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R30: 30th Anniversary World Tour Video
Lerxst At The Orbit Room
Alex Lifeson made a rare appearance on stage at The Orbit Room with The Dexters last night to celebrate the Orbit Room’s 11th anniversary. Playing along side with The Dexters for what might have been the first time in eleven years, they actually played a Rush song on stage – a version of the Spirit Of Radio! The set also included "For What It’s Worth" (see Feedback) and Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit"
Rush Plans New Tourbook Compilation And 'Complete' Video Collection
"...the members of Rush plan to announce a new official book to add to their list of items being released during the next year. The book will consist of every tour book the band has ever had and combine them all for one large historic pictorial of the group's 31-year history. The book is currently under construction, but is likely to hit stores by January 2006. The book will come in a limited special leather edition that will feature autographs of all three band members with a slipcase. A standard version of the book will run for $100...A complete video collection is also in the works for release in late 2006 including the bands later years under Atlantic Records. " - All Headline News, October 2, 2005
Geddy Lee Interviewed in "Metal: A Headbangers Journey"
"Journeying through America and Europe, following tours and attending open-air metal fests, the filmmakers document people’s opinions about the scene. Fans weigh in, as well as metal gods including Rush’s Geddy Lee..."
Peart Helps Raise $60,000 For Houston Charity
As detailed in this Rush.com press release, Neil Peart helped raise $60,000 for a Houston based charity in conjunction with ProMark.
Toronto Wins Rights To Canadian Music Hall of Fame
"Although the awards have been handed out since 1978, the Canadian Music Hall of Fame will now have an official home where it can honor its members. The building will be located in downtown Toronto at the intersection of Yonge and Dundas where over 50 million people travel down yearly...Geddy Lee of the rock trio Rush was inducted along with his bandmates in 1994 when the band celebrated 20 years of being a signed recording act. Now it is 11 years later and Lee believes it is only right that inducted members have a place to hang their hats. He says, 'I'm very happy to hear that Toronto will be the home for the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. It is a great way for Canadians to celebrate our musical heritage and will be a fine cultural addition to our city.' The Hall will officially open its doors in 2007." - All Headline News, June 17, 2005
8th Annual White Ribbon Concert
Rock 'N' Roll Never Forgets Holocaust's Horror
"...Perhaps the most well-known of Holocaust-influenced rock songs as it first appeared on the band's hit 1984 album Grace Under Pressure, and has been a staple of the band's live shows ever since. The seeds for this harrowing rocker were planted 60 years ago in April of 1945 when British soldiers liberated the Nazi concentration camp Bergen-Belsen. Rush lead singer Geddy Lee's mother, Mary Rubenstein, was among the survivors. 'I once asked my mother her first thoughts upon being liberated,' Lee said. 'She didn't believe (liberation) was possible. She didn't believe that if there was a society outside the camp how they could allow this to exist... ' Lee related the story to band drummer and lyricist Neil Peart and also wrote the music. Peart came up with lines such as: 'Are we the last ones left alive?/ Are we the only human beings to survive?' 'The whole album,' Lee said, 'is about being on the brink and having the courage and strength to survive.'" - Palm Beach Post, May 6, 2005
Carrie Nuttal's "Rhythm And Light"
"This photo book features intimate portraits of legendary Rush drummer Neil Peart at work in a Toronto recording studio, as captured by photographer Carrie Nuttall. A must have for Rush’s extensive fan base, as well as enthusiasts of both drumming and photography. Carrie Nuttall is a professional photographer who has worked extensively in both the music and fashion industries. She lives in Los Angeles, CA. $60.00 hardcover" - RounderBooks.com
Hughes & Kettner Introduces Alex Lifeson Signature TriAmp
"For decades, the powerhouse trio Rush has been the standard bearer of progressive rock. And the legendary threesome's virtuoso axe-man Alex Lifeson, with his jawdropping arsenal of distinctive sounds, is the driving force behind Rush's eclectic blend of genre-defying classic rock with a cutting-edge attitude. Hughes & Kettner zenTeras and TriAmps have been Alex's first-choice amps for years. Now he has tricked out a TriAmp to design the amp of his dreams. Opting for his fave tolex and groovy purple backlighting to illuminate the plexi front panel, he kitted out a new line of amps featuring precisely the specs of the TriAmps he played on Rush's world tour. Every Alex Lifeson Signature Amp ships with the Rush Tour book, an original Alex Lifeson pick, a special release Rush CD, and a certificate signed by Alex. Alex is known for his commitment to children's health, well-being and education, particularly of impoverished kids in the third world. To support this cause, UNICEF will receive a donation in the amount of $50 for every Alex Lifeson Signature TriAmp sold. The Alex Lifeson Signature Amp hits US stores in April 2005. Manufacturer's suggested RP is $2,799. For more information, visit their web site at www.hughes-and-kettner.com." - namm.harmony-central.com, January 23, 2005 "We have developed a Triamp signature model for Alex, and he has asked that all proceeds due to him for this amp should be given to Unicef. So, we will donate 50 Euros from the sale of each Alex Lifeson Signature Triamp to Unicef on his behalf. Thank you Alex." - hughes-and-kettner.com
Geddy Lee interviewed in "Ringers: Lord Of The Fans"
"Geddy Lee, bassist and lead singer for the seminal rock group Rush, has granted an exclusive interview to the producers of the feature documentary, Ringers: Lord Of The Fans. His heartfelt comments on the power of J.R.R. Tolkien's stories make it easy to understand how the world of Rock & Roll was forever changed by The Lord of the Rings. The fine connections between these two art forms is sharply drawn by Mr. Lee, as he explains the wonderful influence of Middle-earth on his early songwriting..." - TheOneRing.net - Sep. 29, 2004
"As the scope of the film broadened to include the worlds of music and fantasy literature, efforts to secure interviews with the best and brightest of those worlds were met with 'Yes, I'd love to!' from all quarters...Rock legends Geddy Lee (RUSH) and Lemmy Kilmister (Motörhead) quickly came on board, explaining first-hand how the Rock scene shifted under the weight of Tolkien's high-fantasy influence....The heartbeat of RINGERS is in its Rock soundtrack, and the director wanted nothing less than wall-to-wall music. [Editor Arnaud Gerardy] carefully edited to the rhythm of Led Zeppelin's 'Ramble On' and RUSH's 'Rivendell'..." - TheOneRing.net, Jan. 10, 2005
Canada for Asia
P.E.A.R.T., the Robotic Drum Machine
"P.E.A.R.T., which stands for Pneumatic and Electronic Actuated RoboT, is a robot that is made to be set up in front of any drum set and play the drums with any MIDI file as the input. It is capable of running 16 separate drum channels, with each drum capable of being hit up to 19 times per second...P.E.A.R.T. was a senior design project at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. For more information click here.
Chamber Made: Baroque Tribute to Rush
Chamber Made: The Baroque Tribute to Rush is now available."Rush’s music is a mixture of hard rock and melodic rhythms and is bound together by themes of science fiction and fantasy. It is only fitting that Rush’s grand, opus-like concept pieces be recreated in the baroque fashion. The Baroque Tribute to Rush revives the strength and unity that was produced in some of the Bands best work such as 'Madrigal' and 'Time Stands Still'. The enigmatic atmosphere of this album will haunt listeners in the true Rush fashion." - Chamber Made linernotes
Neil Peart's "Traveling Music: Playing Back the Soundtrack to My Life and Times"
Neil Peart decided to drive his BMW Z-8 automobile from L.A. to Big Bend National Park, in Southwest Texas. As he sped along "between the gas-gulping SUVs and asthmatic Japanese compacts clumping in the left lane, and the roaring, straining semis in the right," he acted as his own DJ, lining up the CDs chronologically and according to his possible moods.
"Not only did the music I listened to accompany my journey, but it also took me on sidetrips, through memory and fractals of associations, threads reaching back through my whole life in ways I had forgotten, or had never suspected...Sifting through those decades and those memories, I realized that I wasn’t interested in recounting the facts of my life in purely autobiographical terms, but rather...in trying to unweave the fabric of my life and times. As one who was never much interested in looking back, because always too busy moving forward, I found that once I opened those doors to the past, I became fascinated with the times and their effect on me. The songs and the stories I had taken for granted suddenly had a resonance that had clearly echoed down the corridors of my entire life, and I felt a thrill of recognition, and the sense of a kind of adventure. A travel story, but not so much about places, but about music and memories."
Contents Under Pressure
"Contents Under Pressure celebrates the 30th anniversary of Canada's beloved Rush, the hard-hitting, progressive rock band known for such classics as "Working Man," "Closer to the Heart," "The Spirit of Radio," "Tom Sawyer," "New World Man," "Roll the Bones" and "Ghost Rider." In original interviews with Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart, author Martin Popoff considers each of Rush's albums and tours. He elicits fresh insights on the writing and recording process, as well as musings on the grinds and glories of touring. Along the way, Popoff examines, with the band, nearly every song in the band's vast catalogue. This book also features 270 photos by official band photographer Andrew MacNaughtan and others - candid, rare, and of utmost quality, they help make Contents Under Pressure an essential piece of Rush history."
Feedback
"We always talked about throwing a cover or two into the encore just for fun. When we put this 30th anniversary tour together, we realized that we didn't have enough time to do a proper studio album. A friend of mine suggested, 'Well, maybe you guys should dip into your past. Play some songs you used to play when you were in your formative years. Just record them quickly for fun, not overthink it, and just put out a little EP to celebrate where you were as opposed to where you are.' We thought it might be a way to juice us before the tour, so that's what we did. We tried not to get too trendy with it and really go back and play songs that we really did play in early versions of our band. We recorded about eight of them and did them live off the floor in a very short period of time for us - three weeks. It was really a lot of fun." - Geddy Lee, The Columbus Dispatch, June 2, 2004
"We talked about maybe doing a couple cover songs making them available on our website but once we got into it, we fell in love with the idea. We were having so much fun that we expanded it to 8 songs and if we'd had the time, we could easily have done 12 or 13 songs and made a full album." - Alex Lifeson, Epiphone.com, July 29, 2004
Toronto Rocks DVD
Power Windows website mentioned on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim!
Sunday night, May 23rd, Adult Swim ran a rerun of the "Blackwatch Plaid" episode of Harvey Birdman: Attorney At Law which contains references to Moving Pictures. The timing of this repeat episode was likely planned to coincide with the launching of the 30th Anniversary tour, much as they aired the episode of Aqua Teen Hunger Force the week Rush In Rio was released! Before the episode, Adult Swim reportedly applauded the completeness of this website's listings of their Rush References in Pop Culture, and how it even includes the "(Caress of Swim)" comment which aired after the "Spirit Journey Formation Anniversary" episode of Aqua Teen Hunger Force last October. [NOTE: If anyone captured this on tape, please, let us know!]
Rush In Rio, Music DVD of the Year
Released Oct. 21st, 2003, the DVD was recorded and filmed in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on the final night of the Vapor Trails tour. This is the first Rush DVD to be released on both DVD as well as a 3CD live album. For more information visit the Rush In Rio news archive.
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