Neil Peart's "News Weather and Sports" - May 2011

Neil Peart has updated his website with his latest edition of "News Weather and Sports". Titled "Eastern Resurrection", he discusses the first leg of the Time Machine Tour, traveling through the eastern United States during the spring time, church signs and billboards, being a "faith-basher", and being long away from home.  He briefly summarizes the mileage covered on the first leg of the tour:

"My April travels with Michael on this sequel to last year's Time Machine tour carried us from Florida up to Quebec—thirteen shows and 3,800 miles of motorcycling between them. The weather varied from warm and blossoming across Tennessee to a polar wasteland in Ontario." - Neil Peart

Minor Website Revision

Today Power Windows has been updated with a Neil Peart theme, featuring the artwork from his second drumming video, Anatomy Of A Drum Solo.  Why this release?  Well it was about time Neil got his time in the sun (both Geddy and Alex's solo albums have been featured).  And besides, while Neil doesn't have any solo albums to feature, the Anatomy artwork is pretty darn cool...

In addition, after 13 years of utilizing my old menu panel which used to reside to the left side of my site, I've replaced it with a modern "mega menu" which not only allows me to reclaim a lot of previously wasted screen real estate, it is also packed with multiple sub menus to help you find related pages (check out the discography "studio albums" sub menu for example).  Be sure to refresh your browser to pull in all the new info the site requires; after the first load, it will load quicker than ever before.  If you like the change, or hate it, please leave feedback!

2112 Master Recordings/Drum Tracks Coming Soon

DrumChannel has a surprise coming for Rush & Drum Fans, according to their email newsletter:

"You Will Not Believe This!  It is true, in the next few weeks we will tell you how to purchase the original master recordings of RUSH-2112 and how you can listen to Neil’s drum track only, the band with Neil or the band only, and record yourself on drums with Geddy and Alex. You have to be a Newsletter subscriber to get access, so tell your friends to join the DC Newsletter. More about this coming soon!" - Thanks to Frank Ray for the headsup!

The Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit Roller Coaster includes "The Temples of Syrinx"

This unique roller coaster at Universal Studios Florida features an on-board sound system which allows the rider to choose the song which is played during the ride.  While boarding the vehicle, the rider can choose from 30 main public songs; in addition, there are "bonus songs" which require a special code.  Track number 101 is "The Temples of Syrinx".  To hear this song, the rider must hold their finger down on the ride's logo for 8-10 seconds, then enter the code.  Click here for a video demo and a list of additional bonus tracks. - Thanks to Andrew Weiss for the headsup!

"The World According to...Rush" - Gibson.com

Gibson.com has added a new feature to their website, "The World According to...Rush", a pseudo-Cliff's Notes compilation of Rush interviews from the last few years succinctly edited down to nine statements.

"Collected here are some of the band members' thoughts on why their chemistry remains strong after 43 years." - Gibson.com, April 27, 2011

Rush on "Sanctuary"

Rush was referenced on tonight's episode of the SyFy Channel's Sanctuary (Season 3, Episode 12 - Hangover). Henry is getting access to the Sanctuary server's new passcode after a security breech and the passcode ends up being GEDDYLEE. Dr. Magnus asks "Geddy Lee" to which Henry responds, "aha, it's the lead singer of Rush."  Dr. Magnus then observes, "isn't that Will's favorite band?" which draws them to the conclusion that Will must have reset the passcode. - Thanks to Ed at RushIsABand for the headsup!

Rush on "Archer"

There were a couple of RUSH references during the April 21st season finale of the FX animated series Archer.  Titled "Double Trouble" (season 2, episode 13), the official synopsis is "Krieger works to finish a top-secret project, and Archer brings a mysterious former KGB agent named Katya Kazanova home to meet Malory, unaware that Barry Dillon is heading his way to kill him."

Early on in the episode Dr. Krieger mentions listening to "Red Barchetta" through his "awesome van's" stereo, and mentions to Archer's Russian defector love interest Katya "Please tell me you like Rush". Later, we see the actual van, and it's painted like the Exit...Stage Left album cover, only it says "Exit...Van Left".  Click here to watch the episode. - Thanks to Timmy Samuel for the headsup!

"Machine Head" - Rush Fans

Metal Band Machine Head are in the process of recording the followup to 2007's The Blackening. The band has posted "The Making Of The New Album" video to Youtube, in which they show off their "Jam Room", which includes 2112 among a collection of posters of "all of our favorite bands, the bands that meant something, and helped create what we became". In addition, at the 4:00 minute mark, drummer Dave McClain is wearing a Permanent Waves t-shirt. - Thanks to Frank Ray for the headsup!

Rush Mention on "United States Of Tara"

Last week's episode of Showtime's United States Of Tara included a small Rush reference.  During "The Full F@ck You Finger" (aired April 11th), as Marshall is helping his dad Max clean his hoarder grandmother's house, he comes across a second place trophy for Max's band "Beaver Lamp" from a battle of the bands competition.  Max explains how bad they were with "we lost to a Rush cover band, that ought to tell you everything you need to know about Beaver Lamp."  Ouch! - Thanks to Hank at RushableKingdom for the headsup!

"To his own drum: Rush’s Neil Peart explores the world’s back roads in Far and Away"

The National Post has added a new interview with Neil Peart regarding his new book, Far and Away: A Prize Every Time:

It's a wet, white blizzard in downtown Toronto and the waterfront is as deserted as it's ever been. But just around the corner sits arguably the most skilled drummer in the history of rock (at one point, at least).  Rush's Neil Peart sits casually in front of an elaborate copper-plated drum kit, respectfully examining each drum head. "Everything's been custom-made," he says, tracing his fingers over African drums, Indian drums, valves and electronic pads. "I was a part of the whole concept process. … I went over 200 different samples [before] choosing these ones for my solo."

Peart looks older than most Fly by Night fans would remember, but he's aged well, built as solid as his drums, with a baritone voice to match. As the prolific drummer of Rush, one of the most successful rock bands to come out of Canada, Peart could easily just coast on his musical legacy. But rock is only one of his passions. In May, after the release of Far and Away: A Prize Every Time, Peart will have authored five books.

BU2B 7" Vinyl Record Store Day Exclusive

April 16th was International Record Store Day.  One of the items sold was a limited edition (only 3,000 were pressed) 7" vinyl single.  I personally was unable to track one down at the four stores I checked with, and one of the stores stated they had only received two copies.  Not surprisingly, copies of this single have already appeared on ebay.

"BU2B/Caravan will be released as a limited edition 7" vinyl for Record Store Day in the US & Canada. Limited to only 3,000 copies, the 7" will be on colour vinyl - with either red or white along with a lyric insert." - Rush.com , March 11, 2011

Donna Halper Reminisces About Discovering Rush

In preparation of Rush's filming of their next concert video in Cleveland, Donna Halper reminisces about her role in "discovering" Rush.

After Donna Halper gave 'Working Man' a spin on WMMS, Rush's career took off: "'As soon as I dropped the needle on 'Working Man,' I knew this was a perfect record for Cleveland,' she said. 'It was a working-class town...I remember a city where Republic Steel would literally light the sky on fire at night with pollution.' Phones at the radio station were lighting up, too, with requests for Rush. The buzz soon led to a record deal for the band, which singled out Halper for special thanks in the liner notes of its self-titled debut album...Halper, 64, left Cleveland in 1975 to become director of artists and repertoire at Mercury Records in New York City.  She hasn't returned here since then - until now. With a special invitation from Rush, Halper is planning to catch tonight's show at The Q." - Cleveland.com, April 15, 2011

The Girl Who Loved Rush: Donna Halper: "On the occasion of the band's show at The Q—which will be filmed for later DVD release—The Cleveland Sound chatted with a longtime Rush confidante who has North Coast connections that go way back...'Moon Records, yes. Oh, God—the ugliest cover [laughs]. Oye, oye. It was red. I still have the thing—I never parted with it. People ask me all the time, 'Would you sell it?' I'm like, no! Absolutely not. If you look online there's a few pictures of me holding that cover. If you friend me on Facebook you can see it. You'll see me with a couple other fans, and I'm holding the original Rush cover. So yeah, it came in your basic plain brown envelope from a friend of mine—Bob Roper. The bottom line is, I was never expecting to receive it. I didn't know who the band was. And Roper—who I'm still in touch with now and then—was the record promoter of A&M in Canada. That's the label that was co-owned by Herb Alpert, who has had many hits for many years. And they passed on it. But Roper heard something and thought it was a good record, and I had a reputation for both playing new artists as music director, and also for playing Canadian artists. I'd played a number of Canadian artists over the years; I could give you names but I don't know if they'd mean anything to your audience. But he figured I'd be receptive to hearing another Canadian band. It wasn't just out of the blue he sent this record. He figured I would be a good person to send it to. Not like, wow, I'm so marvelous, but I'd already made a lot of friends with people in the Canadian music history. So I got it, and I listened, and I was like, 'My God—you're right!' And the rest, as they say, is history." - TheClevelandSound.com, April 6, 2011 

The Rush Fan Film Project Interviews Donna Halper: "Late in 2010, Donna took some time from writing her most recent book on the history of Boston radio (which has since been released) as well as her dissertation and graciously invited us to her home outside of Boston to discuss that little Canadian band. She’s an amazing storyteller and I would highly recommend going to see her speak if she’s ever in your town. We trimmed our discussion down to under 20 minutes, though it easily could have been over an hour." - RushFanFilm.com, April 6, 2011

Rush: A Brief History of Time Part 7

Cygnus-X1.net has added another installment of Rush: A Brief History of Time. In this edition, John has added 35 new articles and advertisements from years past, including seven entries from the 1970's and twenty-one entries from the 1980's which are primarily focused around the release of Permanent Waves. A single entry from the 1990's along with four from the 2000's and two from the current decade round out this edition. - Thanks to John at Cygnus-X1.net for the headsup!

Neil Peart Talks About Moving Pictures With Jim Ladd

KLOS DJ Jim Ladd interviewed Neil Peart for two hours on March 15th to discuss the 30th anniversary reissue of Moving Pictures. The interview aired on KLOS Thursday, April 7th, at 10:00 p.m. PST, and is now available online. - Thanks to Steve Taylor for the headsup!

30 Years Ago Today: "Countdown"

Thirty years ago today, RUSH were eyewitnesses to the historic first launch of Space Shuttle Columbia from Red Sector A, and later captured the event in the song 'Countdown', which is 'Dedicated with thanks to astronauts Young & Crippen and all the people of NASA for their inspiration and cooperation'.

"We were there! It wasn't easy, but we made it! We had a long-standing invitation to the first launch, and always swore that we would be there no matter what. Little did we know!

"On April 9th we flew into Orlando on a day off, checked into a hotel, and slept until about four A.M., when we had to leave for our rendezvous at the Air Force Base near the Cape.

"Not YYZ" Iphone/IPad App

"Not YYZ is like playing musical Morse code Mad Libs with a Rush song.  The beginning of 'YYZ' by Rush is based on the Morse code for YYZ, which is the IATA airport identifier for Toronto Pearson International Airport. But what if Rush wasn't from Toronto? What would 'YYZ' sound like if Rush was from your city? Not YYZ provides the answer (just in time for the 30th anniversary of Moving Pictures).  Pick any combination of three letters (other than YYZ) and Not YYZ will play it in the style of 'YYZ' by Rush. If the letters match an airport identifier, the airport's name and location will appear in the player. Search for airports you've traveled through and cities you've visited. Try your initials. Create your own rhythms using the Morse code as a guide. The possibilities are endless! (Actually there are exactly 17575 possibilities.)" - Click here for more info Thanks to RushIsABand for the headsup!

Geddy Lee on the cover of "Bass Guitar" April 2011

Geddy Lee is on the cover of the April 2011 edition of Bass Guitar magazine. According to bassguitarmagazine.com, Geddy is interviewed in the feature article "The 65 Basses You Must Play", revealing bass guitar #1.- Thanks to John at Cygnus-X1.net for the headsup!

"Rush: The Fountain of Surround" - Sound&Vision

Sound And Vision Magazine posted a two stories regarding the release of Moving Pictures in surround sound.

Rush: The Fountain of Surround: "Chronicling Rush’s decade-long journey toward embracing the 5.1 format—even for catalog studio material.  In anticipation of the 30th anniversary reissue of Rush's truly seminal Moving Pictures as both CD+DVD (April 5) and CD+BD (May 3) deluxe editions, with PCM 5.1 and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround-sound mixes by Richard Chycki, I'm dipping into my personal Rush interview archive to present a truly exclusive, incremental look at how the band’s attitude toward bringing its vaunted studio material into the surround-sound arena has literally changed from 'no' to 'go' over the last decade." - SoundAndVisionMag.com, April 5, 2011

Rush’s Fountain of Surround, Part 2: Moving Predictions: "'It's a timeless record with so much detail,' says surround-sound remix guru Richard Chycki about Rush's 1981 masterpiece, Moving Pictures. 'I’m glad you’ve clued into all of the nuances.' Chycki is referring to what I said to him last week about the PCM 5.1 and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mixes he did for MP’s 30th anniversary reissue...I’ve unearthed this related 5.1 treat. Back in February 2009, Chycki and I talked exclusively about his surround work for both the audio and live video releases for Rush's 2007 album Snakes & Arrows. That interview was initially intended to be a companion piece for my interview with Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson, but for various reasons not worth getting into, it remained on the virtual shelf — until now." - SoundAndVisionMag.com, April 5, 2011

Benedictum Covers "2112 Overture/Temples of Syrinx"

Dominion, the third album by US metal band Benedictum, was released March 8th. Included as a bonus track is their cover of "2112 Overture/Temples of Syrinx"; vocalist Veronica Freeman recently discussed how she was once a "closet" Rush fan:

"I'm a huge Rush fan, I love 'em. I just don't talk about it much because everybody wants to talk to me about the Dio stuff. Rush has always resonated with me, but I knew so many people that didn't like them back in the day because they didn't sound evil enough (laughs), so I became a closet Rush fan. I had always wanted to sing 'Temples'. I remember back in the times before CDs, when dinosaurs roamed the earth, I had my wannabe souped-up Firebird blasting Rush on the cassette deck. The stereo was worth more than the car (laughs). I had the windows rolled up so nobody else could hear while I tried to hit those notes (laughs)." - Benedictum vocalist Veronica Freeman, CarlBegai.com, March 28, 2011 Thanks to RushIsABand for the headsup

Rolling Stone Readers Pick the Top Ten Bassists of All Time - Geddy #4

"If Geddy Lee's only role in Rush was to play the bass he'd be unbelievably accomplished. The fact that he does it while singing and playing keyboards proves that the man is almost a freak of nature. Few singers in the history of rock could have handled this triple duty.  The group has occasionally flirted with the idea of adding a fourth member to their stage show to ease Lee's load, but they always decide that fans only want to see the three members of Rush onstage. He manages it all by playing bass pedals during his keyboard parts. The band is currently performing their 1980 LP Moving Pictures on a world tour." - Rolling Stone Readers Pick the Top Ten Bassists of All Time

Coming in at #5 is Primus' Les Claypool, who is quoted with these words:

"When I saw my first Rush concert, I spent the whole time watching Geddy's hands," Claypool told Bass Player Magazine. "There were so many things I didn't know; I didn't even know there were such things as roundwound strings. I'd had that Memphis a year and a half without changing the strings, and here I was trying to sound like Geddy Lee and Chris Squire." - Thanks to Matt Kelly for the headsup!