Several leaked reports are now suggesting that Rush may be performing during the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on February 12th. At this time, nothing official has been announced, however according to this article, it seems clear that the governing members of the Olympics and Vancouver are looking for prime examples of what Canada and Canadians can offer.

"The Opening Ceremony is our biggest chance to speak to a global audience and tell the story of a contemporary Canada that will inspire the world. So many talented Canadians have shared their thoughts and hopes for the ceremonies over the past six weeks and we are most grateful,? said John Furlong, Chief Executive Officer of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC). ?We?d like to thank the Government of Canada for its generous contribution and their tremendous support in putting on spectacular ceremonies of which all Canadians can be proud."

The opening ceremony will air on NBC beginning at 9PM EST on Friday, February 12th. That said, one would expect that any involvement by Rush should be formally announced sometime this week. We'll let you know when we get the official word.

Update: The original link to the article was disabled for some reason, but I located an alternate link to the entire article. Click HERE to access it.

Canadian news site The Intelligencer has just posted an interview with Neil Peart where the discussion once again surrounds the future of Rush and his thoughts about the band's recording direction. This time around, however, Neil hints at the possibility of a much longer piece of music after he met with Porcupine Tree singer-guitarist Steven Wilson.

Anything's possible now; we can record a couple of songs and put them out and then go on tour if we want. So at this point, we're just embarking on writing, but keeping ourselves open to all those other possibilities. One of our early titles for this year was Research and Development. That's where we're at.

   Q. So you might start making music in smaller increments?

Or larger. I went to see a band called Porcupine Tree not long ago. And I was talking with (singer-guitarist) Steven Wilson. They just put out a 55- minute piece. That's a finger to the whole iTunes shuffle thing, and he intended it as such. And I thought, 'Yeah, that's another way of rebelling against it -- by just saying no.' There's too much lost in giving up the integrity of an album -- what it represents to you as a musician, and as a human being, for that matter. So I like that approach. That's very possible for a band like us. So there are no limitations; we might go big or we might go small.

You can read the entire interview via this LINK.

Many thanks to reader RushFanForever for passing along the news.

The new Guitar Center Magazine features Neil Peart on the cover and includes a interview with the Professor where he discusses his performing techniques, provides tips for other drummers and touches upon the recent, heavily debated subject about the the state of the recording industry and the impact it will have on Rush moving forward.

"I know that the mechanism that brought us up doesn't exist anymore," he says. "For instance, a perfect example of how reversed it is, in those days we made no money touring for a long time, even into the successful years. You counted on record sales and songwriting to make your living. And touring was a way to publicize that. Suddenly, in the last 10, 15 years all that turned around and our income is entirely from touring, and recording is an indulgence. In a band like Rush, no one's going to pay us to make a record. It's going to be an indulgence. Even Snakes and Arrows basically paid for itself and that's it, and if we want to make a living beyond that we have to go on the road and tour."

The entire article is available at the Guitar Center website.

Over the last couple of days, three separate articles on Rush appeared in various publications, including a lengthy and very interesting one which appeared in Walrus Magazine.

Beginning with the Walrus article, which is titled Living on a Lighted Stage: Are we finally ready to take Rush seriously?, writer Jason Anderson discusses the upcoming documentary on Rush which is being developed by Sam Dunn and Scot McFadyen. Interesting enough, the article indicates that the filmmakers have uncovered what is likely the oldest moving picture of a Rush performance; one that features John Rutsey on the drums:

The St. Catharines footage was discovered during research for the latest entry in this body of celebratory work, a new documentary by Toronto's Banger Films. Creators Sam Dunn and Scot McFadyen, the team behind such hard-rocking docs as Metal: A Headbanger's Journey and Iron Maiden: Flight 666, began the project in 2007 and may release it as early as this spring. Tentatively titled Rush: The Documentary, it is the first in-depth film about the group and its history. Besides never-before-seen footage like the Laura Secord show and photographs culled from the members' personal collections, the movie will include testimonials about Rush's greatness from members of Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Metallica, and others inspired by the band over the past four decades.

To read the entire article, click HERE. Thanks to Ed from RushIsABand.Com for passing along the article.

The second article, titled 'Subdivisions': Listening Room Chief Learns Rush Holds The Key To Life takes an analytical, partially philosophical and sometimes meandering approach at discussing the impact of Rush on the music scene throughout their career.

My literary buddy Chuck Klosterman once wrote: "Somehow, Rush has purposefully or accidentally put themselves in a position where virtually anybody can make an oblique argument about what they represent. This is a common problem for hard rock bands, and especially for Rush; everyone wants to categorize them, but no one wants to claim them."

Klosterman goes on to quote Rush bassist and singer Geddy Lee: "It's funny. When you talk to metal people about Rush, eight out of 10 will tell you we're not a metal band. But if you talk to anyone outside of metal, eight out of 10 will tell you we are a metal band."

The entire article can be read via this HERE.

Finally, we are left with the following article: Rocker Joan Jett Bashes Rush. The title says it all so I'll let you read it to make your own determination on its merits. Thanks to Eric from Power Windows for passing along the article.

Before I get into some of the latest news stories related to Rush, I wanted to extend my congratulations to Beverley Wintjes of Mt. Albert, Ontario who was last month's big winner of the Holiday Rush Contest.

Some of you have been asking me about the mystery gift that was part of the larger prize package. Actually, there were two added mystery gifts; a guitar pick adorned with the classic Rush logo (from their debut album) as well as a mint-condition copy of the Roll The Bones tour book. Congratulations again, Bev, and thanks to everyone who entered the contest.

So with that said, let's get to some of the latest news stories...

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Geddy Lee Appearance on the 'Canadians For Haiti' Telethon: With the recent devastation in Haiti following a series of earthquakes, a number of Canadian celebrities organized the Canadians For Haiti Telethon which has raised over $9.4 million thus far. While Geddy Lee did not perform at the event, which aired last Friday night, he did make an appearance and spoke about the cause. You can view the video segment with Geddy via this LINK.

For additional information on the event, please click HERE.

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Permanent Waves Featured in the Current Issue of "Classic Rock": The new issue of Classic Rock Magazine time warps back 30 years to 1980 to "celebrate a pivotal 12 months in rock history". Among the albums and bands discussed is Rush's pivotal Permanent Waves

"'Permanent Waves was the step,' drummer Neil Peart recalls. 'It changed how we made records; it taught us to breathe, with Spirit...and Freewill. We were learning to be more concise too. A lot of lessons were learnt. Not least to step back from it all."

Thanks to RushFanForever for the head's up.

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Neil Peart ?Soulscape? Art Print: International artist Tom Noll, who is renowned for painting various musicians, is now making his original oil painting of Neil Peart, titled ?Soulscape?, available for sale as a giclee art print. The print is 27" x 18" (68.6 cm x 45.7 cm) in size, is printed on 100 lb. cover stock using fade resistant UV inks.

Neil Peart provides unending energy that sparked this colorful and moving painting of him playing. I've pictured him here with his "Neil's Personal Model" sticks and the Drum Workshop set of red-painted DW maple shells with black hardware and gold "Snakes & Arrows" logos as featured on the Snakes & Arrows Tour.

Limited to a run of just 500 units, this extraordinary print sells for $350 plus shipping. Please click HERE for more information and a close-up view of the print. Thanks to Eric from Power Windows for the head's up.

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RushPetition.com Is Back: Skip Daly, webmaster of RushPetition.com, wanted me to let everyone know that his site has been re-launched in preparation for the possible 2010 Rush Tour. Skip's site takes your votes for the top five songs you would like Rush to play on the next tour. This time around, the song selections are those which have not been played in the last 20 years (i.e. the Presto tour). Worry not, there are still 85 songs to choose from. Cast your vote HERE.

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Caress Of Steel, A Record To Die For: Caress of Steel is one of my favorite Rush albums, as witnessed by the color schema of this site. Brian Damkroge, a writer for Stereophile recently listed CoS in his "Records To Die For" feature.

"Caress of Steel, Rush's third album narrowly edges out their fourth, 2112, as my R2D4. The sparse arrangements showcase their playing; in particular, Alex Lifeson's chord-based guitar style is shown off far better here than on their later, more complex albums. With Caress and 2112, Rush exploited the album format with longer, more developed operettas than were possible with their later focus on radio-friendly singles. Yes, 'I think Im going bald' is woefully out of place, the lyrics a little pretentious, and Geddy Lee's vocals are an acquired taste, but the music and sound are incredible. Rush at their very best."

Thanks to GeddyWannaBe for passing along the news.

That's all for now, folks.

While it may not be that "other" Hall of Fame, it's still exciting to hear that Rush will be inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall Of Fame on March 28th, according to this news article from Jam! Showbiz.

Toronto veteran progressive rock trio Rush lead the 2010 Canadian Songwriters Hall Of Fame inductees.

The group, made up of Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart, will join fellow inductee Robert Charlebois at the March 28 sixth annual gala at the Toronto Centre For The Arts' George Weston Recital Hall.

In total 11 songwriters, 16 songs - including the Rush classics Tom Sawyer, Limelight, The Spirit of Radio, Subdivisions and Closer to the Heart - and two Legacy Award recipients will be inducted.

Among the six classic Canadian songs being inducted this year are The Hockey Theme by Dolores Claman.

Please join me in congratulating the band on this honor.

At last week's NAMM show, Sonic Reality previewed their new Neil Peart Drums Volume I: The Kit sample library.

For the Winter NAMM show of 2010, Sonic Reality sound development company is proud to announce "Neil Peart Drums Vol. 1: The Kit", a sample library for BFD2 and Infinite Player, powered by Kontakt, as part of the Drum Masters series. Neil Peart, legendary drummer of the band "Rush", has collaborated with Sonic Reality and producer/engineer Nick Raskulinecz (Rush, Foo Fighters, Alice In Chains) to bring the authentic sound of Neil's "Snakes and Arrows' Custom DW® Drum Kit into the digital domain. With advanced features such as deep level dynamics, humanized random alternating hits, discrete multiple mic mixing and more, this deluxe sampled kit is an ultra-realistic recreation of Neil's actual acoustic set as used live on tour and in the studio.

Now, for the first time, e-drummers, keyboardists and composers can play rock drum samples with the iconic signature sound of drum legend - Neil Peart and have a world-class, hard-hitting drum kit suitable for many styles of music from Progressive Rock to Heavy Metal! Producer Nick Raskulinecz engineered the sample sessions with over 20 channels of Neve® mic preamps, deluxe vintage tube mics and multiple room positions for one of the most elaborate sampled drum kits ever. With the assistance of Don Lombardi and DrumChannel.com, every detail of "The Kit" was captured both in high-resolution audio and documented on video with a thorough explanation by Dave Kerzner of Sonic Reality on how the drums were sampled.

The kit is expected to go on sale later in Q1 of 2010. To read more about the product, click HERE.

Neil Peart's rock-laced version of the Hockey Theme made its official debut last night prior to the Philadelphia Flyers and Toronto Maple Leafs game. Two video versions of the theme are available online via this LINK.

After legendary Rush drummer Neil Peart recorded a new rock version of The Hockey Theme last month, the percussion-inspired rendition of ''Canada's second national anthem'' made its NHL on TSN debut Thursday night prior to the Philadelphia Flyers and Toronto Maple Leafs game.

Peart's unique rock version of The Hockey Theme will be used during select NHL on TSN broadcasts throughout the remainder of the NHL season. It will also be available for digital download on iTunes on Tuesday, January 19th.

The new version of The Hockey Theme showcases Peart on a custom drum kit by DW Drums featuring the logos of all 30 NHL teams. Peart and DW Drums are donating the custom kit to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, where it will be on display for hockey and music fans alike to enjoy.

The first section of the video has Neil performance interlaced with various hockey scenes. The second section replays the entire theme but all of the video reflects Neil's percussion prowess.

The new theme is already making waves and is garnering positive reviews, such as this one.

Some exciting, and yet ultimately controversial news surrounding Rush's next project was discussed by Neil Peart as reflected in this article from the Canadian Press. In it, Neil indicates that he has already begun writing lyrics for the next Rush project, while Geddy and Alex are preparing their Toronto studio, but the real shock, which has been hinted at in the past, is that Rush may not release the music in the traditional album format.

"We feel very much liberated from the album format in a way right now, because in the three years since our last album (2007's 'Snakes & Arrows'), suddenly albums don't mean anything," Peart told The Canadian Press in a telephone interview from his home in California.

"We're thinking of writing and recording a few songs and maybe releasing them, and playing them live, and then going back and doing some more later. We just feel really free (in terms) of what we might do right now.

"Anything is possible in the nicest way and we like the fact of shaking it all up."

Neil also discussed his new version of "The Hockey Theme," the iconic song that has opened broadcasts of "Hockey Night in Canada" for 40 years and which Neil Peart recorded late last year.

After being "blown away" by the invitation to recreate the classic tune, Peart decided on his approach: a "drum solo with horns."

Drawing on every trick in his drumming arsenal - and it's an understatement to say the famed percussionist has many - Peart tried to cram as many spectacular flourishes into the one-minute clip as he could.

He imbued a bit of a Latin flavour to the beat, included a breakneck snare fill and his classic double kick-drum fills, played with a tempo and phrasing that Peart says were unique for him.

He's hopeful that Canadians are willing to give his version a chance.

"I can only hope that it's received with the spirit and sincerity with which I offer it," he said.

Obviously, it's great to get some real confirmation that the band is working on new material but I'm sure more than one fan will take exception with the possibility that the material may not be released in the traditional album format.

Please share your thoughts in the comment section below. I'm sure this will be an ongoing conversation/debate/discussion for months to come.

Thanks to Ed from RushIsABand.Com for forwarding along the news.

In The Studio with Redbeard will be airing a special hour-long rockumentary radio show highlighting the 30th Anniversary of Rush's Permanent Waves during the course of the week. The special is expected to include interview segments with all three members of Rush, presumably from earlier "In The Studio" interviews.

From the website:

There is no more democratic band in rock than Rush. They have always divided up various responsibilities equally among the three members, including doing interviews. Therefore, album after album and tour after tour it would be one bandmember's turn to "meet the press." While Rush has always been graciously accessible, I must confess that never was more than one member ever made available.

By the time this session occurred I had already interviewed Rush bass guitarist/singer Geddy Lee twice, so I was reasonably confident on what to expect. Imagine my shock when Lee (family name Weinrib) matter-of-factly answered my first question ,regarding his earliest recollections of music while growing up, by replying," I came from a family of immigrants, basically. My parents survived the Holocaust in Poland, and then married after the war and moved to Canada. I was basically brought up in a household that had survived turbulent times, to say the least, so there was a total rebuilding in a new country, in a new culture, & trying to adapt. Music wasn't a prevalent and over-riding thing in our family."

I was stunned. There was nothing in any rock reference book or band biography to prepare me for this revelation. The enormity of what Geddy was saying, in a measured but sober tone, left me speechless for several minutes, although it felt like an eternity before I regained my composure. Everything I had prepared to ask Lee about Rush's breakthrough 1980 album Permanent Waves suddenly seemed so trivial, so shallow and inconsequential. Since then I have tried to keep some perspective on the relative importance of this rock'n'roll game in the search for real truth, real meaning in life.

Click HERE for a list of radio stations that will be carrying the segment. The In The Studio website will likely also re-air the segment directly on their website sometime next week.

Thanks to RushIsABand.Com for the heads up.

Sabian.Com recently posted a short article/interview with Neil Peart where the Professor discusses the new Paragon Brilliant Cymbals:

The evolution of Paragon Brilliant is about more than spit and polish. It began with the pursuit of the openness and responsiveness of an older cymbal, right "out of the bag."

I have always found that brand-new cymbals have a certain "tightness," both in their physical response and in their sound, and it takes a few shows to play them in. Then they loosen up and start to "dance" on the stand, and the swell of sound from attack to decay would become smooth and open.

When I was talking about that quality to the dedicated cymbal-makers at SABIAN, they took it as a kind of challenge: how can we build that "played-in" quality into the cymbals?

Read more via this LINK.

Thanks to Eric from Power Windows for the news.

Following along the lines of the 2010 Rush Wall Calendar theme, which celebrated the 30th Anniversary of the release of Permanent Waves, the 2011 Rush Wall Calendar will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the release of Moving Pictures, as witnessed by this official announcement from NMR Distribution.

However the real news stems from the footnote on the page that indicates a "New LP due out in 2010 supported by a tour."

Granted, this isn't as reassuring as an official announcement from the band, but given all the recent news about Geddy, Alex and Neil getting together to discuss their future, it is certainly encouraging.

Thanks to reader GeddyWannaBe for the heads up.

A recent article in MovieEntertainment.Ca titled Essential Music Library Items asked some notable musicians about essential items for anyone's music library. Alex Lifeson was tapped for the survey and had this to say about Led Zeppelin I, among others:

"Certainly, that first Led Zeppelin album (1969) was pretty spectacular, and the more I hear that album lately the more I appreciate it. We don?t have records like that anymore, where a record comes out and everybody just goes crazy over it, and it seems to change things and creates a whole new direction. Maybe it was because I was 15 years old and that?s the kind of music that I always wanted to hear. It just really left a huge mark on me. For me personally, Electric Ladyland (1968) was a real turnaround record. (Jimi) Hendrix was incredible, but that record just had a feel to it and a character that can?t be missed."

You can read the entire article via this LINK.

Thanks to Eric from Power Windows for sharing the news.

First and foremost, I'd like to wish everyone a Happy New Year! Welcome to 2010 (or in Rush terms, 102 years away from 2112). I took a small sabbatical from the site over the past week or so to celebrate the holidays with friends and family. I hope you all had a nice holiday season as well. With that in mind, let's get to the latest Rush news.

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The 3rd Annual Cygnus-X1.Net Holiday Rush Contest Is Over: This year's Holiday Rush Contest is now over. Nearly 1,000 entries were submitted this year so thanks to everyone who participated. The winning entry has been selected at random and the winner has been contacted. I'll post more about the winner once I get a response. As for the poll, click HERE to see the final results. Also, thanks to many of you who sent in some great comments regarding your 'favorite' decade :)

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Guitar Aficionado Interview With Alex Lifeson: The current issue of Guitar Aficionado, with John McEnroe on the cover, includes the interview "Golfing With Alex Lifeson of Rush". There are a number of pictures of Alex in action, including this one. Thanks to RushFanForever for the article and to Eric from Power Windows for the news.

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Trailer Park Boys 2: Countdown To Liquor Day Now On DVD: Trailer Park Boys 2: Countdown To Liquor Day, the second Canadian comedy film featuring the bad boys from the trailer park, is now available on DVD. Once again, Alex Lifeson makes a cameo appearance, this time as a cross-dressing undercover policeman:

"Of course, there's the de rigueur appearance by Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson, here playing a drunken, undercover cop posing as a transvestite in a gay-prostitute alley (centered around a Chip Wagon that serves alcohol -- man, Halifax is one weird town). The character may indeed be the same cop Lifeson played in the previous Trailer Park Boys movie, showing his true colours."

Click HERE to order the DVD from Amazon.Com.

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Lifeson makes VH1's 100 Most Shocking Music Moments: It was six years ago when Alex Lifeson and his son Justin were arrested in Naples, FL at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Naples, Florida after an altercation with the local police. The incident was #62 on VH1's list of the 100 Most Shocking Music Moments. The list also aired on the music station this past Monday night. Thanks to RushIsABand.Com for the heads up.

That's all for now. Again, I wish everyone a happy, healthy and Rush-filled 2010.

DarkStar, the interactive sci-fi epic video game which has been in development for nearly a decade now and intertwines nearly two dozen Rush songs into the game play, is now completely finished and expected to be released in 2010. Eric from Power Windows has been conversing with DarkStar director and producer J. Allen Williams who provided the following update on the game:

We are now negotiating with Universal and Atlantic to include the following songs to be featured in the feature length scifi film that serves as back-story to the project: Anthem, Bastille Day, The Twilight Zone, Cygnus X-1, Cygnus X-1 Book II, Tom Sawyer, YYZ, The Camera Eye, Witch Hunt, Vital Signs, Subdivisions, Red Sector A, The Enemy Within, Red Lenses, Mystic Rhythms, Manhattan Project, Time Stand Still, Test for Echo, Time and Motion, Limbo, One Little Victory and Nocturne. The band and their management has approved the use of all of these songs, but final negotiations must be completed with Universal and Atlantic before we can announce the final songlist. We're hoping we can include this entire list.

The producers are also requesting Rush fans to take a brief survey which will aid in getting the video game out to the market. The producers of DarkStar have also indicated that "A substantial level of interest from RUSH fans in this survey will bolster the studio's ability to show it's publisher (and also Universal and Atlantic) that the fans would like to see the band represented in such a project, and that they would be interested in purchasing it as well.

The band and their management team have always stood behind this project. Now we, the fans, can add our voice to it as well. So please take a couple of minutes to take the survey via this LINK.

Thanks to Eric from Power Windows for sharing the news.

Bubba's Bar -n- Grill, the section of Neil Peart's website that showcases some of his own personal recipes, has some new merchandise for sale including a replica of the hockey jersey Neil wore when recording the new hockey theme earlier this month.

Also available are items such as a black and white bowling shirt, a pink bowling shirt, men's and women's t-shirts, tote bags, aprons and more.

You can see all that Neil is offering through the Bubbawares Official Store.

And don't forget to check out all the content at the Bubba's Bar -n- Grill website.

Late last month we let you know that Neil Peart was tapped to record an updated rock-inspired version of the Hockey Theme. Neil, along with with seventeen other musicians recorded the theme on Tuesday and a sneak-peak video of part of the recording session is now available online.

Armed with a team of top recording engineers and musicians, legendary Canadian drummer Neil Peart of Rush recorded a new rock version of The Hockey Theme on Tuesday for TSN. Peart recorded his percussion-focused rendition of ''Canada's second national anthem'' at the iconic Ocean Way Studios in Hollywood on Monday and Canada's Sports Leader was there to capture every moment.

Read the entire article plus view the short video via this LINK.

And make sure you check out Neil's jersey, properly adorned with the number '3' and name 'RUSH' on the back. :-)

Stumped over what to get your girlfriend/wife/significant other for the upcoming holidays? How about a nice piece of custom designed jewelry that was inspired by Rush? Katy Bransfield of Between Sun and Moon Jewelry has a new selection of holiday/Rush themed items for sale, like the pair of earrings aptly named "The Bell Tolls For Thee" pictured to the right.

Katy is also offering up a special shipping discount for Cygnus-X1.Net visitors. Simply use the code word 'CYGNUS' when ordering and you'll receive Free US Priority Mail with a $30.00 purchase.

The order deadline to insure a Christmas delivery is Thursday 12/17/09.

Thanks to Katy for providing this discount to our visitors.

The Blu-Ray edition of Rush R30 is now available. Aside from the new high-definition format, the Blu-Ray version of this classic Rush video concert also restores the following tracks which were omitted from the originally released DVD version:

Bravado, YYZ, The Trees, One Little Victory, Secret Touch, Red Sector A, La Villa Strangiato and By-Tor and the Snow Dog.

"Some of the songs were dropped from R30 due to technical reasons but also we didn't want to have too many similarities with Rush In Rio. Why not? Well, I think now that it was a dumb decision of ours. In fact I regret not having put the whole show on those disks. But I promise you, all those songs that were cut will eventually see the light of day, in some shape or form." - Geddy Lee, Aardschok Magazine, March 2006

The only downside to the Blu-Ray version is that it does not include the bonus disk which contained over 90 minutes of interviews and additional bonus features that was included with the DVD release.

You can order your copy of the the Blu-Ray R30 via Amazon.Com.

Last month we let you know about the latest issue of "The Edge" magazine, which comes from the DW Drum Workshop's, that included an article titled "Neil Peart & John Good discuss The Finer Points Of DW's Shell Technology".

The complete video interview for Neil and John is now online via YouTube (See Below).

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To read the article associated with the video, see page 9 on this PDF File or check out more information on the magazine via this LINK.

Thanks to reader RayM for passing along the news.

As we reported earlier this week, Geddy Lee took part in the 25th Anniversary of CIBC's Miracle Day. According to some fan reports who attended the event, Geddy indicated that he expects the band to enter the studio "very, very soon" and that they are "hoping to then tour this summer (2010)".

Given that Alex has made some similar statements in recent interviews, it would seem that the possibilities of some fresh Rush material in 2010 may actually be realistic.

Thanks to Ed from RushIsABand.Com for the headsup!

According to Power Windows, Alex Lifeson's 1996 solo project Victor is expected to be re-issued by Wounded Bird Records some time in the near future.

Wounded Bird Records specializes in the reissue of albums from the 60's, 70's and early 80's on CD, and all of their releases are properly licensed from the owner of the original masters.

The exact release date is not yet known but for those of you who still don't have this exceptional solo effort, you can still pick up a copy via Amazon.Com.

Thanks to Eric from Power Windows for the news.

As we enter the final month of 2009, Cygnus-X1.Net is once again holding a year-end Holiday Rush Contest with another great prize package. This year, the prizes center around the recent release of Rush's Live Compilation CD/DVD "Working Men" but there are some other great prizes as well.

To see the complete prize package and to submit your entry form, please click HERE. The winner will be selected at random on or around December 24th.

Good luck, everyone and happy holidays!

CIBC Miracle Day is held on the first Wednesday in December during which CIBC's wholesale banking sales and trading staff and CIBC Wood Gundy Investment Advisers donate their fees and commissions to children's charities. CIBC Miracle Day is one of Canada's largest one-day corporate fundraising events devoted to children's charities. All funds raised are donated to over 400 children's charities in communities across Canada.

The fundraising event has raised over $50 million for more than 1,000 children's charities across Canada since its inception in 1984. Today from 10AM until Noon the CIBC will be hosting the media for a celebration of the 25th anniversary of Miracle Day. Among the special guests will be Rush's Geddy Lee.

For more information, click HERE.

Thanks to RushIsABand.Com for the news.

According to Drum Channel's Twitter Page, Neil Peart has been filming a special on Classic Rush Albums for VH-1. From the Twitter Site:

"Neil Peart was in the DC Studios again yesterday filming a special on Classic Rush albums for VH1... look for it soon!"

Thanks to RushIsABand.Com for the news.

Rush, along with Led Zeppelin, Ratt, Twisted Sister, Cream, Bad Company, Stone Temple Pilots and others are among the artists featured on "Atlantic Records Time Capsule", which celebrates the iconic label's past and present through music, images, and words. The most comprehensive project ever devoted to the Atlantic story, this numbered, limited edition collection spans the label's entire history, from its inception in 1947 to the present day. "Time Capsule" is housed in a custom-designed metallic box featuring:

? Nine CDs containing 165 tracks from 141 artists spanning more than six decades
? DVD of the acclaimed PBS "American Masters" documentary, "Atlantic Records: The House That Ahmet Built"
? 140-page book featuring over 200 rare and/or previously unseen photographs from the Atlantic archives; reflections and stories from artists and other key players in the company's history; and a complete Atlantic timeline
? Boxed set exclusive 45 rpm vinyl single reissue of Atlantic's first hit, "Drinkin' Wine, Spo-Dee-O-Dee" by "Stick" McGhee and His Buddies (1949)
? Reproductions of memorabilia and vintage swag, including posters, handbills, ticket stubs, lyrics, backstage passes, and more
? Individually numbered certificate of authenticity

You can order the boxset via Amazon.Com at this LINK.

Peter Criss of KISS fame was a special guest during the season finalale of VH1 Classic's That Metal Show this past Saturday. The episode's "Throwdown" segment was geared towards the best rock instrumental with Rush's YYZ going up against Led Zeppelin's Moby Dick. YYZ won the competition which led Criss to discuss his memories of touring with Rush back in 1974-75.

"I consider them brothers. They were like brothers to me. More so than Gene and Ace and Paul. I hung with them personally. Like, after every night we would go out - true story ... and we were in Holiday Inns then, not Ritz Carlton's or Four Seasons ... - and we would get on the balcony in a snowstorm, get all the blankets from everybody's room, cover ourselves with them like Eskimos and share a bottle of Johnnie Walker red. We got along so great. We talked about our wives - how we missed them, and our kids and how we missed them, and our moms and dads. We got to be really good friends. I love those guys. Those guys could never do wrong in my book."

You can view the episode via this LINK.

Thanks to Eric from Power Windows for the news and photo.

Dateline: Tuesday, January 1st, 1980. Rush releases Permanent Waves to open up the 80's decade and the rest, as they say, was history. Now, thirty years later, both Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson will celebrate the anniversary of that album with an appearance on In The Studio - The Stories Behind History's Greatest Rock Bands.

The special is expected to air during the week of January 11th, 2010. Please click HERE for more information.

And speaking of Permanent Waves, those interested in learning the story behind the cover art should check out this fascinating write-up put together by Eric over at Power Windows.

Update: Both Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson were in attendance at the ceremony last night. Photos of the event, which include several of Geddy and Alex are available HERE. Thanks to RushIsABand.Com for the headsup on the photos.

SOCAN (The Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada), the copyright collective for musical works, gives annual awards for Canada's top acts and recognizes songs and artists who get the most airplay. At Monday night's award ceremony, Rush was honored with the International Achievement Award.

Rush is coming off a year of successful international touring and the release of its album Snakes & Arrows Live. The band, which first toured in 1974, is also wooing a new generation by releasing its classic songs for download on the game Rock Band.

Other winners as well as additional information on SOCAN and the award ceremony can be read via this LINK.

Over the last few days, each of the members of Rush have been in the news for non-Rush related topics.

Starting off with Neil, the Professor has been tapped to record a new version of "The Hockey Theme".

To most Canadians, ice hockey is _the_ sport to play (although their national sport is lacrosse). Almost every child in the great white north dreams of becoming a professional hockey player. Neil Peart of the legendary Canadian band Rush was no exception. Thankfully for a great number of us, Neil decided to take on another passion instead - drumming. His dreams of playing hockey never died, and although he's not going to be suiting up for any NHL team anytime soon, he's going to be re-doing their anthem. According to TSN, Neil has been asked to record a special rendition of "The Hockey Theme" to be used for all TSN and RDS broadcasts throughout the year.

Some additional details on this announcement can be found HERE.

Moving on to Alex; his time spent in 2006 while recording a song for the soundtrack of Trailer Park Boys: The Movie led to a generous gift that helped to change the life on a fellow guitarist.

Die Mannequin singer-guitarist Care Failure (aka Caroline Kawa) cites Alex as one of the factors for turning her life around:

Another dedicated non-wanker who?s had a big effect on Failure is Alex Lifeson. In one of those ?Here ya go, kid? moments, the legendary Rush guitarist presented her with one of his Paul Reed Smith guitars, just when she needed it most.

?There was like a six-month period where if I didn?t have that guitar I don?t know what I would have been doing,? she says. ?He gave me that guitar and a bag of pedals, and more importantly some real nice messages that trip through your head.?

The helpful advice and colossal freebies from good samaritans like Lifeson, her ?musical sugar daddy?, have helped Failure turn her once-troubled life around to the point where you question the validity of her stage name. But she has no regrets about choosing that moniker?or anything else.

You can read more about Die Mannequin and their lead-singer Care Failure HERE.

Finally on to Mr. Lee. He was quoted in a recent article on Garret Herman; a local collector of rare Charles Darwin and related books.

Mr. Herman owns more than 5,000 volumes of Darwin's works and gives speeches on the scientist to groups such as the New York Academy of Medicine. His house, which also contains a scale model of the HMS Beagle as well as countless letters and ephemera, has become a nesting spot for many species of Darwin specialists.

At the same time, he was cultivating a reputation around town as a major book hound. ?Every rare book store seems to know Garrett,? mused musician Geddy Lee, another book lover who knows Mr. Herman from the Toronto chapter of Grapes for Humanity, a charity of oenophiles that raises money for land-mine victims. ?I was once at David Mason, hoping to buy this book, but it was already on hold for Garrett,? the Rush singer said, bemused. ?Everything was on hold for Garrett!?

You can read more about Mr. Garrett's collection via this LINK.

And finally, one for you iTunes fans, check out this Rush-laced article on the Complete Guide to Album Tagging, Art and Playlists in iTunes.

According to a recent posting at Bravewords.com, a pair of Canadian Music Documentaries which include segments on Rush and interviews with Geddy Lee are now available on DVD.

This Beat Goes On: Canadian Pop Music In The 1970's and Rise Up: Canadian Pop Music In The 1980's are truly unique visual documentations of the history of Canadian music and the artists that helped define these eras. Both affectionately explore the music scene here with great detail, maximizing incredible archival footage and interviews. Following their recent preview airing on CBC Television, the DVD's will be available on December 8, 2009, making for a perfect addition to all music lovers' collections. A portion of the proceeds from the sales of this DVD will go to support MusiCounts, Canada's music education charity associated with The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, which helps to keep music alive in schools across the country.

'This Beat Goes On' tells the story of Canadian music in the 1970's, a ground-breaking era of great sounds, from glam and progressive rock to punk and reggae. Set in the formative years of Canada's music industry This Beat Goes On features a jukebox of chart-topping songs along with archival footage and candid interviews from the who's who in the Canadian music scene during that time, including bonus segments/artists interviews (not previously aired) with DAN HILL, JOE KEITHLEY, BOB AND DANIEL LANOIS, STEVEN LECKIE, MURRAY MCLAUCHLAN, CAROLE POPE, NASH THE SLASH and VALDY.

'Rise Up' looks at the digital age of Canadian music in the 1980's, a visual era of big hair and shoulder pads, when music videos helped propel homegrown artists to the international stage. Blending illuminating interviews with thrilling concert footage and video's, Rise Up takes viewers on a thrilling ride into the decade's pop stratosphere. From hip-hop to pop to country and new wave, the DVD documents the global rise of Canadian music with a treasure trove of classic hits and cult classics. Also included are bonus segment/artist interviews (not previously aired) with BRUCE COCKBURN, TOM COCHRANE, GOWAN, RUSH's GEDDY LEE, MAESTRO, MITSOU and ROBBIE ROBERTSON.

Both DVD's: written by Nicholas Jennings; directed by Gary McGroarty; and produced by Nick Orchard, Randolph Eustace-Walden and Pierre L. Touchette. This is a Soapbox /Amérimage-Spectra co-production with executive producer Luc Châtelain.

These two volumes follow in the footsteps of the critically heralded Shakin' All Over: Canadian Pop Music In The 1960's' and continue where the story there left off - introducing fans to the next era of iconic artists that help shape the country we are today!

You can pre-order the DVD's from Amazon below:

Beat Goes On: Canadian Pop Music in the 70's

Rise Up: Canadian Pop Music in the 1980's

A preview clip of 'This Beat Goes On' is available HERE.

A list of the songs featured in the documentaries is available HERE.

Many thanks to reader RushFanForever for passing along the news.

During the recent Windsor International Film Festival, Tom Lucier had the opportunity to interview Scot McFadyen and Sam Dunn who are the filmmakers behind the upcoming Rush: The Documentary project.

The 5-minute interview, which sheds some exciting light into the project, can be listed to via this link from Blabbermouth.Net.

The new issue of "The Edge" magazine, which comes from the DW Drum Workshop's, includes an article titled "Neil Peart & John Good discuss The Finer Points Of DW's Shell Technology".

Hello. Neil Peart here. I?m with Professor John Good and he is going to explain to us a very complicated subject. I?m just going to be the chief device for exposition. I?m the student, as I always like to say here at Drum Workshop. I?m the student and resident, always glad to learn from all of the great drummers that come through and John about the nuances of drum construction. He?s going to tell us today about something called ?Specialized Shell Construction? and everything that covers and as we?ve applied it between the two of us in instruments and as John is going to make available to all drummers, a truly individual choice in each shell and its note and response that you can combine together as you wish, really, in the creation of your own custom DW drum set.

To read the entire article, see page 9 on this PDF File or check out more information on the magazine via this LINK.

Thanks to reader RayM for passing along the news.

The Big Story of Small Potatoes is a new documentary about Niagara's (New York/Canada) music scene which is expected to be released later this month. The documentary "explores the roots of the lost music scene of Niagara, circa 1964-1974," and includes Neil Peart along with one of his early bands JR Flood performing the song "Giant Killer".

This may be the earliest recorded footable of Neil available anywhere so it's certainly creating a buzz around the Rush community.

For more information, please check out http://miil.ca/.

Thanks to Eric from Power Windows for sharing the news.

Working Men, the first "Best of Live" offering from Rush, has been released today and is available for order via Amazon.Com

Anthem Entertainment has announced the release of "WORKING MEN," the first 'best of' live performance compilation from renowned rock trio Rush. Due in stores and online November 17th, the collection will be released on DVD in partnership with Rounder and on CD via Atlantic Records outside of Canada.

Culled from Anthem Entertainment and Z Vision's three other Rush DVD releases - Rush in Rio, R30 & Snakes & Arrows Live - "WORKING MEN" features live recordings of the band's greatest hits as well as one previously unreleased track , "One Little Victory" (see attached track listing).

Rush - Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart - is without question one of the most inventive and compelling groups in rock history, equally famed for both its virtuoso musicianship and provocative songwriting. Just last year, a career-chronicling Rolling Stone feature praised the band for its continuing artistic vitality, noting that "It's true that Rush doesn't mean today what it did in '76 or even '96. It may mean more." The sentiment was echoed in subsequent pieces published earlier this year in Entertainment Weekly and Spin. Rush's enduring pop culture relevance is perhaps best evidenced by a pair of high profile appearances - a rare national television performance and interview on Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report" in 2008 (the band's first TV appearance since 1975), and a pivotal role in the storyline of the hit comedy, I Love You, Man. Released this past spring, the band also made a memorable cameo in the! film, which starred Paul Rudd and Jason Segal.

Since releasing their self-titled debut album in 1974, Rush has achieved worldwide sales exceeding 35 million units, including such acclaimed works as 1976's "2112," 1981's "MOVING PICTURES," 1996's "TEST FOR ECHO," and 2002's "VAPOR TRAILS." The band's most recent studio collection, 2007's "SNAKES & ARROWS," made a triumphant debut on the Billboard 200 upon its initial release, entering the chart in the #3 spot. The album's success marked Rush's highest chart debut since 1993, as well as the group's eleventh top ten album in the U.S.

For more information, please visit www.rush.com.

"WORKING MEN" Track Listing:

Limelight
The Spirit of Radio
2112;
Freewill;
Dreamline
Far Cry
Subdivisions
One Little Victory (previously unreleased)
Closer to the Heart
Tom Sawyer
Working Man
YYZ

Click HERE for the official Press Release (PDF File, 1.5mb).

Also look for internal image scans and complete liner notes to be uploaded to the site within the next couple of days.

The Boys Are Back (Yes, Those Boys). The Drunk and on Drugs Happy Funtime Hour, a narrative sketch comedy show starring Mike Smith, Robb Wells and JP Tremblay, also known as Bubbles, Ricky, and Julian from the hit Showcase series Trailer Park Boys has been greenlit for production and is expected to debut in Fall 2010.

According to several news reports, Alex Lifeson, who has appeared in previous Trailer Park Boy ventures, will appear in the new show.

The storyline goes like this: Three grown men are working on a children's show called The Happy Funtime Hour in the sleepy town of Port Cockerton (of course). The guitarist from the rock band Rush, Alex Lifeson - a friend of the boys since starring as himself in the third season - shows up as a scientist to teach children about nutrition, but somehow creates an addictive hallucinogen from local berries. The cast then unknowingly eats the drug and begins to believe they are the characters they are playing on the show - including soldiers, police, pirates, playboys from a 1980s television show and a group of not-very-super superheroes.

"The idea (to get Lifeson to play) the kid's scientist that more accidentally than on purpose gets the cast addicted to these things, it seems like a good fit," said Smith. "He's always done this thing where he'll do a crazy German accent and pop in some fake teeth and when we were writing this character, it seemed perfect for him."

For more information, please click HERE.

Thanks to reader ArsenalFC for the headsup.

The 5-part, 4+ hour documentary "Rush Road Crew" documentary, which originally aired on HD TV in Canada last year, is now available for sale via Amazon.Com for $24.99.

"Go behind the scenes to get a backstage look at what it takes to present the legendary band Rush during the 2008 Snakes & Arrows Concert Tour. It may appear to be one of the most exciting and glamorous jobs in the world - but being a roadie with a top-rated world-famous rock and roll band can be a grueling marathon of 18 hour work days, on an easy day. A bad is actually a couple of days, 40 hours spent hauling gear, assembling huge stacks of speakers, lifting them a hundred feet in the air, tuning instruments for demanding musicians and being cut off from every lover, friend and relative you have. This series takes you to the show you never see when you take your seat for a concert by the legendary band Rush. All the backstage secrets are revealed."

The documentary was filmed in High Definition and Dolby 5.1 surround audio during the Canadian leg of the 2007 Snakes and Arrows tour.

Thanks to RushIsABand.Com for the news.

Alex Lifeson will be one of the presenters at the 24th annual Gemini Awards, which will be televised this Saturday, November 14 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Global and Showcase (check local listings).

"The Gemini Awards will salute "Corner Gas", "Royal Canadian Air Farce" and "Trailer Park Boys" for their outstanding and enduring contributions to the Canadian television industry. Having recently wrapped their final seasons, these influential comedies will be honored by the Academy with a special look back at their funniest moments on air. Cast members from each show will be on hand to accept their award. "

Click HERE to read the complete press release.

According to the National Post, Geddy Lee will appear as a guest judge at the great Canadian chef cook-off known as the Gold Medal Plates happening on Thursday, November 19 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in Toronto, Ontario.

Gold Medal Plates is the ultimate celebration of Canadian excellence in cuisine, wine, entertainment and athletic achievement. Celebrating in six cities across Canada in 2009, Gold Medal Plates will feature superb wines and the premier chefs in each city, paired with Canadian Olympic and Paralympic athletes, in a competition to crown a gold, silver and bronze medal culinary team in each city, and subsequently nationwide.

Founded in 2003, the goal of Gold Medal Plates is to raise substantial funds for Canada's high-performance athletes, while celebrating Canadian excellence. Since 2004, this event has received tremendous support and accolades all across Canada, and generated a combined net total of CAD $2.8 million for Canada's Olympic and Paralympic athletes.

For more information, visit GoldMedalPlates.com.

The recent news from Neil Peart about the members of the band meeting this month in Los Angeles to discuss the "future" is still creating quite a buzz in the Rush community. Hopefully we'll get some tidbits of information after the meeting takes place. In the mean time, here are some additional news stories from the world of Rush...

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Kidney Foundation of Canada's Brush of Hope Auction Underway: As we reported last month, Alex Lifeson has donated another one of his original paintings to this year's A Brush of Hope Project. The auction is now underway and you can bid directly on Alex's painting via this LINK. The auction ends on November 15th.

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Paul Northfield Interview Now Online: A new interview with long-time Rush engineer and producer Paul Northfield is now online at RecordingHacks.com. In the interview, Paul discusses his work on such Rush classics as Permanent Waves, Moving Pictures and Vapor Trails along with other great albums that he's had a hand in over the years.

Thanks to Eric from Power Windows for the news.

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Ari Gold of "Adventures Of Power" Interviews Neil Peart: The producer and star of the hit rock movie "Adventures of Power" Ari Gold interviews Neil Pearts in a new video which is currently being shown at DrumChannel.Com. Click HERE to view the clip.

Adventures Of Power is a comedy film about one man's quest to win an "air-drumming" competition, has finally made it to theaters in a limited capacity.The film, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2008, includes a cameo by Neil Peart. In addition, "Tom Sawyer" is heard during the film's trailer, which includes a glimpse of a Rush poster.

In honor of the film's release, check out the all new "Power Versus Peart" live video: "Neil Peart on drums. Power on air drums. In honor of ADVENTURES OF POWER 'The best rock movie in many a year!' - Neil Peart".

Thanks (once again) to Eric from Power Windows for the news.

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Rush Sightings: There have been a couple of Rush sightings on network television of late. The first occurred during the October 23rd airing of ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live. During a Balloon-Boy related skit, a man appears wearing a Rush Star-Man t-shirt. Thanks to Bigbeeks for the heads up on that sighting.

On the November 4th airing of CBS's sitcom "Gary Unmarried" starring Jay Mohr, Rush was mentioned on the show by Jay Mohr's character "Gary". He made a comment saying "There should be Rush or AC/DC playing.". Thanks to reader Dave Daron for the info on this sighting.

Finally, I've been receiving a large amount of classic articles from Heiko Klages so I'll be updating the Rush: A Brief History of Time page within the next week.

That's it for now, all.

Neil Peart has updated the News, Weather, and Sports section of his website with an entry titled Autumn Serenade. In it, Neil discusses his passion for drumming, his lack of a 'home studio' and how he had the opportunity to play a "beautiful practice kit" in the Drum Channel's studio. Several pictures, including the one to the right, were taken of Neil playing "aimlessly" on the "autumnal harmony" finished kit.

But the real news in this entry is the fact that the Geddy and Alex will be meeting with Neil this month to discuss the band's future. From Neil's entry:

In this autumn of 2009, the three of us are poised on another kind of ?reinvention.? We have agreed to meet in Los Angeles in November, and discuss our future. We learned many years ago that when we finish one long project?like a two-year tour following a year or so of writing and recording for Snakes and Arrows?we don?t make any further plans for a while. It?s good to feel truly free for a time, and to clear your mind to focus on what you?d really like to do next.

Of course, these are parlous times in the music business, so our time-honored pattern of touring, recording, and touring is no longer the obvious way to do things. The music world?or at least the business of it?is very different now, even since 2006, when we began work on Snakes and Arrows. The importance of ?the album? is not what it was, and there is currently a reversion to a musical climate rather like the 1950s, when only ?the song? matters. Radio, downloads, and ?shuffle? settings are inimical to collected works. Because of that reality, record company advances that used to pay for album projects are a thing of the past, so if that was what we wanted to do, we?d be on our own.

To this point, the three of us haven?t even discussed what we might discuss, so to speak?so our ideas and shared enthusiasm for the entity of Rush will be fresh, spontaneous, and quite likely exciting. For myself, I?m open to anything we can all agree on (I?ve pointed out before that in a three-piece band, we need consensus, not democracy?it?s no good having one outvoted and unhappy member). My favorite group activity is always songwriting and recording, and I?ve got some lyrical ideas and those new drumming frontiers to explore. However, those rhythmic concepts would also be inspiring for a new drum solo, if we decided to do a tour of some kind, maybe with an orchestra. We could write and record just a few songs, and release them some way. Or there were a couple of film-and-music projects we had discussed in the past. In any case, there are enough possibilities for future collaboration, and I am curious to see what we?ll come up with.

Exciting, interesting news to be sure. It seems that truly anything is possible for the band moving forward.

To read the entire entry from Neil, click HERE.

It should come as no surprise to any frequent visitor to this site that I have a deep appreciation for the artwork and visual imagery of Rush. To that end, I'm thrilled to let every know about this next news entry. United Kingdom digital artist Graham Whieldon is creating limited edition digital fine art prints which are directly inspired by Rush.

Rush were a constant unconditional companion, lighting my way through the confusing labyrinth of early adulthood. Somehow they always knew the right path to take, and as I now venture into my second half of life, still their music matches my step and lights the way.

Creative inspiration is often hard to come by, but Rush as a catalogue of reference is a strangely untapped motherlode. Songs are stories, they provoke images with their lyrics as any written or spoken story does. Stories have been illustrated for millenia, so why not songs?

His first completed piece is based on one of my personal favorites - The Fountain of Lamneth.

Please visit Graham's website for more information and ordering details for his prints. Thanks to Ed from RushIsABand.Com for the headsup.

Alex Lifeson's Man Date with Rick Mercer is now available online in two different locations. Below is a link to the 6-minute video segment on YouTube.

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In the event that video is removed, the segment is also available at the official CBC site via this LINK.

Michael from NeilPeartDrumsticks.Com has provided additional information regarding the public display of Neil Peart's Classic "Chrome" Slingerland Drum Kit that we first reported last week.

Hello All,

Well, the time has come. Some of you have caught word with the News sites announcing the upcoming PASIC show in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Myself and the newest owner of Neil Peart's 1974 Chrome Slingerland Drum Kit are going to PASIC within the next couple weeks. The exciting part is that we are going to let people play the actual kit. It will be in Indy the week of 11-14 November at the downtown Indiana Convention Center at PASIC 2009.

Daily admission to the exhibition hall for non-PAS members is $15. You need not be a member to come to PASIC and see the kit we have simply named "Chromey".

Chromey is being used to raise money for the American Cancer Society. We are going to allow people at the venue to play Chromey for $10 a minute and 100% goes to charity.

Yes, you can play the 1974 Chrome Slingerland Kit that Neil Peart used from 1974-1977 to record "Fly By Night", "Caress Of Steel", "2112", "All The World's A Stage", and was used on five consecutive US-Canadian Tours in support of those albums. The very same kit seen on the cover of ATWAS and used to record one of the most duplicated drum solos ever.

People who show up and wish to do the "Pay To Play" option will have the opportunity to play the kit in it's restored condition. We have made every attempt to replace every single part with an original vintage piece from that time or its modern replacement until we can find that vintage piece. It will all be there. The kit will be a bit of a "Frankenstein" in some sense as it will have all the pieces available that have been pictured on the kit from 1974-1977 when it was retired. So the kit is not one year specific but that should be fine as Neil really kept all the pieces as he added more on the kit. You will have the chance to choose which snare to play, either an original era Rogers Dynasonic or the 100% matched replica of the copper Slingerland Artist that Neil named "Number One", expertly replicated by Kevin Stroud of Illinois.

Not that we are being butts about this, butt if you choose to step into the booth to participate with the kit we ask that you please make a donation to ACS. Every penny is going to ACS. The kit owner has put a lot of money into this restoration project, and I have put a lot of hours into the restoration and we are not asking for you to pay us, we simply ask that you donate to the American Cancer Society, please.

What I mean is, if you are just wanting a photo and you wish to stand in front of the kit, please donate $3 per shot, to stand inside the kit only is $5 per shot, and to play the kit is $10 a minute. If you don't have a camera don't worry as we will have one to take your picture with as long as you have email for us to send it to you. If your outside our booth in the aisle it won't cost you a thing but I cannot guarantee you'll get the good shot you might be hoping for. This whole event is about raising money for the American Cancer Society so I am trying to get them everything we possibly can ... know what I mean.

So please, if you have the means and way to get there, come on down. We'd love to see you and of course meet you. At the moment we are in Booth #1254 which should be easy to find. Also while there drop by and check out the Guitar Center Booth which will have the Snakes & Arrow drum kit ... but you don't get to play it.

If all goes well as planned the kit will then travel around the block to the Percussive Arts Society Museum for a short term loan to be on display for all to see. More about that later.

If you don't plan on attending and would still like to donate, please drop by my website front page at www.neilpeartdrumsticks.com where you will find a link on the American Cancer Society logo to donate ... it will be greatly appreciated!

For those of you who don't already know the winners/owners of the kit and have really gotta know ... drop by as they too will be there to meet everyone along with myself.

Thanks for taking the time to read all of this!

RUSH ON!
-Michael

PS ... If you live in Indy and would like to volunteer to assist in our booth ... drop an email at michael747@neilpeartdrumsticks.com.

Thanks to Michael for sharing the news! Anyone else up for a roadtrip to Indy? :-)

Last week, we reported that Alex Lifeson and Rick Mercer were spotted at the Niagara Freefall Indoor Skydiving, as reported from an article in the Niagara Falls Review.

The episode which features Alex is scheduled to go on air tonight on the Canadian CBC network.

For more information on the show, click HERE. Additionally, there are more pictures from the 'Freefallin' event located at the Rick Mercer Facebook page.

Thanks to reader ArsenalFC 'Pete' for the head's up on tonight's episode airing.

Back in August, Neil Peart's classic 1974 Chrome Slingerland Drum Kit, which was used in the recording of Fly By Night, Caress of Steel, 2112 and All The World's A Stage and played on five consecutive tours from the Summer of 1974 through the Spring of 1977, was sold at auction for over $25,000!

Michael from Neil Peart Drumsticks has been working with the new owner to restore the drum kit and have it put on public display with the chance for some people to actually play it (for charity).

Please visit Michael's website for all the latest information on this exciting news.

Of course, many thanks go out to Michael for making this happen and sharing the news.

Neil Peart, who is a self-proclaimed fan of Blue Cheer, recently wrote an article for Rolling Stone Magazine in memory of singer/bassist Dickie Peterson, who died after a battle with liver cancer on October 12.

I loved those first two Blue Cheer albums, and even the third, New! Improved!, though it was a major departure (not as loud). In 2004, my bandmates and I celebrated our thirtieth anniversary by recording an album of covers, Feedback, to pay tribute to our early influences. We combined the Who?s and Blue Cheer?s versions of ?Summertime Blues,? and ended with me playing the innovative drum pattern from Blue Cheer?s ?Just a Little Bit,? from Outsideinside, which I had never forgotten.

So Blue Cheer made an enduring impression on this once-young drummer, and definitely played their part in shaping Rush?s beginnings ? a loud power trio with a fortress of amps, cannonades of drums, and a bass player?s high voice trying to pierce the darkness. That would be my bandmate Geddy, who remarked that Blue Cheer might well have been the first heavy metal band.

You can read the entire article via this LINK.

Thanks to Eric from Power Windows for passing along the news.

It's been a somewhat slow Rush News week but there are a few notable items to discuss...

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R30 Blu-Ray Update: The re-issue of the classic Rush concert R30 on Blu-Ray has been delayed until December 8th. Further, though it was previously believed that the full concert would be released on DVD as well, we've now learned from Rush's management that this will be a Blu-Ray only re-release.

Eight additional songs will be available on the Blu-Ray version; all of which were dropped when R30 was originally released on DVD back in 2006. You can pre-order the R30 Blu-Ray via this link.

Thanks to Ed from RushIsABand.Com for the confirmation.

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Rush's Anthem to be included on Sacrifice's Latest Album: According to a posting at Power Windows, Anthem will be included as a bonus track on the upcoming Canadian version of the latest album from the thrash metal band Sacrifice:

"Canadian thrash metal legends SACRIFICE will release their first new album in more than fifteen years in November on Sonic Unyon in Canada. Entitled The Ones I Condemn, the album was recorded at Toronto's Rouge Valley Studios last winter by the band and Darius Szczepaniak...Released by the Brazilian-based Marquee Records this summer, Sonic Unyon will release a domestic Canadian version of the album, ensuring that it will be available in retails stores nationwide in their home country...After reuniting for a sold out performance at Toronto's Opera House in 2007, the band decided to reconvene and record a new studio album. Containing ten new original songs, the Canadian version of the album will also contain an exclusive bonus track of the band's cover of the Rush classic 'Anthem.'"

Thanks to Eric from Power Windows for sharing the news.

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Bubba's Bar & Grill Update: There's been a change in management over at Bubba's Bar & Grill; the section of Neil Peart's website where he discusses he appreciation for cooking and shares some of his own personal recipes. Brutus, a long-time friend of Neil's, has now taken over the shop and has even added a store front where you can purchase Bubba-specific merchandise. Additionally, you can sign up for updates from the Bar & Grill and Neil's news site.

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Classic Rock PROG Article on Rush - Now Online: For those of you who didn't already notice this update, I've transcribed the recent Rush-related article that appeared in the August 2009 edition of "PROG" magazine (from the UK). You can read the entire article, which has scans of all the Rush-related images HERE. Enjoy.

That's all for this time, everyone.

In connection with an upcoming appearance on the Rick Mercer Report, Alex Lifeson and Rick Mercer were recently spotted filming a segment at Niagara Freefall Indoor Skydiving, as reported from an article in the Niagara Falls Review.

From the article:

When it came time for their 'man date,' Canadian comic Rick Mercer and rock legend Alex Lifeson went straight to the Honeymoon Capital.

The odd couple were in town Wednesday filming a segment for The Rick Mercer Report, donning flappy flight gear to tackle the Niagara Freefall Indoor Skydiving.

With cameras rolling, the duo floated atop 140 mp/h winds generated by a jet engine at the Stanley Avenue attraction.

"All we've been told is that it's harder than it looks," said Lifeson, who co-founded Rush more than 40 years ago with bassist Geddy Lee (drummer Neil Peart joined in the mid '70s). "It's the string that's over the jet engine that's disconcerting."

"I just find standing over a jet engine disconcerting," added Mercer.

The segment finds Mercer and Lifeson hitting the town for a guys night out. Mercer had heard about the Niagara attraction from a coworker, and decided to freefall with the guy who riffed on "Freewill."

"Alex is apparently up for anything ? or crazy, I haven't determined yet."

The crew arrived in town just before noon and quickly shot the segment before either Rush or Mercer fans got wind.

At this time, we have no information on when the episode will air though it is expected to hit the airwaves in the very near future.

In Atlantic Canada's 100 Greatest Books, Trevor J. Adams and Stephen Patrick Clare review the top one hundred Atlantic Canadian books-both fiction and nonfiction-ever published, as chosen by a panel of local readers and literary luminaries.

The editors of the book are running a contest to see if anyone can guess the top five books. Neil Peart posted his personal top ten:

Barometer Rising by Hugh MacLennan
The Colony of Unrequited Dreams by Wayne Johnston
The Custodian of Paradise by Wayne Johnston
Fall on Your Knees by Ann-Marie Macdonald
The Way the Crow Flies by Ann-Marie Macdonald
The Republic of Nothing by Lesley Choyce
An Avalanche of Ocean by Lesley Choyce
The Shipping News by Annie Proulx
The Architects are Here by Michael Winter
The Wreckage by Michael Crummey

Illustrated in full colour with book covers and photos of the authors, and accompanied by personal selections from celebrities in the literary community and beyond, Atlantic Canada's 100 Greatest Books is a requisite companion for fans of Canadian literature.

Thanks to Eric from Power Windows for the news.

Amazon.Com is now taking pre-orders for the new Rush "Live" Compilation DVD Working Man. The DVD, which is currently selling for $10.49, will include all the same tracks as its CD counterpart.

Both versions will be officially released on Tuesday, November 17th.

Click HERE for the official Press Release (PDF File, 1.5mb).

The air-drumming adventure film, which includes a cameo by none other than Neil Peart as well as numerous other Rush references, will make it's theatrical debut throughout this weekend after making the film festival rounds since 2008. Ari Gold, who wrote, directed and stars in the film, has an article in the Huffington Post which discusses the genesis of the film:

...I could never have spent four years of my life making a movie about this strange human activity if I didn't also think that a person trying to play drums, but having none, is a beautiful symbol for the futility of all human endeavors. What I didn't know when I began to make "Adventures of Power" was that the journey of my drumless protagonist would end up so closely mirroring my own reality, and the reality of my country.

When I was eight and heard the band Rush, I tried to drum along. After my mother's death twelve years later, while I was living in my aunt's basement in a mining town in the Southwest, I began to take notes about an air-drumming character. Though I was lonely and lost, I loved this broken little white/Hispanic/Native town, with its mix of cowboys, copper-miners, and curmudgeonly hippies, and I wondered how an air-drummer would fit in if he grew up here. Probably not very well.

The film will make its theatrical debut tonight in New York City at the AMC Loews Village 7. Additionally, there is a New York City film release party this evening at the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn that is open to the public.

Thanks to RushIsABand.Com for the news.

As he has done over the past three years, Alex Lifeson has donated one of his personal paintings to the Kidney Foundation of Canada's A Brush of Hope project. Lifeson's painting, along with artwork from many other Canadian artists will be auctioned off to raise money for the charity.

The auction is set to take place on Ebay.Ca from November 5th through the 15th. From the official website:

After three years of being based in Ontario, A Brush of Hope is now coming to New Brunswick!

Alex Lifeson (RUSH), Red Green (Steve Smith), Jessica Holmes, Rita MacNeil and Stompin' Tom Connors are just a few of the celebrities who have taken up brushes and paints to create small masterpieces to help the nearly 2 million Canadians who either have kidney disease or are at risk.

To own these one-of-a-kind, hand crafted works:

   ?Go to Ebay.Ca on November 5th
   ?Type in kidney foundation into the search field
   ?Bid away!

Visit our page on Facebook and invite your friends to join in the bidding!

"It is through the support by all of us that the Kidney Foundation of Canada can continue to provide hope for those who are not so fortunate and must live with this debilitating condition. I urge you to take the time to help in any way you can, whether by donation or some other method to realize the dream of a cure. Even a little goes a long way..." - Alex Lifeson

Thanks to reader GeddyWannaBe and RayM for the heads up.

Earlier this year, during Metallica's induction ceremony for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Guitarist Kirk Hammett indicated how he felt that Rush should be in the hall. Hammett echoed that sentiment in a conversation with Cleveland.Com:

Q: Which artists would you like to see get into the Rock Hall?

A: Man, I would love to see Rush in the Hall of Fame, as well as Motorhead and Deep Purple. Those are three that come to mind, only because I'm a hard-rock guy, and those bands had a lot to contribute to the genre.

Those bands have been around a lot longer than we have. It's almost embarrassing that we're in the Hall of Fame and they're not. But everyone has their opinions. There's a bit of a bureaucracy and there's a bit of politics that come along with it.

You can read the entire conversation via this LINK.

The drum kit that Neil Peart used during the 2007-08 Snakes & Arrows tour is scheduled to be on display in Guitar Center's booth at this year's Percussion Arts Society (PASIC) show in Indianapolis, IN.

The show will run from November 11th through the 14th in Indianapolis. Complete details on the show and PASIC in general can be found online at www.pasic.org.

Thanks to Power Windows for the news!

The end of September is upon us which means we are heading into the holiday season for 2009 (already). And it looks like there will be plenty of Rush items available this season, most notably the new "Best of Live" compilation simply called Working Men which we now have more information on. But first things first...

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Hall of Fame Debate Rages On: Last week, we reported that Rush was, once again, left off the nomination ballet for this year's round of inductions into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Time.Com recently posted an article detailing ten Rock acts that seem to suffer the same fate as Rush. Titled Top 10 Rock Hall of Fame Snubs, they had this to say about Rush:

Rolling Stone has called Rush fans the "Trekkies" of rock - they defend their Canadian rock heroes vehemently. The band certainly has carved out a place in rock history. With 24 consecutive gold or platinum albums, they trail only The Beatles, Rolling Stones and Aerosmith. But commercial success belies a career that took the occasional wrong turn. Critics cite the band's over-fascination with synthesizers in the 1980s, but fans say the period is simply proof that Rush doesn't care about convention. That independent streak might keep Rush from the Hall, but it doesn't seem to bother them in the slightest - guitarist Alex Lifeson called the Hall selection process a "joke."

That's the first time I've read that Rush's 1980's synth-era is the cause of the band's exclusion from the Hall...

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Rush Working Men Cover Art / Track List Revealed: Rush.Com formally announced the impending release of the band's next compilation CD/DVD offering Working Men. Included in the release was a preview of the cover image for both the CD and DVD (Click CD-Cover or DVD-Cover for a shot of both covers). The track listing for the CD was also revealed:

Anthem Entertainment has announced the release of "WORKING MEN," the first 'best of' live performance compilation from renowned rock trio Rush. Due in stores and online November 17th, the collection will be released on DVD in partnership with Rounder and on CD via Atlantic Records outside of Canada.

Culled from Anthem Entertainment and Z Vision's three other Rush DVD releases - Rush in Rio, R30 & Snakes & Arrows Live - "WORKING MEN" features live recordings of the band's greatest hits as well as one previously unreleased track , "One Little Victory" (see attached track listing).

Rush - Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart - is without question one of the most inventive and compelling groups in rock history, equally famed for both its virtuoso musicianship and provocative songwriting. Just last year, a career-chronicling Rolling Stone feature praised the band for its continuing artistic vitality, noting that "It's true that Rush doesn't mean today what it did in '76 or even '96. It may mean more." The sentiment was echoed in subsequent pieces published earlier this year in Entertainment Weekly and Spin. Rush's enduring pop culture relevance is perhaps best evidenced by a pair of high profile appearances - a rare national television performance and interview on Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report" in 2008 (the band's first TV appearance since 1975), and a pivotal role in the storyline of the hit comedy, I Love You, Man. Released this past spring, the band also made a memorable cameo in the! film, which starred Paul Rudd and Jason Segal.

Since releasing their self-titled debut album in 1974, Rush has achieved worldwide sales exceeding 35 million units, including such acclaimed works as 1976's "2112," 1981's "MOVING PICTURES," 1996's "TEST FOR ECHO," and 2002's "VAPOR TRAILS." The band's most recent studio collection, 2007's "SNAKES & ARROWS," made a triumphant debut on the Billboard 200 upon its initial release, entering the chart in the #3 spot. The album's success marked Rush's highest chart debut since 1993, as well as the group's eleventh top ten album in the U.S.

For more information, please visit www.rush.com.

"WORKING MEN" Track Listing:

Limelight
The Spirit of Radio
2112;
Freewill;
Dreamline
Far Cry
Subdivisions
One Little Victory (previously unreleased)
Closer to the Heart
Tom Sawyer
Working Man
YYZ

Click HERE for the official Press Release (PDF File, 1.5mb).

Both the CD/DVD packages are set for release on November 17th. You can pre-order your copy today via this LINK.

In related news, Rounder Records release of Rush's R30 on Blu-Ray has been pushed back to sometime in December. Hopefully it'll be available in time for the holidays.

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Virtual Rush Cover: Long-time Cygnus-X1.Net reader and site contributor Claudio C-08 sent me a link to a music video he recently created which covers Rush's New World Man. From Claudio:

I`m writing just to let you know about a virtual cover that I`ve done recently with a Canadian drummer from Toronto ( Albert Slark ) and an American bassist from West Virginia ( Steve Walker ). My brother also participated as a special guest. If you watch it, you`ll realized that the sync was out as it was our first attempt to do something like this. However I`m proud of it cause we were able to achieve something important even if we were far away from each other, and most of all because it happened thanks to our mutual love for Rush. We`ll try to improve the difficulties for future covers.

You can watch the video via YouTube at this LINK. Thanks Claudio!

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That's it for this time around. Look for a couple of more additions to the Rush: A Brief History of Time page in the next couple of days.

Earlier this year, I put together a two-part Rush News segment which contained numerous old articles, reviews and advertisements of Rush. The items were sent to me by German reader Heiko Klages who painstakingly scanned the material from his own collection. I've now created a special segment in the Biographies & Articles section of the site called Rush: A Brief History of Time. That section includes all the previously presented articles as well as a bunch of new ones which are also reflected below.

Once again I want to thank Heiko for his generous donation to this site. Enjoy the latest batch of classic Rush articles.

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Georgia Straight, Vancouver's Weekly News Magazine, did a cover feature on Rush back in September of 1977. Titled Rush: Canada's Most Successful (and least recognized) Rock Band and written by Tom Harrison, the article discusses Rush's fifth studio album A Farewell to Kings as well the fact that the band, even within Canada, isn't as well known as it should be. There's also a full page advertisement for all of Rush's albums at that point.

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The February 14th-20th, 1980 edition of Scene Entertainment Weekly (of Northeast Ohio), included a two-page, front cover article on Rush called Rush: Something Special for Everyone. You can read this article via the following two links: Cover / Page 1 --- Page 2.

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This next multi-page article/review comes from the January 1976 edition of the Ontario Entertainment Magazine Cheap Thrills. The article, titled A Solid Gold Rush discusses the bands first four studio albums along with their first live offering. The reviewer seems to enjoy Rush's music but had no appreciation for 2112 at all.

"I hate this one. Non-Rush fans have told me how much they like 2112, so maybe that's the point. Me? I think it's wretched..." Nice.

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The June 11th, 1977 edition of New Musical Express from the UK contained a dual/dueling article on the band called The Rush Phenomenon by Paul Morley and Paul Rambali. This one's an interesting take on the rise of popularity of Rush during the late seventies.

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This next article focuses more on the creation of Anthem Records than it does Rush, but it's an interesting read nonetheless. Titled Anthem Records - Success Spawns New Label, it originally appeared in the June 4th, 1977 edition of RPM Magazine.

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Up next is an interesting advertisement for 2112. Anyone else tired of seeing this particular image of the band? :-) Check it out HERE.

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This next one is for our French (and French-Canadian audience). The article, called Heavy Metal En Serie B - RUSH La Surprise is written in French by Alain Pons and originally appeared in the September 1977 edition of Best - #110. If anyone cares to translate the text I'm sure many of us would be appreciative.

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This next article, which appeared in the July 23rd, 1977 edition of Melody Maker, a UK publication, focuses on Neil Peart. It's titled Drums & Percussion - Rush Hour and was penned by Chris Welch.

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Up next is a great article by famed Rush fan/author Geoff Barton which originally appeared in the February 5th, 1977 edition of Sounds, another UK publication. Titled Caress Of Steel - Poor Man's Zeppelin? - Or underrated scions of sword and sorcery rock?, Barton "states the case for Rush" in this in-depth look at Rush's career through that point in time. And yes, we're treated once again to that 'image' of the band that always seems to pop up :-)

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Continuing along the Geoff Barton line, this next article, which also appeared in Sounds in July of 1977 is called Rush Judgement - Neil Peart Talks to Geoff Barton. This article, which is sub-titled Tired of the Stress of the city, the Canadian power trio take to the wilds of Wales was written as Rush were in the writing and recording process for their fifth studio album A Farewell to Kings. Of interest is the fact that, according to this article, the album was originally thought to be called Closer to the Heart.

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This next article appeared in the September 17th, 1977 edition of RPM Weekly; a Canadian publication. Called Rush - an International Happening, it discusses, rather briefly, the history of the band from their debut album through All The World's a Stage.

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Up next is a short but very positive review of Caress of Steel which originally appeared in the February 12th, 1977 edition of the Record Mirror; a UK publication. The review, which is simply titled Rush: 'Caress Of Steel' was written by David Brown.

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Finally, we're left with a nice multi-page article from the December 1977 edition of Stagelife. Called Rush: Are They Afraid of Heavy Metal? and sub-titled Rush Reiteration, this article was written by Jymn Parrett who discusses his initial impressions of the band dating back to 'Rush' and continuing through 'A Farewell to Kings'. A very interesting read with a nice picture of Geddy & Alex in action.

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That's it for this edition of Rush: A Brief History of Time. I hope you enjoyed the look back.

It's that time of the year again when the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announces their annual nominations for induction into the institution. It should come as no surprise to anyone that, once again, Rush failed to make the cut. This time, however, there are some encouraging signs that perhaps Rush may be considered in the future.

Two bands, who have also been snubbed for years, are on the ballet this time around: Kiss and Genesis.

The other nominees this year are: Abba, Donna Summer, the Stooges, the Hollies, Jimmy Cliff, Darlene Love, Laura Nyro, the Chantels and, in the first year in which they qualify, LL Cool J and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Five inductees will be announced in January with the formal induction ceremony to take place on March 15th, 2010 at the Waldorf-Astoria in Manhattan.

If you have GarageBand '09 on your Mac and you have always wanted to learn how to play guitar like Alex, well now's your chance. Apple just released another GarageBand Learn To Play Artist Lesson, this time featuring Alex teaching how to play Tom Sawyer and Limelight. In Limelight, after teaching you the classic opening riff of this song, he shows you the distinctive open chord voicings and arpeggios for the verse and chorus, and finishes with a close look at his haunting solo.

In Tom Sawyer, he first shows you a simple way to play the intro riff, then breaks down the entire song, explaining his innovative chord voicings and solo techniques. Once you are ready, jam right along with the original backing tracks! You can purchase and download each of these lessons directly from the Lesson Store in GarageBand '09. Check it out.

After several delays and three years in the making, Vertical Horizon's first new album in six years, which features Neil Peart on several tracks, is now available. From the Press Release:

Burning the Days, represents a renewed sense of creativity for the band. The CD features 12 new tracks, including 'Save Me From Myself,' their first single in nearly three years, on which legendary Rush drummer Neil Peart appears. Peart also plays on 'Even Now' and 'Welcome to the Bottom,' while Grammy Award-winner Richard Marx plays piano on 'Here' and produces two of Scannell's lead vocal tracks.

The single Save Me From Myself can be heard at the band's MySpace Page.

You can order the album from Amazon.com via this LINK.

Here's an early review of the album from the LA Times which is, unfortunately, not a very positive one.

The sound of drums will rumble across North America once again on Sunday, November 1 as 11 Five-Star member drum shops participate in The Big Beat and raise money for worth-while causes. Billed as the world's largest multi-city drum set event, last year's Big Beat drew 1286 drummers and about 4000 spectators in nine cities, raised more than $45,000 for music and other charities and collected 7000 pounds of food.

DRUM VENDORS COME UP HUGE AGAIN FOR 'THE BIG BEAT' AND FIVE-STAR SNARES A NEIL PEART AUTOGRAPHED HEAD FOR NATIONAL GIVEAWAY!

Twenty-four of the top percussion vendors in the industry have donated merchandise totalling more than $180,000 in retail value for the Five-Star Big Beat that will occur in 11 cities in North America on Sunday, November 1, 2009.

Each participating store will be giving away about $16,000 worth of drum gear to participants in this exciting charity event that will benefit the Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation and in some cities, the addition of a local charity as well.

Plus, one lucky winner in one of the 11 cities will get a bass drum head with the Rush "Snakes & Arrows" artwork, autographed especially for this occasion by iconic drummer Neil Peart!

Thanks to Power Windows for the news.

Alex Lifeson's recent cameo appearance in the Rock & Roll Vampire movie 'Suck' isn't the only acting he's done of late. As a follow-up to his cameo role in the first 'Trailer Park Boys' movie, Alex will reprise his roll as a Police Officer in Trailer Park Boys: Countdown To Liquor Day. The film will hits theaters on September 25th. Thanks to reader RayM for the news.

Just when you think that this might be a quiet holiday season for Rush, the band has just annouced that they will be releasing a new CD/DVD compilation on November 17th which will include tracks from their last three concert DVDs: Rush in Rio, R30 and Snakes & Arrows Live.

The compilation is also expected to be offered as a standalone CD.

The CD/DVD combo is available for pre-order at Amazon.

In addition to Working Men, a Blu-ray version of R30, which will include eight additional tracks, is also schedule for relese on or about November 17th. The eight additional tracks means that the Blu-Ray version will represent the full concert! No pre-ordering information is available at this time.

We'll have more information as it becomes available. Many thanks to RushIsABand.Com for the news.

According to a recent posting at Rush.Com, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson are launching an auction of rock memorabilia on eBay as part of their Grapes Under Pressure initiative in support of Grapes for Humanity, an organization that helps to raise funds to benefit humanitarian causes around the world with the assistance of the international wine community.

Included in this auction will be:

   ? A Geddy Lee Signature Fender Jazz bass AND a rare Garrison G-50E Custom Acoustic guitar used by Alex on the Snakes & Arrows tour. They have both been signed by Geddy and Alex as well as by members of Depeche Mode, TOOL,The Fray, Pearl Jam, Judas Priest and many more in Support of Grapes for Humanity.

   ? A Gibson Les Paul Axcess "Custom Shop" guitar which was used by Alex Lifeson in a recent secret session. The guitar will be autographed and will be accompanied by a signed photo of Alex with the Guitar.

   ? A Sabian Paragon Diamondback Chinese 20" Cymbal, from Neil Peart's personal kit, with Neil's signature

   ? A rare limited edition Airstream Epiphone Trailer Park Boys "The Movie" guitar signed by Ricky, Julian, Bubbles, Geddy and Alex.

   ? A Jane's Addiction prize pack which includes a signed cymbal and poster from their most recent tour with NIN.

To check out these items online, please follow this link: (http://myworld.ebay.ca/grapes4humanity).

All proceeds will be directed to Grapes for Humanity.

Skip Daly, who runs the Rush fan site RushPetition.com recently tracked down Ian Grandy who has the distinction of being one of Rush's original (if not the first) Roadie. Skip and Ian began a friendship and, through that friendship, Skip wrote an article detailing Ian's recollection of the early days of Rush.

When Ian and I first began talking, he would share old war stories of his road dog days with the band. But, over time our conversations became more like one between two friends. Our talks would weave stories about our families and kids, about as often as we talked "Rush."

Around Christmas time 2008, a package arrived in the mail at my home. I was touched to see that he'd sent me his old tour pass from the Moving Pictures tour, along with a medallion commemorating a sold-out four night stand in Chicago. I admit that the nod to our friendship might not excite most people. Even my own wife teased me with, "What could you get for them on Ebay?" But, we're talking about a priceless treasure for a longtime fan like me.

Ian had a front-row seat and an all-access pass to Rush's meteoric rise to fame, from playing weaty high school gyms to selling out massive arenas. I hope you enjoy his inside stories from those early days in the band's careeer.

You can read the entire article, which appears at Guitar International via this LINK. Also be sure to check out the hand-drawn by Neil Peart Rush Hotel Room Rotation Schedule!

Thanks to reader GeddyWannaBe for the news!

The Rush Backstage Club is holding another contest for Rush fans. This time around, you can win a 16" X 22" R30 Lithograph that's been autographed by each member of Rush.

The contest closes on September 28th, 2009 so make sure you fill out your entries today.

Good luck, all.

The new Rush 2010 Wall Calendar, which is a celebration of the 30th anniversary of Permanent Waves, is now shipping from Amazon.Com.

Was it really 30 years ago that Rush conquered the world with the classic "Permanent Waves"? The album's masterful combination of cerebral epics and radio-friendly rockers ignited one of the most devoted fan bases in all of rock. You won't be able to get enough of this amazing anniversary tribute featuring behind-the-scenes studio shots and insightful nuggets from the band's own archives!

The images and text from the calendar are now online.

Toronto is a city of neighbourhood pockets, and City Sonic is an impressive series of short films, each one devoted to a Toronto musician telling stories of how she or he developed an affinity for one of those pockets. The series is part of the Toronto International Film Festival's lineup of free films at Yonge-Dundas Square which runs all week.

In June 1976, Canadian rock trio RUSH ended its "2112" tour with three sold-out concerts at Massey Hall in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, a historic event at a historic venue. These shows were recorded for the double-live album "All The World's A Stage" - an effort that broke the band in the U.S., becoming the group's first Top 40 Billboard hit and paving the way for a string of famous RUSH live albums. It was a first for RUSH, but not the first time singer/bassist Geddy Lee felt magic on the stage at Massey.

In the clip below, Geddy takes City Sonic on a tour inside the legendary concert hall and back to the 1970s to reminisce on how getting to watch CREAM and GENESIS rock Massey Hall as a star-struck teen set the stage for him to make rock music history there himself.

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For those who would like to download the high-definition clip, you can do so via this LINK.

And to see a reproduction of the concert program for the three 2112 shows at Massey Hall, click HERE.

Today marks the 57th birthday of Rush Drummer and Lyricist Extraordinaire Neil Peart. Neil (born Neil Ellwood Peart) came into the world on September 12th in 1952 Hamilton, Ontario.

He grew up in Port Dalhousie, Ontario, Canada (now part of St. Catharines) working the occasional odd job including, as we learned last year, a Parts Manager for his father Tractor Supply company. His true ambition, however, was to become a professional musician. During adolescence, he floated from regional band to regional band and dropped out of high school to pursue a career as a full-time drummer. After a discouraging stint in England to concentrate on his music, Peart returned home, where he joined local Toronto band Rush in the summer of 1974. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Of course this birthday must be especially rewarding for Neil as he celebrates it with his wife, Carrie, and their new-born daughter Olivia Louise.

Happy Birthday, Neil. Many happy returns.

Neil Peart image collage courtesy of Panacea Rush Art.

Alex Lifeson and director/writer Rob Stefaniuk were guests on "The Dean Blundell Show" on the 102.1 The Edge radio station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada this morning to talk about the new film "Suck", which features a cameo by Lifeson, and its premier at the Toronto International Film Festival.

The podcast of Lifeson and Stefaniuk's appearance on "The Dean Blundell Show" is available for download at this location.

"Suck" will make its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, which runs from September 10 to September 19. The film will be part of TIFF's prestigious Contemporary World Cinema program on Friday, September 11 at 9:00 p.m.

"Suck" is a "rock and roll vampire flick" which also features cameos by Alice Cooper, Iggy Pop, Henry Rollins, Moby and Carole Pope (ex-ROUGH TRADE).

A trailer for the film can be viewed below.

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According to a press release, "Suck" follows a group of rock 'n' roll wannabes in search of immortality and a record deal. Seemingly doomed to roadtrip doldrums and dives, the band THE WINNERS break their slump when their female bass player disappears one night with a studly, stylin' vampire. She returns charged with sexual charisma that creates audience frenzy and eventually ensnares the rest of the band. Their "hook" launches them to fame. But fame turns out to be a different kind of hell than AC/DC promised.

Lifeson plays the border guard who gives THE WINNERS a hard time at the border until he discovers that, like himself, they are musicians.

On the heels of the arrival of Neil Peart's new daughter, Olivia Louise, the proud new father has posted an update to his "News, Weather, and Sports" section on his website. Titled The Ballad of Larry and Suzy, Neil discusses his observation of a family of hummingbirds over the course of several months, leading up to his wife Carrie giving birth to Olivia. Neil also snaps of several impressive pictures of the birds, their nest and hatchlings. But the real story, of course, is the arrival of Olivia and Neil's understandable anxiety over the situation.

Within a minute after Olivia's birth, I was touching and holding her while the medicos cleared her breathing passages, dried her skin, and swaddled her. Then I carried the tiny bundle over to introduce her to her mother. A few minutes later, I accompanied Olivia on her first journey, down a long hallway to the nursery, where she was weighed (seven pounds twelve ounces) and checked over by the pediatrician.

While she lay there in the clear plastic bassinet, I tried to soothe her (the naked weighing had especially outraged her delicate sensibilities, yet I had smiled to hear her strong cry of protest). I reached my finger into her fist, and felt her tiny fingers close tightly around it.

I whispered, "Hold on, baby, hold on."

I was talking to her, and to myself.

You can read the entire entry via this LINK.

Amazon.com is now taking pre-orders on a new Rush-inspired Drum Play-Along book.

Learn to play your favorite Rush songs with these terrific transcriptions and play-along tracks. The CD contains two version of each song: a complete version for demonstration and a play-along version without drums so you can play with the rhythm tracks. Plus the CD contains embedded software that allows you to slow down, loop and even transpose keys! Plus, there are matching guitar and bass editions available!

Titles:

* Anthem * Closer to the Heart * Spirit of Radio * Temples of Syrinx * Tom Sawyer * YYZ

This Book/CD combo is expected to be released later this month.

A bass guitar autographed by members of RUSH, DEFTONES, GREEN DAY and others is being auctioned to raise money for DEFTONES bassist Chi Cheng, who remains in a semi-conscious state 10 months after being gravely injured in a car crash in Northern California. The 2001 Fender Precision bass has been signed by GREEN DAY's Mike Dirnt, RUSH's Geddy Lee and Cheng himself, as well as notable session players Reggie Hamilton, Stu Hamm, Victor Bailey, Marcus Miller and others.

The bass, produced for Fender's 50th anniversary celebration, can be seen on page 16 of the September issue of Bass Player magazine, on sale now.

For more information on Chi Cheng's condition or how to bid on the bass guitar, go to www.oneloveforchi.com

A short article/interview with Alex Lifeson was just posted on Noise Creep, a site that tracks and reports out on Rock and Metal videos and music news. The article, titled Rush Might Return in 2010 suggests that Rush may be at the end of their "vacation" and ready to return to the studio.

Lifeson, lead singer-bassist Geddy Lee and drummer/lyricist Neil Peart played 120 shows behind 'Snakes & Arrows' and "were pretty beat by the end of it," says Lifeson. "We'd been working constantly for the last eight years or so, and really needed a break, and decided to take a year off. We're sort of coming to the end of that period.

However considering that Neil Peart's wife just gave birth to their first daughter, the chances of the band returning to the studio anytime soon is a bit of a reach. But time will tell.

Thanks to Eric from Power Windows for passing along the news story.

Update: It now appears that the version of "The Spirit of Radio" which appears on GH5 is not from 2008's Snakes & Arrows Live. Several YouTube Videos have surfaced with the GH5 track which has many speculating on the origins of the live rendition of the Rush classic. Of interest is the fact that the piano sample is missing from the final seconds of the song while the guitar solo appears to include some effects that were not heard during the most recent tours.

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Guitar Hero 5 was officially released today and features the live rendition of Rush's The Spirit of Radio from 2008's Snakes & Arrows Live.

Guitar Hero 5 also includes 85 songs by 83 artists. Click HERE for a list of the 85 tracks.

Some of the included features of Guitar Hero 5 are:

? In the all-new Party Play mode, players can now jump in or drop out of gameplay seamlessly, without interrupting their jam session
? Play with any in-game instrument combination in any game mode - multiple vocalists, guitarists, bassists and drummers
? Features new in-game artists and rock legends
? The entire set list is available from the beginning
? Software compatible with Guitar Hero World Tour peripherals
? Guitar Bundle includes Guitar Hero World Tour compatible software and guitar controller

You can now order Guitar Hero 5 at Amazon.Com via this LINK.

In celebration of the 2-year anniversary of the theatrical release of Rob Zombie's version of Halloween; a film (and soundtrack) which included "Tom Sawyer", the cable station AMC (American Movie Classics) aired John Carpenter's original Halloween last week.

During the airing, Rob Zombie talked about the film and his own revisions, all while wearing a Fly By Night t-shirt.

Thanks to Power Windows for the news.

It was twenty-five years ago today when the "MTV of the Great White North" launched. Canada's "MuchMusic" music television channel began with Rush's own "The Enemy Within" video and was followed by a interview with Geddy Lee.

Yes, it's been nearly 25 years since MuchMusic launched with Rush's "The Enemy Within," followed by an interview with singer Geddy Lee and a Day 1 playlist that also included the Fixx, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Yes and Slade.

Those moments - created spontaneously, with no scripts to speak of - have left an indelible mark on those who grew up basking in Much's glow, the fans who curated VHS cassette compilations and scribbled down the names of tunes played during the station's countdown of top videos.

An article from the Toronto Star called Remembering MusicMusic's Birth Days commemorates the "birth" of the station a quarter of a century ago.

Update (09/01/2009): There's an in-depth article discussing this book which just appeared on www.exclaim.ca. The article, titled New Book Puts Rush Under the Academic Microscope to Explore How They Were The "Voice of the Suburban Middle Class", talks to the author about his view on the band, the fans and the merits of the nature of this book.

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A new book on Rush is scheduled for release in late October. Written by Dr. Christopher J. McDonald, PhD, the book explores the impact of Rush's music on the middle class and suburban life.

Canadian progressive rock band RUSH was the voice of the suburban middle class. In the new book "Rush, Rock Music, and the Middle Class: Dreaming in Middletown", Chris McDonald assesses the band's impact on popular music and its legacy for legions of fans. McDonald explores the ways in which RUSH's critique of suburban life - and its strategies for escape - reflected middle-class aspirations and anxieties, while its performances manifested the dialectic in prog rock between discipline and austerity, and the desire for spectacle and excess. The band's reception reflected the internal struggles of the middle class over cultural status. Critics cavalierly dismissed, or apologetically praised, RUSH's music for its middlebrow leanings. McDonald's wide-ranging musical and cultural analysis sheds light on one of the most successful and enduring rock bands of the 1970s and 1980s.

The 272-page book is due on October 28th via Indiana University Press. It can be pre-ordered from Amazon via this LINK.

On this date in 1953, Rush Guitarist Alex Lifeson (born Aleksandar ?ivojinovicin) came into the world in Fernie, British Columbia. As Rush fans know, Lifeson founded the band in the summer of 1968 and was also responsible for bringing front-man Geddy Lee into the mix.

Though Alex is obviously best known for being the guitarist for Rush, he's also the part owner of the Toronto restaurant The Orbit Room, and is a licensed aircraft pilot, motorcycle rider, a gourmet cook and an artist.

Happy Birthday, Alex! Many happy returns!

Alex Lifeson image collage courtesy of Panacea Rush Art.

Hello again, everyone. Apologies for the lack of Rush News updates over the past week. I was away on an extended (and I think well deserved) vacation. But I'm back now and there's plenty to discuss in the ever evolving world of Rush. Most of the news centers around Neil this time around starting with...

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Welcome Olivia Louise Peart: We reported back in late June that Neil and his wife Carrie were expecting their first child together. According to an official posting on the band's website, Carrie gave birth to their "healthy, beautiful daughter Olivia Louise Peart" on Monday (or perhaps over the weekend). Congratulations go out to Neil and Carrie on their new bundle of joy!

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Neil Peart News, Weather, and Sports Update: Neil has posted another update in his News, Weather, and Sports column. In this edition, titled A Little Yellow Cabin on Yellowstone Lake, Neil discuses a recent motorcycle adventure to Yellowstone National Park.

I had tried to visit the Yellowstone area on my Ghost Rider travels in October 1998, but was turned back by early snow in Utah, and headed south instead. Since then, I had just never made it that way. Motorcycling on Rush tours had taken me all over the country several times, but Yellowstone was far from any cities with sizable concert venues (the only possible scenario would be a day off between Salt Lake City and, say, Boise, but that rare combination had never occurred).

So yes, I wanted to go to Yellowstone all right. I looked up its distance by road from my Southern California home, and frowned when I saw that it was over 1,000 miles. Hmm. That's far. With only five days to get there and back, and wanting to spend some time in the park, it was a bit much, really. But . . . I had ridden 1,000 miles in a day before, and anything close to that would make a good start on the first day. Maybe I could do it.

Neil includes plenty of photos of his adventure. You can read the entire, extensive, entry via this LINK.

Many thanks to reader MrSatyre for the head's up.

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The Devil and Ginger Baker: The August 20th edition of Rolling Stone Magazine contains an article featuring Cream drummer Ginger Baker titled "The Devil and Ginger Baker". In it, Neil Peart offers praise of the Cream drummer:

"His playing was revolutionary- extrovert, primal, and inventive," says Rush drummer Neil Peart. "He set the bar for what rock drumming could be. I certainly emulated Ginger's approaches to rhythm- his hard, flat, percussive sound was very innovative. Everyone who came after built on that foundation. Every rock drummer since has been influenced in some way by Ginger- even if they don't know it."

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Rush: The Documentary" Update: The special issues of Prog Magazine, which contains the multiple Rush covers that we mentioned last month, contain an update on the forthcoming Rush Documentary:

"'We've been lucky, not only have we had access to [Rush management] SRO's archives but also Geddy, Alex and Neil's own personal archives,' enthuses director Dunn. 'I was just at Geddy's house this week. Going through his personal collection of memorabilia. I dug up some gems I don't think Rush fans have ever seen so we're hoping to offer something new.'...The as-yet untitled film will also feature contributions from a host of musicians who have toured with or been inspired by Rush, including Billy Corgan, Trent Reznor, Tool, Foo Fighters, Kiss, Uriah Heep and Primus. Dunn and McMadyen look to complete filming at the end of this year, so a theatrical release is slated for early next summer. Watch out for exclusive footage of the three members interacting with each other in the band's unique way. 'We got some rare backstage footage in Europe,' Says Dunn. 'And the camaraderie between the three really comes across. They're almost telepathic and I think that's what's been behind their great success. They have such a deep understanding of each other's personalities and of each other's strengths. That's something that's pretty amazing to see and what we want to convey in the film.'"

Thanks to everyone who wrote in to tell me about this news.

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My Other Car is a Red Barchetta: For those of us who are fans of not on the song Red Barchetta but the classic Ferrari car of the same name, have a look at this.

Autoblog.com has an extensive photo gallery featuring a collection of Ferrari 166MM Barchetta's at this week's Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. - Thanks to Power Windows for the heads up on this!

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That's it for now, everyone. Look for some significant content updates to the site within the next couple of weeks.

The September 2009 issue of the American Motorcyclist magazine features an extensive cover story on Neil Peart who recently was awarded an Honorary Life Membership in the Association.

The article, which is titled Rocker & Roller: Rush Drummer Neil Peart Lives For Motorcycles. He's Also One Incredibly Thoughtful Guy, focuses on Neil's love for riding, his thoughts on different motorcycles and the features he looks for in a ride, along with his own riding style.

On the award, Neil had the following to say:

I once read an interview with my fellow drummer Nick Mason, from Pink Floyd, and he remarked that of all the gold records and awards he had received for his musical success, he was most proud of his election to the British Racing Drivers Club. That's how I feel about receiving this Honorary Life Membership to the AMA - both proud and humble at being so honored by the motorcycling community. My gratitude and pride are tremendous and sincere. Thank you.

Scans of the article, courtesy of RushIsABand.Com, are available via the thumbnail images below.

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Special thanks go out to Ed from RushIsABand.Com for the news and the article scans.

Dream Theater, the progressive metal band who has often cited Rush as one of their major influences, played a show at the Molson Amphitheater in Toronto on Friday night. During the encore of the concert, the band covered Rush's The Camera Eye while displaying an image of the Moving Pictures album on the backdrop. Below is a bootleg video of the performance.

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Many thanks to Ed from RushIsABand.Com for the news.

Kevin J. Anderson, an established Science Fiction author and long-time friend of Neil Peart, has dedicated his latest novel, The Edge of the World, to Neil. Anderson also indicates that the book was influenced by progressive rock, especially, of course, the music of Rush.

Neil also wrote the introduction for Anderson's Landscapes which was released in 2006.

Rush fan site Power Windows has the transcription of the introduction. You can check it out HERE.

Thanks to Eric from Power Windows for the head's up on this new book.

The "Bromantic" Comedy I Love You, Man, which featured a cameo by the members of Rush, is now available from Amazon on DVD and Blu-Ray.

The DVD is currently priced at $15.99 (USD) with the Blu-Ray disc coming in at $25.99 (USD).

Amazon also offers up a Video On Demand option for just $3.99 (USD).

The Walrus is a Canadian general interest magazine which publishes long form journalism on Canadian and international affairs, along with fiction and poetry by Canadian writers. It launched in September 2003, as an attempt to create a Canadian equivalent to American magazines such as Harper's, The Atlantic Monthly or The New Yorker. The magazine's mandate is to "be a Canadian general-interest magazine with an international outlook.

Recently, Geddy Lee along with other notable Canadians, put together a video/commercial citing the importance for keeping the Walrus "...to keep us informed about our own ideas [and] achievements and what's happening around the world and in our own backyards..."

You can watch the video via this LINK.

To help support The Walrus, please click HERE.

Axe Heaven, the makers of several miniature replica Alex Lifeson guitars, have annouced their latest Rush-relatd item; a miniature replica of Neil Peart's Snakes & Arrows Drumkit (See: image).

The complete kit includes 12 drums, 9 cymbals, sticks, stands and stool ... all for only $59.99.

"This beautifully handcrafted miniature drum set is made from solid wood and metal parts. The detail is stunning from the hollow bass drum to the mini drum sticks. A great gift and collectible for any music fan! All stands included."

Click HERE to place your order. With thanks to Power Windows for the news.

The auction for Neil Peart's Slingerland Drum Kit is over with the ending bid coming in at an impressive $25,100.00.

There were 53 bids in all during the auction (several from your's truly) with the bidding war seemingly ending at around the $18,400 mark. But with less than 5 minutes to go in the auction, bids starting to come in again which eventually pushed the price over the $25K mark.

Congratulations to the winner. If you happen to be a visitor of this site, we'd love to see a picture of you behind the kit!

Rush now has an official presence on the social network site Twitter. To check out their Twitter page and follow their "Tweets", go to twitter.com/rushtheband.

Thanks to Ed from RushIsABand.Com for the news.

Classic Rock Magazine's new quaterly magazine Prog, which is dedicated to Progressive Rock, has a special edition which featuring Rush. Four special cover images were created for this edition. From the Classic Rock website:

The latest issue of Classic Rock Presents...Prog is out now and is finally available to US readers!
Issue 3 of the sell-out Classic Rock Presents Prog magazine is on sale from August 5. This month's cover stars Rush grace the magazine's lavish wallet and there's an extra special treat for Rush fans, as the magazine housed within the wallet will this issue feature four separate Rush covers for fans to collect. Each one will feature an iconic image from various stages of the Canadian superstars career - a must have for every Rush fan.

And there's great news for our US readers too. As of issue 3 you will now be able to order copies of the magazine online at www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk, as can UK and European readers. Please bear in mind however that they do not have unlimited stock and once their allocation of copies has gone, then they're gone.

Issue 3 of ...Prog looks at the world of prog metal, featuring such genre stars as Dream Theater, Queensryche, Opeth, Porcupine Tree, Voivod and Finnish siren Tarja, and an intriguing interview with the man who launched the legendary Vertigo label.

There are also brand new interviews with ex-Genesis guitarists Steve Hackett and Anthony Phillips, Marillion, The Gathering, War Of The World's maestro Jeff Wayne, It Bites and even Captain Sensible. Plus there's the usual round-up on the latest prog news and an even bigger reviews section than ever before.

All this plus a free CD featuring an hour's worth of the finest new progressive music being made today.

You can see some larger scans of the covers via this LINK.

Drums, Wax Figures and p/g Live...oh my. Here's some of the latest news on the band.

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? Auction for Neil's Classic Drum Kit Underway: As we reported last week, Main Drag Music of Brooklyn, New York is now auctioning off Neil Peart's Classic Drum Kit from the early days of Rush. The auction, which was originally scheduled to be held by the world-famous Sotheby's Auction House is now being handled by Ebay. The auction ends on August 9th so get your bids in today. Below is a description of the kit for sale:

Up for bidding is Neil Peart's first Slingerland drum set purchased shortly after he joined Rush in late 1974 and used through the recording of 2112. It's featured on the subsequent live album, All the World's a Stage, both as a photographic centerpiece on the cover and sonically on the tracks. Peart's solo on Working Man/Finding My Way from All the World's a Stage is one of the most well known Drum solos in the world of Rock Drumming, and was introduced by Geddy Lee saying, "The Professor on the drum kit!" This set was also used to record Fly by Night, Caress of Steel, and as mentioned, their commercial breakthrough 2112. This is one of the most iconic drum sets from the world of Rock music and was highly influential--following the release of All the World's a Stage drummers everywhere studied the cover photo and copied the setup, not to mention Peart's style. Again, this is the very same drum set that was used on the record and is shown on the cover. It was played at first without the four concert toms, which were added later, circa 1975.

There are a total of 11 drums and this set DOES NOT INCLUDE THE SNARE. The sizes are as follows: 6, 8, 10, 12" Concert Toms in Copper Wrap, (2)9x13, 10x14, 16x16, (2)14x22 and a 13" Timbale all in Chrome Wrap. There are tom holders on the bass drums; a Slingerland Set-O-Matic on the Stage Right drum and a Ludwig Rail-Consolette mount on the Stage Left drum.

The heads, with the exception of the 10x14, are all-original and in the same tuning as the set was received. They consist of Evans Rocks on the toms (Mirror Glass batters, clear blue, like Hydraulics on resonant side), Ludwig Silver Dots on the concert toms, and Remo CS's on the Batter side of the bass drums. The bass drum resonant heads are one of the more interesting features of the set in that they have the original silver foil appliqué saying "RUSH" on each head as well as "Neil" on Stage Right and "Peart" on Stage Left.

Prior to this auction, we debated whether or not to restore this set, and the decision was to tidy it up without making any changes to its condition, e.g. replacing heads, hardware, etc.. If theauction winner wishes to have it restored it is their decision solely as this cannot be undone. The set is exactly as it was last used by Mr. Peart; there have been no modifications, head changes (except as noted), etc.. The condition of the drums varies, but all are quite used. They've obviously been cased in transport as the scratches and rash are all from contact with each other or adjacent hardware while set up and being played, not from abuse. There is surprisingly little pitting on the chrome finish and they polished up nicely. The shells appear to be round and healthy, though we decided to leave the drums assembled so as to maintain their character as played by Mr. Peart; we can't say much about the condition internally. The heads are all worn, but intact and still in tune! The Stage Right bass drum resonant head was badly torn and repair attempted presumably by Mr. Peart and crew. The mic holes at 12 o'clock on each bass drum resonant head were framed with silver duct tape, which is now quite brittle and frayed.

There are no stands included in this auction; it is for the shells only, and the spurs are not original Slingerlands, though the brackets are. The floor tom legs appear to be original, as do all of the mounts, lugs, tension rods, and heads, except where noted on the 10x14"

This kit was won in 1987 in a Modern Drummer Magazine drum solo contest as judged by Neil Peart. The winner of the contest is keeping the original copy of the letter Mr. Peart sent him along with the set, but a photocopy will be provided to the winner of this auction.

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Grace Under Pressure Tour CD: Available for the first time as a stand-alone release, the Grace Under Pressure Tour Soundtrack is coming to CD on August 11th. This soundtrack is based on the Grace Under Pressure Tour video and was previously only available as a bonus CD within the Rush Replay X3 DVD Box Set. The stereo mix was created in 2006 by Alex Lifeson and Mike Fraser from the original concert multi-tracks.

Tracklist:

Intro (The Three Stooges) (0:57)
The Spirit Of Radio (4:54)
The Enemy Within (4:48)
The Weapon (7:42)
Witch Hunt (4:41)
New World Man (3:59)
Distant Early Warning (6:11)
Red Sector "A" (5:22)
Closer To The Heart (3:35)
YYZ/Temples Of Syrinx/Tom Sawyer (9:41)
Finding My Way/In The Mood (3:35)

You can pre-order the CD from Amazon via this LINK.

Thanks to Power Windows for the head's up.

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Geddy Lee Wax Figure: Geddy Lee is the newest addition to the Rock Legends Wax Museum in Niagara Falls, New York along with Guns N Roses guitarist Slash. If anyone has the opportunity to "see" Geddy in this form, please send a picture over!

Update: Here are two pictures of Geddy's Wax Replica, courtesy of reader Bill and Ed from RushIsABand.Com.
   

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The Top 10 Songs the Web Brought Back: CNET recently posted an article called The top 10 songs the Web brought back which discusses how the Web and Video games such as Guitar Hero and Rock band have injected new life into old, classic songs. Among the 10 songs listed, Rush's YYZ came in at #5.

This instrumental track, originally released in 1981, is one of the most difficult songs to play in "Guitar Hero" and now "Rock Band," so it's become a sort of a geek milestone. That was only enhanced when a video of a really, really, really enthusiastic guy nailing the song in "expert" mode became a huge hit on YouTube.

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That's it for now. Good luck to all those who are actively bidding on Neil's Classic Kit. And I think I speak for all of us when I address the future winner in saying "Congratulations you lucky son of a ... " :)

On this date in 1953, in the small Toronto village of Willowdale, Gary Lee Weinrib was born. So, accordingly, let's all wish "Geddy" Lee - the voice and ferocious bass behind Rush - a rousing Happy 56th Birthday! Happy Birthday, Geddy -- and many happy returns.

Coincidentally, this date also marks the anniversary of when Neil Peart joined the band (July 29th, 1974). Now that's one heck of a birthday present to receive.

Thanks to Today in Rush History for the news.

Michael from Neil Peart Drumsticks contacted me this morning to let me know that Main Drag Music, a music shop in Brooklyn, New York, would be auctioning off one of Neil Peart's oldest Drum Kits.

I spoke with a representative of Main Drag Music who confirmed this story. He also indicated that, while they originally planned to hold the auction on Ebay, due to popular demand and overwhelming interest, they would now be allowing the world-famous Sotheby's Auction House to handle the transaction.

More news about the timing of the auction will appear on the Main Drag Music website once it's available - and, of course, it'll be available here as well.

Thanks to Michael and the folks at Main Drag Music for the information.

One year ago today, Rush completed their incredible Snakes & Arrows World Tour playing their 114th show at the Verizon Amphitheatre in Indianapolis, IN. How time does fly. It's somewhat fitting then that two Rush related events kick off on this anniversary of the S&A Tour.

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? RushCon9 Launches Today: The ninth annual convention for Rush fans, RushCon gets underway today in the band's home town of Toronto. The 3-day convention will include special appearances by Michael Mosbach, head of Rush's security and Neil Peart's motorcycle riding partner, Martin Popoff, author of Contents Under Pressure, and the Rush tribute band, Limelight.

For more information, visit the convention's official website.

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? Rush Tribute Show In Minneapolis/St. Paul Tonight: The Rush tribute band "Exit Stage Right" will be performing a special show tonight at the Lowry Theater in downtown St. Paul. Rob from the band contacted me to let me know that the show will start at 9pm and is expected to run for 2 hours as the band plays songs that span's Rush's catalogue.

For more information, visit http://www.myspace.com/tribute2rush and http://www.facebook.com/tributetorush.

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? Vertical Horizon's Burning the Days Delayed Until September: We've now learned that the upcoming Vertical Horizon album Burning the Days, which features Neil Peart on several tracks, will be released on September 22nd.

Pre-ordering for the album is now available via Amazon.Com

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? Guitar Hero 5 Official Annoucement: We've known for some time now that Rush's The Spirit of Radio would be among the 85 tracks to appear on the upcoming Guitar Hero 5 video game. The official annoucement, which comes from Rolling Stone Magazine now confirms that the track is, in fact, the live rendition of the song from Snakes & Arrows Live.

The RS article even includes a picture of Geddy. Will wonders never cease.

For those of you attending RushCon9, have a blast. For the rest of us, enjoy the final weekend of July.

During Sunday night's broadcast of the 2009 ESPY Awards, Rush's Tom Sawyer was used as the soundtrack for the "Best Male Athlete Nominees" video montage. Swimmer Michael Phelps took home the award.

The ESPY Awards is an annual sports awards event created and broadcast by the American cable television network ESPN.

Click HERE (or below) to watch the video segment. Tom Sawyer begins at approximately the 1 minute, 30 second mark.

Thanks to Eric from Power Windows for the news.

It was last year when we first announced that Rush was going to be honored with their own star on the famed Hollywood Walk of Fame; one of 25 recipients chosen by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce's Walk of Fame Committee to receive the honor in 2009.

Eric from Power Windows recently learned from a source close to the band that "they have already received the honour...the ceremony will likely take place the next time the band plays L.A.".

The next time the band plays L.A.. Like music to my ears :)

To commemorate the Walk Of Fame induction, Knucklebonz has created a special limited edition of their Rush Starman Statuette. This gold trimmed figure comes imprinted with the signatures of all three band members and is limited to a run of just 500 units. According to a representative from Knucklebonz, the figure will only be available from the Rush Backstage Club.

For those of you attending this year's RushCon9, you'll also have a chance to bid on this great statuette. For the rest of us, we'll have to wait until the Rush Backstage Club begins to sell them.

It was back in early June of last year when we first learned that Geddy had donated close to 200 baseballs to the Negro League Baseball Museum of Kansas City. The museum has now displayed Geddy's contributions calling the exhibit simply The Geddy Lee Collection.

There was an interesting article recently published discussing Geddy's contribution and the exhibit. You can read it here:

The Incredible Tale of Geddy Lee and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.

Thanks to reader GeddyWannaBe for passing along the article.

It's been almost three years to the day when we first reported that Neil Peart would be working on a project with his friend Matt Scannell from the band Vertical Horizon. Now, finally, Vertical Horizon's first new album in four years is about to see the light of day. From the Press Release:

Burning the Days, represents a renewed sense of creativity for the band. The CD features 12 new tracks, including 'Save Me From Myself,' their first single in nearly three years, on which legendary Rush drummer Neil Peart appears. Peart also plays on 'Even Now' and 'Welcome to the Bottom,' while Grammy Award-winner Richard Marx plays piano on 'Here' and produces two of Scannell's lead vocal tracks.

The single Save Me From Myself can be heard at the band's MySpace Page.

Scheduled for release on August 25th, pre-order links on Amazon.Com should be available soon.

On this date in 1789, the middle and lower classes in France had had enough of the corrupt monarchy and decided to do something about it. The masses stormed the Bastille - the hellish French prison - and freed the prisoners; and thus began a 10 year period of political and social upheaval.

Of course, history aside, Bastille Day is well known around the world of Rush as the opening song from the band's third album Caress of Steel.

Caress of Steel has long been one of my favorite albums by Rush thanks to its complex and meandering sound. A story in the Examiner seems to agree with me. It's called Best Albums Ever: Rush - 'Caress of Steel' and it too is a celebration of Bastille Day (the holiday) and the album.

Happy Bastille's Day, all...

If you haven't heard yet, the next incarnation of the Guitar Hero franchise, dubbed Guitar Hero 5 will feature the live rendition of Rush's The Spirit of Radio from 2008's Snakes & Arrows Live.

Guitar Hero 5 is expected to include 85 songs by 83 artists, and will hit store shelves on September 1st. Click HERE for a preliminary list of the 85 tracks.

Some of the included features of Guitar Hero 5 are:

? In the all-new Party Play mode, players can now jump in or drop out of gameplay seamlessly, without interrupting their jam session
? Play with any in-game instrument combination in any game mode - multiple vocalists, guitarists, bassists and drummers
? Features new in-game artists and rock legends
? The entire set list is available from the beginning
? Software compatible with Guitar Hero World Tour peripherals
? Guitar Bundle includes Guitar Hero World Tour compatible software and guitar controller

You can now pre-order Guitar Hero 5 at Amazon.Com via this LINK.

Eric from Rush Fan Site Power Windows let me know about a great Rush/Geddy related t-shirt and pub in Bar Harbor, Maine. From PW:

Located in the tourist town of Bar Harbor, Maine, just outside of Acadia National Park, one will find the friendly establishment dubbed "Geddy's Pub". Established in 1974 (of course), the pub was founded by Gerald "Geddy" (pronounced "jeddy") Mitchell.

The pub sells a clever t-shirt available online which reads "It's A Rush...Meet Me At Geddy's" featuring the pub's moose mascot, wearing Geddy's hair and glasses while playing Geddy Lee's signature Jazz Bass! They also have an online "Geddy's Hall Of Fame" which consists of photos of people wearing Geddy's t-shirts, etc. Geddy's web site manager Gary Schide would love to get more photos of Rush fans (or maybe Geddy Lee himself) wearing this t-shirt, especially at Rush shows!

Thanks, of course, go out to Eric for sharing this news.

Neil Peart dominates the recent news this week as we peak into a new section of his website, check out how Neil fared in this year's Drummie awards and witness how Rush is viewed in light of this year's celebration of Canada Day.

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? Bubba?s Bar ?n? Grill: Neil Peart will be launching a new section on this website this weekend called Bubba?s Bar ?n? Grill.

The motto at Bubba?s place is ?Good Simple Food,? and Neil?s kitchen alter-ego, Bubba, offers helpful cooking tips and easy recipes ? a modest variety at first, to grow over time ? presented through stories that aim to illuminate, instruct, and entertain.

Check out more about the launch of this "kitchen", which happens on July 4th, via this LINK

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? Neil Peart Wins DRUM! Magazine's "Drummer Of The Year": Back in April, I let you know that DRUM! Magazine was taking votes for this year's Drummie Awards. And while fellow Rush webmaster Michael from NeilPeartDrumsticks.Com didn't get the award for best Drum Website of the Year, Neil did take hope top honors in both the "Drummer of the Year" and "Progressive Rock Drummer". Congratulations to Neil!

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? The 10 Most Influential Canadian Musicians": In connection with the celebration of Canada Day on July 1st, there have been several articles about influential Canadians of late. ZME Music posted a recent list of the 10 Most Influential Canadian Musicians where Rush placed 3rd:

Alongside Genesis, Yes, Jethro Tull, Yes or Van Der Graaf Generator, the Torontonians of Rush were part of the progressive rock apex from the ?70s, to mid ?80s. Like many progressive bands from their time, Rush tackled many genres, from heavy metal to hard rock to synth pop, and they rocked the house regardless of what they played.

Only poet/singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen and Neil Young bested Rush in this article.

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? America?s 50 Favorite Canadians!: Also in connection with Canada Day, The Insider posted a list of America?s 50 Favorite Canadians! where Rush came in at position #20. Unfortunately they described Rush as a "progressive rock / heavy metal group". Well, they got it half right. Pamela Anderson took top honors behind William Shatner in this poll.

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? Snakes Alive! The S&V Interview with Alex Lifeson of Rush: Mike Mettler from Sound and Vision Magazine recently posted and article/interview with Alex Lifeson about how he and his co-mixer Richard Chycki worked the 5.1 mix for the legendary Canadian trio?s "Snakes & Arrows Live" Blu-ray Disc.

So there are other things in the works?
Yeah, I hope so! I mean, I?ve got some time off [chuckles]. I?ve been a little bit unmotivated lately, since we?ve been working so much over the last 7 or 8 years. But the things that we?ve done physically in the studio have been inspiring, so we?re planning to do a bunch of things. Rich has a number of projects, including some Rush stuff, that he?ll be continuing to work on at the studio. [Just what some of those projects might be will be covered in an interview I did with Chycki that will post in the fall.]

You can read the entire interview via this LINK.

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I'm still working on the the third edition of Rush: A Brief History of Time which I hope to have online sometime this weekend.

I hope everyone enjoys their weekend - especially those of us in the United States who will be celebrating our country's Independence Day. Warm weather, backyard barbecues, fireworks and Rush -- nothing more American than that :) Enjoy all!