeover of Czechoslovakia, in the late 1930s. Together they invent a superhero, 'The Escapist,' whose origins are richly woven into the pair’s youthful experiences and scars. The newly-Americanized Sammy Clay and Joe Kavalier become part of the 'golden age' of comics, in the 1940s and ’50s, and wrestle with exploitative bosses, government paranoia, confused sexuality, longing and loss, and the whirl of history in those turbulent times. The Depression, fascism, the Holocaust, World War II, the bizarre outbreaks of fear and witch hunts of the late ’40s and early ’50s, all are brought dramatically to life through the lenses of Kavalier and Clay."

This is a rare occasion in that I have actually read one of the books Neil has reviewed (not the first time, but it's not typical by any means!). I happened to read Kavalier & Clay a couple of years ago, and also give it a veritable two thumbs up. It was a novel that took me by surprise, as it was much bigger in scope than I first anticipated. I might also add that a film adaptation was in the works reportedly starring Tobey Maguire, Jamie Bell and Natalie Portman, but according to the author in 2007 the project "just completely went south for studio-politics kinds of reasons...".

The Orbit Room 16th Anniversary Party

The Orbit Room held its 16th Anniversary Celebration Party on Friday night, and as usual Alex Lifeson was in attendance (as was Terry Brown). Alex joined in with The Dave Murphy Band and The Dexter's to perform "For What It's Worth" and "White Rabbit", two songs they previously released on Second Anniversary At The Orbit Room back in 1996, as well as Kashmir, Won't Get Fooled Again, Peter Gunn, Tom Sawyer, In The Mood, and Limelight. Videos for all songs are available here. - Thanks to RushGirl for the headsup!

Rush ‘Living Legends’ At Classic Rock Awards

Rush is the recipient of this year's 'Living Legend' award at the Marshall Classic Rock Roll Of Honour Awards held November 10th at London's Roundhouse. The Classic Rock 'Living Legend' award is bestowed on a rock act for their enduring influence and remarkable achievements in the world of rock music. As one of rock's most influential bands, Rush joins an illustrious list of previous legendary recipients such as Iggy Pop, Ozzy Osbourne, Jimmy Page, Alice Cooper and Lemmy.

"We are thrilled to receive the 'Living Legend' award from Classic Rock. It's much better than the alternative! Seriously, we are humbled and very appreciative." - Geddy Lee, ClassicRockMagazine.com, September 28, 2010

"As a Canadian, I'm slightly embarrassed. Obviously musicianship awards mean the most to us. That was the whole reason we got into it. You try not to think of yourselves in terms of legendary status - it's extremely unhealthy. I try to look at it as a thank you for a long career." - Geddy Lee, "Rush Still Living In The Limelight", BBC.com, November 10, 2010

Neil Peart Featured In "The Drummer: Classic Rock"

Neil Peart is one of the drummers featured in Modern Drummer's special collector's issue "The Drummer: Classic Rock" (November 2010 issue). - Thanks to Cygnus-X1.net for the headsup!

"An educated, entertaining, essential addition to every drummer's library—and to the history of modern drumming—The Drummer: Classic Rock Collector's Edition magazine builds on content from Modern Drummer's Top-selling The Drummer book with expanded coverage of drumming royalty from the golden age of rock 'n' roll. Featuring: John Bonham, Ginger Baker, Alex Van Halen, Neil Peart, Carl Palmer, Keith Moon, Ian Paice, Mitch Mitchell, Ringo Starr, Bill Bruford, Charlie Watts, Jim Keltner, Phil Collins, Russ Kunkel, John Densmore, Liberty DeVitto, Carter Beauford, Don Brewer, Robert Wyatt, Neal Smith, Clive Bunker, Danny Seraphine, Barriemore Barlow, Carmine Appice, and many more." - ModernDrummer.com

Rush Receive "Legend Of Live" Honor at Billboard Touring Awards

Rush was named this year's Legend of Live at the 2010 Billboard Touring Awards held November 4th in New York. The Legend of Live honors groups or individuals who have made significant and lasting contributions to live music and the touring business, and acknowledges the recipients' commitment to the art of performing live and reaching fans through the concert experience.

"'With a remarkable body of live work over the years, altering the course of rock music and raising the bar as to what can be done onstage, along with the band's continued commitment to playing live, we think Rush are uniquely deserving of this award,' says Ray Waddell, Billboard's executive director of content and programming, touring and live entertainment. 'From the early days in the bars and clubs of Toronto to stadiums, amphitheaters and arenas around the world, Rush have epitomized professionalism and the spirit of live rock 'n roll, and they boast some of the most passionate and loyal fans in rock.'" - Billboard.com, September 29, 2010

Related News

• Rush, Jack Johnson to Receive Honors at Billboard Touring Awards - Billboard.com, September 29, 2010
• Rush: Legend Of Live, Billboard.com, November 6, 2010
  
• Neil Peart: 'A Life Of Lighted Stages', Billboard.com, November 6, 2010
  
• Rush: Steady As They Go, Billboard.com, November 6, 2010
  

"Rush: Chemistry" Paperback Now Available

Originally released in hardback in 2005, Jon Collins' biography Rush: Chemistry received a North American paperback release November 1st.

"Against a background of disinterest from the media and a refusal to compromise their music, Rush’s success was by no means guaranteed. Since the beginning, only the determined efforts and downright stamina of the band members and those around them were sufficient to counter the wall of silence. Sharing a single-minded determination to take on the system and win, Geddy, Alex and Neil have never rested on their laurels. Pushing themselves to achieve technical excellence, never avoiding the challenge of taking on new musical influences, through huge changes of fashion and major personal tragedy, the entity we know as Rush has endured. Thirty years on, the band is still creating new music and packing arenas and stadiums around the globe. Meticulously researched over three years, Chemistry draws on over 50 new interviews with those closest to the band. As the most detailed biography of Rush ever written, this book pulls together the threads and investigates the reasons that have enabled this band to succeed against the odds."