Geddy Lee to auction six guitars from his private collection

Guitar.com is reporting that Geddy Lee has put up six guitars from his private collection – including a ’59 Burst – up for auction. 

The sale of the prog rockers’ axes is organised by Mecum Auctions, a vintage car and motorcycle auction company that will make its foray into guitars next month. Lee’s guitars will be auctioned alongside instruments previously owned by Carlos Santana and Cheap Trick’s Rick Nielsen.
Geddy Lee Rush 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard Sunburst auction
Image: Mecum Auctions

Leading the six instruments Lee has put up for sale is a special-edition 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard (seen above). The guitar is “in stunning original condition, save for a single refret”, Mecum’s website notes, and will come in its original case.

Four other Gibsons are also on the block: A 1960 ES-345 – with a current bid of $5,000 at press time – a 1960 ES-355, a 1965 ES-335 and a 1967 Flying V. A 1955 Fender Stratocaster wraps up Lee’s collection of axes going under the hammer.

For auction details visit Mecum.com's auction.

The Flyer Vault: 150 Years of Toronto Concert History with forward by Geddy Lee

Geddy Lee has written the forward to a new book, The Flyer Vault: 150 Years of Toronto Concert History by Daniel Tate and Rob Bowman, set for release this Thursday by Dundurn publishing.  From the description:

Since 2015, live music fanatics in Toronto have been given a window into the city's rich history of concerts through the Flyer Vault, a popular Instagram account that shares posters, footage and ephemera of T.O. shows across all genres. Now, creator Daniel Tate is set give his project a physical form with a new book.

Tate will release The Flyer Vault: 150 Years of Toronto Concert History through Dundurn Press on October 26.

Authored alongside Grammy Award-winning musicologist Rob Bowman, the book features a foreword penned by Rush's Geddy Lee and promises to be "a visual tour-de-force" that "captures a mesmerizing history of Toronto concert and club life, ​running the gamut of genres from vaudeville to rock, jazz to hip-hop, blues to electronica, and punk to country."

Click here to order.

Producer NICK RASKULINECZ On Working With RUSH: 'Sometimes I Still Can't Believe It Happened'

Thanks to Blabbermouth.net for posting:

During a recent appearance on the "Tape Op Podcast", producer Nick Raskulinecz discussed his work on the final two RUSH albums, 2007's "Snakes & Arrows" and 2012's "Clockwork Angels".  "Sometimes I still can't believe it happened," Nick said. "We made two records together, and the first one was… it did great for them. I kind of feel they were looking for somebody to inject some energy back into them and what they were doing and tell them that it was okay to be themselves. I felt like they were looking for a direction at that point in their careers. I mean, they'd made so many records. And they had just gotten back together after Neil's [Peart, drums] hiatus and made a record [2002's 'Vapor Trails'] that was a little — it was too heavy and disjointed, and it didn't really sound like RUSH that much. And I liked it, but I didn't love it. And we got together, I was just kind of, like, 'No. More fills. And classic fills.' 'Cause as a lifelong RUSH fan, I knew what I wanted to hear. So I just kind of tried to guide them into what... I feel like the first record we made was their kind of mid-'80s, early-'90s... we kind of touched on that era of RUSH. And then the last record we made was total '70s, very early '80s-style RUSH. There's a song on there called 'Headlong Flight' that's almost nine minutes long; it has a drum solo in the middle."

For the full story including the audio interview click here.

The Making of Farewell To Kings: The Graphic Novel from Fantoons Now Available

Fantoons' The Making of Farewell To Kings: The Graphic Novel is now available.  This 144pg official RUSH graphic novel chronicling the making of the band’s classic album, hits stores today, September 10th.  Order now.

“We worked incredibly hard to create a graphic novel that celebrates the music of RUSH, and the creation of the album of ‘A Farewell to Kings’ as a work of art” says Fantoons LA-based creative director, David Calcano. “We think this book will be something for comics and music fans alike to cherish.”

This epic, fully authorized graphic novel chronicles the birth of RUSH’s classic album A Farewell to Kings. Relive the production trials and triumphs alongside Alex Lifeson, Geddy Lee & Neil Peart as they create the masterpiece of progressive rock that gave birth to such tracks as “Closer to the Heart,” and the majestic “Xanadu”. The book is co-written by Fantoons’ David Calcano and Lindsay Lee, and features artwork by Juan Riera and Ittai Manero. The story was written with input from RUSH guitarist Alex Lifeson and album producer Terry Brown, who also penned the foreword.

Alex LIfeson Interview with Sweetwater

Check out Sweetwater Sound's all new interview with Alex Lifeson posted today:

Rush 80’s Edition Bobblehead Dolls

Today the RushBackstageClub announced:

"Who can forget the 80’s? The decade that spawned albums such as Moving Pictures, Signals, and Power Windows, certainly deserves its own set of Rush bobbleheads. Remember Alex’s leather pants? How about the clean-cut hair on Neil! How about Ged’s Steinberger!! This set of three polyresin ceramic dolls stand approximately 7” high, and come packaged in a custom box for all of you collectors. Clear some space on the shelf!  **Preorder quantities are limited. Order now to secure your bobbleheads for the holidays!  Expected ship date is December 02, 2019"  Order here.

Geddy Lee: Clockwork Angel - Worn and Wound

We all know about Geddy's wine and bass collections, but did you know he also is an avid collector of watches?   That's the topic of a new interview titled "Geddy Lee: Clockwork Angel" posted today at WornAndWound.com. 

"I was in Switzerland many years ago and I happened upon this cool watch shop, and a great conversation with a very nice chap there led to my leaving with a black bezel Rolex GMT from 1968, and that was really my gateway watch. I kept that watch for many years. Over the years, I’d received a few great watches as gifts, including a solid gold Universal Genève Compax. Later I picked up a ‘68 Jaeger LeCoultre Speedbeat, and it was then that I started threatening an interest in really collecting watches."

Help Promote Our Book at Cinema Strangiato! Rush: Wandering the Face of the Earth The Official Touring History

Time for a little bit of grass roots advertising!  We're asking if readers of this website who attend next week's showing of Cinema Strangiato can promote our upcoming book, Rush: Wandering the Face of the Earth The Official Touring History.

Specifically, this would mean printing some fliers and handing them out at your local Cinema Strangiato theater (before and/or after the movie).

For various logistical reasons, we weren't able to get an ad in as part of the film, and there's no budget available right now to do something more elaborate, so this is just us scrambling (since the opportunity here to get word out seems too good to pass up).

We wish we could offer something in exchange for helping, but unfortunately this is just a shout out for volunteer help / good will (so again, no worries if no one wants to do this!).   Click here for a PDF of the flier.  Thank you in advance for your help, you are very greatly appreciated!

Cheers!
Skip Daly and Eric Hansen

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.