Brian Gardner on mastering the new Rush ‘Clockwork Angels’ album - Audio-Times.com

Audio-Times.com has posted a new interview with mastering engineer Brian Gardner where he discusses Clockwork Angels.

"Technically Nick Raskulenicz [producer on Clockwork Angels] had it together as always and made my work so much easier.  Artistically with Clockwork Angels, there seemed to be a turn towards more presence and I noticed an artistic shift in the overall vibe, that being it was more an atmospheric feel being blended in, so any altering of EQ had to be done carefully but regardless the Brilliance of Rush would prevail.

"...With Clockwork Angels, there was a definite turn towards more presence but again everything was pretty much set sonically and any altering of EQ had to be done carefully.  Geddy definitely had say in some instances where a clarification of a vocal line or a bass line as did Alex in certain guitar sections.  Neil slipped me a $20 to make sure the drums predominated….kidding!"

 For the full interview click here. - Thanks to Ed at RushIsABand for the headsup!

Rush.com: Holland pre-sale

Rush.com has just sent the following:

Rush play the Ziggodome in Amsterdam on June 2, 2013.

Pre-sale for tickets goes on sale July 1 at 10am local time.

Tour Package:
http://www.livenation.co.uk/vip/artist/rush-tickets

Tickets:
http://www.ticketmaster.nl/event/100279?CL_ORIGIN=ORIGIN2

General on-sale is July 2nd.

Rush cover feature in the July 2012 issue of Aardschok

Rush is featured on the cover of the July issue of Holland's Aardschok magazine as well as an accompanying feature story and album review, giving Clockwork Angels a 9 out of 10.  For more info click here.  - Thanks to Jan Tiemens for the headsup!

The Favourite Albums Of Rush's Geddy Lee - The Quietus

The Quietus has posted an extensive new feature where Geddy Lee discusses his 13 favorite albums.

"Mick Middles speaks to Rush bassist and singer Geddy Lee about his favourite albums of all times...  Geddy Lee's Baker's Dozen is intriguing rather than surprising. Of course, the inclusion of adventuresome power trios like Cream and the Jimi Hendrix Experience might seem obvious and strongly reflect the blues rock of their formative years. Nevertheless, it seems a long road from there to Radiohead and Bjork."

- Thanks to Ed at RushIsABand for the headsup!

Rush: Truly Canadian - Ottawa Citizen

Sunday is Canada Day, and RUSH is the subject of a new piece in the Ottawa Citizen titled "Truly Canadian" with the subtitle "If you’re Canadian, it’s likely you own a Rush album. The world’s most polite band is good in a different kind of way. Just like us.". Check it out here.

Billy Corgan is a Rush Fanboy - Fuse

Fuse has posted a new video "Billy Corgan is a Rush Fanboy", where Billy talks about why he's such a Rush fanboy and why the band has been dismissed by the "critical class." - Thanks to Steve Pavlopoulos for the headsup!

Rush Gold Records Update

Moving Pictures Goes Platinum, 1981

With the recent release of Clockwork Angels which sold over 100,000 copies in the US the first week, one might wonder if this album might be the next studio album to be awarded a Gold Record by the RIAA.  To achieve Gold Record status, an album must sell 500,000 units, a combination of cd, vinyl, digital and cassette sales, so by now Clockwork Angels must be close to 1/4 of the way to Gold, right?

The last Rush studio album to go gold is Test For Echo.  For the record, here are the current SoundScan numbers for "sales to date" of the last five Rush albums.

• Counterparts: 788,983
• Test For Echo: 504,504
• Vapor Trails: 358,382
• Feedback: 173,386
• Snakes & Arrows: 323,842

As you can see, while it is common for each studio album to see a great many copies the first couple of weeks of its release, history has shown that they do not stay on the charts for long.

Geddy Lee cover feature in the August, 2012 issue of Bass Player - Now Online

UPDATE: Once again with thanks to John at Cygnus-X1.net, the article is now available here.

Geddy Lee is featured on the cover of the August, 2012 issue of Bass Player magazine.  Included is the feature story "Full Steam Ahead" as well as a second article "Inside Geddy's Gear" with Geddy's bass tech John "Skully" McIntosh. - Thanks to RushIsABand for the headsup!

Excerpt from Neil Peart's "Raindance Over the Rockies: Across The Mountains By Bicycle"

Nearly six years ago I first shared excerpts from three of Neil Peart's privately distributed books published prior to the release of The Masked Rider.  Those three books were Riding The Golden Lion; Pedals Over The Pyrenees: Or Spain And Spokes And Trains; and The African Drum.

Today I'm happy to share with you an excerpt from one more of the two remaining unpublished books: Raindance Over the Rockies: Across The Mountains By Bicycle.  In "Raindance" Neil shares the adventures of his bicycle trip from Calgary to Vancouver during the summer of 1988.

This except is the first two pages of the 21 page book, provided by a generous Rush fan for your reading pleasure.  Enjoy!

Geddy Lee's 5 favourite bassists of all time - MusicRadar.com

In between speaking to Billy Corgan about the state of the music world today and much more, legendary Rush frontman Geddy Lee took the time out to talk bass with MusicRadar.com. In no particular order, the Rush legend picks 5 of the best. - MusicRadar.com, June 26, 2012

Orange Amps Geddy Lee Giveaway

Orange Amps is holding a contest where you can win an AD200B and 410 Cab SIGNED by Geddy Lee!  Click here to enter. - Thanks to RushFanForever for the headsup!

Roadrunner Video: "Rush - Geddy Lee on Singing Neil's Lyrics"

Roadrunner Records UK has posted a new video with Geddy lee where he discusses singing Neil's lyrics. - Thanks to B-man for the headsup!

Geddy Lee and Billy Corgan on concept albums, jamming, singing and more - Musicradar

UPDATE: Today Musicradar.com posted part 2 of their interview with Geddy Lee and Billy Corgan; this segment is "Geddy Lee and Billy Corgan on concept albums, jamming, singing and more". - Thanks to RushFanForever for the headsup!

Today Musicradar.com posted an extensive interview with Geddy Lee and Billy Corgan: "Geddy Lee and Billy Corgan talk albums vs singles".

"That both groups, Rush and The Smashing Pumpkins, have hit creative highs while rejecting the notion that 'the hit single is king' was the starting point for a discussion MusicRadar recently had with Lee and Corgan in which the two talked about how they navigate through the murky waters of the music business and rise to the challenges of what Corgan calls the 'iPod era.'" - MusicRadar.com, June 21, 2012

Rush on the cover of "Fireworks", June 2012

UPDATE: Thanks to John at Cygnus-X1.net, the article is now available here.

Rush is featured on the cover of the June issue of the UK's Fireworks magazine (#52).  The issue includes a 2-page spread on the band and Clockwork Angels. For more information click here.

Geddy Lee Receives Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal

According to the CBC, Geddy Lee was one of over 600 distinguished Ontario residents to receive the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee medal last Monday (June 18th) in Toronto.  The special medal was created to mark the 60th anniversary of the Queen's accession to the throne.

The commemorative medals were presented to distinguished Ontario residents who have already been invested with the Order of Canada and Order of Ontario. All living Order of Canada and Order of Ontario recipients were invited.  For more information visit CBC.ca. - Thanks to RushFanForever for the headsup!

Neil Peart To Participate In Drummer's Reality Camp In Los Angeles June 27 to 30

As previously announced, today the Pasadena Sun reported that Neil Peart will participate in the Drummer's Reality Camp at the Los Angeles Music Academy College of Music in Pasadena from June 27 to 30.  Also participating in the camp are legendary session drummer Jim Keltner, Doane Perry of Jethro Tull, Uli Frost and drumming instructors from the LA Music Academy. - For more info visit Pasadena Sun, June 24, 2012.

Neil Peart With Jim Ladd On Sirius XM Now Online

Neil Peart appeared on Jim Ladd's show on SiriusXM Deep Tracks channel 27 on the evening of June 13th.  The interview is now online and can be heard here. - Thanks to RushFanForever for the headusp!

Rush Feature in Rolling Stone's July 5th issue

Last week, RollingStone.com posted two Q&A's with Neil Peart and Alex Lifeson. The author merged them together for "Inside Rush's New Sci-Fi Rock Opera: The prog gods return with heavy concept album, monster fall tour" which appears in the print edition of the July 5-19 issue of the magazine. - Thanks to Stephen H for the scans!

Engineer Rich Chycki On Recording Clockwork Angels

On Tuesday Rich Chycki updated his website and shared a few interesting thoughts regarding the recording of Clockwork Angels.  Here's a portion of his update, visit his website for more:

It feels like it’s been a time of all things ‘Rush’ over the past while. As you all know by now, we spent most of the late fall and early winter 2011 recording Clockwork Angels at Revolution Studios in Toronto, Canada. I had selected that room for its cavernous but controlled drum room and I was pleased with the recorded results, as was Neil. The clockwork stage kit is one of the best kits I’ve ever had the pleasure of recording.

The making of this album was a further development of technique and technology and also a return to some old ways. In my work with some of Rush’s older masters like Moving Pictures, I learned that at that time much of the processing for guitars was committed to tape — a good example being the solo in Limelight, which is a stellar performance wrapped in lush sonics. Alex and I applied much of the same methodology for Clockwork, where a song like Carnies for example, with complex modulations, panning, eq and echo were committed as a premix during the recording phase for simplicity and reproducibility down the road. And Alex did some amazing solos in preproduction that were again, tweaked with vintage and modern technology during the recording phase so they would sit well within the production guidelines that the band had set.

Geddy’s recording was also expanded to include some additional vintage gear, if you recall the Fairchild I tweeted while we were in the studio ;-) . The rest of Mr. Lee’s secret sonic recipe will have to stay secret.

- Thanks to B-man for the headsup!

Alex Lifeson Talks To Classic Rock Revisited

Alex Lifeson discusses Clockwork Angels in a new interview with Classic Rock Revisited.  Alex discusses the album cover, putting together the drum pattern for "The Anarchist", switching instruments with Geddy on "The Wreckers", the upcoming tour setlist and the longevity of the band. - Thanks to Brad P for the headsup!

“Hugh Syme is a very clever and able designer,” says Lifeson. “He works very closely with Neil on all of the artwork. He has done some really dramatic artwork for this record. It made me smile; I got it.”

“The drum pattern on that song is one that I put together and Neil connected with it. I think I come from a different place than Neil does and sometimes he will find what I do as an interesting approach that he would have never thought of himself. It gave him a launching point.”