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R50: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the release of Rush's Debut Album

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On March 18th, 1974 , a typically cold day in the suburbs of Toronto, Canada, Rush released their self-titled debut album; the only album featuring their original drummer and co-founder John Rutsey. Though Rush was considered a fairly successful debut album for the band, the production and recording process wasn't without its share of issues. Recording began at Toronto's Eastern Sound back in April of 1973 with producer David Stock, and was completed within two days. The results, however, were less than stellar. The band made the difficult - and expensive - decision to re-record most of the album at Toronto Sound in October where they also enlisted the services of Terry Brown. The second recording of the album led to the dropping of some songs, including their first single Not Fade Away . The initial recordings of Finding My Way, Need Some Love, and Here Again took place during this time. Recording, mixing, and editing was completed within a couple of weeks and

Alex Lifeson Featured in the May 2024 Issue of Guitar World Magazine

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The upcoming May 2024 issue of Guitar World magazine features a lengthy interview with Alex Lifeson where the discussion centers around a deep dive into his new line of signature Lerxst gear — amps, pedals and the new Limelight guitar (which is based on his original Hentor Sportscaster). In addition to his gear, Alex does discuss the possibility of making music with Geddy in the future and his time with his friend on the recent My Effin' Life In Conversation Tour "...I will say that doing this book tour with Geddy [for Lee’s 2023 memoir, My Effin’ Life], I did a few of the stops with him, and it’s kind of reignited interest in us getting out and playing. And the shows that we did last year for Taylor Hawkins [at the 2022 Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concerts] were inspiring, too. So for a little while I thought, you know, it’d be kind of good to get back out. And then I thought… nah, not really. [Laughs] I mean, we toured for 40 years. I’m not interested in going back ou

Rush for Cover Tribute Album and Charity Auction Coming April 26th

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Mention the band RUSH to a music fan and they might describe the legendary Canadian trio as being well known for complex arrangements, powerful drumming, bombastic out-of-this-world synth and the fearlessness. Twice As High Records and JIB Machine Records aren’t trying to recreate that sound note-for-note in their joint release, “RUSH FOR COVER”, landing Friday, April 26; they’re trying to recreate that awesome feeling listening to these songs. “RUSH FOR COVER” features nine, new interpretations of classic RUSH songs by an international cast of independent, underground artists (none of whom are trios themselves). “RUSH FOR COVER” is a RUSH tribute album created by RUSH fans for RUSH fans. The album will be available on opaque creamsicle and opaque sky blue vinyl along with a limited digital release. Pre-sales begin Friday, March 15, via RushForCover.com . Coinciding with the pre-sales is a charity auction that includes the original painting used for the cover of the album by fan and

LERXST Launches Limelight – The Alex Lifeson Limited-Edition Signature Guitar

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Alex Lifeson and Lerxst have just announced the launch of Limelight, a new signature guitar created in partnership with Canadian manufacturers Godin Guitars. Inspired by Lifeson’s iconic Hentor Sportscaster guitars from the mid-80s, Limelight thoroughly reimagines Lifeson’s original concept with modern part selection and craftsmanship to create a high-quality, forward-thinking instrument designed for today’s players. “The original Hentor brought together a mix of tone and playability that empowered me to explore sounds and styles of playing that I had never attempted before,” said Lifeson. “Ultimately these things became signature parts of my style. When the idea came to reimagine this guitar it made sense to partner with innovators like Godin who I knew I could trust to utilize the advances in technology and manufacturing skill to create something that could power a new generation of players looking to push their own boundaries.” The Lerxst Limelight features a contoured Swamp A

Alex Lifeson talks Lerxst Amps, making music with Geddy, and more in a new Ultimate Guitar interview

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With the release of his new line of Lerxst Amps , Alex Lifeson has been hitting the promotion interview trail. Recently he connected with Ultimate Guitar's Greg Prato for an 18+ minute interview where the topics extended to his performance on the Taylor Hawkins tribute concerts, his signature Epiphone Les Paul guitar, and why he picked Gibson over Fender back in the day. Of course the conversation did touch upon the possibility of making music with Geddy Lee in the future: ... I don't know. There's certainly a lot of interest in us doing something. I think for a lot of Rush fans, they've been hoping for ... Geddy had his book tour. I went out on a few of those dates with him. I think that's kind of sparked more interest in us working together. Ged's a very busy guy. He's written a couple of books over the years. He has a lot of stuff that he's into. This is my studio in my apartment. I've been working on the Envy of None stuff as well as a few

Neil Peart's Last Book Silver Surfers: Sports Cars of the Sixties Coming in May 2024

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Back in 2021 , Neil Peart's classic car collection, what he affectionally referred to as the Silver Surfers , went up for auction during Gooding & Company's 17th annual Pebble Beach Auctions. It was at that time when we learned that Neil was working on a coffee table book that focused on his prized automobiles. From the original Rush.Com announcement : Neil’s love of classic cars was a lifelong passion, and prior to his passing, he was extremely proud to have completed his final book titled, “Silver Surfers.” The following passage from his first coffee table book explains, in his own words, how the collection name came about: “The title Silver Surfers for my collection of cars occurred to me while driving my DB5 up and down the Pacific Ocean. Because it felt right to me, I guess – the idea that I was just one of the wave riders…. In search of natural peace, I often drove out that way and up in to the Santa Monica Mountains. Out past Malibu to Ventura County, I’d

Geddy Lee's 'In Conversation' Tour Ends its North American Run in Toronto

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Update: George Stroumboulopoulos is co-hosting tonight as well. Update: Confirmation - - Alex Lifeson is hosting tonight! Here's a short video of his introduction. Update: Based on this sign hanging outside the venue, it appears the show will be filmed tonight. In addition, Alex Lifeson was spotted backstage while several Barbie dolls were seen on stage . Over the past three weeks, Geddy Lee has been traveling across the United States and Canada as he celebrates the release of his memoir, My Effin' Life with his spoken-word 'In Conversation' tour. Speaking to near-capacity crowds in virtually every venue, Geddy has been joined by a wide variety of guest hosts each night, including Paul Rudd, Matt Cameron, Jack Black, Chad Smith, and more. As he ends the North American run of his tour tonight in his hometown of Toronto at the famed Massey Hall, one has to wonder if a certain best friend and guitarist may make an appearance (Check back here for updates

Geddy Lee Releases Previously Unreleased Solo Material On 'The Lost Demos'

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Geddy Lee has shared "The Lost Demos", two previously unreleased solo songs available today on all streaming platforms. Geddy originally recorded this pair of demos — "Gone" and "I Am…You Are" — during the writing sessions for his 2000 solo debut, "My Favorite Headache". Today, with the help of producer/engineer David Bottrill, he has unearthed them for the first time properly mixed and mastered. Commenting on the project, Geddy shared: "I'm excited to see these two 'lost demos' released. I loved the songs when they were written and in some ways they feel as fresh and perhaps more relevant all these years later." The Lost Demos is available on various streaming services as well as MP3 Downloads . The lyrics to both tracks are also available at this location . Comments

Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson Featured on 'CBS News Sunday Morning'

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Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson were featured on a segment of CBS News Sunday Morning this past weekend. In the segment, titled 'What's Next for Rush?' correspondent Jim Axelrod spoke with Dirk and Lerxst about their particular blend of musicianship, stagecraft and goofiness; how tragedy upended the band with the death of Peart; and what might constitute Rush's next chapter. When asked about the possibility of Alex and Geddy 'getting another drummer and touring again', Geddy replied "It's not impossible...but at this point, I can't guarantee it..." Axelrod also spent one-on-one time with Geddy Lee where the two discussed his memoir 'My Effin' Life'. The entire 7 minute segment is now online HERE or via the embedded viewer below. Comments

Geddy Lee's My Effin' Life In Conversation Tour Opens Tonight in NYC

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The time is now again... Update: During intermission, at least one of Geddy's new songs was played. Geddy also took a selfie with the audience, and (somehow) the photo will be sent to everyone in attendance. Update: It appears that Paul Rudd will be slappin da bass with Geddy as tonight's host! Update: A photo gallery for opening night photos will be uploaded live at this LOCATION . Dozens are already online! At long last, Geddy Lee's My Effin' Life In Conversation Tour opens tonight at the Beacon Theater in New York City. The excitement among the Rush community has been building for quite some time; even more so in the past week. Not surprisingly, Geddy has been hitting the interview trail ahead of the tour and the release of My Effin' Life on Tuesday, November 14th. Among several interviews, including the recent article This Is Who I Am from the upcoming December issue of Classic Rock magazine, Geddy has indicated that he will be releasi

Geddy Lee Launching New Docuseries Geddy Lee Asks: Are Bass Players Human Too?

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Geddy Lee has just announced the launch of a four-part docuseries on Paramount Plus titled Geddy Lee Asks: Are Bass Players Human Too? . Streaming on December 5th, Geddy will be conducting in-depth interviews with Krist Novoselic ( Nirvana ), Rob Trujillo ( Metallica ), Les Claypool ( Primus ), and Melissa Auf der Maur ( Hole/Smashing Pumpkins ). From the official announcement: Geddy Lee is gearing up not just for the launch of his memoir My Effin’ Life and nationwide book tour but also for the new Paramount Plus docuseries Geddy Lee Asks: Are Bass Players Human Too? The four-part series will feature in-depth conversations between Lee and Nirvana’s Krist Novoselic, Metallica’s Rob Trujillo, Primus’ Les Claypool, and Hole/Smashing Pumpkins bassist Melissa Auf der Maur. It premiers on December 5. The trailer shows Lee trading licks with Auf der Maur, flying in an airplane with Krist, canning tomatoes with Novoselic, and surfing with Rob Trujillo. “I’m trying to show the world that

Rush 2024 '50th Anniversary' Wall Calendar is Now Available

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With 2024 marking the 50th Anniversary of the release of Rush's debut album, the band's official 2024 Wall Calendar will celebrate that milestone. As with past Rush calendars , the 2024 edition will feature a four-month (September-December) 2023 planner page, gorgeous color photos of the band, and more. From the official listing: Celebrate 50 years of rock excellence with our RUSH 50th Anniversary Calendar. Each month, journey through the legendary career of this iconic band with striking visuals and memorable moments than span five decades of music mastery.  Whether you're a lifelong fan or newcomer to the world of progressive rock, our calendar is a year-long tribute to Rush's unparalleled musical legacy. Specification: 16-months (two-page layout September-December 2023, and January-December 2024) 12x26#34; x 24x26#34 (open) 28 pages You can order your copy of the Rush 2024 Wall Calendar directly at Amazon . Comments

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