Rush Sighting on AMC's "Better Call Saul"

Five minutes into last night's AMC "Breaking Bad" spinoff, "Better Call Saul" (season 1, episode 4), Saul is in a room smoking a bong and hanging on the wall behind him is a Rush poster for the Aug 14, 1974 Pittsburgh show (first show with Neil Peart).  [Webmaster's nitpicker's note: while this is an officially licensed poster created NMR Aquarius, it is a poorly researched - it's irksome that they used a Hemispheres photo on a commemorative poster for a concert in 1974!] - Thanks to William Gordon for the headsup!

Geddy Lee reflects on Massey Hall as $136-million renovation begins

Today Geddy Lee was at Toronto's Massey Hall, which is set to undergo a seven-year, $135 million renovation.  Geddy shared some of his memories of Massey Hall with The Canadian Press:

TORONTO - Rush frontman Geddy Lee's memory of attending his first show at Toronto's Massey Hall remains spring-water clear — and what stands out is the sound quality that was swamp-water muddled.

It was June 5, 1968, and a then 22-year-old Lee was desperate to see British rock royalty Cream, even though his friends weren't.

"I couldn't get anyone to go see Cream with me," Lee told The Canadian Press in one of Massey's spartan dressing rooms Monday.

"I said: 'Screw you all, I'm going by myself.' I sat in the balcony. And I don't think their PA system had arrived because they played onstage and Jack Bruce was singing through the Massey Hall crappy little announcement system.

"It was really strange," he added, laughing.

Such whimsical glitches may become less common as the venerable Massey Hall — a piece of Toronto iconography since it was built back in 1894 — undergoes a seven-year, $135-million revitalization.

"Phase one" of that operation began this week, with improvements including a first-ever loading dock, a modernized back of house, a backstage space for artists, and technical tweaks.

Massey Hall has been the site of several legendary live recordings, including Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie's "Jazz at Massey Hall," Neil Young's "Live at Massey Hall 1971" and Rush's own "All the World's a Stage."

Lee talked to The Canadian Press about the relationship between the historic venue and his beloved power-prog trio.

Geddy Lee on That Metal Show February 21st - Now Online

Geddy Lee appeared on the season premiere of VH1's "That Metal Show" on February 21st at 9PM ET.  The full episode is available here (embedded below).  In addition, That Metal Show has posted multiple additional interviews and outtakes from Saturday night's episode which you can check out here.

During the episode, Geddy was asked to rank Rush's first nine studio albums and chose: Moving Pictures, Permanent Waves, 2112, Hemispheres, A Farewell To Kings, RUSH, Signals, Caress of Steel, Fly By Night.

Geddy Lee on Rush’s Upcoming ‘Last Big Tour’: ‘We Have to Slow Down Dramatically’

Geddy Lee pulled no punches tonight (Feb. 21) when asked if an upcoming series of dates represented a de facto farewell tour for Rush — even if he was unwilling to call it that.

“It’s very hard to answer that question for a lot of reasons,” he said, during a special guest appearance on the season premiere of VH1′s That Metal Show. “First of all, you know, the three guys in this band have very different opinions on this point in our lives. Everybody’s in a very different space right now. We’ve done a lot of touring for the last 10 years, a lot of writing, a lot of working. (Drummer) Neil (Peart), for example, has a young child at home and he’s said publicly, numerous times, that it’s very hard for him to leave his daughter. She needs him. So, it’s clear that we are at a point in our career that we have to slow down — and slow down dramatically. So, I’m not a guy who’s in love with the farewell tour idea, but it’s clear that this is going to be the last big tour that we’re going to do for a while, anyway. I can say that.”

Read More: Geddy Lee on Rush's Upcoming 'Last Big Tour': 'We Have to Slow Down Dramatically' | http://ultimateclassicrock.com/geddy-lee-final-rush-tour/?trackback=tsmclip

Geddy Lee on "On Tap Prestented by VH1" Tonight!

Today On Tap Prestented by VH1 posted on their Facebook page:

Don't miss ON TAP tonight because the ONE & ONLY Geddy Lee of RUSH will be calling in for an EXCLUSIVE interview! Geddy is going to tell us all about his upcoming appearances on VH1 Classic's That Metal Show & #RockIcons!

Here's where you can listen to ON TAP tonight:
http://on.vh1.com/OnTap

- Thanks to John @ Cygnus-X1.net for the headsup!

"The Origin of Neil Peart" documentary by Paul Miil

Back in 2009, director Paul Miil released a documentary about Niagara's music scene titled The Big Story of Small Potatoes which "explores the roots of the lost music scene of Niagara, circa 1964-1974." The documentary includes Neil Peart along with one of his early bands JR Flood performing the song "Giant Killer".  Miil later posted the full documentary on Youtube.

This past Sunday, Miil posted The Origin of Neil Peart, a newly assembled 48-minute documentary using reedited footage from The Big Story of Small Potatoes, as Miil explains in the intro:

"Before the footage from The Big Story of Small Potatoes was lost to time, I thought it prudent to fill the commitment I made to myself in 2007 to make the Neil Peart documentary. Neil Peart's band mates and contemporary drummers are the true character of this film. I had a ton of fun researching and finding them, and thank them all for their participation. In any event, it may be more accurate to have the 'many' explain the 'one'..."

You can check it the documentary below. - Thanks to Andy O for the headsup!

"A Little More Noise" - Stewart Copeland and Company including Neil Peart

Today Stewart Copeland posted another video of guests jamming at the Sacred Grove including Neil Peart, Matt Scannell and Danny Carey.  This one is dubbed "A Little More Noise," and you'll see why in the video.  From his post:

Some new drums arrived so Peart and Carey came over to lay heavy hands upon them. Scannell and I banged out any old riffs while Stone chimed the gongs.  Couple days later four MORE drummers dropped by and took up the horns. The piano was an afterthought.

- Thanks to Bryan Brenner for the headsup!

Neil Peart's "News Weather and Sports" - February 2015

Today Neil Peart updated his website with the latest issue of "News Weather & Sports."  Titled "The Adventures of Bamm Bamm", this is the second half of his December report where he shared his experience of competing in the "24 Hours of LeMons", an endurance racing series for low-budget enthusiasts such as Neil.   This report covers their followup races in northern California at Thunderhill Raceway in September and Sonoma Raceway in December. You can check it out here.

Le Studio - Temple Of Sound - Episode Two

Episode Two of the YouTube documentary "Le Studio - Temple of Sound" is now available.  This documentary covers the LeStudio backstory from inception to current state. This is just the second episode posted in a year; Chapter One was posted in April of last year.

LeStudio was a world class recording studio in the Laurentian Mountains of Canada. It was the private retreat of Rush for the writing and recording of eight of their albums, as well as hundreds of other artists over the years. It closed in 2003 and now sits stripped of all it's furnishings & equipment, abandoned in the forest.

Rush's "Tom Sawyer" heard on HBO's "Togetherness"/Duplass Brothers Air Drum on Conan

UPDATE (Feb. 6): Jay and Mark Duplass, creators of the show, appeared on Conan earlier this week, and cajoled Conan to air drum with them along to Tom Sawyer.    Rush.com has posted that Geddy Lee noted "Clearly the Duplass Bros. are seasoned air drummers…they nailed it!"  Check out the video here.

Rush's "Tom Sawyer" was heard during last night's episode of HBO's Togetherness (season 1, episode 3).  Near the end of the show, as Brett and Alex drive home from the party "Tom Sawyer" is playing on the car stereo.   They end up pulling over, discussing the song and air drumming. The song then plays over the end
credits.  The episode is available on demand and on HBO Go to HBO subscribers.  - Thanks to Jeff Lucas for the headsup!

Neil Peart with Jim Ladd on Sirius XM's Deep Tracks February 3

"Motorcycle enthusiast... author... drummer... lyricist... NEIL PEART of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee RUSH joins Jim Ladd, high in the Hollywood Hills, for an exclusive one-on-one discussion. Topics will range from Neil's latest book: 'Far and Near: On Days Like These' to the music that influences him to the recently-announced Rush R40 tour celebrating 40 years! ‪This not-to-be-missed interview happens this Tuesday February 3 at 9pm Eastern / 6pm Pacific on Deep Tracks - SiriusXM 27." - XMRadio

Lorne Wheaton discusses the R40 Drum Kit and Sheds Light on the Setlist at NAMM

Evil Ed Nijjer, Canadian editor for DRUM-line magazine, spoke with Lorne Wheaton, Neil's drum tech, to discuss the R40 drum kit at the DW Booth at the NAMM show last month.  You can see the video interview below, which includes this comment which sheds some light onto what to expect from the setlist:

"For this next tour we're not going to be using the full V-Drum kit on the back. We are not going to be spinning. It's going to be full-tilt Rush songs and there will probably be a whole lot of old stuff in it." - Lorne Wheaton

- Thanks to Ed at RushIsABand for the headsup!

Farewell to Kings: new Rush tour could be last - Toronto Star

Although the recent R40 Tour press release alluded to the fact that this would be "their 21st tour, one which will most likely be their last major tour of this magnitude", a new interview with Neil Peart from yesterday's Toronto Star restates the obvious/unwanted truth in its title.  The interview itself, however, does not actually include any statement from Peart that this could be Rush's last tour, so take it as you will...

John Wesley "Dose of reality" - Wes discusses "Disconnect" and working with Alex Lifeson

Last year, Alex Lifeson appeared on John Wesley's latest album, Disconnect.  Last fall, Guitar Player magazine published an interview with John Wesley by Anil Prasad, which included an Alex Lifeson sidebar. That piece is now online in greatly expanded form on Innerviews.org, including extensive coverage of John’s friendships with Alex and Neil. You can find it at http://www.innerviews.org/inner/wesley.html

 - Thanks Anil for the headsup!

Steven Wilson's "Hand. Cannot. Erase." musically inspired by Rush?

click to order

In the recent issue of Prog magazine (issue #52 featuring Rush on the cover), when asked what his favorite Rush song is, Porcupine Tree's Steven Wilson replied:

"I'd go for The Camera Eye from Moving Pictures. For me, this is Rush continuing in the tradition of their incredible 70s epics, but achieving something more structured and lyrically mature. As with the whole of the Moving Pictures album, it strikes a perfect balance between the power trio format of the 70s and the more layered keyboard-dominated sounds to come. It's also got one of the great Alex Lifeson guitar solos - among so many!"

Now, according to a new review from Prog magazine posted today of Steven Wilson's latest solo album, Hand. Cannot. Erase., that love of "The Camera Eye" may have been reflected on the new album:

"...Wilson and his band (Marco Minnemann, Guthrie Govan, Nick Beggs and Adam Holzman) lean heavily on Rush’s Jacob’s Ladder and The Camera Eye, not least in the co-joined opener First Regret/3 Years Older." - Prog.teamrock.com, January 30, 2015

Hand. Cannot. Erase. is set for release March 3rd, click here to order.  For more visit www.handcannoterase.com; see below for a video teaser.


- Thanks Mr. Humphries for the headsup!

RUSH Announce R40 Live 40TH Anniversary Tour

Today Rush have finally announced their tourdates for 2015, with tickets going on sale starting January 30th, and presales starting January 27th. 

The R40 LIVE Tour will visit 34 cities throughout North America this summer beginning May 8 in Tulsa, OK and finishing August 1 in Los Angeles, CA. These not to be missed concerts will highlight four decades of the band’s music....After 40 years together and 20 gold and platinum studio albums – Rush is ready to celebrate with the most loyal fans in the world by embarking on their 21st tour, one which will most likely be their last major tour of this magnitude.

Tickets for the RUSH: R40 LIVE TOUR will go on sale starting January 30 in select markets at Ticketmaster.com and LiveNation.com. Citi® card members will have access to pre-sale tickets through Citi’s Private Pass® Program beginning January 27 in select markets. For complete presale details visit www.citiprivatepass.com. Exclusive Rush ticket packages are available, please visit vipnation.com for package details.

Beginning May 8 in Tulsa, OK and finishing August 1 in Los Angeles, CA, here are the complete list of tourdates:

May 8, 2015 Tulsa Bok Center -- Tulsa, Oklahoma
May 10, 2015 Pinnacle Bank Arena -- Lincoln, Nebraska
May 12, 2015 Xcel Energy Center -- Saint Paul, Minnesota
May 14, 2015 Scottrade Center -- St. Louis, Missouri
May 16, 2015 Austin360 Amphitheater -- Austin (Del Valle), Texas
May 18, 2015 American Airlines Center -- Dallas, Texas
May 20, 2015 Toyota Center -- Houston, Texas
May 22, 2015 Smoothie King Center -- New Orleans, Louisiana
May 24, 2015 Amalie Arena -- Tampa, Florida
May 26, 2015 Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park -- Atlanta (Alpharetta), Georgia
May 28, 2015 Greensboro Coliseum -- Greensboro, North Carolina
May 30, 2015 Jiffy Lube Live -- Bristow, Virginia
June 8, 2015 Nationwide Arena -- Columbus, Ohio
June 10, 2015 First Niagara Center -- Buffalo, New York
June 12, 2015 United Center -- Chicago, Illinois
June 14, 2015 The Palace of Auburn Hills -- Detroit (Auburn Hills), Michigan
June 17, 2015 Air Canada Centre -- Toronto, Ontario
June 19, 2015 Air Canada Centre -- Toronto, Ontario
June 21, 2015 Bell Centre -- Montreal, Québec
June 23, 2015 TD Garden -- Boston, Massachusetts
June 25, 2015 Wells Fargo Center -- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
June 27, 2015 Prudential Center -- Newark, New Jersey
June 29, 2015 Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
July 9, 2015 Sprint Center -- Kansas City, Missouri
July 11, 2015 Pepsi Center - Denver, Colorado
July 13, 2015 Maverik Center -- Salt Lake City (West Valley City), Utah
July 15, 2015 Scotiabank Saddledome -- Calgary, Alberta
July 17, 2015 Rogers Arena -- Vancouver, British Columbia
July 19, 2015 KeyArena -- Seattle, Washington
July 21, 2015 Moda Center -- Portland, Oregon
July 23, 2015 SAP Center at San Jose -- San Jose, California
July 25, 2015 MGM Grand Garden Arena -- Las Vegas, Nevada
July 27, 2015 US Airways Center -- Phoenix, Arizona
July 30, 2015 Verizon Wireless Amphitheater -- Irvine, California
August 1, 2015 The Forum -- Los Angeles (Inglewood), California

Presale details below:

Geddy Lee on PBS' Speakeasy premieres tonight

UPDATE: PBS does not have a standardized nationwide schedule. While this episode is slated to begin airing tonight, actual broadcast times and dates will vary. To find list of stations that will be airing it click here.

Recorded last fall, Geddy Lee's appearance on PBS' Speakeasy will air tomorrow night, January 29th.  Geddy is interviewed by his friend, author Michael Chabon at the McKittrick Hotel in New York City. Topics include growing up Jewish in an assimilated world; his bandmates; and how he's cared for his voice through the years.  See below for a teaser clip from tomorrow night's episode.

Rush Manager Ray Danniels to be Honoured with Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award at the 2015 JUNO Awards

Toronto, ON (January 29, 2015) — The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) today announced Ray Danniels as the recipient of the 2015 Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award, that recognizes individuals who have made an impact on the Canadian music industry. Danniels will be honoured at the 2015 JUNO Gala Dinner & Awards on Saturday, March 14 in Hamilton, Ontario as part of JUNO Week festivities.

Ray Danniels is the CEO/President of SRO (Standing Room Only) Management Inc. and of independent record label Anthem Entertainment Group. He is also the long-time manager of Canadian trio and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members, Rush.

“I am grateful to be recognized by my peers for doing something I’ve loved and been passionate about since I was a teenager,” said Ray Danniels. “I share this honour with those that have been with me since the beginning – the members of Rush – Geddy, Alex and Neil.”

“Ray’s extraordinary intuition in business and passion for the Canadian music industry are truly something to admire,” said Allan Reid, President & CEO, CARAS/The JUNO Awards. “We are very pleased to recognize Ray Danniels with the Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award for his incredible achievements and exceptional contributions.”

Danniels began his career as an agent in the music business when he was a teenager, first booking bands and then moving on to promoting concerts in his hometown of Toronto. In 1971 he took on both agent and manager roles with a rock band from Willowdale called Rush. After every record company in Canada turned the band down, Danniels took initiative by funding Rush’s first record and then starting his own label to release it. In 1973 the first Rush single was released on Moon Records, which was later renamed Anthem. Forty years later, Anthem is still releasing Rush albums in Canada. Rush’s 20th studio album, Clockwork Angels, was released by Anthem in 2013, debuted #1 in Canada and went on to be certified gold. Together, Ray Danniels and Rush created Core Music, a publishing entity where the band’s entire body of work remains to this day.

In addition to Rush, Anthem has released albums from Max Webster, Ian Thomas, Gowan, Molly Johnson, Steven Page and most recently The Tea Party, Big Wreck and Brody Dalle. Anthem has made an impact with projects that have defined Canadian culture, having released projects such as Bob & Doug Mackenzie and The Trailer Park Boys soundtracks. In its 40-year history, SRO Management has been instrumental in the careers of Rush, Van Halen, Extreme, The Tea Party, Matthew Good, and Big Wreck amongst others.

Danniels was inducted into the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame in 2007 and was also the recipient of the third annual Music Managers Forum Canada Honour Roll Award.
- See more at: http://junoawards.ca/walt-grealis-special-achievement-award-recipient/#sthash.hNxjiMVu.dpuf

Neil Peart video interview discussing the DW R40 Drum Kit

Neil Peart's R40 drum kit premiered at NAMM 2015 earlier this week at the DW booth.  Yesterday afternoon, DW posted a short interview with Neil Peart where he discusses the kit.  He sheds some interesting details, including the fact that the entire kit is made from a single 1,500 year old oak log from Romania. 

DW has also announced that the Neil Peart R40 14 x 6.5 snare drum will be available for private purchase.  This is a limited production run of only 250 drums. All Pro Percussion has the snare available for $1,499.55 with an estimated delivery date of April 2015.

Fly By Night Vinyl Reissue And Blu-Ray Now Available

Today sees the reissue of Fly By Night on vinyl, with a code for a 320kbps MP4 vinyl ripped Digital Audio album download.  In addition, Fly By Night is also now available as a "blu-ray-audio remaster", previously only available in the Sectors 1 boxed set.   Click here to buy Fly By Night on vinyl, or blu-ray audio.

As announced last month, following last year's  Rush reDISCovered release, Rush is reissuing the rest of Rush's remaining Mercury era albums (studio and live albums through A Show of Hands) in chronological order throughout the rest of 2015.