After a five-month drought, Neil Peart has finally posted a new update on his website in his traditional News, Weather, and Sports blog. The June 2012 update, titled Where Words Fail, Music Speaks covers a number a topics. Neil begins the entry by discussing the Revolver Magazine Golden Gods Awards, where Rush was presented with the Ronnie James Dio Memorial Award for Lifetime Achievement. At the award ceremony, after a last-minute cancellation by Alex, Neil had to step in and accept the award. As fans know, Neil is a very private man, so his discussions surrounding his trepidation at speaking at the event is insightful and eloquent. Fast forward a month or so and the band is to be presented with the Governor-General’s Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Performing Arts -- another moment of being in the limelight for Neil. I enjoyed one comment Neil made about the entire spectacle of the event: Once or twice Alex, Geddy, and I caught each other’s eye and just looked at ea...

Samples from each track of Rush's forthcoming album Clockwork Angels are now available at, of all places, WalMart.Com . Outside of the first three singles from the album, this is the first time the general public can have a listen to a 30-second sample from each of the remaining nine tracks from the album. Have a listen and share your comments below. To pre-order your copy of Clockwork Angels , please click HERE . Thanks to reader Michael Lynch for the head's up. Related News Stories [ Clockwork Angels Full Album Reviewed from The Digital Fix - May 9th, 2012] [ Producer Nick Raskulinecz talks Rush's Clockwork Angels - May 8th, 2012] [ Clockwork Angels Full Album Reviewed Track by Track - May 7th, 2012] [ Rush Clockwork Angels Tracklist, Trailer and Official Announcement Now Available - April 11th, 2012] [ Headlong Flight Single from Clockwork Angels Release Update - April 4th, 2012] [ Rush Clockwork Angels Album Cover and Tour Book Artwork Reveale...

Author Kevin J. Anderson, who has penned the official novelization of Rush's Clockwork Angels concept album has just posted the official press release for the novel on his website . From the press release: The music throughout the Clockwork Angels album—the band’s 20th studio album—forms the backbone of a colorful adventure story, which is now fully realized in Clockwork Angels: The Novel (ECW Press, hardcover, September 2012). The story tells of a young man caught between the grandiose forces of order and chaos. On a quest to follow his dreams, he travels across a lavish and colorful world of steampunk and alchemy, with lost cities, pirates, anarchists, exotic carnivals, airships and steam engines, and a rigid Watchmaker who imposes precision on every aspect of daily life. The press release also indicates that the hard-cover edition of Clockwork Angels: The Novel will contain full-color illustrations by long-time Rush artist Hugh Syme. Additionally, the audiobook will be ...

Back in April , we let you know that the UK's Classic Rock Magazine was packaging Rush's forthcoming album Clockwork Angels with additional content and releasing the album a full three weeks early to UK residents: Classic Rock Presents Rush - Clockwork Angels (fanpack edition) features the new album in full plus a 132 page magazine that forms the 'ultimate sleevenotes' to the new record, with extensive and exclusive interviews with Neil Peart, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson. Inside is everything you need to know about Clockwork Angels: full track-by-track rundown by the band, an interview with producer Nic Raskulinecz, long time cover artist Hugh Syme and more - all with exclusive unseen shots. Classic Rock has now provided a preview E-Zine of the 132-page magazine online at this LINK . For those of you who didn't pre-order the Fanpack, you can still do so at this LINK . Thanks to Ed from RushIsABand for passing along the link. Related News Stories ...

In a new MusicRadar interview , Alex Lifeson talks about Rush's upcoming Clockwork Angels album on a track-by-track basis. From Alex: “We wanted something that was bold and stripped down,” says guitarist Alex Lifeson of Rush’s Clockwork Angels. “The goal was to make it real in your face and very much the sound of a three piece – a hard rock record in the classic sense. I’m happy to say that it really did come out the way we anticipated and hoped for.” With numerous reviews already surfacing about the album, many have cited the title track as one of the stand-outs on the album. Here's what Alex had to say about the third track on the album: Clockwork Angels “I was just messing around at home and came up with a pretty lengthy piece, and most of it’s what Clockwork Angels turned out to be. “Ged and I both like to work on a day. We don’t really bring stuff in, nor do we refer to soundcheck jams any more. We’re both just excited to start on something new. But I had this t...

David Marchese of SPIN magazine recently conducted an interview with Geddy Lee. The contents of that interview are now online in a piece entitled Geddy Lee's Ludicrous Machines: Rush Frontman Talks New Album, Tour . In it, Geddy discusses the evolution of the 'concept' theme behind Clockwork Angels : You guys have done conceptually-driven music in the past — 2112 is the most famous example. Is there anything different about how Rush puts together concept-pieces today as opposed to how it did in 1976? It felt different this time. I think because we were taking the approach of making the songs work as individual pieces, we didn't have to worry about the necessity for an overture or trying to bring musical themes back. That approach would've felt formulaic to us. The three times we attempted side-long concept pieces in the past, the music was really like one song broken up into many parts. The thread connecting the music on Clockwork Angels is the story-line. Th...

Rush have just announced three new dates during the 2013 leg of their Clockwork Angels Tour . The new dates are: June 2nd, 2013 -- Ziggo Dome -- Amsterdam, Holland June 8th, 2013 -- Sweden Rock Festival --Solvesborg, Sweden June 10th, 2013 -- Hartwell Arena -- Helsinki, Finland. The Sweden Rock Festival will take place from June 6th through the 9th with tickets going on sale September 25th. There's still no word on additional US dates either this year or in 2013, however the general consensus is that the band will likely be extending their tour into the Summer of 2013 with dates in the U.S. (of course, this is only speculation as there has been no official announcement ... yet) For a complete listing of all Clockwork Angels tour dates, please click HERE . Related News Stories [ Rush Add Second Toronto Show - Release European Fan Pre-Sale Information - May 15th, 2012] [ Rush Announce Initial 2013 European Tour Dates - May 14th, 2012] [ Rush Announces Clockwork An...

Mick Burgess from Metal Express Radio recently sat down with Alex Lifeson for a very in-depth and informative interview. The majority of the questions from the interview focused on the making of Clockwork Angels , particularly Alex's solo efforts on some of the tracks: Your guitar work throughout especially on the likes of “Clockwork Angels” and “Wish Them Well” is your most inventive for a while. Did you bring those solos to the writing process complete or were they a result of a spontaneous jam? It`s funny because the solo in “Clockwork Angels” and also the solo in “The Garden” which are two of my favourite solos that I`ve ever done, were throwaway solos. After we`d written those songs and worked on the arrangements, Geddy went away for a few days, so I continued working and filling things in a little bit and I threw down a couple of solos in just a few takes and that was it. The thing is that after a while they kind of grow on you and you don`t think about them when yo...

Rush appear on the cover of the July 2012 issue of Classic Rock Magazine and appear in a seven-page spread within the issue. The tagline on the cover reads: Steampunks. Musical scientists. Goofballs. The Rise and Rise of the World's Biggest Cult Band The article discusses the band's reaction to the death of their photographer Andrew MacNaughtan, the process of creating Clockwork Angels and their "ascension in the public's eye": Since 2007's Snakes & Arrows, Rush have drifted, with a reassuring lack of guile on their part, towards the mainstream. An appearance on the The Colbert Report angered some diehard Rush fans when Stephen Colbert 'accidentally' walked on set as the band were in the middle of Tom Sawyer (Lee: "Some fans were really offended by that. They've made such a bond emotionally to the music that it's hard for them to take lightly. It was funny, but to them it was sacrilege. Lighten up, would you? We're just...

Roadrunner Records, Rush's music label, has just released the essay that is expected to appear in the upcoming Clockwork Angels Tour Book . As with all of Rush's Tour Books , Neil Peart penned the essay. In it, Neil discusses, among several topics, the inspiration of the Steampunk Theme of Clockwork Angels : My friend Kevin J. Anderson was among the pioneers of a genre of science fiction that came to be called "steampunk" - a more romantic, idealistic reaction against the "cyberpunk" futurists, with their scenarios of dehumanized, alienated, dystopian societies. Our own previous excursions into the future, 2112 and "Red Barchetta," had been set in that darker kind of imagining, for dramatic and allegorical effect. This time I was thinking of steampunk's definition as "The future as it ought to have been," or "The future as seen from the past" - as imagined by Jules Verne and H. G. Wells in the late nineteenth century...

Back in March and April, MIDIpedals.com posted parts 1 and 1.5 of an extensive interview that they conducted with long-time Rush roadie Tony Geranios (aka Jack Secret). Terry Goyette of MidiPedals just informed me that Part 2 of the interview is now available on their website . From MidiPedals: Part 2 of our interview with Jack Secret is here! Topics include, his nickname, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, upcoming tour rehearsal, sausage, chicken, Barbies, his shop in Vegas, and much more! Each interview segment can be accessed HERE . Thanks to Terry Goyette for passing along the news. Related News Stories [ MIDIpedals.Com Interview With Rush Roadie Tony Geranios (aka Jack Secret) - Part 1.5 - April 25th, 2012] [ MIDIpedals.Com Interview With Rush Roadie Tony Geranios (aka Jack Secret) - March 10th, 2012]

Last night, Rush sent out an updated news letter with details about the various pre-sales for the recently announced UK and European dates. In addition, due to popular demand, a second Toroto show has been added on October 16th, 2012 at the Air Canada Centre. Below are the details listed in the newsletter: Germany Fan Pre-Sales, VIP Packages and General Ticket Onsale Information June 4th 2013 - Cologne, Germany @ The Lanxess Arena (Einlass: 19 Uhr,Beginn: 20 Uhr) June 6th 2013 - Berlin, Germany @ O2 World Arena (Einlass: 19 Uhr, Beginn: 20Uhr) The Exclusive fan pre-sale for RUSH tickets in Germany will begin Tuesday, May 15th at 9:00 AM (local time) on Ticketmaster. Public On-sales will begin on Saturday May 19th at 9 AM (local time). Ticketmaster: www.ticketmaster.de (Hotline: 01805.969 000 555, Verbindungspreise: 0,14 /Min. aus dem deutschen Festnetz, max. 0,42 /Min. aus dem deutschen Mobilfunknetz) VIP packages will also be available to purchase, RUSH VIP Clockwork Angels Tou...

Update: Planet Rock will be holding a pre-sale on Thursday for their VIP's. Click HERE for more information. More to come... Rush have just announced the first seven European tour dates for the 2013 leg of their Clockwork Angels tour. Tentatively beginning on May 22nd in Manchester, England, the band will play four dates in England before returning to Glasgow, Scotland and then moving on to Germany. Here are the complete dates that have been announced: May 22, 2013 Manchester, England -- Arena May 24, 2013 London, England -- O2 Arena May 26, 2013 Birmingham, England -- LG Arena May 28, 2013 Sheffield, England -- Motorpoint Arena May 30, 2013 Glasgow, Scotland -- SECC June 4, 2013 Cologne, Germany -- Arena June 6, 2013 Berlin, Germany-- O2 Arena The official site indicates that more dates will be announced. Also, according to this news posting , tickets for the UK dates will go on sale this Friday, May 18th. We'll have more information on sale and pre-sal...

The artwork for the novelization of Clockwork Angels has just been revealed at Kevin J. Anderson's blog . From the author's blog entry: We’re very pleased to show off the just-released cover for Clockwork Angels: The Novel—one of my most beautiful covers ever. The central image is from the forthcoming Rush album, with the type and cover design by Neil Peart. ECW will publish the hardcover in September (available for preorder now), a full-color volume with paintings and complete lyrics (and the novel itself, of course). From the sample pages I’ve seen already, this will be a gorgeous book. Click HERE for a high-resolution shot of the cover which, not surprisingly, is essentially a repeat of the album cover. Currently, Amazon has listed the price for the hard-cover edition of the novel at $16.90 and indicated that it contains 264 pages and is scheduled to be released on September 1st, 2012. As we indicated during the original report , Anderson and Neil Peart have been...

The second complete review of Rush's forthcoming album Clockwork Angels has just been posted at The Digital Fix . Written by Dominic Hemy, this is another track-by-track review of the album in the same vein as the review posted earlier at MusicRadar. Dominic has this to say about the sixth track Halo Effect which received praise from the MusicRadar review: 6. Halo Effect This little three minute ditty is the first time the foot has come off the gas, but even this doesn’t quite fall into ballad region as the band hold in, but don’t disguise, the urge to let loose. ‘Halo Effect’ has third single written all over it as the uplifting chorus is tailor-made for vast stadium sing-alongs, and is guaranteed to become a fan favourite. To read the entire review, click HERE . Thanks to Ed from RushIsABand for sharing the news. Related News Stories [ Producer Nick Raskulinecz talks Rush's Clockwork Angels - May 8th, 2012] [ Clockwork Angels Full Album Reviewed Track...

Update (05/10/2012 7:45pm EST): The interview with Geddy Lee can now be streamed at this location . Geddy's interview begins at the 41 minute mark. Update (05/10/2012 10:00am EST): The Geddy Lee Interview just ended. Here are some highlights from it: Geddy spoke about the theme behind Clockwork Angels indicating that the story line of the album centers around an "innocent" who goes out into the world with the perception that the world is a good place. He finds himself on a long road which becomes his life. Many things happen to him and the songs reflect the story of his growing up - of "his life". Geddy stressed that while each song ties together with the overall theme of the album, it was important for each of the tracks "...to stand as individuals..." On one of the tracks called The Wreckers , Geddy and Alex swapped instruments for the initial creation of the song. It was born from them jamming together while killing time. After they lik...

MusicRadar has just posted a lengthy interview/article with Rush's producer Nick Raskulinecz where the self-proclaimed unabashed, over-the-top Rush fan talks about Clockwork Angels : "There's a certain responsibility you have no matter what record you're producing," he says. "You want to help the band make the best record they possibly can, and with Rush, that can be a very tall order. Rush fans hold the band very dear to their hearts. You want to honor that, but you also want to push the band forward and allow them to be the best they can be right now." He pauses slightly, then adds with a laugh, "Of course, that stops when we're done for the night. That's when I sit down with the guys and go, 'All right, let's talk about 1977!'" Nick discusses several topics including the evolution of the songs, how many were born from jams and, what I found interesting, how the album transformed into a concept piece thanks to Neil ...

Though the album hasn't officially been released yet, Joe Bosso from MusicRadar.Com has just posted his full-album, track-by-track review. Warning: There are obviously some spoilers in the review and parts of the remaining story below. Read at your own risk :) Bosso's introduction to his review is humorous and reflective of his deep appreciation for not only Clockwork Angels , but Rush as a creative, musical force: Somebody has got to sit Rush down and read them the rules – you know, the ones that state that they have to act their freaking ages and stop jamming around so damn much; that six and seven-minute songs with lots of badass musicianship are out; that there can’t possibly be new sounds to discover; that concept albums are so, like, Hemispheres; that songs are supposed to be verse, chorus, verse – c’mon, call in the pro LA tunesmiths already! And don’t forget to tell them to get at least five or six backing musicians on stage – that’s what all the really big b...

Over the weekend, Rush were awarded the Governor General's Performing Arts Award during a gala ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa. From Neil Peart via the Winnipeg Press: "We are especially appreciative for the presentation of this lifetime achievement award now - while we are still active (Too active, our families might say!)" said Rush drummer and lyricist Neil Peart in an emailed statement..."Since our performance 'lifetimes' aren't quite over yet, this high honour is not just a reward; it is an inspiration. We will continue to try to earn it." As previously reported, all three members of Rush were on-hand for the event. The ceremony included an impressive choral tribute to Rush which can now be viewed below or directly at YouTube . There are several photo galleries from the event which can be viewed HERE and HERE . Additionally, a short-film called Inner Rush was created to honor the band for the event: For the fifth consecutive y...

The April 2012 issue of Classic Rock Presents PROG magazine includes a one-page article featuring Rush titled Angels Are Go! which includes some new details behind the band's upcoming album Clockwork Angels . From the article : Peart started writing lyrics from scratch rather than drawing on his notebooks of passing ideas (what he calls his 'Scrapyard'). He drew inspiration from authors as diverse and Voltaire and Cormac McCarthy, with Michael Ondaatje and Joseph Conrad channelled on The Anarchist, and Daphne Du Maurier firmly in mind on The Wreckers. Peart also became fascinated by ancient traditions. "Soon I learned about an entire set of runic hieroglyphs for elements and processes. As the lyrical 'chapters' came together I chose one symbol to represent each of them:' These can be seen on the clockface on the sleeve. Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson originally worked on the music together in a basement studio, sometimes with Lifeson giving Peart tw...

Update: Check out this video posted by the Inside Politics blog posted containing an exchange between MPs Clement and Angus, who quote a number of Rush references during their debate. All three members of Rush visited Canada's House Of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa today ahead of Saturday's Governor's Award presentation. From The Canadian Press : OTTAWA - Lots of visitors stop by in the public galleries to watch question period, but few are "closer to the heart" of politicians than a visiting rock star. The prog-rock puns were flying faster than Neil Peart's drumsticks as MPs and ministers paid tribute to the members of Rush in the House of Commons. The iconic Canadian band are in Ottawa along with seven other recipients of the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards, the country's highest artistic honour. At this time, there is still no word on whether or not Rush plan on performing at the award presentation on Saturday night. Thanks ...

Back in March we announced that Rush were to be among a few recipients of the prestigious Governor General's Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement. The gala event is to take place at at Ottawa's Rideau Hall this Saturday, May 5th and now there is word that Rush might play live. From the Ottawa Citizen : Will Rush perform at the National Arts Centre on Saturday night? It’s the annual gala show for this year’s recipients of the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards, and among the recipients is Rush, the enduring, distinctive and globally loved prog-rock trio from Toronto. The question is, will the members of Rush take the stage to perform during the show? “We’ve been sworn to secrecy, but there’s going to be one great surprise, one great musical surprise,” Thompson tells me. “I can’t say anything about whether it’s Rush or not Rush, but there’s one great musical surprise that’ll definitely be worth being there for.” While it's not likely that...