Neil Peart's News, Weather & Sports - "The Count of Words"

Neil Peart has updated his website with the latest "News, Weather and Sports", subtitled "The Count of Words". In it, he discusses the essay written for the new album, mentioning that at 3,300 words it is nearly half again as long as the essay written for Vapor Trails. Due to this fact the essay will not be included with the cd, but will be posted on Rush.com. He also discusses the purpose of his MySpace page, upcoming articles regarding the making of Snakes & Arrows for Modern Drummer and another article about his favorite motorcycle destinations on the R30 tour which will appear in the May issue of Motorcyclist. He concludes with notes on the dreaded upcoming tour, as well as a tease about his new touring kit, stating:

"As for the finish and hardware, that’s going to be a surprise. I’ll only say, 'Black is the new gold,' and 'Red is the new black.'" - Neil Peart, NeilPeart.net, Mar. 20, 2007

Alex Lifeson in "Wine Spectator"

Alex Lifeson is interviewed in the April 30th, 2007, issue of Wine Spectator. Subscribers can access the article online.

Drumhead Magazine Interviews Matt Scanell

This month's Drumhead Magazine includes an interview with Vertical Horizon singer, Matt Scanell. The article goes into detail of how Vertical Horizon was influenced by Rush, and Scanell also shares the story of his friendship with Neil Peart. Apparently Neil was in Texas selling his BMW car to a lady at a BMW dealership; her husband was Matt Scanell, who was also present and recognized Peart. They hit it off and became good friends.

Peart and Scanell's friendship has been documented by Neil in his recent books, Traveling Music and Roadshow. In June of last year, Neil Peart posted to his website that he will be appearing on the forthcoming Vertical Horizon album (release date unannounced):

"Late in 2005, Matt [Scannell] and I started working on a song together, with lyrics I wrote especially for Matt’s voice — literal and metaphorical. Matt suggested I might like to play drums on that song, and when I agreed to that, he started sending me demos of other songs he thought I might like to play on. (Trickster!). So while I was in Toronto working on Rush songs, I was also 'moonlighting' on three of Matt’s songs, playing to his demos and working out drum parts for them...Through the miracle of modern technology, I was able to e-mail those recorded sketches to Matt, and collect his comments as I went along. Thus it came to pass...on June 14, 2006, at Capitol Records Studio B in Hollywood (Hollywood and Vine, in fact), I recorded three songs for Matt’s upcoming Vertical Horizon album...The following day I told Matt that session had been one of the greatest challenges, experiences, and — now — rewards of my life. That’s the way I have always felt about making Rush albums, and I have every faith the same will be true when Alex, Geddy, and I reconvene in September." - Neil Peart, NeilPeart.net, June 17, 2006

The Updated Rush News Page

For some time now I've wanted to bring some interactive functionality back to Power Windows, ever since dropping my "guest book" back before the turn of the century (literally), which was followed by the death of my newsletter two years ago. With that in mind, I've converted my News page over to a Newsblog (my RSS news feed has been automatically replaced as well). I've tried to keep the format as close as possible to my original News page, and the frequency and number of my entries will essentially remain the same as in the past. Now, however, you have the ability to comment on each entry as well. The forthcoming release of the new album should make for some interesting talk in the next few weeks, so please speak up!

Geddy And Daughter on Gilmore Girls

Geddy Lee and daughter Kyla made a non-acting appearance in the final scene of a recent episode of "Gilmore Girls". The episode is titled "Will You Be My Lorelai, Gilmore?" (season 7 episode 16). In a recent MySpace blog entry, singer Sebastian Bach, who also starred in the episode, writes:

"Sure enough, when I get to the production office to rehearse the song we perform in the episode, there in the flesh is Mr. Geddy Lee & his beautiful daughter Kyla! Turns out Kyla has impeccable taste & never misses an episode of her favorite show, 'The Gilmore girls', right beside Dad who watches every one with her! Geddy told us that he was in LA listening to mixes of the new Rush CD, & set up a tour of the WB lot with Kyla, who had a great time meeting the cast & watching us work. I said to Geddy 'Well, hey ..... why don't you guys BE IN THE SHOW???'" - Sebastian Bach, MySpace blog (click here for more), Mar. 8, 2007

Sucking the 70's: Back in the Saddle Again

Sucking the 70s: Back in the Saddle Again, a 2-CD classic rock covers compilation released February 27, includes a cover of Rush's unreleased "Garden Road" by the band Mos Generator ["Garden Road" is an unreleased Rush original last performed live on the '74 tour; in the 1988 "Rush Backstage Club Newsletter", when asked why it was never officially released, Neil replied, "... original songs written before I joined the band... Well, why do you think we never recorded them?"]

On a related note, a cover of "Working Man", performed by the Suplecs, was included on Sucking The 70s released in 2002.

Trailer Park Boys: The Movie

Released only in Canadian theaters last October, Trailer Park Boys: The Movie was released on DVD February 20th. A must for Rush fans, Trailer Park Boys fan Alex Lifeson has a cameo role as a police officer in the film, which also includes many Rush references. Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee also perform on the soundtrack (for more information regarding the soundtrack, click here).

Rush On "The Family Guy"

Someone involved with the animated television series The Family Guy must be a Rush fan!

Back in November, a scene included Chester Cheetah (the Cheetos mascot) playing "Tom Sawyer" with a Rush poster on the wall and saying , his Rush poster and his saying "Ah God there is no f(bleeped out) drummer better than Neil Peart (pronounced 'Pert')!".

During last night's episode, there was another Rush reference: as Stewie and Brian are leaving Aspen, Colorado, a highway mileage sign gives the distance to Rhode Island as 2112 miles! (Note, this is in fact the actual milelage from Aspen to Rhode Island, +/- 6 miles! Coincidence?).

Rush on "The Knights Of Prosperity"

During the opening scene of tonight's episode of the new television series, "The Knights Of Prosperity", the leader of the group chooses "Tom Sawyer" as their theme song, then begins to sing Tom Sawyer along with a karaoke machine as the other members join in. Twice later in the episode the Rush version is played as well. The episode can be seen at ABC.com.

"White Noise 2" Includes Choral Rush

A review of the sequel to the film which starred Michael Keaton, where "A near-death experience gives Abe Dale the ability to see a spooky light emanating from those about to die", provides information about the final half hour of the film. The review concludes with "The final furlong features a stunning set-piece multiple death involving a piano, genuinely disturbing surgery make-up, and a school choir singing Rush's The Spirit of Radio. If only the first hour were this unhinged." - The Guardian, Jan. 5, 2007

Neil Peart Burning For Buddy Now on DVD

Previously only available on VHS, the complete Buddy Rich Memorial Scholarship Concerts and The Making Of Burning For Buddy are now available on DVD (released in 2006). The Buddy Rich Memorial Scholarship Concerts contains Neil Peart performing three songs with the Buddy Rich Band at the Ritz Theater in New York City on April 8, 1991. These concerts ultimately led to the "Burning for Buddy" albums whose recording sessions were documented on The Making of Burning For Buddy.

Tenacious D Rush Star Merchandise

Looking for some off the wall Rush related merchandise in time for Christmas? Check out these official merchandise items by Jack Black's band, Tenacious D, featuring their take on Rush's Starman. Items available via the official Tenacious D website include a t-shirt, keychain and magnet. Jack Black was Rush's original choice to act in the opening film of the R30 Tour, a part which Jerry Stiller ended up doing. Black is a longtime Rush fan, and can be seen 'singing' the music of "Jacob's Ladder" in the film High Fidelity, calling Peart "one of the great drummers of all time" in School of Rock, and even did his laundry on stage during one show of the R30 Tour. Note, while Rush's star has been mistakenly called a pentagram, well...

Alex Lifeson's Painting Auctioned For Charity

Alex Lifeson created a painting for "A Brush of Hope", along with paintings by nearly 90 other Canadian celebrities, which were auctioned off to benefit the Kidney Foundation of Canada. Lifeson's auction ended last night (Nov. 12), and his painting sold for $2,705.

Rush In Rio Single DVD Edition

For those that passed on it the first time around, Rush In Rio is now available as a single disk edition DVD. This edition is apparently identical to disk one of the 2 DVD edition, containing the concert only.

YYZ Covered In "Guitar Hero 2"

The videogame Guitar Hero 2 is now available, and includes a cover of "YYZ". The Playstation 2 Edition was released Nov. 7th, although Xbox 360 users will have to wait until 2007. Besides 'YYZ', the game also includes covers of Black Sabbath's 'War Pigs', Butthole Surfers' 'Who Was in My Room Last Night?', KISS' 'Strutter', Reverend Horton Heat's 'Psychobilly Freakout', and Van Halen's 'You Really Got Me.'"

Neil Peart on Rick Mercer Report

On Tuesday's Rick Mercer report, Rick "takes drumming lessons from Rush's Neil Peart" and they also discuss Neil's motorcycling. The episode aired Tuesday Nov. 7th, at 8:00pm and will repeat Friday the 10th at 8:30pm on Canada's CBC. Click here to view the video segment. Geddy Lee previously appeared on the Rick Mercer report in January 2004, in a report titled "Celebrity Winter Advice With Geddy Lee".

R30 Commemorative Drum Kit

DW Drums has produced thirty limited edition replicas of the drumkit Neil Peart used during the R30 tour. A new article sheds more light on the subject:

"Following last year's nationwide tour of Neil Peart's actual drum kit, accompanied by long-time drum technician Lorne Wheaton, musical instrument retailer Guitar Center has teamed up with Drum Workshop (DW) and SABIAN cymbals to recreate the legendary drummer's "R30" drum kit in honor of 30 years of the enduring legacy of RUSH. The DW Neil Peart Commemorative R30 Drum Kit delivers unmatched sound and is replicated right down to the minutest detail. Each drum is made from hand-selected maple wood with an inner ply of curly maple, while the finish is an extreme custom lacquer process that involves hologram appliques of icons (inspired by Keith Moon's "Pictures of Lily" kit) representing many of RUSH's most famous recordings and tours. Each Black Mirra Flake panel is lined with red pin striping and the entire kit including hardware and pedals are custom plated in rich 24-carat gold. The R30 kit also includes a full complement of Neil's SABIAN Paragon cymbals, which he worked closely with SABIAN to develop. The kit comes complete with 30 pairs of Pro-Mark Neil Peart Commemorative Drum Sticks, an exclusive DVD titled The Making of the R30 Drumkit, as well as a Certificate of Authenticity personally signed by Neil Peart. Guitar Center is making this once-in-a-lifetime, limited production (only 30 are being produced) DW Neil Peart Commemorative R30 Drum Kit available on October 30th at $30,000.00. For more information, visit their web site at GuitarCenter.com ." - Guitar Center Teams Up With DW, Sabian, And Pro-Mark For The DW Neil Peart Commemorative R30 Drum Kit, Harmony Central, Oct. 19, 2006

Primus "Best Of" and Mockumentary

The group Primus are well known fans of Rush, having included the YYZ intro in two of their tracks, "John The Fisherman" and "To Defy The Laws Of Tradition"; released on separate albums in 1990, they are both included on their new best of collection, They Can't All Be Zingers, released yesterday, Oct. 17.

Also released yesterday is a their third DVD, Blame It On The Fish. The DVD includes a 30 minute mockumentary of the band set in 2065, where a 102 year-old Les Claypool reminisces about the band, and mentions Rush and/or Geddy Lee on three separate occasions. For more on Primus and Rush, click here.

Alex Lifeson in "Trailer Park Boys: The Big Dirty"

"Trailer Park Boys: The Big Dirty" premiered in Canada on Friday, October 6th, and includes a cameo by Alex Lifeson in the role of a policeman. Rush references abound in the film, as the basic plot premise is the scheme to rob a change machine named the "Quiznoid 2112", from inside the local theater whose marquee reportedly lists the films now showing as "Bastille Day", "The Temples of Syrinx", "Red Barchetta", "La Villa Strangiato", "The Trees" and "Cygnus X-1".

The Trailer Park Boys: The Big Dirty film soundtrack includes "The Spirit of Radio", as well as Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson with others covering "I Fought The Law" as 'The Big Dirty Band', and Lifeson on "Liqour & Whores" along with 'Bubbles and the Shit Rockers'. Both songs as well as the video for "I Fought The Law" directed by long time Rush photographer Andrew MacNaughton, along with the film's trailers featuring Rush's "The Spirit of Radio", are available online at myspace.com/bigdirtyband. For more information regarding the soundtrack and The Big Dirty Band, click here.

Alex Lifeson on Edwin's "Better Days" and Jakalope's "Born 4"

Alex Lifeson makes guest appearances on two albums released today (three counting the Trailer Park Boys soundtrack); he lends his guitar on the track "Star 24 (No Apologies) on Canadian band Jakalope's second album Born 4, as is found on "several" tracks on Edwin's third solo album Better Days. Visit Edwin's homepage to hear "Never Over" with Lifeson on guitar. - October 3rd, 2006

"Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson is on several tracks, including "Never Over" which should be a single...Edwin and Lifeson go back 10 years. The Rush guitarist invited Edwin to sing on his 1996 solo project, Victor, and that same year played on "Like A Girl" from I Mother Earth's second album, Scenery And Fish. 'He's only done me favors. I don't think I've done him any,' Edwin laughs. 'He was kind enough to let us work at his studio for a week and let us use everything we wanted - his guitars, his amps, whatever we wanted. He was great about it and he also did us the favor of coming in and doing some cameo guitar playing on a few songs. We ran the songs and he played what he felt, so we used his guitar stylings throughout the record.'" - Jam! Showbiz, May 10, 2006

"With Dave Rave Ogilvie (Skinny Puppy, Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, David Bowie) once again at the helm of the project, Jakalope returned to the scene of the crime, recording Born4 at Vancouvers famed Warehouse Studio. NIN god Trent Reznor signed on as co-producer without question. Ogilvie and Phil Caivano (Blitzspeer, Monster Magnet) locked themselves away to create the music, coming together with Katie B for the lyrics and melodies...'Star 24 (No Apologies)' features Alex Lifeson of Rush." - Jakalope, June 2006