Neil Peart, Drum Magazine's 2010 Drummer Of The Year

The current issue of Drum Magazine includes their annual Drummie Awards. For the 4th straight year, Neil wins Drummer Of The Year, and also was runner up for best Live Performer as well as best Progressive Rock Drummer. For the complete list visit DrumMagazine.com. - Thanks to Frank Ray for the headsup!

"My Favorite Headache" and "Victor" Reissues

Last December, Wounded Bird Records reissued Alex Lifeson's long out of print solo project Victor, which had been out of print since its original release by Atlantic Records in 1996. Now, Wounded Birds is reissuing Geddy Lee's solo album, My Favorite Headache, listed on their website at $12.99.

Formed in 1998, Wounded Bird Records is a label that specializes in the reissue of albums from the 60's, 70's and early 80's on compact disc. All of their releases are properly licensed from the owner of the original masters, in most cases the original record label and sometimes the artists themselves. - Thanks to Blake Willis and RushIsABand for the headsup!

Rush "Breaking Through The Gender Barrier"

Selina Martin's Disaster Fantasies was released June 29th, including a "thoughtful cover" of "The Spirit Of Radio (click here for a sample).

"Toronto singer-songwriter Selina Martin, whose upcoming album Disaster Fantasies will include a thoughtful cover of the 1980 Rush hit Spirit of Radio talks about the gender disparity among the band’s fans." - Globe & Mail, June 5, 2010

The PRS “Hollowbody 12” Endorsed by Alex Lifeson

"In May of 2010, the first “Hollowbody 12” prototype from the PRS factory was sent to Alex Lifeson for his feedback. He delivered the following comment: “The playability is instantly silky and facile, the tone bright, clear and shimmering, and the finishing details are a testament to the PRS craftsmanship. The broad fretboard is a joy to play, and I was blown away by the intonation–of course, split saddles!! Why doesn't everyone do that?” Alex Lifeson gave his opinion, and now you can too. PRS will be building these guitars, to order only, as of July 1, 2010. Please see an authorized PRS dealer for details." - PRS.com, June 16, 2010 - Thanks to RushTheBand for the headsup!

Rush Receives Star On Hollywood Walk Of Fame

"Rush, Canada's most successful rock band, received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Friday, appropriately in front of the Musicians Institute on Hollywood Boulevard. On hand to induct the musicians were Smashing Pumpkins singer Billy Corgan and Donna Halper, a former music director at Cleveland's WMMS-FM who was among the first to champion the enduring band's 1974 self-titled debut album...Frontman-bassist Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson were in attendance to claim the 2,412th star on the Walk of Fame. Noticeably absent was drummer and lyricist Neil Peart, who was riding a motorcycle to the band's first tour date in Albuquerque on Tuesday." - Hollywood Reporter, June 25, 2010

• Click here for Rush at the HollywoodChamber.net
• Click here for the Hollywood Walk of Fame's YouTube channel
• Click here for CNN's coverage of the event
• Click here for photos of the ceremony courtesy of The Canadian Music Scene

"Porcupine Tree - Atlanta" download only live album to benefit Mick Karn

Porcupine Tree have released a download only live album to benefit bassist Mick Karn. If you are unfamiliar with live Porcupine Tree, this is a great way to check them out, and it's for a great cause!

"Porcupine Tree - Atlanta: This download comprises a complete 2 hour live performance from the Fear of a Blank Planet tour. The show was recorded and mixed to the usual PT standards in order to provide material for a planned live album, but when the decision was taken to film much of the same repertoire in Holland for a major DVD release instead, the Atlanta recording ended up back in the vault. Now PT have now decided to make it available in complete form as a download only release in order to raise funds for Mick Karn's treatment for cancer. Although the repertoire is similar to that on the Anesthetize DVD, the performance has its own atmosphere, and also includes the first ever officially released live recording of 'A Smart Kid'. Please note that all Porcupine Tree's profits from the sale of the Atlanta download will go directly to the Mick Karn Appeal. Burning Shed's profits will go to Macmillan Cancer Support."

Knucklebonz Rock Iconz™ Limited Edition Rush Statues

Knucklebonz, the makers of the Rush Starman figurine, are releasing statuettes of Neil Peart, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson circa '78/'79. The Neil Peart sculpture is shipping Fall 2010, with Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson's statues available to reserve via pre-ordering, exact ship date to be determined. For more info visit Knucklebonz.com. - Thanks to Pat Komadoski for the headsup!

"Tom Sawyer" on "The Hard Times Of RJ Berger"

During last night's series premiere of the all new MTV original series "The Hard Times Of RJ Berger", after most of the players are ejected from the school's basketball game, RJ is forced to suit up and "Tom Sawyer" was heard. - Thanks to Andy Newby and Colin Riggs for the headsup!

Rush Referenced on "Wizards of Waverly Place"

During the opening scene of Saturday's episode of "Wizards of Waverly Place" (season 3 episode 20), Alex and Harper discover that Max has a girlfriend. To keep his girlfriend a secret from his parents, he has told her his name is 'Tom Sawyer'. Alex exclaims "'Tom Sawyer'? That is such an obvious lie, it's the name from the Rush song." Harper interjects "...and the classic book!" and Alex concludes "Wow that song was good, I didn't know they made a book out of it!" Click here for the video clip. - Thanks to Robert Mooty for the heads up!

Rush Pulls Spirit from Rand Paul's Campaign

"In Web ads and at campaign appearances, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Rand Paul sometimes has called on the music of the band Rush to give his message a little pop. It turns out the campaign wasn't using the music with the band's permission, according to Rush's attorney, Robert Farmer. Farmer, general counsel for the Anthem Entertainment Group Inc. in Toronto, which is Rush's record label, has sent a letter to Paul campaign officials informing them that they have violated copyright laws - and urging them to stop. 'This is not a political issue - this is a copyright issue,' Farmer said in an interview. 'We would do this no matter who it is.' Besides, all three members of Rush - Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart - are Canadians, not Americans, he pointed out." - Louisville Courier-Journal, June 2, 2010 - Thanks to J Grismore for the headsup!

Geddy Lee endorses Orange Bass Amps

"Orange Amps are proud to announce rock legend Geddy Lee of Rush is now using their Orange Bass amps...For more information on orange amps visit Orange Amplifiers. - Thanks to RushFanForever for the headsup!

"Backstage Secrets: On The Road With The Rock Band RUSH" DVD5 ReRelease

Backstage Secrets: On the Road with the Rock Band RUSH, was originally released on DVD last September 11th. Filmed during the 2008 Snakes & Arrows tour, the 250 minute documentary gives a backstage look at what it takes to put on Rush's show. Longtail Distribution Network has announced they are rereleasing the 250 minute documentary on DVD5 media for improved quality. If you previously purchased the original release, click here for info on how to obtain a replacement copy. To purchase the rerelease, click here. - Thanks to David Kutz, President of Longtail Distribution for the headsup!

"Longtail Distribution Network has re-released the DVD “Backstage Secrets: On the Road with the Rock Band Rush”. This new release has been replicated onto DVD5 media with better quality video. The previous version, duplicated to DVD-R media is no longer available for sale.

For those of you who were disappointed in the technical quality of the original release, for a limited period of time, we are making the newly released version available at our cost of $6.00 plus shipping. This is for all five episodes on two discs.

If you originally purchased the DVD from Amazon.com or Filmbaby, please send a copy of your purchase receipt or any other reasonable documentation validating your purchased to support@longtailnet.com. We will then provide you with a password for the special page on our website built to accommodate this replacement pricing.

If you originally purchased the DVD from the Longtail Distribution Network you do not need to provide a receipt. To validate your purchase we need to know the email address of the person who originally ordered the DVD or the address to where it was shipped. It would be helpful to also provide the approximate date of purchase. Simply write to us at support@longtailnet.com with that information and we will then provide you with a password for the special page on our website built to accommodate this replacement pricing.

If you cannot validate your purchase we are very sorry, but we will not fulfill your order. If you place an order on our password protected page without our pre-approval your purchase will be refunded and the product will not be shipped.

The newly released DVD is now available for sale at a price of $24.95 for home use on our website at http://www.longtailnet.com/1290."

New World Man: A Tribute To Rush

New World Man: A Tribute To Rush, is now available. The new release includes four new tracks, three of which are recorded by members of Coheed And Cambria, The Dillinger Escape Plan (Chris Pennie), KORN (Shane Gibson) and The Mars Volta (Juan Alderete) on the tracks "New World Man", "Fly By Night" and "Force Ten". The fourth new track is I, Omega's version of 'Tom Sawyer'. The remaining selections include previous releases from Magna Carta's Working Man (1996) and Subdivisions (2005) tribute albums featuring performances by Robert Berry, Dave Martone, Sebastian Bach, John Petrucci, Mike Portnoy and Billy Sheehan, as well as Alex Skolnick Trio's jazz interpretation of 'Tom Sawyer' from their album Last Day In Paradise.

Truth Behind Rush's Absence At The Winter Olympics

In early February, it was rumored that Rush would be one of the Canadian bands to represent their native country during the opening ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics. This past Tuesday during a radio interview with Philadelphia's WYSP to promote Beyond The Lighted Stage, Geddy Lee finally shed some light on the band's absence. - Thanks to John at Cygnus-X1.net for the headsup!

"We had an opportunity to play but there were all kinds of crazy rules going on about lip-synching and all stuff like that and that's just not our bag, man." - Geddy Lee, April 27, 2010

"2112" Heard In "High School" Trailer

The film High School premiered at the Sundance Film Festival this past January. Starring Adrien Brody and Colin Hanks, the trailer uses the opening keyboards from 2112 as its background music! - Thanks to Kevin Leclerc for the headsup!

"Tom Sawyer" on "Fringe"

"Tom Sawyer" was featured in the opening moments of tonight's episode of Fox's Fringe. During the episode "The Man from the Other Side", the song played on a car radio as a young couple gets high (yes, yes, "A Passage To Bangkok" would have been more appropriate!). If you missed it, it will be available in the next few days on the Fringe website. - Thanks to Jeff Lucas for the headsup!

Rush Congratulates South Park (Neil Peart Sings!?)

Yesterday, Geddy, Alex AND Neil uploaded a congratulatory video to celebrate the 200th episode of South Park. And did I mention Neil sings? - Thanks to Mark Earnshaw for the headsup!

Vapor Trails Deluxe Edition - April Fools!

I hope you all enjoyed my April Fool's joke!

"The T.A.M.I. Show" Now On DVD

Many Rush fans have brought to my attention the fact that the 1964 concert film The T.A.M.I. Show, has been remastered and reissued on DVD. This concert film includes Marvin Gaye, Chuck Berry, The Beach Boys, Jan and Dean, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, The Supremes, Gerry and the Pacemakers, and more. In his book Traveling Music, Neil Peart wrote at length regarding the show's impact, beginning on page 130 "Another movie around the same time was a much stronger musical influence on me - in fact, in retrospect, it was the influence. The T.A.M.I. Show, or "Teen Age Music International"... The DVD is now available.

Rush Songwriter's Hall Of Fame Induction

Rush were inducted into the Canadian Songwriter's Hall Of Fame Sunday, March 28th, at the Toronto Centre For The Arts' George Weston Recital Hall. All three members of Rush were in attendance for the induction ceremony and were recognized for Limelight, Closer to the Heart, The Spirit of Radio, Tom Sawyer and Subdivisions. Performing at the induction ceremony were Canadian hardcore rockers Alexisonfire performing Tom Sawyer; Primus frontman Les Claypool playing a version of The Spirit of Radio; and Canadian folk singer/songwriter Jacob Moon doing his rendition of Subdivisions. Neil Peart gave the acceptance speech for the band.

Click Here For Additional Hall of Fame Induction News

"Rush has typically been more associated with their unrivaled musicianship and their restless ambition to conquer every musical genre, sometimes in the span of one song. The band acknowledged that immediately in their speech, which was delivered entirely by drummer Neil Peart. 'First of all, songwriting award? Rush? There must be some mistake,' Peart said to laughter from a crowd that had just serenaded the group with a standing ovation. 'We continue to inspire each other and create music that inspires us all.'" - Rush, Robert Charlebois join songwriters' hall of fame, March 29, 2010

"Millions of record sales notwithstanding, Rush's songwriters have rarely earned income from other artists' covers of their famous songs. The complexity of the arrangements built into Rush's work — sudden time, tempo and key changes — are beyond the grasp of less ambitious or practised musicians, and the soaring melodies and vivid narratives are forsaken...'I understand why no one covers our songs,' Lee said. 'They sound daunting. But, as Moon proved in his ‘Subdivisions' video, most of the songs can be stripped back to their simplest form, and find a new life. When we tried to write songs that are simple and uncomplicated, it didn't work. One of our producers used to tell us, 'You'd have a lot of hits if only someone else recorded them.''" Toronto Star, March 28, 2010

"Peart, who says he would have been an English high school teacher if he hadn’t become a rock drummer, is pleased at the Rush songs chosen for induction, particularly Subdivisions. 'It's a very unusual song construction lyrically and musically that we managed to make work,” he said. “It was written at a time when we weren’t working, so to speak. We were mixing a live album and we just started playing around and wrote a song for fun. Although it’s very serious in it’s musical structure, one of the most complicated actually that we’ve had in terms of arrangement drum part alone, it’s a really intricate drum part to play and consequently I still love playing it almost 30 years later and that’s a good testament.'" Jam!Music, March 26, 2010

• Audio of the complete induction ceremony - CBC.ca
• Jacob Moon talks about his experience with backstage photos. - March 28-29, 2010
• A Rush To The Hall Of Fame - March 29, 2010
• Rush Inducted Into Hall Of Fame - March 28, 2010
• A Conversation With Rush - March 19, 2010