Maiah Wynne Collaborates with Portland Cello Project and Rush's Alex Lifeson on "Fearless Girl"

Yesterday saw the release of the single "Fearless Girl" by Maiah Wynne featuring the Portland Cello Project and Alex Lifeson on guitar (available here).

“This song is about the battle to find inner strength in the aftermath of sexual assault,” versatile singer-songwriter Maiah Wynne reveals about her new single “Fearless Girl,” which features beautiful, symphonic instrumentation from the stellar Portland Cello Project and guitar from Alex Lifeson of Rush. It’s “a #MeToo-era song that encourages strength for survivors as they encounter triggers and vulnerability in their day-to-day lives.”

“I wrote ‘Fearless Girl’ a little over a year ago, after reconnecting with my best friend from middle school,” Wynne tells. “We had a long heart to heart about everything we had been going through during the time of our friendship, but didn't have the ability to express. This realization of the pain we had both been experiencing during that time was saddening and frustrating. It reflected many of the emotions I had been feeling: fear, distrust, and a strange connection with millions of women—and men—around the world who had experienced these same things. At one point during that conversation she asked, ‘What happened to those fearless girls we used to be?’ As I reflected on that conversation later that night, those words stuck in my brain and I began writing this song. This song was my story, her story, the stories we hear every day, and a call for inner strength in a world where sexual assault and domestic violence prevail.”

“This song is for anyone who needs a reminder to hold on to that inner spirit,” she continues. “For anyone that needs to reconnect with the strength inside of them after experiencing this specific kind of pain. This is for her, for him, for them, for you.” - Vortex, July 24, 2019

Don Felder Talks About Woodstock, Songwriting, Rush and New Solo Album – American Rock ‘N’ Roll

In a new interview with musiclifemagazine.net, Don Felder talks about Alex Lifeson's guest appearance on his new solo album, American Rock 'N' Roll, and how it came about through his friendship with Neil Peart:

“I actually met [Rush drummer] Neil Peart before I met Alex. Neil’s little girl and my little boy actually went to the same preschool together, so we became friends and went to dinner and he would come to birthday parties at my house and school events and just hang out. About two and a half years ago he came to a birthday party and I asked him to get up and play. I had my road band with me and Stephen Stills also came and did a set with me; it was just a fun jam at my house. But Neil said, ‘I’ve quit playing.’ I said, ‘what?’ He said, ‘I quit playing. It’s just too hard physically for me to do what I have to do to maintain the level of my performance at my age. I can’t do that, and I can’t go onstage and play at less than what I think is the best I can do.’ I had the ultimate amount of respect for that, but it just broke my heart to hear him telling me that he was done playing music,” said Felder.

“About a year or so later I was playing in this golf event for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital and Alex was there and we ended up playing together. Afterwards, he jammed with me on some stuff and we played a soundcheck together and I think we played Pride and Joy as a matter of fact, where we traded off guitars. Backstage I took this goofy picture of the two of us playing my white double-neck with each of us playing one of the necks. He’s such a nice guy and I realized as I was making this record that since Alex is not working regularly – he is probably just playing a lot of golf – he probably would be very interested in jumping on this record if I reached out to him.

“And indeed, he was very excited. He was up in Canada and I sent him some stuff for him to play to and he got back to me asking what I wanted him to do. He went in and in a very tasteful way played acoustic guitar on the bridge of Charmed and did some great guitar solos on the end and sent it back and we did a little digital editing where I overdubbed on top of it so it sounds like we’re actually trading off lines at the very end of it. The very last line that he played was very cool, so I figured out the harmony for it and played harmony on top. It was a fun couple of days for him and a fun couple of days for me. I wish we could have been in the same room. And I loved the way he plays, I love his work, he is just a super sweet guy. I haven’t met a Canadian that I don’t like, basically.”

- Thanks to Rushfanforever for the headsup!

Godsmack’s Sully Erna discusses Neil Peart's retirement

Godsmack’s Sully Erna discusses Neil Peart's retirement in a new interview.   According to Loudwire.com:

Speaking with Mulatschag TV, Sully Erna revealed that Peart spoke on behalf of the band for their forthcoming documentary. "[He] did a review on me and Shannon's drum battle. And it might have been the last time he went on camera, because he'd been retired. He literally is done — he shut off that part of his life now. He feels he's done everything he can do. Literally, he told Shannon that right to his face. Shannon's, like, 'Aren't you gonna play a little?' And he's, like, 'Nah, I think I'm done.' Shannon's, like, 'Yeah, but you're not even gonna have a drum set in your basement?' He goes, 'Son, I think I've done everything I can do on the drums.' Shannon was, like, 'Yes, you have, sir.' [Laughs] And so he was done, man."

Continuing the discussion, Erna added, "We got to meet him a few times, and I'm very good friends with his personal assistant. He agreed to do an interview, and we have that on video, luckily. And we're very, very proud of that. That's an extremely important thing for me and Shannon, especially after all the work we've put into that drum battle, to hear the actual icon of drumming praise us for the work that we did is a real honor… [He's] one of my biggest inspirations in the world. He changed my life, for sure.

Alex Lifeson Remembers What Happened When Rush Opened for Rory Gallagher & Gift He Got From Him

During a recent interview, transcribed by Ultimate-Guitar.com, Alex Lifeson sang praises of Rory Gallagher, remembering how Rush opened for the late guitarist in 1974, adding:

"I think it was during the Taste period [Rory was in the band between 1966 and 1970], I was really impressed with Rory's playing as a guitarist."

"He was in a lot of ways a great rock guitarist. He had so much energy in his playing, and he wasn't the typical blues player. He had a style of his own, and it was a reflection of his soul, truly.

"His vocals and his guitar playing together made for this really really special thing, that very few people had."

"We were doing a lot of sporadic dates; we had some club dates mixed in that we were headlining small, like, bars, but we did some dates with some other bands that we really looked up to. Nazareth was one and then playing with Rory was a real treat.

"It was in the fall of 1974, we did a cross-Canada tour with some dates in the States and the northwest coast and into Los Angeles.

"We're 20 years old, this is our first tour, it's so exciting, we didn't know our place so we tried to stay in the background and be polite as possible, and not be a bunch of dicks basically.

"Right from the get-go, the whole band, Rory especially, they were so hospitable and accommodating and they let us do an encore, and a lot of bands didn't do that with their opening acts in that time.

"They were very approachable, so we got to spend some time, I would watch Rory every night, we were one of the opening acts on a three-act show, so we were only on usually for about 20 minutes or half an hour or something.

"I would watch his set and go back to the dressing room and just play, just because I was so inspired by watching him play. Honest to god, his soul was just amazing, and to see him close his eyes and just get lost in his playing was truly, truly remarkable."

"In 1982, Rory opened for us. There was an offer for Rory to open for a tour, and we were, like, absolutely over it. We ended up doing about three months together in that period in '82 and that's when I really got to know him.

"We spent a lot of time together, he would come by and we would sit and talk for hours and maybe drink a little bit too much and whatever else, but this was our pattern.

"And then we played and there was so much respect for them. And we returned the favor, we made sure they got everything that they ever needed on any show, complete freedom to do whatever they wanted.

"We were so honored to have them out with us, and he and I talked about all kinds of things - politics, family and him being from Ireland, my ancestors coming from former Yugoslavia and the same sort of issues there.

"We spent hours and hours talking about that sort of stuff. He bought me a copy of [Irish writer] Flann O'Brien's 'The Third Policeman,' and I was really touched that he would think to do that. He said, 'You got to read it, he's a great satirist and his books are great, it gives you an eye for that Irish humor.'

"I read the book and I got back to him, days later I guess, said I really enjoyed it. We had a bit of a break, he went back to Ireland and then came back to North America, he bought me the whole series and gave me a whole series of books. He said, 'If you like that one so much, read these.'

"That was the kind of guy he was, it wasn't just about the music in the band and his guitar and all of that stuff. It was his personality and his soul, he was so thoughtful and considerate to other people, so polite. Honestly, he was such a wonderful person, never mind his talents and skills."

Kevin Bacon sings Tom Sawyer on 'City on a Hill'

The series premiere of Showtime's City On A Hill includes a scene where Jackie Rohr, played by Kevin Bacon, sings along to Tom Sawyer on his car radio.  The episode premiered June 7th, and you can view the clip below. - Thanks to Greg Paup for the headsup and video share!

First Annual "Cinema Strangiato" Coming August 21st

Today Rush has announced on August 21, Anthem/Trafalgar will bring the first annual “Cinema Strangiato” to the big screen in movie theaters worldwide for one night only. This theatrical film experience will bring Rush fans together for a special look into R40 Live, see new backstage footage, special guests, and performances that you won’t want to miss.

CINEMA STRANGIATO - August 21 2019
Tickets go on sale Thursday, June 20.
Head to https://www.cinemastrangiato.com/
to sign up for more event information!

"Time Machine 2011: Live in Cleveland" Vinyl Edition Now Available

Time Machine 2011: Live in Cleveland is coming to vinyl for the first time in its entirety on June 7, 2019. (Previously only the Moving Pictures segment of the show was pressed to vinyl as Moving Pictures: Live 2011. Order here. 

Canadian Music Publisher ole Rebrands as Anthem Entertainment

ole, the Canadian music publishing company, is being rebranded as Anthem Entertainment....In choosing a new name, Murphy went with an acquired brand Anthem that it purchased in 2015, the record label that included Rush on its roster.

"As the company turns 15 this year, it is important to celebrate its success in building a successful global content creation and entertainment services platform from scratch," Murphy said in a statement. "It is also important to stop and reassess our mission and our values. Looking forward, it is equally important for us to revisit our name. I want the name of our company to more easily identify who we are and what we do. We have grown from a small music publishing company to a large independent producer of content and entertainment services platform. We have created deep roots in music, film, and television."

Click here for more. - Billboard.com, June 5, 2019

'I miss my buddies': Geddy Lee reflects on Rush and his love of bass - Toronto Sun

In a new interview published today by the Toronto Sun to promote his book, Geddy talks about his future recording plans...

"I don’t really know. Alex is turning into this super session guy. He loves playing on other people’s records without the responsibilities of having to write anything other than his solo. I know he’s really digging that. I’ve been doing this project, but we talk, quite a lot. We see each other quite a lot. And we visit with Neil quite often. So we’re all close but I don’t think we would ever do a project — the three of us. It’s certainly possible that Alex and I would do something down the road. I can’t see the three of us ever really doing anything."

Check out the full article here.

Alex Lifeson guest voice actor on Trailer Park Boys: The Animated Series

Trailer Park Boys: The Animated Series premiered on Netflix just over a month ago (March 31st), and the ten episode season includes Rush's Alex Lifeson as a voice actor.   During episode 7, ‘Satan’s Bastards’, Alex is the heavily accented voice of Big Chunk, and during episode 10, ‘Trailerstock’, Alex is the manager of Queens of the Stone Age.  I think this guy has a future... - Thanks to Kenny Bratz for the headsup!

Geddy Lee’s BBBoB Canadian Book Tour & Bass Exhibit at NMC

Geddy Lee’s Official (Yet Kind of Random) Big Beautiful Book of Bass Tour has announced Canadian dates!

Event Tickets are available now in select markets at Rush.com/geddylee

One special stop on the tour will be in Calgary where Geddy Lee will open Geddy Lee’s Big Beautiful Bass Exhibition at Studio Bell at The National Music Centre (NMC), highlighting a selection of his rare and iconic bass guitars

Following Geddy Lee’s Big Book of Bass Exhibit at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Studio Bell is hosting the first Canadian exhibit of the artist’s bass guitars, with 26 instruments curated by Lee himself.

Lee has spent years collecting hundreds of vintage bass guitars-a passion which became the inspiration for Geddy Lee’s Big Beautiful Book of Bass. To celebrate the release of his new book, NMC is launching a feature exhibition at Studio Bell that will coincide with Lee’s cross-Canada book tour. NMC will host an exclusive event with Geddy Lee that includes a special Q&A followed by a book signing on May 25th with exhibit opening to the public on May 26th, 2019.

Setlists For Young Voices Auction

Starting tonight, 100+ setlists from renowned musicians will go to auction online to benefit international youth writing and activism centers and organizations on behalf of Setlists For Young Voices.

Setlists For Young Voices is a new initiative developed and launched by Nick Hornby (novelist, screenwriter, co-founder of Ministry of Stories, a London-based youth writing center), with the help of Dave Eggers (novelist, co-founder of San Francisco youth writing center 826 Valencia), and Michael Chabon (novelist, screenwriter).

The auction’s proceeds will benefit both Ministry of Stories and The International Congress of Youth Voices, which will bring international teen writers and activists together in San Juan, Puerto Rico this Summer. The auction begins tonight at 7 pm PT / 10 pm ET, and will end in ten days on May 2nd.

Included are three setlists from Rush’s 2013 Clockwork Angels tour.  The auction and all setlists can be found here.

“These Were My Heroes”: Geddy Lee On Rush And His Love Of The Bass - udiscovermusic

In an interview with uDiscover Music, Geddy Lee talks about his ‘Big Beautiful Book Of Bass’ and the musical heroes he’d loved to have played with. - April 17, 2019

Alex Lifeson guest on Don Felder's 'American Rock ‘N’ Roll' - now available

Alex Lifeson is one of many guest performers who appears on former Eagles' guitarist and songwriter Don Felder's new album, American Rock and Roll, hitting stores today, April 5th. Lifeson appears on the track "Charmed", performing acoustic rhythm on the bridge and electric guitar end solo

"A former lead guitarist and songwriter of The Eagles, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee, and New York Times bestselling author Don Felder, announces his highly anticipated all-new album American Rock ‘N’ Roll. The new album is slated for release on April 5, 2019 on BMG and is available for pre-order on January 25th, 2019. The album features some of the biggest names in music including Sammy Hagar, Slash, Richie Sambora, Orianthi, Peter Frampton, Joe Satriani, Mick Fleetwood, Chad Smith, Bob Weir, David Paich, Steve Porcaro, Alex Lifeson and more. The album was mixed by Bob Clearmountain and mastered by Bernie Grundman." - MusicMahemMagazine.com, January 25, 2019

In a new interview with KSHE.fm, Felder talked about working with Alex:

"Alex and I play golf every year at the same children's hospital out in Palm Springs, and as a matter of fact, we have a picture of him and me backstage where he used to play of double neck a song or two from Rush. I had my own double neck and was about to play and said, 'Alex, come over here. You play one neck and I'll play the other.' After I had heard from Neil Peart that Rush was pretty much done, I figured, 'God, Alex has got to be sitting around doing nothing, bored to death. I'd love him to play on this record.' So I contacted him. We wound up playing on a really fantastic song called 'Charmed.'" - Don Felder, KSHE.fm, April 9, 2019

Geddy Lee joins Les Claypool's Lennon Delirium Onstage in Toronto

Today on his Facebook page, Les Claypool (Primus) posted:

Last night was a pinnacle moment for this Ol’ Colonel’s career. My dear friend and childhood superhero GeddyLee decided to join The Delirium onstage in Toronto for our rendition of Sean’s Dad’s, "Tomorrow Never Knows".

As Geddy slinked out of the shadows with my Pachyderm bass in his mighty grips, the crowd slowly swelled to a frenzy of recognition. The energy and excitement was so palatable that it brought a joyful tear to my eye. Like Joe DiMaggio stepping back up to the plate, Geddy proceeded to show us all why he is one of the greatest to ever wield a four string piece of furniture. It was pure magic and I imagine I'll feel the tingle on the back of my neck for some time.

Alas, our recording equipment went on the fritz so it will only live in our minds...and on the handful of cellphones that were fortunate enough to capture the glory. Good times.

- Les Claypool

Geddy Lee also commented on Instagram:

Last night the good folks of the Claypool/Lennon Delirium kindly invited me to invade their show during the closing number..The Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows"...it was such a blast to jam with these talented guys and most especially to appear with my pal .. the inimitable Les Claypool .. . thanks for the awesome show boys!

Alex Lifeson to appear at West End Phoenix Benefit May 31st

Alex Lifeson is one of many artists performing at the Double or Nothing Fundraser and Party for West End Phoenix Newspaper on May 31st. Alex will join Chris Walla from Death Cab for Cutie and the Rheostatics.  For tickets visit westendphoenix.com.

Rush To Be Featured In ABC's 'Schooled' April 10th Episode

Blabbermouth is reporting that Rush will be featured on ABC-TV's comedy "Schooled" on Wednesday, April 10 at 8:30 p.m. "Schooled" is a direct spinoff of ABC's long-running '80s comedy "The Goldbergs".

"In this all-new episode, character Johnny Atkins, who always wears a RUSH concert T-shirt, shows his love for the band in a new way. In "Schooled", Johnny is working at William Penn Academy as a custodian and reflects about his time in high school working at his school's radio station. He claims he put together a show called "Rush Hour", featuring 30 minutes of the greatest band in the world, RUSH.

"Schooled" posted a photo to Twitter of janitor Johnny wearing a Moving Pictures t-shirt under is coveralls back in December.

Geddy Lee "The Soundtrack Of My Life" - Classic Rock

The Classic Rock Special KISS Collectors Edition (#261) is on newsstands, and includes a feature with Geddy Lee talking about "The Soundtrack Of My Life." - Thanks to Geoff Clark and RushFanForever for the headsup!

Dream Theater’s John Petrucci on Rush: “That was the band that changed everything”

“To me, [Rush] was the band that changed everything,” Petrucci told us. “When music just hits you in such a way, especially when you’re young … and you’re sort of developing your tastes — that band, there was something about it. I just loved it. And so I got completely sucked into all things Rush.”  He added, “One of my greatest musical memories has to do with them ’cause Rush was the first concert I ever went to. Back in 1982, they were on the Signals tour, they were playing the Nassau Coliseum on Long Island — I went there and had the worst seats ever. They were so far away, but I just couldn’t believe that this was a band that I was listening to all this time, and here I am in the same building as them. How was that possible? I was just blown away by the show and the production. And you can imagine what impact that had on me, eventually making that my career.” - for more visit ConsequenceOfSound.com, March 22, 2019

Alex Lifeson guests on The Mute Gods' 'Atheists and Believers' now available

The Mute Gods' new album Atheists and Believers hits stores March 22nd.  Nick Beggs, Roger King and Marco Minnemann are joined on this their third album by guest performers Alex Lifeson, Craig Blundell, Rob Townsend and Beggs’ daughter Lula on vocals.  Earlier this month, MetalExpressRadio.com shared a new interview with bassist Nick Beggs where he discussed working with Lifeson:

"I'd worked on the 2112 re-release where we did a version of Twilight Zone. He came to the shows and we hung out and kept in contact. He was really up for contributing to the record. He was such a lovely man and a very funny man too....I'd recorded all of the guitar parts already [for 'One Day'] and I told him to do whatever he wanted. If he wanted to replace the guitar parts then he could but he did something completely different. He added Mandola, ambient guitar and 12-string acoustic and I liked so much what he'd done on the outro, that I edited it and made a whole new intro for the song so the first thing you hear is Alex strumming a 12-string guitar and me singing 'Life is a chemical reaction'. His chord inversions made the whole thing sing and that effected the way I arranged it in the end. I`d like to feature him more."

The video for the Mute Gods new single 'One Day' featuring Alex Lifeson is available below.