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Geoffrey Keezer's "Heart Of The Piano" - Includes cover of "Limelight"
Rush Pop Culture References Update - June 2013
Here's a roundup of the latest Rush Inspired Literature, Film, And Pop Culture References we've learned about in the last few months.
- Back in 2009, the sci-fi television series Warehouse 13 included a small Rush reference when Pete said "...the best Rush album since Roll The Bones, Snakes & Arrows rocks!" Last summer Warehouse 13 premiered an online series of webisodes called "Grand Designs" - besides the title, two other Rush songs are referenced, and there is a steampunk theme! Warehouse 13 is a massive, top-secret government storage facility, and in aisle YYZ 2112, Pete discovers a diorama model of the original warehouse built by Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla and M.C. Escher. Pete accidentally triggers the mechanism, transforming the warehouse and it's inhabitants into a life sized steampunk version of this diabolical diorama. You can watch the full webisode series here!
- During last Monday night's (June 24, 2013) episode of Cartoon Network's Regular Show titled "The Last LaserDisc Player", there is a laserdisc titled 21-12 Time Attack, a film about the year 2112.
- In the Ubisoft videogame Far Cry 3 released December 4th, there is a easter egg of sorts for Ubisoft's other videogame franchise, Assassins Creed, which has the added plus of also including a 2112 sighting as one of the "Letters Of The Lost" mentions a passcode 122112.
- Rifftrax are downloadable audio commentaries by the stars of the original Mystery Science Theater 3000, which can be played as you watch your own films. Like the original MST3K, there have been MANY Rush references on Rifftrax, the latest for Marvel's The Avengers, made available December 27th. During the scene where Loki is commanding a crowd to kneel before him, Kevin Murphy quips "Who do Rush fans say belongs in the Hall of Fame?" right before Loki's second "kneel!"
- Earlier this year, we covered how Harry Styles from boy band One Direction was frequently pictured wearing a Presto tour shirt, making us wonder if it's the only shirt he wears or if he is subconsciously begging for some musical legitimacy. It's forever captured for posterity in the music video for One Direction's cover of Blondie's "One Way Or Another" which debuted in February.
- The April 27th episode (season 16, episode 4) of MSNBC's prison documentary series Lockup - Cleveland: Extended Stay was titled "Rush", as one of the featured inmates was an old rocker that used to play in a few bands, who was so convinced he would get out soon that he bought tickets to see Rush on tour.
Neil Peart's "News Weather and Sports" - June 2013
Unison Fund Announces 'Rush' to Donate Portion of Sales from Concert Tour
The Unison Benevolent Fund is pleased to announce that Canadian music icons, Rush, have offered to support Unison's funding efforts by donating $1 from each ticket sold at 5 upcoming dates to the Unison Benevolent Fund.
Over the course of their incredible career, Rush has released 25 gold records and 14 platinum records (3 of which have gone multiplatinum), placing them in the top 3 rock bands for the most consecutive certified rock album catalogue, with worldwide sales of 43 million units.
The band's popularity has always been unwavering, and they are currently on their Clockwork Angels tour, having just finished a trek across Europe and returning to North America later this month.
Long known for their support of various philanthropic causes, Rush have generously offered to support Unison by donating $1 from each ticket sold at 5 of their upcoming Canadian dates.
Those dates are:
July 6 Hamilton, Ontario - Copp's Coliseum
July 12& 14 Halifax, Nova Scotia - Metro Centre
July 24 Calgary, Alberta - Scotiabank Saddledome
July 26 Vancouver, British Columbia - Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena
The Unison Benevolent Fund is a non-profit charitable organization that provides counselling, emergency relief, and benefit programs for those in the Canadian music community who face personal or professional challenges due to hardship, illness, unemployment or economic difficulties.
Rush on the cover of Mobile Production Monthly
"Rush: The Unauthorized Illustrated History" Now Available
"A chronological overview history written by noted music scribe and Rush authority Martin Popoff spans the band’s entire career from 1968 to today. A complete Rush discography chronicles all their albums, from the debut album to 2112, Moving Pictures, and Signals to Grace Under Pressure, Vapor Trails, and more. The authoritative text is complemented by album reviews written by well-known music journalists from around the globe, commentary from fellow musicians, a discography, tour dates, and hundreds of photographs and pieces of memorabilia, including picture sleeves, gig posters, rare vinyl, handbills, ticket stubs, and much more."This is Popoff's second Rush related book, the first, Contents Under Pressure: 30 Years of Rush at Home & Away was published in 2004.
Check out these reviews:
- Entre Nous: An Essay on Rush and a Review of Martin Popoff’s Rush: The Illustrated History - CaughtInTheCarousel.com, June 10, 201
- Book Review: Rush The Illustrated History - GuitarInternational.com, June 17, 2013
Neil Peart and Geddy Lee: Rhythm magazine's "Greatest Rhythm Section of All Time"
Rock's foremost power trio have been locking in perfectly for 40 years, so it's no surprise you voted Messrs Peart and Lee the Number One rhythm section in huge numbers - almost 50% of the overall vote. With every new Rush album, Lee and Peart again push the envelope of what a power trio - in which the rhythm section often shines brightest - can accomplish in rock. Neil Peart admits that this kind of tightness has taken a bit of time to achieve, though, as he told Rhythm recently. "If there is a little train wreck among the three of us, I can suddenly run on two tracks now. I can be playing what I need to be right, but if one of the guys is half a bar out I can say, 'Okay, if I drop that half-bar we'll all be together again.' Even sometimes if I make an error of execution that throws me off, I can still hear the time and that's 45 years of getting to that stage to be able to do that."- Thanks to RushIsABand for the headsup!
Stick it Out: Reflections on Rush and Their 40 Year Journey to The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Today Winston-Salem's Camel City Dispatch posted "Stick it Out: Reflections on Rush and Their 40 Year Journey to The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Part One" by Dr. Jon Epstein. Dr. Epstein gives a detailed history of Rush and how they have been a part of his life. Click here for more.
Win An Autographed Gibson Alex Lifeson Guitar from Marshall Fridge
Rick Moranis Remembers Recording Take Off With Geddy Lee in new Spin Article
Geddy Lee and I went to the same grade school. He moved away when we were still young but I remember him like I do all my friends from back then. Then in 1982 Dave Thomas and I were approached to do a record as the McKenzie Brothers on Anthem Records, the same label that Rush was on. So when we did the album we wound up having Geddy sing the vocal lead for the first single, "Take Off." That was the first time I had seen him since we were kids and the first time he had this enormous success. I've seen him subsequently a number of times and he always says, "That's the only number one record I've ever had!" Which is insane to me because those guys have sold about a 150 zillion records.
Auction: Autographed Geddy Lee Signature Fender Jazz Bass to Benefit Camp Oki
Proceeds will benefit Camp Oki (www.campoki.ca), a free weeklong camp for children from Quebec and Ontario who suffer from heart defects and require implanted pacemakers or defibrillators (ICDs).
RUSH’s Geddy Lee has personally donated this Signature Fender Jazz Bass Guitar for the auction and will autograph it for the winning bidder with a personalized message of their choosing. The bass has been personally set-up to Geddy’s live performance specifications by his bass tech, Skully, with a set of ‘live RUSH performance-played’ Rotosound strings. The bass features a pearlized pickguard custom-engraved and hand-painted with the Oki logo by artist James Hogg, who has created the alchemy symbol pickguards on Geddy’s Time Machine and Clockwork Angels tour instruments.
"In Conversation: Chad Smith With Alex Lifeson" Part 4 Now Online
- The first part of In Conversation: Chad Smith With Alex Lifeson is now available at http://www.musicradar.com/chadsmith.
- Part two of the conversation is now available here.
- Part three is here.
- The final segment, part four, is here.
MusicRadar.com, the world's leading website for musicians, presents In Conversation, a new podcast interview series in which Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith sits down for wide-ranging, one-on-one chats with some of the most inspirational musicians of all time.
Multiple award winning and Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee, Smith hasn't lost sight of what it's like to be a fan and last month, a few days before the legendary Canadian trio Rush were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, he indulged his inner prog rocker and joined iconic guitarist Alex Lifeson for a laugh-filled, leisurely dinner at the Sunset Marquis in West Hollywood, California.
...In Conversation is not a traditional interview; it's an insight into the personal and professional lives of two great musicians. Over striped sea bass and baked duck, Smith and Lifeson enthusiastically hold forth on a variety of topics. Although their histories and bands couldn't be more different, their commitment to unconventional self-expression shows a deep, mutual bond.
"I've been a Rush fan since high school," says Smith. "Neil [Peart] gets a lot of attention, as he should, but Al is under appreciated, I think. He is as great a musician as he is to be around. I'm honored for him to be my first. He was gentle with me!" - MusicRadar.com, May 8, 2013
Andy VanDette Comments On Mix Of Latest "Vapor Trails" Digital Release
Upon hearing of the new digital release of Vapor Trails, and reading some of the reviews, I contacted Andy VanDette to ask the big question: is this the long awaited Vapor Trails remaster of the original master tapes, or just a remix?:
These are the original mixes, but with a much different treatment. For what it is worth........A typical album takes me about 8 hours to master. I spent 4 days on VT, trying to find a way to emphasize the positive, and downplay the negative, with a "car test" every morning on my way in to the studio. I knew this album in particular would receive tremendous scrutiny. Being a musician, growing up on the other side of Niagara Falls from the band, Rush had a huge influence on me. I hope I have done their catalog justice.
Check it out. I hope you will agree that VT sounds much less 'overblown'. I tried to design it to be more open and dynamic.
I hope you enjoy it.
Cheers,
Andy VanDette
Chief Mastering Engineer
Masterdisk NYC
"Interview with Rush singer/bassist Geddy Lee" - The List UK
Another interview published today by the UK's The List, "Interview with Rush singer/bassist Geddy Lee", Geddy talks about the new album and tour, and also names his favorite Rush albums: 'Probably Moving Pictures, 2112, Power Windows and Clockwork Angels, but not necessarily in that order. To me, they are the most satisfying records that we've made.' [as an aside, over the years, Geddy regularly gives that same list of albums, where the fourth album is their current release!]
"Rush Remember Glasgow" - Glasgow Evening Times
"Rush Remember Glasgow" is a new interview with Geddy Lee from today's Glasgow Evening Times, where Geddy recalls "I remember the first time we played the Apollo I was shocked by how
ardent the fan base was, and at what good voices they had," he chuckles,
ahead of bringing the band to the SECC tomorrow. "I remember we played Closer To The Heart there, and Glasgow was the
first audience that sang along with us so loudly that we could hear them
over the roar of our amplifiers." [later immortalised on the band's 1981
live album Exit- Stage Left].
"The Real Reason Rush Are Still Rocking 40 Years On" - Herald Scotland
In anticipation of Rush's concert in Glasgow on Thursday, today's Herald Scotland includes an interview with Geddy Lee dubbed The Real Reason Rush Are Still Rocking 40 Years On. Geddy talks about the unique yet polarizing nature of Rush's music, their recent induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the album Clockwork Angels.
Auction: Autographed ATWAS Drumhead to Benefit Oklahoma Tornado Victims
One of the original Chromey heads used during the All The World's A Stage tour and later autographed by Neil Neil Peart is up for charity auction on Ebay. The auction runs through June 6th. The proceeds are going to the Red Cross for relief efforts for the Oklahoma tornado victims:Up for auction we have a very rare and historical piece of music memorabilia for any Rush fan or collector. An original 16" blue hydraulic drum head that was mounted on Neil Peart’s first drum kit with Rush (1974 chrome Slingerland). This head was used during "All the Worlds a Stage" tour and was later signed by Neil Peart himself on 9/26/2010.- Thanks to Dean Bobisud for the headsup!
All proceeds from this auction will support the American Red Cross towards the relief efforts of the violent EF5 tornado that struck Oklahoma on 5/20/2013, destroying neighborhoods and leaving a path of destruction 17 miles long which may have created $2 billion or more in damage as it tore through as many as 13,000 homes, multiple schools and a hospital. This has been a major disaster, and the Red Cross will be there for the people in this state and this community, which helps provide food, shelter and emotional support to those affected by disasters like the recent tornado in Oklahoma as well as other disasters throughout the United States.
Neil Peart's "News Weather and Sports" - May 2013
Auction: Autographed Drumhead to Benefit DrumStong
"Rush Have No Intention Of Slowing Down" - Birmingham Post
In advance of Sunday night's show, today's Birmingham Post published a new interview with Geddy Lee titled "Rush Have No Intention Of Slowing Down", where he discusses celebrating his wife Nancy's birthday at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, and also again alludes to an R40 tour:
"After a nice long break we’ll figure out what we’re gonna do, but right now we have not talked about it and we have zero intention of talking about it." That includes discussion of a 40th anniversary ‘R40’ tour next year, an idea the band’s management is determined to push through. "They’re trying but they’re going to fail," says Lee. "And there’s nothing wrong with an ‘R42’ tour – it doesn’t have to be a round number."
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