Rush News

Peart/Bergamini's Book "Neil Peart: Taking Center Stage" nominated in Modern Drummer Readers Poll

Neil Peart and Joe Bergamini's book Neil Peart: Taking Center Stage, has been nominated for Best Educational Book in this year's Modern Drummer Readers Poll.  Click here to vote.

In related news, Joe has released a new book called Arrival Drum Play-Along, which features Zak Rizvi and Frank LaPlaca from 4Front.  In addition, Neil wrote the foreword for a new Gavin Harrison drum book that Hudson Music will be publishing in January 2014. Neil wrote the forward while at home after the tour had ended.  The book is a series of drum transcriptions of Gavin’s performances with Porcupine Tree, with accompanying text from Gavin himself. - Thanks to Joe Bergamini for the headsup!

Neil Peart's "News Weather and Sports" - November 2013

Neil Peart has just updated his website with the latest edition of News, Weather & Sports titled "Angels Landing".  Neil confirms that Rush have agreed not to talk about working on any new projects for a year, as well as the government shutdown, all wrapped in a trip in his new Aston Martin Vanquish where he visits Zion, Capitol Reef and Bryce Canyon National Parks, as well as stopping for a photo at Roy's Motel (which is seen in the distance on the Snakes & Arrows Live cover) on Route 66.  Check it out here!

Geddy Lee Talks About New Live Recording - VH1.com

Update November 8th, as a followup to the video they first posted last month which we shared below, today VH1.com has posted more of their video interview with Geddy Lee.  Check it out here or in the embedded video below.



Posted October 17th: In a new video interview with VH1.com, Geddy talks about the history of Rush's live albums, and why they now release a new DVD of each tour.  The VH1 page also includes an extended transcript of material not covered in the video clip.
"Live albums are very important for Rush and they became sort of a closing chapter for us. And the way things used to work was we would do three or four studio albums and then we would do a live album and in that way kind of make it a historical document as to where the band was at in that period of time. We never expected that we would just keep going, you know, the lifespan of a band is unpredictable, and so it appeared for quite a while that every four records would be followed up with a live record and it’s a way for us to look back at that last period and see how our sound has changed and take a different approach to recording live every time.  But now the record industry has changed so much and DVDs have become such a fantastic souvenir of any one tour. And because it takes so much effort to design and put on one of our tours we feel it’s appropriate to record every new tour that we do, that has a new stage show, and a DVD seems to be the perfect outlet for that. It’s great for us as a historical document and it’s great for our fans as a souvenir of that tour that they came to." - Geddy Lee, VH1.com, October 17, 2013

"Clockwork Angels Tour" Coming To Theaters November 18th

As previously announced, continuing the tradition that began with Rush In Rio, the upcoming live movie Clockwork Angels Tour will appear in theaters one night only on November 18th.  Check for showings near you at Fandango.com.  

Today the USA Today stated:
Rush is bringing a film version of its extensive Clockwork Angels Tour to more than 350 movie theaters on Nov. 18.

NCM Fathom Events and Rounder Records are presenting RUSH: Clockwork Angels Tour, a one-night concert event and preview of the band's upcoming tour DVD and CD, starting at 7 p.m. Nov. 18 local time.

Tickets go on sale online at 21:12 (9:12 p.m. ET) Thursday at www.FathomEvents.com and at participating theater box offices. Find a list of theater locations and prices here.
Update: here's a brief teaser trailer by Fathom Events:

Sample of Family Goy Parody From Clockwork Angels Tour Video

Rush has passed along a sample of a "Family Goy" parody from the upcoming Clockwork Angels Tour video which is set for release on November 19th.  The live concert, filmed in Dallas last year, is available for preorder here.  Check out the video below.

"Limelight" included on Jacob Moon's Fascination - Now Available

Canadian musician Jacob Moon [who Rush fans will forever remember for his cover of Subdivisions released on The Loop, as well as his live roof top performance], has completed his latest album, Fascination.  The album can be ordered via Kapipal.

The album includes Jacob's cover of "Limelight", which Jacob recently shared on Soundcloud.  Limelight was recorded with The David Barrett Trio [who Rush fans will remember worked with Alex Lifeson to produce their eponymous debut album released last spring]; check out this video of Jacob Moon and David Barrett talking about this recording and working with Alex Lifeson, filmed the day they recorded Limelight.

Jacob Moon will be touring to support the release, for details visit JacobMoon.com. - Thanks to RushFanForever for the headsup!

Rush Photo On "The Carrie Diaries"

Two weeks ago, during the October 25th season premiere of The Carrie Diaries, at the 18:04 mark Carrie comments how her friends are at a bar without out her that is "the place for rock and roll".  A series of 70s/80s rock bands are shown, including this photo of Rush featuring the doublenecks!  You can see the full episode here at CWTV.com. - Thanks to Greg Nosek for the headsup and John Patuto for the screen capture!

Alex Lifeson's "Self Portrait" Sells for $7,600 To Benefit "A Brush Of Hope" 2013 Auction

Alex Lifeson's self-portrait has sold for $7,600 in the 2013 "A Brush Of Hope" celebrity auction benefiting Canada's Kidney Foundation.  This is Alex's sixth contribution to A Brush Of Hope over the last seven years, and his paintings have raised thousands for the cause.  

The massive online auction kicked off October 24th and will ran through November 3rd at www.ebay.ca; Alex's auction is here.  The proceeds of the auction benefit those suffering with kidney disease.  Click here for more information; visit their Facebook page.

Wall Street Journal premieres new live version of 2112 from "Clockwork Angels Tour"

Today the Wall Street Journal posted a 90 second sample of 2112 Overture from the new Clockwork Angels Tour live release coming November 19th.
"The indefatigable Toronto trio performed “2112″ as the final song of its encore in Dallas, Texas, last November. The Clockwork Angels tour, in support of the band’s 19th studio album, incorporated many songs from the 1980s that hadn’t performed in years. The shows also featured a live string section, a first for the band. The 11-month tour coincided with another unusual occurrence for Rush: accolades from the rock establishment. Last spring, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame." - WSJ.com, October 28, 2013
The live concert, filmed in Dallas last year, is available for preorder on all formats here.  Check out 2112 sample below.

An Interview with Mike Portnoy - AndrewOlson.com

Andrew Olson sat down with drummer Mike Portnoy to discuss his latest album and tour with The Winery Dogs with bassist Billy Sheehan and guitarist/vocalist Ritchie Kotzen.  A variety of topics are discussed including The Winery Dogs, drums, Rush, Neil Peart, Vapor Trails Remixed, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, lyric writing, and his Oscar predictions. Check it out here. - Thanks Andy for the headsup!

John Petrucci Of Dream Theater On The Band’s New Album & Rush

In a new interview with UltimateClassicRock, John Petrucci Of Dream Theater discusses their new self-titled album, working with engineer Rich Chycki, and the influences of Rush and Alex Lifeson.  Check it out here. - Thanks to Jeffrey Lucas for the headsup!

"A Brief History Of Time, Part 11"

John at Cygnus-X1.net has added another installment of Rush: A Brief History of Time. In this the 11th installment, John has added 93 new articles and advertisements spanning 40 years from 1973 through present day. - Thanks to John at Cygnus-X1.net for the headsup!

Rush EuCon 2013 A Success!

The Rush EuCon 2013 event, “EuCon Of Steel” was held recently in the UK and was again a success.  With over 200 attendees and through the fundraising efforts of everyone involved, Eucon raised the amazing sum of £2650.00 for the fantastic charity “Guide Dogs For The Blind”, and as a thank you the convention's organizers are getting to name a puppy, so they have created a poll on the Rush EuCon group page on Facebook with a handful of Rush-related names.  The three most popular names will be submitted to the charity today for their approval. To vote visit the Rush EuCon group Facebook page.

On the day, representatives from the charity came along with some guide dog puppies and one of the representatives gave a brief talk on the good work that the charity does. Later the Rush tribute band “Bravado” played a blinding set of Rush classic songs, old and new, to rapturous applause.  For photos of the event visit the EuCon group Facebook page. - Thanks to William Winsborough for the headsup!

"Closer To The Heart" heard on CBC's "Battle Of The Blades"

Battle Of The Blades is Dancing With The Stars with a Canadian twist, as retired NHL hockey players are paired up with figure skaters.  On Sunday night's show, Amanda Evora and Scott Thornton performed their figure skating routine to Closer to the Heart.  You can watch their performance here, and they discuss the track selection here. - Thanks to RushIsABand for the headsup!

"Clockwork Angels Tour" Video - Premier of "The Garden"

The Clockwork Angels Tour video is coming in just over a month, but today RollingStone has posted a complete viewing of "The Garden".
"When Rush hit the road last year to support their new album, Clockwork Angels, they decided to do something they'd never done before: invite additional musicians onto their stage. The new material had been recorded with a string section, and they wanted to do the album justice by bringing an eight-piece string ensemble on the road.  The tour – which featured a ton of 1980s tunes the band hadn't played in ages – was a huge success, and they recorded a show in Dallas for a DVD and CD that hits shelves on November 19th. (Click here to pre-order the DVD.) Here, you can watch an exclusive preview clip of the band playing "The Garden," the grand finale of Clockwork Angels." - RollingStone.com, October 17, 2013

The live release is available for preorder on all formats here.

Neil Peart featured on "Walk The Walk" Premier

UPDATE: Following up on the show's premier, check out "Neil Peart, Nelly Furtado, Tom Cochrane Shock Selfless Canadians at SamaritanMag.com, October 17, 2013

Walk the Walk
is a special six part documentary series which will debut on Global TV Saturday October 12th at 10:00 pm.  The series will honor the good work being done by everyday community heroes by surprising them with a visit from a superstar from Canada's Walk of Fame.  Included among those heroes is Neil Peart, who honors the works done by Karl Sloman.  Below is the episode description from the Walk The Walk Facebook page; click here for a video preview.
NEIL PEART & KARL SLOMAN
Saturday October 12th - 10:00 p.m - Global TV

Karl Sloman is a drummer and music teacher who is innovative and giving. He broke the world record for continuous drumming by playing for 60 hours to benefit a Children’s Care Centre. Karl is passionate about teaching special needs students and leads a band of disabled musicians called Train Wreck. He invents and builds specialized electronic instruments for his students to play.

Neil Peart, drummer with the band Rush, is one of Karl’s biggest influences and heroes. Neil is widely recognized as one of the world’s most proficient players and both his drumming and drum kit are legendary among rock fans. One of the most successful and long-lasting rock bands, Rush has been inducted into the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame, the Canadian Walk of Fame in 1999 and has 24 gold and 14 platinum records.

Although Neil Peart is famously private, when he hears about Karl’s work with Train Wreck, he decides to surprise Karl with a special meeting and a once-in-a-lifetime experience at one of Rush’s concerts." - 
Walk The Walk Facebook page, August 29, 2013

Neil Peart guest on Vertical Horizon's "Echoes From The Underground"

As previously announced, Vertical Horizon's new album Echoes From The Underground was released October 8th.  Vertical Horizon's Matt Scannel's good friend Neil Peart performs on two tracks: "Instamatic" and "South For The Winter".  Last week Billboard.com posted an exclusive video of Neil Peart laying down the drum track for the song "Instamatic".  On recording with Neil, Matt said:
"It was an absolute blast to record. Neil's drum performance is simply stellar. Lyrically, it's just your average spy thriller/espionage/blackmail/love song.” - Matt Scannell, Billboard.com, October 2, 2013
UPDATE October 15: On Friday, Scanell spoke to the Worcester Telegram and Gazette about the new album:
"'Instamatic' is one of my absolute favorite drum tracks of all time and it's on my new record… I hear elements of all the different stages of (Peart's) career from 'Clockwork Angels,' all the way back to 'Hemisphere' and beyond," Scannell said. "It's an incredible moment for Neil as a performer. It is shocking. He is on fire on this song …"

Peart also contributes to the somber and introspective "South for the Winter," despite some initial reservations. "Are you sure you want me to play on 'South for the Winter'? It's so not what I normally do. I don't know what I'll bring to that song." Scannell recalled Peart saying. "And I said, 'Well, that's exactly why I want you to play on it, because I don't know where it will go but we'll go somewhere beautiful.'"

It was originally written for the troops overseas, but Scannell shifted the focus on "Song for Someone" to include everyone, including soldiers' respective wives, husbands, families, friends and neighbors back home.

"There's a Plato quote that actually Neil Peart told me about, 'Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle,' and it sort of shook me because it's so true," Scannell explained. "We do need more compassion and more kindness towards each other. So that song really was written with that in mind."

Neil also appeared on Vertical Horizon's last album, Burning The Days, performing on the tracks "Welcome To The Bottom", "Save Me From Myself" and "Even Now".

Richard Chycki on recording Dream Theater, Rush and Jagger - Musicradar.com

Musicradar has posted a new interview with producer Richard Chycki, where he tells of working with Dream Theater, Rush and Jagger.  Of Rush he says:
“I got a call from Rush’s management in 2004 when they were doing a charity event in Canada. I was asked to do the recording and mixing for the TV broadcast. We had a lot of chemistry. They’re all really funny guys. We spent the time just laughing our faces off.

"A few months later, Al Lifeson asked me to mix their new R30 DVD. In the nine years since then, we’ve had 26 platinum and gold sales awards for all of the DVDs and albums we’ve done. Their main mantra at this point is to continue putting out music for their fans – they have done everything.

“The first time I really got to know Neil [Peart] was on Snakes And Arrows. He was warming up on his kit and I was setting up microphones. When the kit is so large I measure the distance of microphones to drums with a tape measure so that we have the best phase coherence that we can have, because we have so many open mics around the kit. Neil was doing these press rolls on his snare, and I was literally putting the tape measure down on his snare as he was playing. He was looking at me like, ‘What are you doing?!’

“With those guys, if they hear something they like, they say, ‘That’s great – let's go.’ They can be hands on, but a lot of the time it is hands off because they will hear what they want and say, ‘Let's just record.’”

Vapor Trails Remixed opens at #35 on the Billboard Top 200

Vapor Trails Remixed landed on the Billboard Top 200 chart at #35.  It also debuted at #3 on Billboard's Hard Rock Albums chart, as well as #9 on both Billboard's Top Rock Albums and Tastemaker Albums charts. - Thanks to Cygnus-X1.net for the headsup!

When it was originally released, Vapor Trails opened at #6 and spent five weeks on the Billboard Top 100.

Vapor Trails Remixed was released September 30th, and is available on CD, Vinyl, iTunes and The Studio Albums 1989-2007.

For related news, be sure to check out:

Geddy Lee will appear on VH1's "On Tap" Tonight

Tonight Geddy Lee will appear on VH1's "On Tap" with Nik Carter.  On Tap is a syndicated radio show, click here for a list of stations that carry it. - Thanks to John @ Cygnus-X1.net for the headsup!