Alex Lifeson Appearance at the Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival - Video Available

UPDATE: Monday night Alex Lifeson appeared at the “Hello! Thunder Bay!” comedy show in Toronto. He also did a Q&A with Dave Bidini that is NOT to be missed. Alex talks about some early Rush concerts and is his usual hilarious self. He also tells what REALLY happened when The Runaways opened for Rush...!  Check it out here:

What does the funniest guy in rock do when not on tour?  Take up stand-up comedy of course! The Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival has announced that Alex will appear at “Hello! Thunder Bay!” on March 7th, where “some of Canada’s top musical comedians will join a stellar lineup of Canadian musicians sharing their weirdest, wackiest and most hilarious stories from the road.”

The festival’s Facebook page adds further detail, calling the evening “A one-night-only event exploring the funny in rock ‘n’ roll” and noting that “Musicians Dave Bidini, Alex Lifeson, Terra Lightfoot, Grand Analog (and more) share rock ‘n’ roll road stories with comedians Jessica Holmes, Gavin Crawford and Sean Cullen adding musical comedy and rock parody.”

Alex Lifeson Talks Rush's Uncertain Future - Rolling Stone

Today RollingStone.com posted a new interview with Alex Lifeson which you can check out here.  All the news stories surrounding Rush these days basically say the same thing, which is basically summed up by the following:

In addition to wanting to stay home with his family more, Peart struggled with the physicality of touring on R40. "His shoulders were hurting, his arms were hurting, his elbows, his feet, everything," Lifeson says. "He didn't want to play anything less than 100 percent. He was finding it increasingly difficult to hit that mark on this last tour. So, all those things combined, I get it. I'm disappointed and I think Geddy [Lee] is very disappointed and we'd love to continue this tour a little bit longer, but we're off now."...The guitarist has also been speaking with Peart occasionally since the final tour date, and he reports that the drummer is "having a wonderful time" and "very happy."

Looking forward to the future, Alex adds:

"Maybe next fall or something like that, we'll plan something. We took a year off before the last tour and we didn't discuss anything about the band or work, and everybody had a great time, and we came back from that." He laughs. "We're getting older and it's getting tougher, but I don't know. We'll see."

Rush featured on Ninja Sex Party's 'Under The Covers' released March 4

This past Friday March 4th the comedy band Ninja Sex Party released their Under The Covers album featuring their favorite songs from the 70s and 80s.  Included on the 12 track album are "Subdivisions" and "Madrigal".  You can purchase the album here, and preview Subdivisions here and Madrigal here.

This is not the first time this band has referenced Rush. They have snuck "2112" into their music videos numerous times, and on their previous album, Attitude City, is the semi-parody of "2112" called "6969".  It tells the story of the band heading to the titular year  only to find sex has been outlawed. They directly use the line "I know it's most unusual to come before you so...", and one of song's subsections is titled "To Sleep, Perchance to Cream".  In addition, the inner artwork features a parody of Rush's starman where the star is replaced with a red Star of David (relating to the lead singer's Jewish background, which is often played for humor in their music).

- Thanks to Andrew Weiss for the headsup!

"The Girl Who Listened To Rush" by Nerf Herder on 'Rockingham' coming March 11

Check out the new track "The Girl Who Listened To Rush" by Nerf Herder from their new album Rockingham coming next week (click here to order).   As confirmed in the official lyric video Youtube posting (embedded below), the backing tracks were recorded at New Monkey studios in Van Nuys, through the exact Trident A mixing console used by Rush to record many of their greatest songs.

This is not the first time they've name dropped the band in one of their songs; also check out their songs "Golfshirt" and "High School." - Thanks to John Patuto at Cygnus-X1.net for the headsup!

"Rush Make 2112, 1976" - Mojo, March 2016 issue

The March 2016 issue of Mojo magazine includes a new interview with Geddy Lee on page 23 titled "Rush Make 2112, 1976" where he looks back on the album 2112. You can read it here. - Thanks to RushFanForever for the headsup!

Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson Visit WEBZ Chicago

Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson will join hosts Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot of WEBZ Chicago to discuss the band's remarkable 40-year career tomorrow, February 26th.  For details and streaming click here. - Thanks to Ed at RushIsABand for the headsup!

Behind The Vinyl: Tom Sawyer - Alex Lifeson from Rush

Alex Lifeson dropped by Toronto's boom 97.3 to share a story about Rush's "Tom Sawyer".  Alex talks about the connection with South Park and the key ingredients to making their “Moving Pictures” album: cognac & volley ball.   Check it out here:

Rush Featured in Prog # 63, Celebrating 40 Years of 2112

The new issue of Prog magazine went on sale last Friday, and includes the celebration of 40 years of 2112 with brand new interviews as well as discussing their immediate future.  Also included "Rush's Career in 10 Albums: By Geddy Lee".  Click here for details.

UPDATE (Feb 19): All three features are now available here. - Thanks to John Patuto for sharing the transcript!

Geddy Lee's guest appearance on Wintersleep's "The Great Detachment"

Geddy Lee makes a guest appearance on the track "Territory" on Wintersleep's new album, The Great Detachment, set for release March 4th (order here).  You can hear the track below.

When Canadian indie-rock band Wintersleep were recording their new album, The Great Detachment, they got sidetracked chatting about their love for one of their country's most famous musical exports. "We were talking about how amazing Rush was ... and how incredible Geddy Lee is," Paul Murphy, the band's lead singer, told Rolling Stone. "He can sing these incredibly complex melodies with complex lyrics, while playing perhaps even more incredibly complex bass parts, while also operating foot pedals. If there was an instrument he could play with his eyeballs, I'm sure he'd be able to!"

Coincidentally, later that same night, the band ran into trouble while fine-tuning the bass line on one of the tracks, "Territory." "It was cool but the song didn't feel as lively as it should in the end," Murphy explains. "Someone was like, 'What would Geddy Lee do?' jokingly, and Tony [Doogan, producer] was like, 'Oh, the best bass player in the world? He'd make it incredible. Why don't we just ask him?'"

They did, and Wintersleep's "what if ...?" fantasy quickly turned into reality.

"Wintersleep contacted me a while ago and asked me to play bass on this track," Lee told RS. "I had a listen and loved the song and the vibe of the band. I had a blast laying down a bunch of takes and sent them off to them. I'm happy to support a fellow Canadian band and wish them all the best with their new album."

The result is "Territory" — no relation to the 1985 Rush song "Territories" — a muscular, hard-driving track that builds to a bright, yearning chorus. Lee's trademark gritty tone and melodic inventiveness are easily identifiable, but there's nothing showy about the performance; his bass lines blend perfectly with Loel Campbell's drums and provide a firm anchor for the rest of the track.

"The bass line we originally had for 'Territory' was just kind of playing the roots of the song," Murphy explains of Lee's contribution. "There was a sort of hook-line melody in the choruses, but that melody sort of combated with Tim [D'eon]'s lead line in a weird way. It's kind of an odd time signature, so it sometimes is hard thinking more creatively when a riff is long and kind of odd like that. In the end, the song just felt a little sticky and maybe a bit too dark, lacking the energy it needed. With a relatively dark lyric and a generous amount of minor notes in the progression, you have to be careful because it can just feel a bit dark and a bit too stone-faced or something.

"Geddy's part was perfect because it had this great groove and locked into the vocal melody in the song from time to time, bringing more weight to the melody in important spots. It added a certain playful dimension to the equation because it's so dynamic. Also, Tony was able to strip the song down more in the mix in sections because the bass had such a neat character and fuller sound, which was huge for the song dynamically."

- Thanks to Ed at RushIsABand for the headsup!

Geddy Lee Talks 2112 Track-By-Track - MusicRadar.com

Today MusicRadar.com posted a new interview with Geddy Lee where he takes us through 2112, track by track, as the album approaches its 40th Anniversary this coming April.  You can check it out in full here.

In The Studio with Moving Pictures 35th Anniversary Special

Dallas, TX - Feb 3, 2016.  North American syndicated Rock radio show and website InTheStudio: The Stories Behind History’s Greatest Rock Bands rolls out the red carpet for the thirty-fifth anniversary of RUSH’s most successful album, Moving Pictures.

Sales alone do not convey the importance of their eighth studio album Moving Pictures to Rush’s long career, nor to rock music itself. “Music was changing,” Rush lead singer/composer Geddy Lee tells us in this InTheStudio episode, and without Lee, guitarist/composer Alex Lifeson and drummer/lyricist Neil Peart embracing the fresh musical ideas in the crosswinds of the early Eighties with songs “Tom Sawyer”, “Red Barchetta”, “Limelight”, “Vital Signs” and “Witch Hunt”, it is doubtful that a path to mainstream success would have been cleared for later major bands including Metallica, Queensryche, Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan, Dave Grohl’s Foo Fighters, Tom Morello with Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, and Dream Theater.

InTheStudio host Redbeard speaks to Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart about the significance of Moving Pictures to the Rush legacy.                                                  

“It (Moving Pictures) gave us a kind of acceptance and credibility that none of our previous records had previously done.” - Geddy Lee

“It was very enjoyable making Moving Pictures. It flowed, everything sounded good. The vibe was good, everybody was in great spirits during the whole process.” - Alex Lifeson

“Being a trio is something that is special to us and I think it’s special to our fans too... We are known as a trio. Our reputation has a lot to do with our live show and what the three of us can do live.” -  Neil Peart

RUSH Moving Pictures @ 35/ InTheStudio interview is now available for STREAMING here.  For a complete list of InTheStudio broadcast affiliate radio stations click here.

Neil Peart's "News Weather and Sports" - January 2016

Neil Peart has updated his website with the January 2016 issue of "News, Weather and Sports." In BubbaGram™#4, "At the Route 66 Motel", Neil tells of filming a drone video of his motorcycle riding to be used on some future project, possibly as the trailer of his next book, to be titled "Far and Wide: Bring That Horizon to Me!" which he states is coming in September 2016.  He also tells the story of coming across a bicyclist from Japan, whom he introduces himself to as "Bubba", and "that he is the only stranger whose camera I have willingly posed for—in about forty years!"  You can check it out here.

Feedback and Snakes & Arrows Vinyl Reissues Now Available

The remaining two Rush vinyl reissues from the Atlantic era, Feedback and Snakes & Arrows, are now available.  Although the Rush Backstage Club shows them as being released today, some online retailers started shipping last week (the 15th). This concludes the Rush Vinyl Reissues.

Rush has been reissuing the complete Mercury and Atlantic era albums on 200-gram heavyweight vinyl in semi-chronological order throughout 2015 and into 2016, with the final release being Snakes & Arrows (the only albums not getting the vinyl treatment are the Atlantic era live albums). 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, A Farewell To Kings (vinyl and blu-ray pure audio in 5.1 surround sound), Hemispheres, Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures (vinyl and vinyl/t-shirt bundle), Exit...Stage Left, Signals (vinyl and blu-ray pure audio in 5.1 surround sound), Grace Under Pressure, Power Windows, Hold Your Fire, A Show of Hands, Presto, Roll The Bones, Counterparts and Test for Echo.  These vinyl reissues include a 320kbps MP4 vinyl ripped Digital Audio album download, and can also be purchased separately as high resolution Digital Audio.  

Thinking Out Loud: Geddy Lee - Prog

Prog magazine has posted a new feature interview with Geddy Lee dubbed "Thinking Out Loud: Geddy Lee; The Rush frontman on his voice, South Park and wine".  Geddy talks about his parents meeting in a Nazi concentration camp, being influenced by Cream, South Park, and more.  Check out the full interview here.

Rush's Power Windows a window into record-store owner’s past - TheStar

Today the Toronto Star published "Rush's Power Windows a window into record-store owner’s past", an interview with Neil Cunningham who is pictured on the cover of Power Windows, was featured in the Big Money video. 

Originally, Cunningham became involved with the project by happenstance. His friend Marcus Pearson was working for photographer Dimo Safari, who was crafting the cover for Rush’s upcoming record — a transitional, pop-leaning album awash in chilled synths — and was seeking a “skinny blond” punk for the cover. Cunningham happened to be skinny and blond (“still am”) and leapt at the opportunity. “Dimo had been working with Madonna, so I was all excited at the idea I could be on a Madonna cover,” he recalled. “When he said Rush, I was like, ‘yeah, oh, all right. Not bad either.’” The shoot was conducted over two arduous nights in Cabbagetown, with the March wind snapping through the open window. Once captured, the photo was painted over by Hugh Syme.

Check out the full interview here.

"David Bowie was a monumental artist...immortal" - Rush

Upon learning of the passing of David Bowie this past Saturday, Rush have posted the following on their Facebook page:

"Woke up to the news of David Bowie leaving this world. Crushed is the right word. He was a monumental artist...immortal. We used to play Suffragette City in our bar days...RIP David Bowie"

Rush Lands at #26 North American and #42 Worldwide on Pollstars Lists

Rush's R40 Live Tour came in at #26 on Pollstar's Top 200 North American Tours list and #42 on the Top 100 Worldwide Tours list with $37.8 million gross.  For more details check the complete North American and Worldwide Tous Lists. - Thanks to Bman for the headsup!

Grace Under Pressure, Power Windows and Hold Your Fire Vinyl Reissues Now Available

Continuing with the Rush vinyl reissues, Grace Under Pressure, Power Windows and Hold Your Fire are now available today, January 8, thus completing the Mercury era catalog.  The final two albums from the Atlantic era, Feedback and Snakes & Arrows are scheduled for release January 15th. 

Rush has been reissuing the complete Mercury and Atlantic era albums on 200-gram heavyweight vinyl in semi-chronological order throughout 2015 and into 2016, with the final release being Snakes & Arrows (the only albums not getting the vinyl treatment are the Atlantic era live albums). 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, A Farewell To Kings (vinyl and blu-ray pure audio in 5.1 surround sound), Hemispheres, Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures (vinyl and vinyl/t-shirt bundle), Exit...Stage Left, Signals (vinyl and blu-ray pure audio in 5.1 surround sound), A Show of Hands, Presto, Roll The Bones, Counterparts and Test for Echo.  These vinyl reissues include a 320kbps MP4 vinyl ripped Digital Audio album download, and can also be purchased separately as high resolution Digital Audio.  

Rush R40: Canadian Trio Looks Back on 40 Years of Epic Songs - International Musician

Rush is on the cover of the January issue of International Musician magazine. The cover feature is "Rush R40: Canadian Trio Looks Back on 40 Years of Epic Songs" and you can read it online here. or here. - Thanks to Ed at RushIsABand for the headsup!

Geddy Lee video interview with uDiscover Music

uDiscover Music has posted an extensive 40 minute video with Geddy Lee which you can watch below.  "Geddy Lee from Rush talks to Kylie Olsson at Abbey Road Studios supporting the release of the band's 40-LIVE filmed at the band's Toronto shows on June 17th and 19th 2015 - released by Universal in Nov 2015.  Geddy talks about how their popularity has continued over their 40 year successful career & discusses the background of the stage sets & theatrics for their retrospective R40 tour. Includes a live clip of their classic song Jacob's Ladder taken from the new R40 release." - Thanks to Ed @ RushIsABand for the headsup!