John Rutsey, Dead At 55

Rush's founding drummer John Rutsey passed away on May 11, 2008. John passed away peacefully in his sleep from a heart attack due to complications from his lifelong affliction with diabetes.

"RUTSEY, John Howard - It is with deep sadness that John's family announces his untimely passing due to complications from his lifelong affliction with diabetes, at age 55. Donations may be made in John's memory to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, 7100 Woodbine Avenue, Suite 311, Markham, ON, L3R 5J2 (online: www.jdrf.ca, by phone: 905-944-4631). Online Condolences: newbiggingfh@rogers.com. Published in the National Post on 5/15/2008."

"Our memories of the early years of Rush when John was in the band are very fond to us. Those years spent in our teens dreaming of one day doing what we continue to do decades later are special. Although our paths diverged many years ago, we smile today, thinking back on those exciting times and remembering John's wonderful sense of humour and impeccable timing. He will be deeply missed by all he touched." - Alex & Geddy, Rush.com, May 16, 2008

Geddy Lee On Barnaked Ladies' "Snacktime"

The new Barenaked Ladies' children's album, Snacktime, was released May 6th and is now available. Snacktime is composed of 24 tracks; the title track includes guest appearances from multiple celebrities including Geddy Lee, Lyle Lovett, Jason Priestley, Sarah McLachlan, Gordon Lightfoot and more. Geddy is heard saying "I'm Geddy, and my favorite snack is Barbecue Potato Chips".   In addition, the final track, "Here Come The Geese", subtly quotes "Subdivisions"; when listing all the places one can find migratory geese, it includes "in the high school halls, in the shopping malls..."

Rush Winners of Readers Polls

The members of Rush have been quietly gathering up wins in various music magazine readers polls:

• Neil Peart has won best Rock Drummer and best Recorded Performance in the 2008 Modern Drummer Readers Poll.
• Alex Lifeson won Guitar Player Magazine's Readers Choice Awards for 1) "Most Ferociously Brillian Guitar Album", 2) Best Rock Guitarist, and "Best Article" for "Different Strings" (September issue).
• Geddy Lee won Bass Player Magazine's Readers Choice Awards for 1) "Best Album for Bass", 2) "Coolest Bass Line In A Song" ("Malignant Narcissism"), and 3) "Best 2007 Cover Feature" for "Northern Warrior" (August issue).

Neil Peart Drum Kit Sample Collection From Sonic Reality

"According to the KVR audio forum, a company called Sonic Reality recently completed a Neil Peart drum sampling session, engineered by Nick Raskulinecz. It appears the session started on March 18 in Los Angeles, and the final product is scheduled to be released by the end of 2008. The end result of this project will be a 'Neil Peart Studio Profile,' most likely a complete sample of Neil's Snakes & Arrows DW kit and his V-drum sounds -- and possibly Neil Peart loops. Sonic Reality has produced other Studio Profiles on such drummers as Cheap Trick's Bun E. Carlos and Yes/Earthworks/King Crimson drummer Bill Bruford. If you're curious about what this all means, you can basically buy professionally-recorded sampled sounds of drummers that you can use with music software on a computer -- or plug these samples into keyboards or electronic drums. Studio Profiles cost around $79.00..." - AndrewOlson.com

"Alex Lifeson's Gift" - Hughes-and-Kettner.com

Visit Hughes-and-Kettner.com to see a short video of how Zach Tabore became Hughes & Kettner's newest youngest endorsee.....thanks to Alex Lifeson!

Rush at Foo Fighters Show

"How to best sum up the Foo Fighters show on Saturday night at the Air Canada Centre? What a Rush! Literally. Rush singer-bassist Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson surprised the crowd by showing up about an hour into the Foos’ two-hour-and-10-minute performance to play with drummer Taylor Hawkins during his drum solo and the three musicians then played the Rush instrumental YYZ. Let's just say the appearance by the Toronto prog-rockers injected some much needed energy and excitement into the proceedings and Hawkins even had a hug for Lee afterwards. 'Rush! Rush!' screamed Foos leader Dave Grohl in amazement as the two musicians walked off stage...'You've got nuts the size of grapefruits,' said Grohl to Hawkins after he played with Lee and Lifeson..." - Jam! Showbiz, March 23, 2008

New Rush Cover by the Michael Schenker Group

Last month the Michael Schenker Group released a covers album titled Doctor, Doctor: The Kulick Sessions. Included on the album is a cover of "Finding My Way", the opening track off Rush's debut album. Performing vocals on this and more of the album's tracks is ex-Skid Row vocalist Sebastian Bach; this is Bach's fourth Rush cover on record - he has performed Rush covers both as a member of Skid Row as well as on the Working Man and Subdivisions tribute albums.

Permanent Waves Ultradisc II™ 24 KT Gold CD

The Permanent Waves Ultradisc II™ 24 KT Gold CD by Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs was released January 8, 2008.  This CD comes in heavy stock cardboard gatefold which replicates the original vinyl album packaging, and is gold stamped with a number making it a true limited edition. The CD itself is in a soft cloth sleeve which slips into the gatefold along with the CD booklet and a MOFI technical data informational card. The artwork is faithful to the original album, and even includes the incorrect lyrics of "Freewill" which were eventually corrected in the original Mercury remaster.

Unfortunately, this is the to be the last MFSL reissue:

"After literally months of examination and discussions with the artists, due to the age and fragility of most of original first-generation analog masters to classic Rush titles, we?ve had to cancel plans to release the titles we had planned. They have deemed that the original masters should not be used for any future re-mastering, and we have to respect that decision. We apparently lucked out big-time with Permanent Waves as it was in pristine condition. Sorry for the bad news but we?re not feeling so hot about it ourselves. I believe another indie label is now looking into releasing some Rush titles in the future but mastered from copy tapes." - Best regards, Michael Grantham, Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs, March 2008

Mobile Fidelity's Limited Edition 24k Gold Audiophile CDs are some of the most valuable collector's items within the Audiophile market, pressed directly from the original studio master session tapes and engineered to produce the finest CD sound quality available. This is the fourth Rush album to be released in the Ultradisc II™ line; previous releases include 2112 (1993), Moving Pictures (1992), and Signals (1994), all of which are now out of print; the Permanent Waves Ultradisc II™ is sure to be highly coveted by Rush Audiophiles.

Peart's "News, Weather & Sports": "The Best February Ever"

Neil Peart has updated his website with his latest installment of "News, Weather & Sports": "The Best February Ever". In it he fills us in on how he's been spending his winter in Quebec, and discusses his cross-country skiing passion in detail. In addition, he talks about the second leg of the Snakes & Arrows tour, both the reasons behind it as well as his well known dislike of touring:

"Early in March I will have to start preparing for another series of concerts, a 'continuation' of the Snakes and Arrows tour. (The Snakes and Arrows 'surge,' I call it.) We had planned to end the tour in Europe last fall, but apparently more people want to see us, or see us again, so we were asked to do more shows. Some of them will be in places we haven’t got to for a while, like New Orleans, Oklahoma City, and Winnipeg, and that is nice, plus we plan to make a few changes to the setlist and presentation to freshen it up a little. Although the world knows by now that I’m not crazy about touring, I sure don’t discount the good fortune that we can still do it, personally and professionally — that we can play better than ever, and that people will come and see us. That’s not something I have ever taken for granted. As I have said to friends who might be having their own work difficulties, 'At least if I have to work, I’m glad I can.' And not just any old job, of course — pretty much the best job there is — but none-the-less a hard one." - NeilPeart.net, March 2008

Power Windows T-shirt Contest Winners!

The presale t-shirt contest sponsored by MusicToday is at a close. The three lucky winners of the Limited-Edition RUSH T-Shirts are Maureen Buza of Mesa, Arizona, Ashley Tucker of Hillsboro, Missouri, and Brad Utanoff of Addison, Illinois. You will receive your t-shirts in the next two to three weeks. Congratulations to the winners, and thanks to all who participated!

Alex Lifeson Signature Gibson ES-355 VOS - Now Available

The Gibson Alex Lifeson Signature ES-355 is now available from at Guitar Center for a cool $3,699 (that's discounted from the suggested retail price of $5,645.00)

"The Alex Lifeson ES-355 features a maple body, 3-piece maple neck, '57 Classic pickups with individual volume and tone controls, and a Maestro Long vibrola tailpiece. It would be the consummate prog rock machine even if it weren't the chosen axe of the Rush guitarist, but because it is, you know it's got the goods. The Vibrola is one of the least wood-invasive tremolo options, keeping the belly of this archtop guitar remarkably pristine and preserving it's natural resonance. The Alex Lifeson Signature ES-355's individual volume and tone controls for each of the '57 Classic pickups give you full reign over the wide spectrum of tones of which these faithful Alnico II replicas of the 1950s PAF humbuckers are capable.

'For 33 years, Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson has personified the consummate rock innovator a sonic adventurer capable of producing mind-blowing power chords and dizzying arpeggios alike, ultimately sculpted into huge, rich melodies and ingenious arrangements. Throughout most of Lifeson s ride to superstardom, a 1976 Gibson ES-355 has been by his side, both in the studio and on stage. With it, he has created many of Rush s breathtaking layered soundscapes, and the very same ES-355 continues to be an indispensable part of his live arsenal. This Gibson electric guitar is a painstaking recreation of the iconic instrument. It's Gibson s heartfelt tribute to a true modern master, and to the guitar he used to expand the definition of popular music." - GuitarCenter.com

R30 Makes Guitar Player's "50 Essential Guitar DVDs"

The February 2008 issue of Guitar Player includes the story "50 Essential Guitar DVDs"; included is Rush's R30:

"Sure, the footage from Exit Stage Left is classic, and you can’t beat the wild Brazilian crowd in the Rush in Rio DVD, but if you can only get one Rush DVD it has to be R30. The setlist, sound quality, and camera angles just can’t be beat. The R30 Overture that opens the show has all-instrumental snippets of “Finding My Way,” “Anthem,” “Bastille Day,” “A Passage to Bangkok,” “Cygnus X-1,” and “Hemispheres,” plus a hilarious cameo from Jerry Stiller. The lack of vocals on this medley allows Alex Lifeson’s PRS-fueled guitar tones to really stand out. He and the boys run through a whole bunch of Rush favorites including “Xanadu,” “Subdivisions,” “Red Barchetta,” and “Tom Sawyer” (with a killer Lifeson solo). The show kicks ass from start to finish and Lifeson is in fine form the entire time with his trademark arpeggios, fiery solos, and a humongous tone that fills the arena. If the gig was all you got this would still be a must have. When you factor in all the DVD extras like a bunch of live-in-the-studio performances from back in the day and soundcheck footage, this is an amazing piece of work and a great example of Lifeson working his magic." - Guitar Player, Feb. 2008

The Progressive Rock Hall of Fame 2008 Winners

The Progressive Rock Hall of Fame has announced its Hall of Fame Awards winners for 2008. Rush won "Progressive Rock Artist of the Year"; in addition, the band Porcupine Tree won "Progressive Rock Album of the Year" for Fear of a Blank Planet, an album which includes a guest performance by Alex Lifeson. For the complete list of winners, visit progressiverockhalloffame.com.

Rush Tops Critics List Of "Bands Whose Music We'd Like To See Turned Into a Movie"

"With Across the Universe, Julie Taymor put together a film based on dozens of unrelated Beatles songs, stitching them together to tell a story. ("I Want You" as a military recruiting anthem? Genius.) But what about all those other bands with deep back catalogs full of plot possibilities? Here are our (admittedly jokey) picks for ten groups and artists whose music (entire catalogs, not just single albums) is ripe for adapting into a feature film... and how we think that movie would go down.

1. Rush - It's hard not to cheat since some of the Canadian supergroup's classic albums from the '70s tell entire stories on their own. But we'll bypass 2112 mysticism to cobble together a post-modern story of an oppressed society ("Red Sector A") ruled by evil corporations ("The Big Money") which inspires an impressionable, young kid ("Tom Sawyer") to break free of his shackles ("New World Man") through the power of music ("Spirit of Radio," "Limelight")... and a fast car ("Red Barchetta"). OK, fine, and then he goes into space ("Cygnus X-1"). Think The Matrix with singing." - For the complete list, visit FilmCritic.com

Take Guitar Lessons from Alex Lifeson!

iVideosongs.com is a new service which allows users to download teaching videos of famous guitarists, including Alex Lifeson. Each video is $9.99, and the guitarists spend time demonstrating how to play all the different parts of some of their most famous songs. The lessons are presented in chapters--introduction, verse, chorus, bridge, outro--and titles can be sorted by skill level and genre. Click here for Alex's page.

The Heart And Soul Of A Drumset, by Neil Peart

DW Drums has added a new feature on their website, "'The Heart And Soul Of A Drumset', Chapter One In A Series: 'Bass Drum Heartbeat'". In it, Neil writes about the advent of DW's new 23" bass drum, and the history of its creation. In addition, there is a video of Neil discussing the X shell and his hybrid kit.

Power Windows Website Turns 10!

Today marks the 10th birthday of the Power Windows website at 2112.net. After originally residing elsewhere for a few months in '97, we officially moved to 2112.net on Feb. 1, 1998. I had hoped to mark the occasion with a special contest or anniversary celebration of sorts, but time has eluded me, so I'll just mark it with this news entry. Thanks to everyone who has made this website possible, both the contributors and users, and a very special thanks to Blake Willis who owns and maintains 2112.net.

Tiles' "Fly Paper", With Guest Alex Lifeson

Tiles' new album Fly Paper is now available. The album includes Alex Lifeson on guitar on the track "Sacred and Mundane", and is produced by longtime Rush producer, Terry Brown. Other guest performers include Alannah Myles, Max Webster's Kim Mitchell, and Hugh Syme, who like previous Tile's releases, also created the album artwork.

"Terry had approached Alex about making a guest appearance – and played him some of our new songs. Alex liked what he heard and said he would have a chance to do 'something' before Rush began rehearsals for their 'Snakes and Arrows' tour. The window of opportunity arrived this past March – and Terry went to Alex’ studio where the two proceeded to work their magic on "Sacred and Mundane." Listening to Alex' parts for the first time was amazing – and the amount of work he put into the song was beyond what we could have hoped for. He came up with a counter-riff that literally 'became' the song; he added acoustic guitars to the refrains; played an acoustic Celtic counter-melody in the bridge; came up with a cool backwards solo in the breakdown section; and added an assortment of guitar textures and effects from start to finish. Terry and Alex spent almost 12-hours recording." - Chris Herin, guitarist, Tiles-music.com

Good Times, Bad Times: 10 Years of Godsmack

The new Godsmack compilation, Good Times, Bad Times: 10 Years of Godsmack, was released today. Among the sixteen tracks spanning their 10 year career is the Peart-inspired song "Serenity". The package also includes a 75 minute DVD, "An Evening With Godsmack", featuring a recent acoustic performance filmed at the House of Blues in Las Vegas. During a Q&A with the crowd, Sully Erna explains that "Serenity" was written after reading the book Ghost Rider: Travels On The Healing Road by Neil Peart (pronounced incorrectly as "Pert") of Rush". Erna gives the audience an encapsulated synopsis of Neil's story, and then goes on to credit Neil as being an important influence on he and fellow Godsmack drummer Shannon Larkin. Thanks to Kyle Doyle for the headsup!

Peart's "News, Weather & Sports": The Hour of Arriving

Neil Peart has updated his website with his latest installment of "News, Weather & Sports": The Hour of Arriving. In it he describes his stays in some of the finer establishments in Europe, discusses his interest in cooking, and closes with memories of a typical show day.