Rush "Cygnus X-1" Record Store Day 2017 special release this April 22

Rush will be releasing "Cygnus X-1" books 1 and 2 on 12-inch 180 Gram Audiophile Vinyl EP for Record Store Day this April 22nd:

"2017 marks the 40th anniversary of A Farewell To Kings and to kickstart the celebration, Books I & II of "Cygnus X-1" are newly compiled together for the first time ever as an audiophile 180g vinyl EP with brand new artwork by longtime Rush artwork creative director Hugh Syme.  SIDE A: Cygnus X-1: Book 1 SIDE B: Cygnus X-1: Book II".  

The release will be limited to 5000 copies and will be available at select independent record store locations for Record Store Day on April 22nd. To find participating store locations and to learn more about Record Store Day, visit the website at recordstoreday.com. - Thanks to Joe Pesch for the headsup!

Shredders!: The Oral History Of Speed Guitar (And More) featuring foreword by Alex Lifeson

Music journalist Greg Prato has published a new book titled Shredders!: The Oral History Of Speed Guitar (And More) which features a foreword by Alex Lifeson.  "How fast can you play? What guitar do you have? Who is better, Van Halen or Steve Vai? For metal fans in the 80s, these were common and important questions. Tune in to MTV, pick up a magazine, or walk into an instrument store, and more often than not you'd be exposed to what is now known as shredding - the fast, virtuoso soloing popularized by musicians like Vai and Van Halen, Joe Satriani and Yngwie Malmsteen, Randy Rhoads and Dimebag Darrell. Inspired by these pioneering guitarists, thousands of young musicians would spend hours at home in their bedrooms, perfecting both their playing and their poses. Though shredding fell out of favor during the grunge/alternative rock era, it has become increasingly popular again in recent years, spurred by the rise in popularity of bands like Children Of Bodom, DragonForce, and Trivium. Drawing on more than 70 exclusive interviews with key shredders past and present, author and guitarist Greg Prato has assembled the definitive guide to the fastest players of them all."  Click here to order.  For Lifeson's forward, see below.

"From Cradle to Stage" by Vignia Hanlon Grohl coming April 25th

From Cradle to Stage, the new book by Vignia Hanlon Grohl is set for release April 25th.  The mother of Grammy-winning rock star Dave Grohl, Virginia retired from a thirty-year teaching career, then jumped on tour buses and planes to travel to rock shows throughout the U.S. and Europe with her son and the Foo Fighters. Her next tour, travelling to meet the mothers of other stars, provided the profiles for her first book, From Cradle to Stage.  As she watched her son's star rise, she often wondered about the other mothers who raised sons and daughters who became rock stars. Were they as surprised as she was about their children's fame? Virginia often wondered about the mystical force that urges some of us to listen, to play, to surround ourselves with music. She wanted to talk about it with the other mothers whose sons and daughters were sharing stages with Dave, and she decided to seek them out wherever they were. So began a two-year odyssey, where she had conversations with such women from all over the world. One of the chapters in the book is dedicated to Geddy Lee; in it Virginia interviews Ged's mother, Mary Weinrib, about what influenced their child to choose a musical career, and the prevalence of music in their family home.  Click to order.