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Cinema Strangiato "Director’s Cut" coming to theaters for one night only, September 9th
Neil Peart's "Silver Surfers" Coffee Table Book
Rush.com has announced:
As you may have seen, Neil Peart’s meticulously curated car collection, dubbed the “Silver Surfers,” will be going up for auction next month at the Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance.
Neil’s love of classic cars was a lifelong passion, and prior to his passing, he was extremely proud to have completed his final book titled, “Silver Surfers.” The following passage from his first coffee table book explains, in his own words, how the collection name came about:
“The title Silver Surfers for my collection of cars occurred to me while driving my DB5 up and down the Pacific Ocean. Because it felt right to me, I guess – the idea that I was just one of the wave riders….
In search of natural peace, I often drove out that way and up in to the Santa Monica Mountains. Out past Malibu to Ventura County, I’d weave along barren ridges of rock and vegetation, the ocean always on one big side. The waves were slow and gentle, or churned out a powerful, rolling rhythm…”
We are happy that his wish to see this book published will be fulfilled, with a release date to be announced. This will certainly be a loving homage to the man and one of his true passions.
R.I.P. Mary Weinrib, Mother of Rush's Geddy Lee and Holocaust Survivor
Mary Weinrib — a Holocaust survivor and mother of Rush bassist and vocalist Geddy Lee — has died. Weinrib passed away last Friday (July 2), weeks shy of her 96th birthday. She was 95.
An obituary calls Weinrib's life "an inspiring story of perseverance, survival and triumph." She was born in 1925 in Warsaw, Poland, and grew up in Wierzbnik, a Jewish shtetl that was part of Starachowice, Poland, that was occupied by the Germans beginning in 1939.
Weinrib "endured the labour camp at the munitions factory in Starachowice and the concentration camps at Auschwitz, where she met and fell in love with her husband Morris Weinrib, and at Bergen-Belsen, where she was finally liberated in April 1945."
Mary and Morris would be reunited and married in 1946 and emigrated to Canada soon after. Following her husband's sudden death in 1965, Mary took over managing the family's variety store north of Toronto in Newmarket while raising three children.
The obituary adds that as "an early supporter and a fixture at Rush concerts," Mary plastered the windows of the store with Rush posters upon the release of the group's first album in 1974, and "gave albums away to any kids who wanted them but didn't have the money to buy them."
More recently, Mary Weinrib appeared in the 2010 band documentary Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage and alongside her son Geddy in Dave Grohl's docu-series From Cradle to Stage, which explores the relationships of successful musicians and their mothers.
Of their conversation, Grohl said in the episode, "It was funny for me to sit with Geddy and his mom because... he changed my life. Rush really changed my life. I loved music. I loved singing in the car to AM radio. But I never listened to the drums until I heard Rush. As we were sitting with Geddy and his mom, I was thinking...if it weren't for her I might not be a drummer."- Exclaim.ca
Alex Lifeson Has Recorded 10 Songs for New ‘Envy of None’ Project
Alex Lifeson released his first new music in nearly a decade when he shared the instrumentals “Kabul Blues” and “Spyhouse” to coincide with the arrival of his new Epiphone guitar earlier this month. But fans won’t have to wait nearly that long for the next chapter, as Lifeson has completed 10 songs for an upcoming project with an aim to release them later this year.
“Alex and I are involved in a side project called Envy of None,” bassist Andy Curran tells UCR. “It’s like, if you can picture maybe Massive Attack with a little bit of some electronic stuff with Nine Inch Nails influences, with this beautiful, fragile, sweet voice and some very, very dark heavy sounds. That’s kind of what this project sounds like.” For more visit ultimateclassicrock.com
More info was published in an interview with Sweet Water, as transcribed by GuitarWorld.com:
“Andy approached me about four years ago, shortly after the last Rush tour, about adding some guitar on some of the things he was doing,” Lifeson recalled when quizzed about the origins of the project. “I did that. A few months later, he sent another one, and did that. Then we started getting more serious, and then we found a great singer, Maiah Wynne. So we’ve basically done an album’s worth of material that we hope to release sometime soon. I’m really excited about that.”
On when fans can expect to hear the album in full, Lifeson added, “We’re just working on that part. All the music is recorded. We are mixing currently. We’re in a good place, but it is very challenging. The industry is so, so very different than it was certainly 10 years ago, never mind last year,” he added. “We’ll see. Hopefully late summer, early fall we might have something. But we are very, very excited about it. It’s pretty cool stuff, I think.”
The Bubba Gump Drum Collection Available from Soul Drums
Soul Drums in Toronto is selling a selection of Neil Peart's used drums:
For twenty years Neil Peart and his drum technician, Lorne "Gump" Wheaton were at the pinnacle of presenting the very best in rock drumming performance.
Known affectionately as Neil "Bubba" Peart, by bandmates and the stage crew family, together, they became "Bubba Gump".
Through all the album concepts; the drumsets, the snare drums, and the cymbals became the reference for the best in drumming design, pure sonic power and incredible inspiration.
There are no comparisons!
Together, Soul Drums and "Bubba Gump" are offering the best known snares and drums from the Test for Echo era, Vapor Trails, Snakes and Arrows, Clockwork Angels and the R40 tours.
These incredible instruments represent the art, history and science of modern rock drumming and celebrate the legacy of a true master.
AlexLifeson.com launched!
Geddy and Alex present The Tragically Hip the 2021 Humanitarian Award at the JUNOs
At the 50th Annual JUNO Awards airing June 6, 2021, the Tragically Hip will receive the 2021 Humanitarian Award Presented by Music Canada, which will be presented to them by Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductees and rock icons, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson of Rush. For more visit newswire.ca.
UPDATE: Watch as Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee present the humanitarian award to members of The Tragically Hip: Rob Baker, Paul Langlois, Johnny Fay, Gord Sinclair and the late Gord Downie’s brother Patrick Downie.
In addition, watch as Pegi Cecconi is awarded the Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award at the 2021 Juno Opening Night Awards. This prestigious award named after Walt Grealis in recognition of his extraordinary accomplishments recognizes individuals who have contributed to the growth and development of the Canadian music industry.
Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant helped save Rush in their darkest hour, says Geddy Lee
Following the death of drummer Neil Peart’s 19-year-old daughter Selena in a road accident in August 1997, Rush took an extended hiatus from the music business, with none of the trio - vocalist/bassist Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson and Peart - sure whether they’d ever share a stage again.
But speaking in the new issue of Classic Rock magazine, Lee says that a phone call from one of the trio’s long-time heroes, former Led Zeppelin frontman Plant, helped drag the musicians out of the darkness.
“Page & Plant were touring [1998 album] Walking Into Clarksdale and they came to Toronto,” recalls Lee, referencing the Zeppelin duo’s July 4, 1998 appearance at the city’s Molson Amphitheatre. “Someone kept calling our office saying they were Robert Plant and they needed to speak to me. No one believed it, but turns out it was him.”
“We were on hiatus after Selena [Neil’s Peart’s daughter] had passed away and we were not in a good place. I called Robert back, and he wanted us to come to the show, and I was pretty down in the dumps at that point. And he said, ‘No, come to the show, we’ll talk.’ He understood what was going on with the band. I remember him saying: ‘You’ve got to re-join life, and sooner is better than later. So get your ass down here.’ So I called Alex up and said we’re going to see Page & Plant.”
"RUSH - A Visual Time Capsule: Moving Pictures-Permanent Waves-Hemispheres" now available
Geddy Lee Draws Attention To ‘The Marijuana Conspiracy’ Featuring His Daughter In The Cast
“I don’t usually post things about my kids on social media, but today I’m making an exception to shamelessly promote a film in which my daughter Kyla Young is a member of the ensemble cast.
It’s
called The Marijuana Conspiracy and it comes out today, 4/20 a.k.a
Marijuana Day, which is also my BFF Alex’s *favourite* day of the year
because, well, he is the Pothead of the Universe and effin proud of it!
So congrats to my lovely daughter Kyla Young , on her film debut! You go
girl!”
‘The Spirit of Radio’ Covered by 20-Person Collective The Polyphonic Spree
The Polyphonic Spree emerged in the 2000s as a large collective of musicians led by former Tripping Daisy frontman Tim DeLaughter, often donning signature white choral robes and often exploring a more orchestral and choral sound with a number of wind and brass instruments factored into the mix. They scored their best known song with 2003's "Light and Day."
Now the group has stepped up with their first ever covers album titled Afflatus released today, April 16th.
Speaking of the decision to take on Rush's 1980 hit "The Spirit of Radio," DeLaughter states, "‘The Spirit of Radio’ actually goes back to high school. I covered it with my high school band, Regency, so for nostalgic reasons, we thought it would be fun to try it with the Spree.”
For more visit https://loudwire.com/rush-spirit-of-radio-covered-polyphonic-spree/
Alex Lifeson to appear live on "Make Weird Music" January 30th
Alex Lifeson will be appearing live on the Make Weird Music YouTube channel this Saturday, January 30th at 6PM EST. Alex will be interviewed by Andre Cholmondeley and topics will include 25th anniversary of Alex's solo album Victor, and the 40th anniversary of Moving Pictures. Click here to tune in. - Thanks to RushFanForever for the headsup!
Neil Peart: The Illustrated Quotes now available
Neil Peart: The Illustrated Quotes, the latest book produced by Fantoons, is now available. Originally set for hardcover release November 17, the release was delayed until January 19, 2021. Co-written by David Calcano and Lindsay Lee who chose some of their favorites quotes and created elegant single panel cartoons as a love letter to Neil Peart’s written word. Click here to order.
Oxfordshire Neil Peart charity show Prog For Peart set for July
Prog For Peart is two concerts each featuring eight prog bands held on two days to be held at The Northcourt, a 200 capacity venue in Abingdon, Oxfordshire on Friday 2nd July and Saturday 3rd July starting at midday on both days and running through until midnight.
Tickets are priced at £33.23 for each day with weekend tickets at £49.75. Click here for details.
Kevin J Anderson's "Clockwork Destiny", book three in the Clockwork Angels trilogy on the way
Geddy Lee to Appear at Vancouver Symphony Gala
Geddy Lee will take part in a virtual evening of music and stories put on by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. "The Show Must Go On: Stories of Resilience" will feature Lee, legendary violinist Itzhak Perlman, country singer k.d. lang, former Barenaked Ladies singer Steven Page, other classical musicians and the VSO. You can learn more about the Feb. 18 event and buy tickets at the Symphony's website. Prices start at $100. For an additional fee, wine and a charcuterie will be delivered to your home.
RollingStone.com: "The Spirit of Neil Peart"
Lesley Choyce remembers Neil Peart
Lesley Choyce, Neil's first book publisher, put together a video of remembrance for Neil:
"Here is a link to a recording -- a sort of podcast, I guess -- of my tribute to Neil Peart that I wrote last winter after his death on January 7, 2020. Neil and I were friends since the 1990s and I published his first book, The Masked Rider, in 1996. We kept in touch over the years and this is my story of our unusual friendship. With the anniversary of his death coming up, I thought I’d record a version of what I wrote. Doug Barron produced the accompanying video."
Driven: Rush in the ’90s and “In the End” by Martin Popoff coming April 27th
"In this conclusion to his trilogy of authoritative books on Canada’s most beloved and successful rock band, Martin Popoff takes us through three decades of “life at the top” for Rush’s Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart. Though this era begins with the brisk-selling Roll the Bones and sees throngs of fans sell out international tours, there is also unimaginable tragedy, with Peart losing his daughter and his wife within the space of ten months and, two decades later, succumbing to cancer himself. In between, however, there is a gorgeous and heartbreaking album of reflection and bereavement, as well as a triumphant trip to Brazil, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, and ― some say surprisingly ― the band’s first full-blown concept album to close an immense career marked by integrity and idealism."
Driven: Rush in the ’90s and “In the End”, book three in the Rush Across the Decades series, following Anthem: Rush in the 1970's and Limelight: Rush in the 80's.
Neil Peart's 1974 "Chromey" drumkit up for auction - sells for $500,312
"The kit...was offered as a prize in a 1987 Modern Drummer contest which was won by Mark Feldman of New York. He later then sold it to its current owner [Dean Bosibud]. It’s now back on the market. Bonhams auctions is taking care of the sale. The expected selling price is between $100,000-160,000 (US$80,000-120,000). For details go here.
Update: The auction ended today and the kit sold for US $500,312.
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