April's issue of PROG Magazine includes a cover feature on Rush and their upcoming release of the Signals 40th Anniversary Box set. The in-depth article, which was written by Dave Everley, also includes samples of the new artwork that Hugh Syme created for the box set. An excerpt from the article discusses how Chemistry came about: “We were touring so much that we were limited in the time we had to write for a record, so we utilised soundchecks or even days off, when Ged and I would sit down with a couple of guitars and do a little bit of writing,” says Lifeson. “But soundcheck was the best opportunity for us to throw some ideas around – we’d play a couple of songs in full, but also do a little bit of writing. I’m sure there are ancient cassettes headed up to his bandmate’s place after the Moving Pictures tour wrapped up in July 1981. He bought with him a tiny, cigarette packet-sized practice amp that he’d been given, and the pair proceeded to construct a primitive reco

Graphic artist and musician Hugh Syme, who is well known among Rush fans as the creative, illustrative genius of the band's album artwork, will be opening up a new exhibition in Los Angeles at the Musichead Gallery on Sunset Boulevard. Scheduled to run from June 1st through July 5th, the 'Imagine This' exhibition will include a selection of some of Syme’s best-known works, as well as a large assortment of iconic and unseen artworks from his portfolio. From the official announcement: 50 years, and counting, creating timeless works of art Hugh Syme is a award-winning Canadian illustrator, designer, graphic artist and musician who will open a new exhibition Hugh Syme: Imagine This in California beginning Thursday, June 1 at Musichead Gallery in Los Angeles as was announced recently on SiriusXM’s TrunkNation hosted by Eddie Trunk. The Los Angeles gallery will mark the third in a series of gallery openings for Syme, having hosted stops in Indianapolis in 2019 and Austi

Update: April 7th: Rush and Geddy Lee have announced the title, cover, and official release date of the memoir. "My Effin' Life" is now scheduled for a November 14th, 2023 release. More news coming soon. It was back in September of 2021 when we first announced that Geddy Lee was writing his memoir. From his Instagram post: So, how did I kill time during the pandemic? Little did I know that as of March 2020 I'd be locked down for over a year and a half—the longest time I'd spent in Toronto since I was nineteen and hit the Northern Ontario bar circuit with Rush. Although Nancy and I had to cancel a bunch of adventures we'd been planning, there were some shiny silver linings to be found at home: teaching my grandson the finer points of baseball and birdwatching, tending to my pups (one of whom was quite ill) and spending the evenings with my lovely better half, glass of Armagnac in hand, as we watched every European mystery show ever produced. Oh, a

At long last, Rush and the Rush Backstage Club have just announced the official release of the Signals 40th Anniversary Box Set ! At this time, only a Super-Deluxe version is available for pre-order, with an expected shipping date of April 26th. Similar to other 40th Anniversary releases, Signals includes a number of special bonus content including new artwork by Hugh Syme, printed lyric sheets hand-written by Neil Peart, posters, vinyl and CD versions of the album, and more. Unfortunately unlike other 40th anniversary releases, Signals does not contain any live content. The Super-Deluxe Edition retails for $229.98 and can be pre-ordered at this LINK . We'll have more news on this release, included other possible editions (i.e. CD-Only, Vinyl-only, etc.) as they become available. Comments

Rufus Books, a United-Kingdom based publisher, has announced a new series of called Portraits which will comprise beautiful 230mm square books, each presented in a slipcase, and will feature a range of artistes. The first book in the series is titled Portraits of Rush . From the announcement: Portraits of Rush takes us on an epic, photographic journey from the All The World’s A Stage Tour through to Exit Stage Left and the major tours in between. Featuring the photo's of legendary music photographer Fin Costello, who had total access to the band as they travelled, rehearsed, played live and recorded in the studio, Portraits of Rush is a candid, beautiful book of the Canadian trio as they became one of rock’s major bands. The images in this book have been specially prepared and processed for the black and white printing process, and will be re-produced using high quality matt coated art paper. With an introduction by John Tucker and featuring several articles on the b

On January 7th, 2020, Neil Peart, the virtuoso drummer and lyricist for Rush, died after a long and courageous battle with a rare form of brain cancer (Glioblastoma). Today, on the third anniversary of his passing, we remember Neil and the impact he had - and continues to have - on the world of music and the masses of Rush fans that span all four corners of the globe. Suddenly you were gone. From all the lives You left your mark upon... Despite his 'rock and roll' profession, Neil Peart was a very private and humble soul. He never sought out the adulation of fans or critics, but he was always appreciative of their praise, particularly when that praise came from fellow musicians. As a private man, the shock of Neil's death rocked fans to their core as virtually no one outside his 'inner circle' was even aware that he was ill. Suddenly, he was gone. While that initial shock still resonates to this day, turning our focus on the mark he left on all of us aids i

January 7th, 2023 will mark the third anniversary of the tragic death of Neil Peart. As a testament to his continued influence to fans and musicians across the globe, a charity concert will take place in his honor this Saturday. Dubbed Bubba Bash 2023 , the event was conceived by the Rush tribute band YYNOT and will take place at the Keswick Theatre in Glenside, Pennsylvania, a northern suburb of Philadelphia. Respected as one of the premier bands to perform Rush tributes, YYNOT is also an original prog-rock band with 3 highly-acclaimed albums of their own. Having scheduled a YYNOT show on January 7th, it was a fitting occasion to honor Neil's legacy and raise donations for Glioblastoma brain tumor research at Cedars-Sinai. The very first Bubba Bash, dubbed as such in Neil's nickname, is a joint effort of YYNOT's Tim Starace and Neil Peart’s long time friend and security provider, Michael Mosbach. Together, they assembled an all-star lineup of Neil's friends,

Neil Peart will soon be immortalized at Lakeside Park in St. Catharines with a two bronze statues that will be erected. After a long deliberation, the City of St. Catharines’ Neil Peart Commemorative Task Force has selected artist Morgan MacDonald of The Newfoundland Bronze Foundry (Morgan Sculpture Inc.) to create the memorial in Peart’s honour alongside the Neil Peart Pavilion in Lakeside Park. The two larger-than-life-sized bronze sculptures of Peart will be connected by a pathway offering experiential and interpretive features providing insight into Peart’s personal and professional legacies, including his time with the band. “I am looking forward to the day we can come together to celebrate the installation,” said St. Catharines Mayor Walter Sendzik. “Port Dalhousie is a place where Neil spent the formative years in his life, even working at Lakeside Park’s former midway. He learned to play music here, launching his career as a writer and musician who is recognized as

Over the years there have been plenty of Rush sightings on Seth MacFarlane hit animated series Family Guy . There have also been a couple Rush references on his other animated show American Dad , including one where Steve and Snot are playing air-guitar to 2112 . This week's latest episode, titled I Heard You Wanna Buy Some Speakers (S19:E16), features another lengthy Rush reference. In the episode, Barry blows out his dad's speakers and seeks the help from Snot in order to replace them. Enter Roger, in one of his many personas, where he demonstrates the power of his speakers by playing Working Man from Rush's debut album. He starts by playing the song on vinyl (although the needle-drop location is questionable), switches to casette, moves on to a CD, and even inserts an 8-track tape in the lengthy clip. You can view the clip below and find out more about the episode at the TBS website . Click to View Comments

It was last August when we first reported that the Toronto-based microbrewery Henderson Brewing Company worked with Geddy and Alex on developing their own unique Canadian Golden Ale. Since then, thanks to the incredible success of the beer, Henderson has released other variations of Rush branded beer. Unfortunately the beer was only available in Canada -- until now. Rush have just announced through their newsletter that their Golden Ale would now be available in the United States through HalfTimeBeverage.com . Pre-orders are currently being accepted with an expected shipping date expected in December. The beer will be available in 4-pack ($21.99), 12-pack ($59.99), and 24-pack/case ($99.99) quantites and, due to shipping concerns, there is a two 4-pack minimum. Every purchase of a 12-pack comes with a limited-edition, numbered poster, while case orders also include a Rush bottle opener. Although you can't purchase other variations of their Rush-branded beer in the US

The second and final Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert took place in Los Angeles last night at the Kia Forum and, once again, both Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson took the stage to perform three Rush classics. They were introduced by Jack Black, who recalled how Hawkins was in attendance at Rush's final show at The Forum back in 2015: "He wasn't blowing minds," says Black. "He was in the audience, just like you. And he was watching one of the best fucking shows of all time. You know what I'm talking about? They're about to come out right now. It is my honour to introduce one of Taylor's favourite bands, of all time. Ladies and gentlemen, give it up... for Rush!" Geddy and Alex were joined by Dave Grohl on drums as they performed 2112: Overture , just as they did in earlier this month at the Wembley Stadium in London, England. Next, they performed a rendition of Working Man where they were accompanied by Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers) o

Today we celebrate the 70th birthday of Neil Ellwood Peart, the extraordinary drummer and lyricist of Rush who tragically succumbed to brain cancer back in January of 2020. Peart was born in Hamilton, Ontario, and grew up in Port Dalhousie (now part of St. Catharines). During adolescence, he floated between regional bands in pursuit of a career as a full-time drummer. After a discouraging stint in England where he attempted to concentrate on his music, Neil returned home where he joined Rush, a Toronto-based band, in mid-1974; six years after its formation. Early in his career, Neil's performance style was deeply rooted in hard rock. He drew most of his inspiration from drummers such as Keith Moon, Ginger Baker, and John Bonham, players who were at the forefront of the British hard rock scene. As time passed, he began to emulate jazz and big band musicians Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich. In 1994, he became a friend and pupil of jazz instructor Freddie Gruber. It was during this time t