Rush 2011 Time Machine Tour Begins Tonight

Update (03/31/2011 10:30am): Photo's from last night's show in Florida are available via this LINK - Thanks RIAB!

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Update (03/30/2011 10:00pm): As expected, there have been no changes to the set list -- as least, none yet. However one thing has been changed - http://www.rush.com/ has been completely refreshed in connection with the beginning on the tour. Check it out!

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After a five month "break", Rush is set to return to the stage tonight in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida at the Bank Atlantic Center for the beginning of the 2011 Leg of their Time Machine Tour. At this time, there aren't any expected changes to the set list for the 2011 leg, however we will be confirming this tonight as the concert is underway. Anyone in attendance at tonight's show that would like to feed the set list to this site, please contact me.


In related news, the Rush Backstage Club is holding a weekly 'Meet and Greet' contest:

Win A Meet and Greet With Rush!

Check it out: every week RUSH BACKSTAGE will draw two winners to win a pair of Meet and Greet passes to meet RUSH during the Time Machine 2011 tour. The winners will meet members of the band, before the show. These lucky people will have the opportunity to say hello and have their picture taken with the guys!

In order to qualify to win the prize, entrants MUST already have in their possession tickets to a Rush Time Machine concert during the Time Machine 2011 tour. Rush Backstage will not be providing concert tickets to the winners. Good luck!

Click HERE to enter. Thanks to ED from RushIsABand for passing along that news.


Want to keep track of Rush as they progress through their concert dates? Eric from Power Windows has created a special Google iCalendar for the 2011 leg of the tour. Click HERE for more information.


For all those in attendance tonigth and over the next few dates, have a great time - and send us your concert pictures!

Rush 2011 Time Machine Tour Gear

The Rush Backstage Club now has some official 2011 Time Machine Tour Gear available for sale. Along with a number of news shirt designs, the Backstage Club is also selling items such as a Rush Swoosh Logo Keychain, a Rush Pickup Magnet, a Time Machine Sticker Pack and a Time Machine Button & Pin Set.

Equally as important is the confirmation that the 2011 Leg of the Time Machine Tour will be treated to an updated Tour Book. The new 2011 Tour Book will include additional photos taken from the 2010 leg of the tour. I've ordered my copy, have you? :)

For those of you who haven't seen the 2010 Tour Book, simply click HERE.

Rush 2011 Time Machine Tour Update - Two Dates Rescheduled

Update: Here's the official statement from Rush:

Live Nation announced today that due to unforeseen circumstances the Rush performance previously scheduled for this Friday, April 1st in Greensboro has been postponed one day and will now take place on Saturday, April 2nd at the Greensboro Coliseum. Doors remain 6:30 pm with show time at 7:30 pm.

After much consideration, as the Toledo performance would have been the 4th show in 5 days the decision was made to delay the show rather than move forward as previously scheduled. The added time between shows will ensure that fans in Toledo are treated to the best performance that Rush can deliver. As a result, the Toledo performance previously scheduled for Wednesday, April 6th will be postponed one week and will now take place on Wednesday, April 13th at Huntington Center.

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The 2011 Leg of the Time Machine Tour launches on Wednesday, March 30th however we've Rush.com has just announced that two dates have been rescheduled.

The April 1st date at the Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina has been pushed out one day to April 2nd. Doors will still open at 6:30pm with the show time still set for 7:30pm.

The April 6th date at the Huntington Center in Toledo, Ohio has been pushed out one week to Wednesday, April 13th at 7:30pm.

Rush has indicated that all tickets for the previously scheduled performances will be honored at the rescheduled dates. Any fans requiring a refund may do so at point of purchase.

Enter to Win One of Five Copies of Moving Pictures 5.1

In celebration of the upcoming release of Rush's 30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition of Moving Pictures, Cygnus-X1.Net will be giving away five copies of the CD / DVD combo pack; one a week beginning on April 1st. No, it's no joke :)

Simply visit the contest page, fill out an entry form and you'll be in the running throughout the five-week contest period.

Still haven't ordered your copy (and you don't feel that lady luck will be on your side)? -- Here are the pre-order links from Amazon.Com:

Moving Pictures 5.1 - CD/DVD

Moving Pictures 5.1 - CD/BD

Best of luck, everyone!

Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage Wins Juno Award for Best Music DVD

The 2011 Juno Gala and Awards Ceremony was held in Toronto last night where Juno Awards in 32 of the 40 categories were awarded. Among the categories announced was the Best Music DVD where Rush's acclaimed documentary Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage took home the award. Click here for a list of other winners during the night.

The remaining eight categories and awards will be presented tonight during the 2011 Juno Awards Ceremony which will be broadcast on CTV live from the Air Canada Centre starting at 8PM EST. Both Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson are scheduled to be presenters and this Juno win will certainly lighted the mood for the guys.

Congratulations go out to Scot McFadyen, Sam Dunn, Pegi Cecconi, Noah Segal, Shelley Nott, John Virant and, of course, RUSH for bringing home the Juno. This marks the first Juno Rush has won since taking home the same award back in 2004 for Rush in Rio.

Read more about Rush's win via this LINK.

Red Barchetta Leads Pack of Top 10 Canadian Car Tunes

There is obviously a lot of activity surrounding the upcoming 40th Annual Juno Awards tomorrow night. To celebrate the occassion, the Globe and Mall has posted a list of the Top 10 Canadian Car Tunes where, rightfull so, Rush's Red Barchetta took the top spot.

Homegrown songs about vehicles and the open road that are certain to get you moving and grooving

The Junos are celebrating its 40th anniversary at a packed Air Canada Centre in Toronto and will be broadcast coast-to-coast across Canada this Sunday featuring the musical musings of Drake, Hedley, Neil Young and teen scream dream Justin Bieber.

My, my, my. The Junos are all grown up now. Except for the Justin Bieber part.

Here are the top 10 Canadian car songs (the only criteria being that vehicles or roads are involved):

Red Barchetta beat out the likes of Born to be Wild by Steppenwolf, Roll on Down the Highway by Bachman-Turner Overdrive and, further down the list, Life is a Highway (the original version) by Tom Cochrane.

Thanks to RushFanForever for passing along the news.

Rush: 'Our Fans Feel Vindicated'

A feature article in the UK Guardian Newspaper called Rush: 'Our Fans Feel Vindicated' was published yesterday. The lengthy article includes a nice retrospective look back at Rush's career, comments from both Geddy and Alex on the recent changes of Rush in the public's eye and also revisits a story posted last year where Neil Peart discusses the writing process behind Xanadu.

Rush have been uncool for so long that they are, finally, perhaps the coolest band in the world.

"We've been vindicated!" laughs guitarist Alex Lifeson down the phone from his home in Toronto a few days later. "A lot of fans feel vindicated, too. There is a segment of our audience that are outsiders and some have grown into power and influence, but that bond they feel to us is still there. It's very, very deep and I don't think it's like that for a lot of other bands."

Click HERE to read the entire article.

Ultimate Concert Experience With Alex Lifeson Sweepstakes

Over nearly four decades, Alex Lifeson of Rush has consistently blurred the lines between hard and progressive rock, pushing both to new heights. In celebration of the new Gibson Custom Shop Alex Lifeson Les Paul Axcess Guitar, enter for your chance to win the ultimate Alex Lifeson Concert Experience! The Grand Prize winner gets a pair of VIP tickets to see Rush live in Las Vegas, meet Alex, and take home a signed Gibson Alex Lifeson Axcess guitar. Musician's Friend will provide you and your guest with airfare, lodging, meals, local transportation, and premium concert seating in Las Vegas on June 24, 2011!

Win The Ultimate Concert Experience With Alex Lifeson Grand Prize:

Trip For Two To Las Vegas Show

VIP Concert Seating

Meet Alex Backstage

Take Home His Signed Gibson Custom Axe

The Grand Prize has an approximate cash value of $5,999.00.

The winner will be selected in a random drawing on or around June 1, 2011. You're automatically entered every time you place an order with Musician's Friend between March 24, 2011, and May 31, 2011. No purchase necessary to enter.

Click HERE to enter. Good luck!

iDrum Magazine Launches - Issue #1 Features Neil Peart

LickLibrary is proud to announce the launch of iDrum - the world's first truly interactive magazine for drummers. iDrum magazine is free of charge and contains news, reviews, lessons and hours of video content. A drum magazine has never looked this good! View issue 1 here at www.idrummag.com.

iDrum has been created by a team led by industry veteran editor Ian Croft. The launch issue of iDrum features part one of an exclusive in-depth 40-minute video interview with Rush's Neil Peart together with exclusive images from the current "Time Machine" tour. Other video interviews include Derrick Mckenzie (Jamiroquai), Gil Sharone (Dillinger Escape Plan) and legendary British drummer Jon Hiseman. You also get exclusive footage of Simon Phillips and Gavin Harrison preparing for their Guitar Center "Drum-Off" duet.

Direct access to the premiere issue is available HERE. Below is the first part of the 40-minute interview with Neil Peart:

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All five parts of the interview can be viewed directly from the online edition of the magazine HERE.

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

Richard Chycki Update on Moving Pictures 5.1 - Initial Reviews

Rush Sound Engineer Richard Chycki just updated his blog with some initial reviews of the 30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition of Moving Pictures:

So I guess the review pre-release copies of Rush?s Blu-Ray Moving Pictures 5.1 remix/remaster are making the rounds. It?s so exciting to get feedback from people enjoying something that I had so much fun working on. With permission, I?m sharing pieces of a recent email here from a guy that listens to A LOT of 5.1:

... "First impressions: W-O-W. It?s going to be really, really HARD to ever listen to this album "only" in stereo ever again! THIS is what surround was built for, so to speak ... Living inside it and loving it! ... Everyone needs to know how GREAT this 5.1 mix is!"

... "One of my favorite albums of all time is now better than ever. I look forward to listening to it again and again and getting more out of it each time I do ... Each song has its own individual sense of space ... It's such a rewarding listening experience." - Mike Mettler - Editor-in-Chief, Sound & Vision Magazine.

Rich also indicates that the filming of the April 15th show in Cleveland "...is well underway, almost on autopilot..."

Pre-Ordering links for Moving Pictures 5.1 via Amazon are below:

Moving Pictures 5.1 - CD/DVD

Moving Pictures 5.1 - CD/BD

Thanks to Ed from RushIsABand for passing along the news.

Rush News Bullets - 03.22.2011

With the 2011 leg of the Time Machine Tour less than two weeks away, and the Juno Awards coming up this weekend, it's been a busy period in the world of Rush. Rush seems to be (almost) everywhere as reflected in the following news stories:

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Pixies Drummer Lists Neil Peart as Major Influence: In an article from the Montral Gazette, Pixies drummer David Lovering cited Neil Peart as a major influence in his drumming career:

A bigger surprise comes when the subject of their influences is raised. Lovering acknowledged reverence for John Bonham, "any drummer who played for Steely Dan" and especially Rush's Neil Peart. "When I first started playing for the Pixies, I was doing a lot of fills, believe me, just like Neil would do. It took a long time and a lot of concentration to keep it toned down," he said.

You can read the entire article via this LINK.

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Rush Classic Albums 2112 & Moving Pictures iPad App: The Universal Music Group has launched an iPad video-focused companion app to last year's "Classic Albums 2112 & Moving Pictures" documentary. Available for $6.99, this app is the equivalent of the DVD documentary and not a digital albums as some online reviews are being led to believe.

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BU2B 7" Vinyl Record Store Day Exclusive: A special 7-inch limited edition vinyl release of Rush's BU2B will be released on April 16th, 2011 as part of the UK's Record Store Day; a day when all of the independently owned record stores come together with artists to celebrate the art of music.

Sunrise Records in Canada will also be offering the Caravan / BU2B record for sale on Record Store Day, however this is the CD single of both and not the special edition vinyl version that will be available in the U.K.

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Rush Track 'Second Nature' Appears on Playlist for the Planet Collection: Rush's song 'Second Nature' from their 1987 album Hold Your Fire is among a number of songs included in the Playlist for the Planet compilation cd.

In celebration of David Suzuki's 75th Birthday on March 24, 2011 a compilation for environmental change has been put together by the David Suzuki Foundation with proceeds going to The David Suzuki Foundation. Playlist for the Planet boasts some great Canadian artists, such as Randy Bachman, LIGHTS, k-os, Rush, etc, along with CBC Radio 3 contest winner Danny Michel, whose song "Feather, Fur & Fin" was chosen by CBC Radio 3 as a source of inspiration to help our planet get healthy! Don't forget Earth Day, April 22nd.

There's additional information on David and the compilation cd via this YouTube video. Thanks RushFanForever!

Finally, I'll leave you with a Rush mention on last night's episode of NBC's action/comedy Chuck (Season 4, Episode 19: Chuck Versus the Muuurder). The mention comes at about the 5:40 mark. Personally, I agree with the answer to 'Rush's best album' :)

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RushCon:X1 Dates and Location Announced

The organizers of RushCon, the Toronto-based Rush convention group, has just announced the dates for RushCon 11 (appropriately dubbed RushCon:X1). From the RushCon website:

Ahhh 2011. Where has the time gone?

So, here at RushCon camp we've been doing a lot of thinking. Where to have this year's convention? What to do?

We have the Time Machine tour embarking in weeks, and we know we needed to make some decisions. As always, we want to give our attendees the best possible convention, filled with the best events. We have found, over the past years, that we usually get a great turnout when our event coincides with an actual Rush concert. It's the perfect way to celebrate this band that we love, with the fans that we cherish.

Without a Toronto show this summer, combined with the incredible time we had in Las Vegas last year, we thought it would be best to keep the con around the same time as a concert.

So we are back in Vegas this summer.

We will do 2 days of events: Friday, June 24th after the concert, and a full day of events Saturday June 25th.

For more information on the convention, including ordering information for tickets, please visit www.rushcon.org.

Benedictum's Cover of 2112 Now Online

Benedictum, an American heavy metal band that formed in 2005 in San Diego, California, has a cover of Rush's 2112 appearing on their third studio album titled Dominion. Though listed as only spanning the first two segments of 2112 (Overture and Temples of Syrinx), the cover also includes 'The Grand Finale' as well.

Given that Benedictum has a female lead singer, the results are quite interesting. You can now listen to Benedictum's take on 2112 via YouTube or below:

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Additional information on Dominion and the 2112 cover can be read HERE. To order Benedictum's Dominion, click HERE.

Thanks to Ed from RushIsABand for passing along the link.

Neil Peart Talks About Phil Collins / Close-up Look at the Time Machine Tour Kit

The April 2011 edition of the UK drumming magazine Rhythm features an in-depth look at former Genesis frontman Phil Collins. Within the 11-page spread, Neil Peart, among others, chime in on why they hold Phil in such high regards.

From Genesis genius to soul survivor, we track the career of the drum world's first superstar drummer ? Phil Collins. Right back to Genesis through to last year's Number One album Going Back, it's all here in our huge 11-page cover feature. We also talk to Phil's percussive partner in crime Chester Thompson and ask drum behemoths Neil Peart, Mike Portnoy and Brann Dailor just why they hold Collins so close to their hearts.

Ordering information for the April issue can be found here.

Additionally, the the Rhythm Magazine website is now featuring an up-close photo segment on Neil's Time Machine Tour Drum Kit. The nine-image spread shows some of the intracacies behind this amazing kit. You can check out the photos via this LINK.

Thanks to Ed from RushIsABand for sharing the news.

Neil Peart to Appear on CBC's Strombo This Monday

Neil Peart and Canadian folk/rock guitarist and singer-songwriter Bruce Cockburn are scheduled to appear on the CBC's Strombo (formerly The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos) this coming Monday, March 21st.

While the appearance has yet to be officially listed on the show's website, several members from the Counterparts Forum including Superconductor and RUSHGIRL have confirmed the appearance. They also learned that there are no tickets currently available and the current waiting list includes 90 people already.

Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson have been guests on the show multiple times in the past however this will mark Neil Peart's first appearance.

Thanks to Ed from RushIsABand for the headsup!

Cygnus-X1.Net Integrates with Facebook and Twitter

Just a quick note to point out that, if you hadn't noticed already, Cygnus-X1.Net is now fully connected and integrated with both Facebook and Twitter. Most pages throughout the site, along with all news and special sections of the site, will have both Facebook 'Like/Recommend' buttons along with a Twitter 'Tweet' button. In addition, you can now follow along with all site news, updates and more via the official Cygnus-X1.Net Facebook Group and Twitter Feed.

Thanks for everyone's support in extending the reach of Cygnus-X1.Net beyond the confines of the home url :)

Also a special thanks to RushFanForever for helping to introduce the Cygnus-X1.Net Facebook Group to a bunch of Rush fans.

Moving Pictures 30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition Delay Update

Update: Earlier this week, DJ Jim Ladd of KLOS announced that he conducted a 2-hour interview Neil Peart discussing the upcoming release of the 30th Anniversary Edition of Moving Pictures 5.1. The interview is expected to air in about 3 weeks on Ladd's KLOS radio show which airs Sunday through Thursday.

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There is new information regarding the release date of the 30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition of Moving Pictures. Though still scheduled for a an April 5th release, rumor now has it that the CD/Blu-Ray version, which shows a delayed release date of May 3rd at Amazon, will actually be exclusively available at Best Buy on April 5th. All of retail outlets will be selling the Blu-Ray version beginning May 3rd.

The listing at Best Buy doesn't suggest any additional tracks or features, but that certainly can't be ruled out either at this time.

RUSH's "Moving Pictures" celebrates its 30th anniversary this year with a spectacular "Moving Pictures - Deluxe Edition" via Mercury/UMe. The reissue of this seminal album on April 5, will be available in two formats: (1) a digitally remastered CD plus DVD and (2) a digitally remastered CD plus Blu-ray. For this Deluxe Edition, the DVD and Blu-ray discs will feature the album and three bonus music videos, "Tom Sawyer", "Limelight" and the previously unreleased clip "Vital Signs", in both a stunning 5.1 Surround Sound mix supervised by the band's Alex Lifeson using the original multi-tracks and in newly remastered stereo from the original analog master tapes.

Both DVD and Blu-ray formats will boast the 5.1 Surround Sound and stereo audio in 96kHz/24-bit high-resolution audiophile playback which offers 256 times more resolution than CD audio, providing the listener with the closest experience you can have to what the artists hear in the studio. The DVD is playable on both DVD-Audio and DVD-Video players, the latter players will include Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound and PCM stereo playback. Blu-ray discs will also feature DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround Sound in addition to 96kHz/24-bit PCM 5.1 Surround Sound and stereo.

The "Moving Pictures" experience has never sounded better or been more moving. Also included in the package is an extensive gallery with previously unreleased photos from the original recording sessions, new liner notes by renowned music journalist David Fricke and 30th-anniversary artwork by original album designer Hugh Syme.

Pre-Ordering links via Amazon are below:

Moving Pictures 5.1 - CD/DVD

Moving Pictures 5.1 - CD/BD

In celebration of this historic release, Cygnus-X1.Net is still planning on giving away several copies of the Deluxe Edition of Moving Pictures over the course of the next three months. Details on the give-away will be revealed soon.

Eddie Trunk's Essential Hard Rock and Heavy Metal Book Includes Full Chapter on Rush

A new book by Eddie Trunk, who is the host of VH1 Classic's That Metal Show as well as the weekly radio show: Eddie Trunk Live, which airs on Sirius/XM radio's Boneyard channel, has a new book coming out on April 1st called Eddie Trunk's Essential Hard Rock and Heavy Metal.

Known as a leading expert on all things hard rock and heavy metal, Eddie Trunk continues to entertain fans on the radio and as the host of VH1 Classic's hit television program That Metal Show with his passion for music. In his debut book, Eddie discusses his most essential bands, his unique personal experiences with them, his favorite "Stump the Trunk" anecdotes and trivia, as well as his favorite playlists. Whether you're a classic Metallica or Megadeth metalhead or prefer the hair metal of old-school Bon Jovi or Poison, Eddie Trunk's Hard Rock and Heavy Metal salutes all who are ready to rock!

According to the table-of-contents and Eddie himself, an entire chapter of the book, located on pages 174-182 is dedicated to Rush and includes both "photos and text".

Pre-ordering is available through Amazon with the current price of the paperback set at $10.49.

Thanks to RushFanForever for passing along the news.

Alex Lifeson-Produced David Barrett Trio Single Hollowbody Now Available

The David Barrett Trio, a new group from Toronto, spent some time at Alex Lifeson's home studio - Lerxst Sound - to record three songs: Hollowbody, Sonar, and Disappearance. Not only did Alex produce the tracks but Rush Engineer Rich Chycki also handled the engineering duties.

The first single - Hollowbody is now available at both Amazon and iTunes for just $0.99. The other two tracks should be released soon. As for Hollowbody, Rush fans will doubtless enjoy this short, rocking instrumental and Alex's production influence is clearly evident.

From a recent blog entry by the David Barret Trio:

Exactly a year ago, I played my new solo album The Dead Arm for guitar hero and mentor Alex Lifeson. He liked it and mentioned that maybe we should consider doing something together in the future. I agreed. He advised me to write a ton of music which we would then later sift through and pick the best tunes to develop. His other advice was to include some other musicians to further develop the songs. I asked Sascha Tukatsch to play drums and Jason Farrar to play bass. We arranged the music and worked really hard on it. Their contributions and enthusiasm have been truly outstanding! After the Rush Time Machine tour ended and Big Al was rested, we went into his studio and recorded three tunes: Hollowbody, Sonar, and Disappearance. Rich Chycki engineered. Rich produced my first solo album back in 1995, everything I've learned about recording I've learned from Rich, I don't think there's anyone better. And Big Al's approach to arranging, performance, and production was truly illuminating. We also had a lot of laughs in the studio, more than I can remember on any sessions I've ever done. We've finished these three and will release them soon, once we figure out the details. I just wanted to let everyone know that we've got some new music ready to be released and that we're very excited about the whole thing!

There will also be a concert and CD release party on Thursday, March 31st, 2011 at 8PM at the Gibson Guitar Artist Showroom located at 1205 King West, Toronto, ON. A special EP will be available for sale which will include all three tracks. The trio is also expected to record additional songs with Alex Lifeson after the 2011 leg of the Time Machine tour.

A video of the band performing Hollowbody can be viewed HERE.

Thanks to Ed from RushIsABand for passing along the news.

Voting for the 2011 Annual Drummies Awards Now Open

It's that time of year again when Music Publishing's Annual Drummies Awards is now officially open for voting. Having gained respect from the drum/music industry as the most comprehensive Award/Polling events, drummers, fans and anybody else interested can now cast their votes online until May 1st at www.drummagazine.com/drummies.

As Neil Peart has won the Drummer of the Year award five times, he is no longer eligible for this particular honor; however he can win in another category such as Best Progressive Drummer, Best Live Drummer or Best Studio Drummer, among others.

More news on the Drummies can be read HERE.

Thanks to Josh Moscov for passing along the news.

Alex Lifeson Les Paul Axcess Video Interview

With the recent release of the Alex Lifeson Les Paul Axcess, Alex has been hot on the promotional trail. Not only does Lifeson appear on the cover of the April 2011 issue of the Musicians Friend catalog, but there is also a interesting five-minute video interview with Alex discussing the details of the guitar.

More on the guitar from Alex:

"We've been working on this for quite some time — a few years, really. The Axcess is a great platform, I think, because it has certain things that the traditional Les Paul doesn't. You know, the light weight, getting the vibrato arm on there, the changes that we made with the piezo pickups, the separate outputs — you know, it's a great utility guitar. I looked at it in terms of, 'What do I need? Instead of switching through 14 or 15 guitars during a show, how can I pare that down, like, where I can get everything — as much as I can — into one guitar?' And this is really what it is."

Additional details about the guitar are available at the official Alex Lifeson Les Paul Axcess website.

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

Kevin "Caveman" Shirley Discusses His Job as the Sound Engineer on Rush's Counterparts

Down on his luck and nearly pennyless, Kevin "Caveman" Shirley was fortunate enough to be hired as Rush's Sound Engineer for their 1993 Counterparts album. Now, in a three part interview conducted by Dave Rideau of solid-state-logic.com, Shirley recounts that period in his life and how Rush and their management team literally came to his rescue.

You can view the first part of the interview, which contains the section related to Rush, below or via this LINK.

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Many thanks to Eric from Power Windows for passing along the link.

Juno Awards Update: Geddy and Alex Expected to Attend Ceremony

Update: According to Jam! Showbiz, Geddy and Alex will be among the first group of presenters at the Juno Awards Ceremonies. No word yet on what category/award the pair will be presenting.

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As we reported last month, the Rush documentary Beyond the Lighted Stage has been nominated for a Juno Award in the category of Best Music DVD of the Year. According to an article posted at Mediacaster, both Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson are expected to attend the awards ceremony.

Helping to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the JUNO Awards are iconic Canadian musicians Bryan Adams, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Daniel Lanois, Robbie Robertson, and Rush's Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee. They will be joined by Lady Antebellum's Charles Kelley, deadmau5, the Honourable James Moore, K'Naan, Shad, Tokyo Police Club and the hosts of CTV's first JUNO broadcast in 2002, Barenaked Ladies.

The other nominees in the Best Music DVD category include:

This Movie is Broken (BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE)
The Lost Tapes (BUCK 65)
Céline-Tournée Mondiale Taking Chances Le Spectacle (CELINE DION)
The Virtual Haydn (TOM BEGHIN)

The 2011 Juno Awards airs on Sunday, March 27th on CTV from the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. Complete program listings and regional times are available online.

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

Alex Lifeson Talks to the UK's Express and Star

The UK news magazine Express and Star recently held a phone interview with Alex Lifeson ahead of Rush's stop in Birmingham's LG Arena on May 22. In the interview, Alex discusses topics ranging from the Time Machine Tour, performing Moving Pictures in its entirety and the imagery behind the tour and upcoming Clockwork Angels album:

"The whole 'steam punk' kind of thing is what we're sort of leaning towards. It's a little bit like what the Victorians would have thought the future of technology would have been like."

So if you'd have had a time machine when you released your first album back in 1974 what would you have made of Rush's success in 2011?

"I never would have imagined in a million years that in 2011 we'd still be doing what we're doing. When we first started out, when we first got our record deal in '74 we all thought if we could stretch out for five years we'd have done great.

"That's what our deal was - a five-year deal with five records. A record a year for five years; that would have been a great run. Never would we have imagined that we'd still be at it on the cusp of our 60s."

Alex also reflected back on Rush's early gigs in the United Kingdom as well as his early influences:

"Pete Townsend for me was a huge influence. Because essentially they were a three-piece band and the way he structured his chords and took up a lot of space musically in the songs was really important to the way Rush developed. Geddy and Neil both were such active players and lot of the time we were all playing like crazy and it was too much and somebody had to reel it in and me being the faceless guy, I would do that," he laughs.

You can read the entire interview via this LINK.

Podcast Interview with Author of Mystic Rhythms: The Philosophical Vision of Rush

Dr. Robert Price, the co-author of the 1999 philosophical book Mystic Rhythms: The Philosophical Vision of Rush was recently interviewed by the Michigan Skeptics Association about the book and his thoughts on the music and lyrics of Rush.

A free podcast of the interview is available online via this LINK. There's also an MP3 of the interview available via this LINK (54mb).

Thanks to reader GeddyWannaBe for passing along the news.

MoJo Magazine Interview with Geddy Lee

The March 2011 edition of Mojo: The Music Magazine includes a full-page interview with Geddy Lee. In the interview, Geddy touches upon the 'Concept Album' makings of Rush's upcoming Clockwork Angels disc as well as working with their co-producer Nick Raskulinecz.

"Nick is perfect for us," he says, "so full of passion, so technically up to snuff, and great at getting us to just play and do our thing."

For a high-resolution scan of the complete article, click HERE.

Thanks to reader RushFanForever for passing along the news.

Limited Edition SABIAN Paragon Cymbal Pack - Signed by Neil Peart

Sabian has just introduced a Limited Edition Paragon Cymbal Pack that includes a splash autographed by Neil Peart.

The Neil Peart Paragon Complete Cymbal Pack comes with an 8" and two 10" splashes (including one to be autographed for you by Neil Peart), two 16" crashes, 18" crash, 20" crash, 22" ride, 19" and 20" Chinese, 20" Diamondback Chinese, and 13" and 14" hi-hat sets. Each cymbal features a brilliant finish.

The Paragon series blends 2 styles of lathing for a very balanced cymbal tone. Pinpoint lathing creates a narrower groove for a fast, lively response on the top, while the traditional AA lathing creates a wider groove for a fuller, richer tone on the bottom side. The cymbal pack is shipped in a free flight case featuring custom "Time Machine" artwork from the Rush album and tour of the same name.

Designed in collaboration with legendary Rush drummer Neil Peart, Paragon is a range of cymbals that - although designed for Peart's hard hitting, high powered style - deliver full, musical responses across a wide volume spectrum.

Priced at $3,199.99, a portion of the proceeds from the sale of this pack will benefit Little Kids Rock, a nonprofit organization that transforms children's lives by restoring and revitalizing music education in our public schools. For more information, visit www.littlekidsrock.org.

For more information on the Cymbal Pack, click HERE.

Thanks to Ed from RushIsABand for passing along the news.

Alex Lifeson Contributes Music to The Double Motion Picture

According to some tweets from both Rush sound engineer Richard Chycki and Scarlet Sins vocalist Sylvya NuVynska, Alex Lifeson has apparently contributed to the musical score for the upcoming film The Double, starring Topher Grace, Martin Sheen and Richard Gere among others. According to the movie info at IMDB, The Double is about "A retired CIA operative is paired with a young FBI agent to unravel the mystery of a senator's murder, with all signs pointing to a Soviet assassin." IMDB also indicates that the musical score is by John Debney.

Richard Chycki's Tweet: "Soundtrack for Richard Gere movie 'Double' done and in the can, including the groovy out credit piece. Well, our part any way ..."

Sylvya NuVynska's Tweet: "Sang and wrote lyrics for the outro song for the new Richard Gere movie The Double coming out soon...written and recorded by Alex Lifeson & Richard Chycki. I'm excited to see it in the theatre..such a cool experience. :)"

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

Moving Pictures 30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition Now Available for Pre-Order in the U.S.

Some new details, including pre-ordering information in the U.S. is now available for the April 5th release of Rush's 30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition of Moving Pictures.

RUSH's "Moving Pictures" celebrates its 30th anniversary this year with a spectacular "Moving Pictures - Deluxe Edition" via Mercury/UMe. The reissue of this seminal album on April 5, will be available in two formats: (1) a digitally remastered CD plus DVD and (2) a digitally remastered CD plus Blu-ray. For this Deluxe Edition, the DVD and Blu-ray discs will feature the album and three bonus music videos, "Tom Sawyer", "Limelight" and the previously unreleased clip "Vital Signs", in both a stunning 5.1 Surround Sound mix supervised by the band's Alex Lifeson using the original multi-tracks and in newly remastered stereo from the original analog master tapes.

Both DVD and Blu-ray formats will boast the 5.1 Surround Sound and stereo audio in 96kHz/24-bit high-resolution audiophile playback which offers 256 times more resolution than CD audio, providing the listener with the closest experience you can have to what the artists hear in the studio. The DVD is playable on both DVD-Audio and DVD-Video players, the latter players will include Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound and PCM stereo playback. Blu-ray discs will also feature DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround Sound in addition to 96kHz/24-bit PCM 5.1 Surround Sound and stereo.

The "Moving Pictures" experience has never sounded better or been more moving. Also included in the package is an extensive gallery with previously unreleased photos from the original recording sessions, new liner notes by renowned music journalist David Fricke and 30th-anniversary artwork by original album designer Hugh Syme.

Pre-Ordering links are below:

Moving Pictures 5.1 - CD/DVD

Moving Pictures 5.1 - CD/BD

In celebration of this historic release, Cygnus-X1.Net will be giving away 10 copies of the Deluxe Edition of Moving Pictures over the course of the next three months. Details on the give-away will be revealed soon.