Rush News from Power Windows

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

Neil Peart has updated his website with the latest issue of "News Weather & Sports." Titled "Backstage Byways", you can read it here. Neil writes about the R40 tour warmups and his motorcycle adventures on the first leg of the tour, and tells of his 5-year old daughter Olivia's first Rush concert:

It was also Olivia’s first Rush concert, and she loved it. I had thought she might last a song or two, but she danced and air-drummed right to the end. Manager Ray arranged a “box” for them, high up over everything, and Olivia couldn’t get over all the people.

“There must be two-thousand-and-eighteen people,” she said.

Ray laughed and told her, “Actually there are about eleven thousand!”

Olivia looked puzzled, “Are they all here to see my dad and Uncle Alex and Uncle Geddy?”

When Ray assured her they were, she said, “That’s too silly.”

Then she wondered, “Do they know he’s my dad?”

Ray laughed and said, “They probably do.”

During intermission she came backstage and ran up to me, arms raised for me to pick her up. Still wearing her big red “ear defenders,” she was so excited that she bounced in my arms.

“Daddy! It was great! I only didn’t like the shipwreck” (rearscreen video in “The Wreckers,” to her an echo of the dark beginning of Frozen, a movie she finds rightly unbearable) “and the explosion!” (Pyro-man Boom-Boom’s fireworks in “Far Cry.”)

Hugh Syme discusses his "Life Sentence"

The Art of Rush, a 272 page coffee table book that delves into the 40 year relationship with Rush and their longtime artist and illustrator Hugh Syme, was released on May 22. Yesterday the Daily Tribune (Michigan) published a new interview with Hugh were he discussed the book.

“From the very beginning I could sense that this band tried to make every album they do musically different, and felt the same way about the artwork. I didn’t want a logo to overpower everything, as it does in the case of Megadeth or Yes and so many other bands who’ve got a logo that needs to be front and center. I was just kind of lucky to find a band that was also willing to deviate from the norm every time and that allowed me the luxury and a lot of latitude to respond to each title as a unique event and not get stuck into one sort of style. We weren’t stuck in any kind of template.”

Click here for more. - Thanks to RushFanForever for the headsup!

Rush to film R40 LIVE tour in YYZ

Today Rush confirmed that they will indeed be filming both nights of their upcoming two night sold out stand in Toronto on June 17 & 19.

"It is the first time the band will have filmed in their hometown in almost 20 years with the recording in 1997 at the Molson Canadian Amphitheatre on the Test for Echo tour. Prior to that, the band filmed a concert video and later released an accompanying album for the Grace Under Pressure tour in 1984 at Maple Leaf Gardens."

Geddy Lee Featured in June 2015 "Toronto Life"

Geddy Lee is featured in the June 2015 issue of Toronto Life magazine. In the Navigator section, you'll find "The List Ten things Geddy Lee can’t live without". - Thanks to Barb Trainor for the headsup!

Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee guest stars in Future User "Voodoo Juju" video

Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee guest star in Future User's new "Voodoo Juju" video. Frontman/bassist Tim Commerford explains:

"I got the idea for the video after I ruptured a disc in my back and needed emergency surgery. As someone who often goes under the knife, I've always been a bit overwhelmed by the process, paperwork, approvals and costs. Luckily, I have insurance, but it got me thinking about all the people in this country who can't afford medical treatment. I read an article recently that said there are over 40 million uninsured people living in the States, which is insane. I talked my doctor into letting me shoot the surgery, then explained the concept to Tom (Morello), who was totally into the idea. And of course, you can't talk about universal health care without bringing Canada into the conversation, so I called Geddy (Lee) and Alex (Lifeson) and asked if they'd be part of it and was blown away when they said yes. And all that footage of my back being opened up is real, no joke."

Check out the video below. For more visit blabbermouth.net.

Win a Trip to See Rush R40 Tour In Vegas from Live Nation

"RUSH is getting ready to kick off the #R40LIVE 40th Anniversary Tour and you could be there!"

"Submit your favorite #R40Memories PLUS ENTER for a chance to win a flyaway to see RUSH LIVE in Las Vegas PLUS a Meet & Greet, merch pack, and cash card for your trip!"

For more info visit https://livenation.votigo.com/fbsweeps/sweeps/RUSH-R40LIVE-Kickoff-Sweepstakes

Novel “Ellison and Amos” inspired by Neil Peart

Author of the novel Ellison and Amos, Charlie Gibbons joined KTVA's Daybreak Thursday to talk about what went into writing his newest book:

It’s a book about a rock-and-roll legend who loses everything of meaning and embarks on a journey on the back of a motorcycle only to face his greatest fear: The fan. The drummer from Rush, Neil Peart, inspires the story.

"He’s a big mentor, inspiration for me and my writing over the years,” Gibbons said. “When the opportunity came to come to Alaska and experience Alaska and all of its wonder, everything just kind of sprouted from there.”

Gibbons came up with the idea for the book after going through a personal turmoil similar to Peart. Published in March 2013, the book is available here. For more info visit ktva.com

Guitar Center Video for the Alex Lifeson R40 Les Paul Axcess

"In celebration of Rush's 40th Anniversary, Gibson Custom presents the Limited Edition Alex Lifeson R40 Les Paul Axcess offered in a run of 200 guitars with 5A quilt maple tops in a lush Ruby Red R40 finish. It also features a Limited Edition "Starman" R40 die-caste medallion covering the rhythm/treble switch access cavity. For more info visit: http://bit.ly/1Hn6L1g & http://www.rush.com/"

"The Art of Rush" - Now Available

The Art of Rush, a 272 page coffee table book that delves into the 40 year relationship with Rush and their longtime artist and illustrator Hugh Syme, was officially released on May 22. The stunning book begins with a foreword penned by Neil Peart, and contains original illustrations, paintings, photography, and the incredible stories behind each album that he has designed with the band since 1975.

The book’s narration was written by music journalist Stephen Humphries and includes in-depth interviews with each Rush band member, Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart and artist Hugh Syme. The Art of Rush also contains entertaining anecdotes and commentary from a wide array of notable musicians, actors, athletes, writers, radio personalities and Rush insiders about their favourite Rush album covers, which clearly reveals how vital and impactful the visual representation of their music has been through the years.

The book was originally avaiable for preorder in one of three editions:

SOLD OUT: Roadcase Deluxe Limited Edition 1/100, numbered and signed by all 3 members of Rush & Hugh Syme. The book will come in a hand-crafted road case designed by Anvil approx. 15" x 15" x 3" in size and will be enclosed in a custom slipcase, and more, for $995
SOLD OUT: Limited Special Edition 1/250, numbered and signed by all 3 members of the band and artist Hugh Syme, enclosed in a custom slipcase for $495
Classic Edition, the 272 page hardcover book for $99

The $995 Art of Rush - Deluxe Roadcase Edition and $495 Deluxe Slipcase Editions BOTH sold out in just over two hours after going on sale, and immediately started appearing on eBay for double the original sale price. If you were putting off buying the $99 standard edition, you might want to put your order in now...

For more information visit rush.com/the-art-of-rush/.

R40 Tour Book Wallpaper Images

I've added 31 new wallpaper images from the R40 Tour Book to my "Rush Art Gallery of Desktop Wallpaper" Tour Books page. Included are the usual beautiful production photos, mixed with live photos from the last tour, recent rehearsal photos, and a few from the archives. In addition, in case you missed my previous post, the complete tour book transcript is available here. Enjoy!

- Thanks to John Patuto at Cygnus-X1.net for sharing his raw scans!

Rush Featured on the cover of Classic Rock July 2015 - UPDATED WITH MORE

Rush is featured on the cover of the July 2015 issue of the UK's Classic Rock magazine, with the taglines "The Last Tour?", "The Last Interview?", "The Last Word." You can order a copy here.
Classic Rock has also published online an interview with Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson titled "We're coming towards the end". Alex looks back on their career, what sacrifices they made over the last 40 years, including his memories dating back to their break-out gig with the New York Dolls in 1974, or being told by Heart's Roger Fisher that Heart would "blow them off the stage". He also discusses how he has been suffering from arthritis for 10 years, and discusses Neil's with tendonitis. Of note is the fact that Geddy Lee is hoping to extend the R40 Tour into Europe in the spring of 2016, provided his bandmates are up to it.

Alex on how Neil took to the R40 Tour: "[Neil] was resistant to it until he started prepping [for the tour] and realised: hey, I can still play my drums pretty good! And then getting into rehearsals with us, there’s that whole camaraderie that he really adores. So when he’s back into the stream, he loves the swim."

Geddy on what could bring on the end of touring: "if anything is going to mean that we can’t tour any more like we used to, it’s more than likely going to be the arthritis. Because that’s something that will directly affect his ability to play. And if I was going out on stage and I could not play the way I want to play, or the way I have played in the past, there is no way I would want to do it; I would not want to go out there and be a shadow of my former self. "

Will there be another Rush album?: Alex: "...I’d love to make another record. It’s such a fun experience to make a record.I’m sure if we start coming up with some stuff, Neil would be right in there. He’d love that." Geddy: "Do I feel like we have the mojo to do more records? Absolutely. But I can’t tell you that the other guys agree. I’m not a hundred per cent sure that Neil agrees, I’m pretty sure Alex agrees."

In addition, Classic Rock has posted an "EXCLUSIVE: RusH Q&A - The Bonus bits", 'The bits of our interview with the Canadian prog legends that didn't make it into the magazine'. You can read it here (watch out, there are some R40 setlist spoilers). Included are comments about many of the band's releases over the years, songs that did or didn't work, thoughts on playing old "pretentious" proggy songs on tour, their plans for when the music is finally over, and more info regarding the chances of the R40 tour coming to Europe:

Geddy: There’s nothing on the cards right now. I would say that there are those of us that would prefer to do some dates in the UK and even some European dates, and there’s an opportunity, once we get rolling, to see what we might want to add. But let’s just say that at this point that Neil’s made it clear that he’s good with this US tour being the last group of dates.

Alex: You never know. These past couple of months have been pivotal. It’s shown us, after a year and a half off, how much we really love doing what we’re doing. I think that’s really important in Neil’s case. But when you’ve only got so much time to play with it’s tough....But I’ll say one thing: Geddy feels it’s important that we go back at this time to the UK, to acknowledge the support you’ve given us for all these years. And I agree with him.

- Thanks to RushFanForever for the headsup!

Hemispheres Vinyl Reissue - Now Available

As announced last fall, Rush is reissuing the complete Mercury era albums on 200-gram heavyweight vinyl in chronological order throughout 2015. The next release to hit store shelves is Hemispheres hitting store shelves today, May 19th.

Eventually the vinyl reissues will include all studio and live albums through A Show of Hands. Previous vinyl reissues include Rush reDISCovered, Fly By Night (vinyl and blu-ray pure audio in 5.1 surround sound), Caress of Steel, the 2112 hologram edition. and A Farewell To Kings (vinyl and blu-ray pure audio in 5.1 surround sound). These vinyl reissues also include a 320kbps MP4 vinyl ripped Digital Audio album download, and can also be purchased separately as high resolution Digital Audio.

RUSH R40 Opening Night Contest from Power Windows

AND THE WINNER IS: Congratulations to Andy Hays, the ONLY person who correctly guessed the opening song. However, Andy has graciously offered to pass it on to the runner up: the winner is Jeff Travis of Modesto who guessed both the second and third songs. Jeff, check your mail later this week for your Chronicles DVD.

The time is now again! The R40 Tour starts one week from today in Tulsa, and to celebrate, I'm having a contest for Power Windows readers where I am giving away a Rush DVD. Correctly guess the first TWO songs of the opening night of the R40 Tour, in the order they are played, and you will be in the running to win Rush's Chronicles DVD Collection. To enter, simply email your answers (song 1, song 2), along with your name and mailing address, to rushr40songs@yahoo.com.

And here's some fine print:

Only one entry per email address (if you change your mind, the last entry received from a given address will be your final answer), and entries received after showtime will be ignored, so please don't bother.
Winner will be randomly drawn from correct entries, but if there are no correct entries/no one correctly guesses the first two songs, winner will be based on the opening song.
If the band opens with a medley or throws us a curve ball, then yours truly will take that into account in considering the final winner.

Good luck!

Rush 'R40 Live: 40th Anniversary' Tour Book Transcript

"As the three of us discussed the songs we would play, it was all about how we and the fans might be able to live it all again - just this once. Because it was quite a ride, wasn't it?" - Neil Peart, "Live It All Again"

Neil Peart has written another outstanding essay which is included in the R40 tour book. In addition, Alex Lifeson tells us some stories from the earlier days, such as renting a car and returning it with 11,000 miles on it, and Geddy talks about his latest obsession, collecting basses.

You can check it out here: Rush 'R40 Live: 40th Anniversary' Tour Book.

- Thanks to John Patuto for sharing the transcript!

Les Claypool: 10 bassists that blew my mind

Yesterday MusicRadar posted an interview with Primus' Les Claypool where he talks about his 10 favorite bassists. Coming in at #1 is Geddy Lee:

“He was the one that when I was a fourteen-year-old fellow I thought, ‘Boy, I’d sure like to make those sounds.’ I’m still trying to do that.

"When I was a kid I didn’t have a lot of money so I joined one of those RCA Record Clubs where you got ten records for a penny and then you spend the next three years trying to pay back the albums that they send you after you don’t get back to them in time.

"One of those albums I got was All The World’s A Stage which was Rush’s first live record. I pretty much wore that thing out. Geddy was the one, he was my first big hero. The way he phrases his runs when he’s improvising, I’ll hit a run every now and then and go, yep, that’s Geddy.

"There’s one song we have in particular called Moron TV that was off the last record where the middle section is very much Rush and it’s an homage to those guys. I helped induct them into the Canadian Songwriters Hall Of Fame. I brought my Fungi band which was cello, marimba, drums and bass, and we played Spirit Of Radio.”

DW Drums' "Not Tom Sawyer Contest"

DW Drums has launched a new contest in honor of Rush's 40th Anniversary Tour. You are invited to film yourself doing your very best tribute to legendary Rush drummer, Neil Peart. Just make a video of yourself playing along to your favorite Rush song for a chance to win a Performance Series Time Machine Snare! Visit DW Drums for details. - Thanks to Rosmakloma for the headsup!

Opening Night in Tulsa Setlist

Beginning with the Hartford show of the Vapor Trails Tour in 2002, we have been your source for the opening night setlist, as the show takes place. That was the case tonight as well, as we posted the opening night setlist from Tulsa live. A HUGE thanks to Ryan Wasell for providing pictures and setlist updates!

Click here for the R40 Opening Night in Tulsa Setlist

Google Map Route of the R40 Tour

"Keep on riding North and West...then circle South and East..."

In case you need help planning your roadtrips this summer:

CMRRA Congratulates Board Member Pegi Cecconi for MMF Award

SRO/Anthem's Pegi Cecconi was presented with the Brian Chater Pioneer Award on Tuesday (May 5) by the Music Manager Forum (MMF) and will be honoured with the inaugural Brian Chater Leadership Award by the Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA) at their Gala in Toronto on June 15.

Ms. Cecconi’s career began while she was still in high school, where she worked as a social convener booking bands through Ray Danniels’ agency. Danniels would go on to found SRO Management, and after Pegi graduated she became SRO’s first employee. Of course, SRO has been managing Rush since the very beginning. For more, visit CMRRA.ca.

Steve Shutt: "Me and Geddy Lee" - The Slapshot Diaries

Retired Montreal Canadiens Steve Shutt recently shared a story of attending a concert with Geddy Lee as part of the The Slapshot Diaries, a new website project from filmmaker Mike Downie and musician/author Dave Bidini in partnership with Toronto-based FUSE Marketing.

Shutt, who attended Fisherville Junior High in Willowdale with Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, shared his story of seeing The Mandala concert at the North York Centennial Area with Geddy Lee in 1967. The concert made a huge impact on them. Apparently Alex Lifeson was not present with Geddy, although he was also at this concert and was similarly impacted, as told at the bottom of this post.

"We were both 14 years old going to Fisherville Junior High in Willowdale in 1966, right at the start of the psychedelic era. We were good friends and, like everyone, we bought all the newest albums, tried to look like hippies, and even took the bus and subway down to Yorkville to see what we had to look like to be cool.

"We went to our first really big show at North York Centennial Arena featuring the two hottest bands in Toronto: The Mandala and The Paupers. The Mandala started the show with their great Blue-Eyed Soul Review. They were dressed in trademark cherry-striped suits. Joey Cherowski was on organ, Whitey Glann on drums, Dominic Trianio on guitar and Don Elliot was on bass. George Oliver sang and danced and jumped around on stage in a frenzy, which earned him his trade mark as the hardest working singer in soul music. The only time he slowed down was when he did the splits and ripped the ass out of his pants, which he changed while the band played an instrumental, the song 'Toronto ’67'. Both me and Ged couldn’t believe what we were seeing. This was great, this was unbelievable. We watched in awe as they finished their set.

"The next band were The Paupers. They started their set with their new hit song Magic People. There was a sound: the fuzz bass played by Denny Gerrard. Me and Geddy looked at each other and decided right then that we were going to play bass, too. Denny stood in his sluggo cap and pounded out an amazing riff that nobody had ever heard before. Little did we know that, during the show, the group, led by Skip Prokop and Adam Mitchell, would let Denny loose to do a 10 min bass solo. When he finished, completely exhausted, he left everyone in the audience stunned by what they’d just heard.

"That week, we begged, borrowed and maybe stole money to buy our own bass guitars and two small amps. I took my bass home and started practicing. I read my 'Introduction to Bass Playing' book. I did scales and learned how to tune the bass. After a couple of weeks, I thought I was getting the hang of playing and sounding pretty good, so I went over to Geddy’s house to show him. When I got there, he had his bass out and one of those old portable record players where, when you opened it up, the speaker would be in the lid. I got out my bass out and said “'kay, let’s do some scales.' Geddy looked at me and said, 'Um, I can’t do scales.' My confidence started to rise. 'I’ll show you,' I told him. 'Just follow me.' Maybe I did have some talent.

"Geddy said, 'Wait, before we do that, let’s listen to this record.' I told him that would be fine. The record started on the cheap portable player and he said, 'Listen, can you hear the bass?' Then he said, 'Look at this,' and started playing. His bass came alive. It pounded the speakers of the 12″ amp and sounded great. I didn’t know if he was copying the record or not because I couldn’t even hear the bass on the record. He did the same thing on the next song and the next one after that. I went home and put my bass away and I don’t think that I ever picked it up again. I guess, looking back, it would have been tough for anyone to compare with the best bass guitar player in the world. I think that both of us made the right decision."

Alex Lifeson was also present at this concert, and met Mandala's guitarist, Domenic Troiano, after the show. Back in 2013, in a press release announcing the annual Domenic Troiano Guitar Awards, Alex was quoted as saying:

"On June 30, 1967, I saw the Mandala at the North York Centennial Arena. At the side of the stage Donny gave me his autograph and his Mandala button. He told me how important it was to keep practicing and if I worked hard, I might get the chance to stand on stage and play for people some day. I was beaming. He was my first real inspiration and to this day I have a deep love and admiration for a man who truly knew the meaning of soul. I am proud to be a humble part of his enduring influence".

- Thanks to RushIsABand for the headsup!

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