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.

Alex Body's "Rush: Song by Song" Coming next January

Rush: Song by Song by Alex Body is set for publication in January. Click here to preorder.  From the description:

"In this unique book the reader is guided through each album, song by song, from the band's eponymous début in 1974 right up to 2012's Clockwork Angels. Every album (both live and studio) is explored in detail with rare insight into the circumstances in which the band wrote and recorded each song."

- Thanks to Joe Pesch for the heasdsup

Rush is on the cover of the March issue of Planet Rock magazine

The new March 2019 issue of the UK's Planet Rock Magazine is on newsstands with a cover feature on Rush including a new interview with interview with Alex Lifeson.  Now available for order online at planetrock.com.

"We welcome the world’s biggest cult band, prog rock royalty RUSH to the cover of issue 13 of Planet Rock Magazine, with a rare and exclusive interview with guitarist Alex Lifeson, and an in-depth look at the making of the band’s biggest album, Moving Pictures." - planetrock.com

- Thanks to Joe Pesch for the headsup!

Geddy Lee’s Magnificent Obsession - Premier Guitar

Premier Guitar has just posted a fantastic interview with Geddy Lee.  The conversation covered Lee’s passion for collecting and his new book, some of the rare instruments he’s now the custodian of, the challenges of Rush’s music, and what the future may hold for him as a player. Check it out here.

Record Store Day 2019 Hemispheres Picture Disc

Record Store Day returns on April 13th, and included in this years offerings is what appears to be a  reissue of the Hemispheres 12-inch vinyl picture disc originally released in December 1978.  The new pressing will be limited to 5000 copies and is listed as an RSD First release - which means it will be available via other channels at some point after Record Store Day.   For store participating record stores visit recordstoreday.com. 

Alex Lifeson guests on John Mayall's 'Nobody Told Me'

Alex Lifeson is one of many guest performers to appear on veteran bluesman John Mayall's new album, Nobody Told Me, hitting store shelves today.  Lifeson appears on the track "Evil And Here To Stay".  Additional guest performers include Todd Rundgren, Joe Bonamassa, Larry McCray, Carolyn Wonderland and Steven Van Zandt from Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band and his own Disciples Of Soul.

UPDATE: check out the track here: "John Mayall is back with a new song, and Alex Lifeson's all over it" - Loudersound.com, February 20, 2019

"Evil and Here to Stay is just one of the star studded songs you’ll be playing over and over," says Mayall. "On this particular track you get to hear some great guitar soloing from special guest Alex Lifeson, who feels right at home with this special groove."

"One of the first songs Rush learned to play as a band in front of an audience was Snowy Wood in 1968," says Lifeson. "So are influences go a long way back with John Mayall.

"When I was asked to do this particular project I was actually quite thrilled by it. Long being an admirer of the many amazing guitar players that have been a part of the Bluesbreakers and to be considered in that esteemed group I was very, very honoured, and it’s been a real pleasure." - Loudersound.com, February 20, 2019

Tech 21 develops Geddy Lee Signature SansAmp pedal for Rush bassist’s “new projects”

Tech 21 has announced the Geddy Lee Signature SansAmp YYZ pedal, a downsized version of the legendary Rush bassist’s signature rackmount SansAmp.

As per other SansAmp units, the pedal is designed for recording direct and enhancing previously recorded tracks.

It features a mix control (which transitions between clean and drive), Tight button, Drive knob, active three-band EQ and master volume, all tweaked to Geddy’s specs.

Tantalisingly, Tech 21 claims the release is part of the bassist’s desire to “streamline and simplify his gear for new projects”, which bodes well for future solo releases after Rush called it a day at the tail end of 2015.

Back in December 2018, Geddy told us, “Right now I have no plans to do anything, but I probably will do something eventually. I have no idea what it will be; I need some time to get to know myself again as a player and see what I feel like creating.”

Whatever it is, it’s likely to feature the YYZ. The pedal will be available for $250 from May - see Tech 21 for more info. - musicradar.com, February 18, 2019

Rush In Rio Vinyl Edition

Rush has announced the release of the Rush In Rio 4LP 180 Gram Vinyl edition, hitting stores January 18th, 2019.  Now available, click here to order.

Rush In Rio was originally released on CD and DVD, but has never appeared on vinyl – until now. This set is presented in a heavyweight gatefold jacket and comes with a code that allows the music to be downloaded digitally.

Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson to appear at Rush Fan Day at Rock Hall

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Fans might have felt it took too long to get Rush into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, but the institution that houses those enshrinees is making up for lost time, and doing it in a physical way.

Singer and bassist Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson will be at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on Saturday, Jan. 19, for Rush Fan Day and to push Lee’s new coffee-table book, “Geddy Lee’s Big Book of Beautiful Bass.’’

As part of the celebration, the Rock Hall will be featuring a few of the hundreds of bass guitars Lee has collected over the 40-plus years since he, Lifeson and drummer Neil Peart formed the group that was inducted into the Hall in 2013.

Those guitars – all of them – have become the book he will sign in a special Hall of Fame Series interview hosted by bandmate and high school classmate Lifeson.

The interview and booksigning is limited to Rock Hall members and Rush fans who pay $100 and $125 via ticketing.rockhall.com, which go on sale at 10 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 10. Each ticket includes a copy of the book, access to the interview, a commemorative credential and access to all the Rock Hall exhibits, said the museum in a release announcing the event. Tickets are limited to two per transaction, the museum said.

The interview will be on the Klipsch Audio main stage at noon Saturday, Jan. 19, an open area that means all visitors will have a chance to observe it. Additionally, it will be live-streamed on the museum’s Facebook page, and fans will be able to submit questions, according to the release.

The book signing is set for 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 19, and is limited to those who purchased the special tickets. Those tickets do include a copy of the 408-page book that “documents the history and characteristics of Lee’s basses from 1968 to 2017, including mainstream Fenders, Gibsons, Rickenbackers [and] more obscure and lesser-known treasures in his collection,’’ the release noted - Cleveland.com, January 9, 2019

SiriusXM Taps Rush’s Geddy Lee For Guest DJ Spot

"Geddy Lee will serve as guest DJ on SiriusXM’s Classic Rewind this Thursday, January 10. Lee’s stint can be heard on Channel 25 starting at 3 p.m. ET on Thursday afternoon.

Geddy’s guest spot comes as part of a slot normally occupied by DJ Kristine Stone. As Rush Is A Band points out, Stone is a well-known Rush fan whose promo includes “Limelight” playing in the background and the tagline “… and then’s there’s Rush … my happy place.” Kristine typically holds down the 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. time slot on Classic Rewind, a channel devoted to classic rock from the ’70s and ’80s." - Jambase.com, January 8, 2019

Geddy Lee's Big Beautiful Book of Bass Now Available

Buy Now

Geddy Lee's Big Beautiful Book of Bass hits bookstores today!   Check out the synopsis below, as well as the latest news stories where Geddy has been promoting the release.

• Geddy Lee: these are the 10 bassists who blew my mind - MusicRadar.com, December 10, 2018
• Geddy Lee on His 'Big Beautiful Book of Bass' and the Future of Rush - Billboard.com, December 14, 2018
• Geddy Lee Talks Massive New Bass Book, Meeting John Paul Jones - Rollingstone.com, December 14, 2018
• Geddy Lee's new book is a stunning tour of his musical mind and epic bass collection (video interview) - TheLoop.ca, December 18, 2018
• Q&A: Geddy Lee considers if Rush would reunite - The Canadian Press , December 20, 2018
• Geddy Lee Reveals Why He Never Collected Basses During Rush Career - Q1043.iheart.com, January 8, 2019

Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famer and Rush bassist Geddy Lee celebrates rock music’s thunderous, rumbly bottom end—the bass—in this unique, lavishly illustrated, full-color compendium showcasing over two hundred rare, iconic, beautiful, and sometimes eccentric bass guitars from his extensive collection.

In this luxurious keepsake volume, Geddy Lee chronicles the fascinating history of one of rock music’s foundation instruments, the bass guitar. Written with arts journalist Daniel Richler, gorgeously photographed by Richard Sibbals, and with insight from Geddy’s trusted bass tech and curator, John "Skully" McIntosh, Geddy Lee’s Big Beautiful Book of Bass profiles over two hundred classic basses from Geddy’s extensive collection. The book combines knowledge and observations gleaned from Geddy’s long, successful career with new and behind-the-scenes photos, ranging from his earliest days to Rush’s sold-out 40th anniversary tour in 2015, plus personal interviews with some of the world’s top bassists and collectors.

A musician and guitar freak, Geddy has acquired the magnificent bass models that have been the backbone of the world’s greatest popular music, from greats such as Paul McCartney, John Entwistle, and Jack Bruce. The book features vintage basses from 1950 through the mid-1970s—the golden age of guitar making.

Suffused with Geddy’s intelligence, taste, and disarming wit, Geddy Lee’s Big Beautiful Book of Bass is also an entertaining look at a legend’s career on stage, in the studio, and at home. Geddy shares his views of the role of the bass guitar in his life and in the lives of the great players who’ve influenced him, revealing his passions and motivations, and ultimately broadening fans’ appreciation of his beloved instrument.