Posts

Showing posts from June, 2012

In The Mood: The Favourite Albums Of Rush's Geddy Lee

Image
Geddy Lee recently sat down with Mick Middles of The Quietus to discuss his favorite albums. His top thirteen list includes some obvious choices along with some more eclectic selections: Bjork Post This is probably the most surprising album on this list and, I know, it is hard to see any connection between Rush and Bjork. Maybe there isn't one. But I don't thing she gets the credit that she deserves. Journalists tend to focus on the things she says and does and, of course, what she is wearing. She is a very visual artist so perhaps that is understandable. But people tend to forget just what a fantastic and truly original artist she really is. She is not afraid to try new things, either. In fact she thrives on it. It would have been very easy for her to have gone the pop route and built on her hit singles. There must have been pressure for her to do that but it is not what she is about. Just great music powered by an immense imagination. You can check out the entire list

Ottawa Citizen Article on Rush: Truly Canadian

Image
The Ottawa Citizen has just posted an interesting, retrospective article on Rush titled Truly Canadian : There is nothing more Canadian than Rush. It has been almost 40 years since the trio from the suburbs of Toronto started confounding some listeners and delighting others with complicated musical arrangements and the weirdest lyrics on the airwaves — dystopian fantasies, the stultifying effects of growing up in the suburbs and the philosophy of Ayn Rand. Rush was “always an acquired taste,” said Rolling Stone in 2008, the one and only time the magazine deigned to devote a cover article to one of Canada’s most significant cultural exports. Check out the entire article via this LINK . Thanks to RushFanForever for the link.

Clockwork Angels Charting Update - Week #2

Image
Update (06/28/2012 9:00am EST): The complete charting results for week #2 are in: Top 200 Albums: #10 Top Rock Albums: #4 Top Hard Rock Albums: #2 Top Canadian Albums: #7 Top Digital Albums: #24 Top Taste Maker Albums: #4 Billboard has just announced that Rush's Clockwork Angels , after debuting at the #2 spot on the Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart last week, has dropped down to position #10 with approximate sales of 27K units; a drop of 74%. Comparatively speaking, 2007's Snakes & Arrows , which debuted in the #3 spot dropped down to #20 in its second week while 2002's Vapor Trails , which started its run in the charts at the #6 spot, fell to #29 in week 2. Here's how it ranks in other related Billboard Album charts: Rock Albums Rank: #4 Hard Rock Albums Rank: #2 Additional charting information should be available by Friday which will indicate how the album is doing on the Canadian charts as well. Related News Stories [ Rush's Clockwo

Geddy Lee on Singing Neil Peart's Lyrics - New Video Interview

Image
Roadrunner Records has just posted a new video interview with Geddy Lee where Rush's frontman discusses how he approaches singing the lyrics that Neil Peart creates. “It’s an interesting dynamic because it’s a relationship we’ve had for over 30 years,” explains Geddy. “Obviously, me being the spokesperson for his lyrics is an intimate and difficult relationship just in the sense that I have to really believe what I’m singing – because if I don’t, you can tell. You can’t fake something like that.” “So, for me,” continues Lee, “I have to try and get into his headspace and I have to try and understand the lyrics from a point of view that’s meaningful to me even if it’s not always the same as the writer’s intent.” You can watch the video below or directly at this LINK .

Neil Peart Interview with Sirius XM's Jim Ladd Now Online

Neil Peart's hour-long interview that originally took place on June 13th with legendary DJ Jim Ladd on Sirius XM's Deep Tracks station is now online . During the interview, Neil discusses not only the creative process behind the making of Clockwork Angels but a deeper look into each individual track. Neil also narrates the prose introductions from each song which, during the original airing of the interview, led to the playing of each song in order. Neil expands on the story line behind each song which gives us some insight on the complete story-line that will be presented in the novel. Neil speaks in his usual eloquent and verbose manner which makes for a very interesting listen. You can listen to the interview below or via this LINK . Thanks to reader RushFanForever for passing along the link.

Rush's Sound Engineer Rich Chycki Discusses Clockwork Angels

Image
Rush's Sound Engineer Rich Chycki, who recorded Clockwork Angels and mixed Snakes & Arrows as well as other Rush offerings including Moving Pictures 5.1 and the recent Rush Sectors box sets, has updated his blog with his thoughts about recording Rush's new album. From the entry: Hi all, It feels like it’s been a time of all things ‘Rush’ over the past while. As you all know by now, we spent most of the late fall and early winter 2011 recording Clockwork Angels at Revolution Studios in Toronto, Canada. I had selected that room for its cavernous but controlled drum room and I was pleased with the recorded results, as was Neil. The clockwork stage kit is one of the best kits I’ve ever had the pleasure of recording. Check out the entire entry via this LINK . Thanks to Eric from Power Windows for passing along the news.

Interview: Geddy Lee and Billy Corgan Talk Albums vs. Singles

Image
Update (06/26/2012): Part two of the interview is now online . Thanks to RushFanForever for the link. MusicRadar has just posted the first of a two-part lengthy interview/discussion with Geddy Lee and Smashing Pumpkin's and Rush fan Billy Corgan. The discussion centers around "...the merits - and challenges - of the album as art form..." From the article: It's a good time to be Geddy Lee, and it's also a good time to be Billy Corgan. Within a week of each other, both artist's bands, Rush and The Smashing Pumpkins, have released albums (Clockwork Angels and Oceania, respectively), that stand among their finest work. Significantly, both albums break the mold for Music Business 101 in 2012 in that they're concept pieces – Clockwork Angels is a self-contained narrative, while Oceania is part of the Pumpkins' adventurous Teargarden By Kaleidyscope project. That both groups, Rush and The Smashing Pumpkins, have hit creative highs while rejecting t

Life Lessons - An Interview with Alex Lifeson of Rush

Image
Classic Rock Revisited has just posted a new interview with Alex Lifeson in an article titled Life Lessons - An Interview with Alex Lifeson of Rush . In the interview, Alex discusses several topics including the dark period for Rush after Neil's tragedies and the first steps back as a band with the release of Vapor Trails : Rush took an extraordinarily long time, fourteen months, recording the album. The album was not an immediate hit. The band’s loyal fan base was thrilled to hear Rush back in action, although the music was clearly not the best the band had ever created. One of the most shocking aspects of the album was the lack of guitar solos by Lifeson. This was a man who became famous for his exceptional way of blending melody with balls to the wall musical passages. Along with some discussions surrounding the making of Clockwork Angels , Alex had this to say about the upcoming tour - and the setlist: With the tour for Clockwork Angels looming in the distance, Lifeson re

Rush's Clockwork Angels Debuts at #2 on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart

Image
Update: (06/21/2012 9:00am EST) : The official Billboard Top 200 Chart has now been updated. In addition to taking the #2 spot in the Top 200 Albums Chart, Clockwork Angels also ranked extremely well in other various categories: Digital Albums Rank: #3 Rock Albums Rank: #1 Hard Rock Albums Rank: #1 Taste Maker Albums Rank: #1 Canadian Albums Rank: #1 Not a bad showing at all... Update: (06/20/2012 10:00pm EST) :More charting statistics were made available via this MarketWatch story which shows Clockwork Angels at #2 in Japan, #10 in Norway, #11 in Germany and Holland, and #21 in Switzerland. Update: (06/20/2012 2:00pm EST) According to this article from the Toronto Sun, Clockwork Angels has also debuted in the #1 spot in Canada! Billboard has just announced that Rush's Clockwork Angels has debuted in the #2 position on their Top 200 Album Charts. This equals the best debut Rush has ever had which last occurred back in 1993 with the release of Counterparts . Un

The Edge Walk Angels - Six Rush Fans Plan Charity Stunt

Image
They call themselves “The Edge Walk Angels” and on October 14th, 2012, these six Rush fans from across the globe will meet in Toronto to perform what many are calling a crazy stunt - all in the name of charity. The fans, Mike Sword, Pamela Amos and David McLeod from Scotland, Ray Subject from Canada, Jennifer Ayers from the USA and Tracey Thomson from Australia, will participate in the CN Tower Edge Walk . From the group's site: We are “The Edge Walk Angels” - 6 ‘mad’ ‘crazy’ RUSH fans with a tendency to be a little ‘nuts’ as described above. We are 3 Scots, a Canuck, a Merkin and an Ozzie all making our pilgrimage to Toronto to see RUSH in concert, and also raise funds for the nominated RUSH Eucon 2012 charity; The Downs Syndrome Association. We are doing the CN Tower Edge Walk, at Toronto’s iconic landmark, The CN Tower, 1100ft/356m above the ground. See the video to understand! Few have ventured and most have walked away repeating the quotes above! It scares the bejeezu

Rush Bringing String Ensemble on Clockwork Angels Tour

Image
For several months now, there's been an on-going rumor that Rush would actually be touring with a full string ensemble. Given that several tracks from Clockwork Angels had some orchestral strings added to it only served to fuel the rumor. Then, last week, Neil Peart hinted at the inclusion of strings on tour during his Sirius XM interview. Today, the rumors have been confirmed from an article at Billboard.Com : With "Clockwork Angels," its first new album in five years, just out, Rush is planning a tour that will surprise many of the Canadian trio's fans. "Our intention is to take strings out on the road," guitarist Alex Lifeson tells Billboard.com. Orchestrations, arranged by David Campbell, feature on several of "Clockwork Angels' " tracks, and Lifeson says Rush will employ a small string ensemble, likely eight to 10 pieces, to recreate those pieces and to be added to some of Rush's older material. "It's just something di

New Alex Lifeson Interview with Rolling Stone Magazine

Image
Last week Rolling Stone Magazine posted an interview with Neil Peart discussing the band's latest album, the upcoming tour and other topics. Not known for having much love for Rush, that piece was a bit of a surprise. On the heels of that article comes another interview from Rolling Stone Magazine; this time with Alex Lifeson. Titled Q&A: Rush's Alex Lifeson on 'Clockwork' Tour Setlist, Hall of Fame Prospects , the interview touches upon several topics including the set list for the upcoming Clockwork Angels Tour , the making of the album and the age-old story about Rush's exclusion from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame . From the article : It's got to be tough to make a setlist when you have so much history to draw from. Yeah, it is. It's very difficult. We want to play the new material. We sort of go back and forth. "Should we play the whole thing? Or should we play most of it, or some of it, and mix it up?" It's always very

Rush Clockwork Angels Interview with Jeff Woods of Q107 Toronto Now Online

Image
Back on June 11th, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson were the special guests on Jeff Wood's radio show on Q107; Toronto's Classic Rock station. That session is now available online at YouTube and can be viewed below. The 20+ minute interview has Geddy and Alex discussing the making of Clockwork Angels , particularly how Headlong Flight morphed from an instrumental (originally titled Take That Lampshade Off Yo Head ) to the final version which turned into the album's latest single. Thanks to RushFanForever for passing along the link. Related News Stories [ Rush In The Studio Live With Jeff Woods - June 11th, 2012]

RushCon 12 Announces Details and Open Registration

Image
There are some new details now available on the upcoming 12th Annual North American Rush Fan Convention ( RushCon ). In addition, registration for this year's convention is now officially open . The three-day convention will take place in Toronto at the Hard Rock Cafe from October 12th through the 14th, 2012. The convention will coincide with the two concert dates from the Clockwork Angels Tour occurring on October 14th / 16th. The guest speaker, appearing on the 13th, will be John Arrowsmith; Rush's pyrotechnician and tour photographer. Other events during the convention include several Rush-related games (Countdown and Jeopardy), a charity auction, a photographic tribute to Andrew MacNaughtan, an Anthem Records office tour and more. For complete information on this year's convention, please visit www.rushcon.org or follow them on Facebook and Twitter .

Neil Peart On Rush's New LP and Being a 'Bleeding Heart Libertarian'

Image
Rolling Stone has justed posted an interview/article with Neil Peart. Titled Neil Peart On Rush's New LP and Being a 'Bleeding Heart Libertarian' , the interview discusses the band's latest concept record, their upcoming tour, there increased presence in pop culture and where Neil stands politically these days. Here are some key excerpts from the interview: This record examines a very different future than what you portrayed in Rush's 2112 album. Are they companion pieces in any way? No, in every way. It's really different. 2112 was released in 1976. I was younger than you are. We were feeling our way musically, lyrically, technically on our instruments. All of those things were in the growing stage. But if someone had asked me two years ago, honestly, "Do you think you guys will do a concept album with a full story?" I'd say, "No!" I would've laughed or sneered, honestly. So that's the nice thing, that this wasn't at al

Rush Release Clockwork Angels - To Rave Reviews

Image
Update: ‘Clockwork Angels’ Tops Amazon Bestseller List . Update: Clockwork Angels is now available for purchase in a lossless 96kHz/24-bit FLAC Audiophile download from HDTracks.com After five long years since their 2007 Snakes & Arrows album, Rush have finally returned with the release of Clockwork Angels ; their 20th studio effort. The album has certainly been a 'work in progress'; one that began over two years ago when the band released the first two singles from the album - Caravan and BU2B . Following the lengthy Time Machine Tour of 2010-2011, Rush put the finishing touches on Clockwork Angels , producing a twelve-track album that critics have universally applauded thus far. Below are links to interviews that have surfaced over the past few days: “Clockwork Angels” Proves Why Rush Still Exists - Statepress.com Rush: Clockwork Angels: The boys back at the top of their game after 30 years. - Sputnik Music Clockwork Angels Showcases Rush’s Pride - The Ob

Producer Nick Raskulinecz on Rush's Clockwork Angels

Image
Ahead of Clockwork Angels release tomorrow, MusicRadar has just posted an interview with the album's producer Nick Raskulinecz. In the interview, Nick touches upon each of the album's 12 tracks and his role as a producer: “Part of my responsibility as a producer – the biggest part of my job, really – is to be there for the artist and to help them see their vision through," says Nick Raskulinecz. The Grammy-winning producer, who first worked with Rush on 2007's Snakes & Arrows, reconvened with the group in 2010 to begin sessions for Clockwork Angels, the sterling concept album masterpiece which will be released tomorrow, 12 June. "This album was Rush’s vision," says Raskulinecz. "It wasn’t mine. I was there to make sure it was played as brilliantly as they could play it, sung as high as Geddy Lee could sing it, and have the guitar solos bring me to tears. “I feel like we achieved all of those elements. There’s so much emotion that we capture

Rush In The Studio Live With Jeff Woods

Image
Tonight at 5pm EST, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson will be the special guests on Jeff Wood's radio show on Q107 ; Toronto's Classic Rock station: Q107 Toronto FM96 London Y108 Hamilton DaveFm Kitchener FM96 Kingston The Wolf Peterborough Rock 101 Vancouver 5pm mountain and at 6-7pm mountain on Q107 Calgary Tweet your questions for Geddy and Alex to #Livewithrush For more information and/or to post questions that Jeff might read to Geddy and Alex, click HERE . Thanks to RushFanForever for passing along the news.

Canada's Long & McQuade's Ultimate Rush Experience Sweepstakes

Image
Canada's Long & McQuade Music Stores has just announced the " Ultimate Rush Experience " sweepstakes. To enter, you need to fill out a ballot at any Long & McQuade location between June 1st and 30th. One grand-prize winner will receive a pair of tickets and meet 'n' greet passes for a Rush concert in select cities.* There will also be ten runner-up prizes given away which include Rush's new album, Clockwork Angels, and the DVD Live in Cleveland. *Grand prizes available to be won: A pairs of tickets and meet 'n' greet passes for Rush concerts in these cities Edmonton (Sept.30/12 - Rexall Place) Saskatoon (Sept.28/12 - Credit Union Centre) Winnipeg (Sept.26/12 - MTS Centre) Toronto (Oct.14/12 - Air Canada Centre) The contest runs June 1st through the 30th, 2012. One entry per person. Transportation to and from the concert is the winner’s responsibility. Thanks to reader Amanda Jane Bean for passing along the news.

Own a Piece of Rush History - Neil Peart's Red Tama Drum Kit Auction

Image
Back in 1987, Neil Peart, alongside Modern Drummer Magazine, sponsored an essay contest where one lucky winner would receive Peart's custom Red Tama Drum Kit; the very same used to record Signals, Grace Under Pressure and Power Windows . Neil also used the kit during the Grace Under Pressure tour. The very same kit is now up for auction at Julien's Live Auction site. From the listing: A Tama Superstar drum kit, custom made for Neil Peart, drummer from the band Rush. The kit was used by Peart for recording on three Rush albums, Signals (Anthem, 1982), Grace Under Pressure (Anthem, 1984), and Power Windows (Anthem, 1985), as well as all live shows played on the concert tours that followed the release of each album. Peart also played the kit in nine music videos for the singles that were released from each album. As well, Peart can be seen playing the kit in the RUSH concert video "Grace Under Pressure Tour 1984" (Anthem, 1985) which was recorded live at Maple Le

Hour-Long Geddy Lee Interview on Planet Rock - June 9th

Image
Planet Rock – Rush Album Special Planet Rock will be talking to Geddy Lee on Saturday 9th June at 7pm (UK time) about the new studio album "Clockwork Angels". In this hour long interview, Darren Redick talks to Geddy about the songs and the making of their 20th studio album. The interview will likely be made available for streaming for those who miss the original airing. Streaming location of Planet Rock radio specials are available at this LINK . Thanks to Jon Norman , the Head of Marketing for Planet Rock, for passing along the news.

Decibrity Playlist: “Best of” Rush"

Image
Decibel Magazine (America's Only Monthly Metal Magazine) has just posted the first of a two-part series titled Decibrity Playlist: “Best of” Rush" . In it, a Rush playlist is selected by several hard rock and heavy metal artists. Also included is commentary on the influence of Rush from each of the artists. From the article: We may not write about these Canadians very often, but it’s undeniable that Rush has had a profound effect on legions of artists that we do cover. So to celebrate next week’s release of the ubiquitous band’s 19th (!) full-length studio album, we compiled a “best of” Rush playlist that features tracks hand-picked by some of the many musicians who have been slappin’ da bass over the years. If we learned one thing, it’s that most of the artists below had a difficult time only picking one song. Just ask Anthrax’s Joey Belladonna, who managed to whittle his list down to three: “‘Fly By Night’ is the first Rush song I ever sang. ‘Tom Sawyer’, I got to pl

Clockwork Angels Lyrics and Liner Notes and Album Artwork - oh my!

Image
With the release of Clockwork Angels almost upon us, you can now get a preview look at the album's complete lyrics, liner notes and artwork. The liner notes and lyrics are on the main Clockwork Angels Album Information Page while the artwork is available on the album's Image dB page . The liner notes include separate notes of thanks from Geddy, Alex and Neil; something they typically reserve for their tour book essays. Additionally, and fittingly, there is a tribute to their late photographer and friend, Andrew MacNaughtan. Some of the album's artwork was taken from a photo and, thus, is not of the highest quality. That will be remedied after the official release. Tremendous thanks to reader Wim van Beijsterveldt for passing along the scans of the CD booklet. Related News Stories [ New Audio Samples From Clockwork Angels Now Available - June 3rd, 2012] [ Inside Rush: Clockwork Angels Radio Special - June 2nd, 2012] [ Clockwork Angels Track Audio Sam

Neil Peart Named Modern Drummer Magazine's "Best Prog Drummer/Best Educational DVD" for 2012

Image
The results of the Modern Drummer Magazine 2012 Readers Poll are now in and available in the magazine's July 2012 issue, which just hit the newsstands. Not too surprisingly, Neil Peart ended up winning in the Best Prog Drummer category as well as in the Best Educational DVD category for his instructional video Taking Center Stage From the magazine: As the old joke goes, if an entry for progressive rock drummer were in the dictionary, it would be Peart's face that you'd see. Neil's a bona fide cultural touchstone, nearly forty years into his career - but somehow he seems more active than ever. Last year saw the Rush drummer/lyricist appear on MD's December cover, release the book Far and Away: A Prize Every Time, participate in the legendary Canadian band's Time Machine tour, release the DVDs Taking Center Stage and Fire on Ice: The Making of the Hockey Theme, and anchor the first drum solo week on Letterman. Rounding out the top five Prog Drummers were

Ted Leo's Life With Rush: Closer to the Heart

Image
SPIN Magazine has just posted an article titled Ted Leo's Life With Rush: Closer to the Heart on their website. Ted Leo is an American punk rock/indie rock songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who has played in the bands Citizens Arrest, Chisel, The Sin-Eaters, The Spinanes, and Ted Leo and the Pharmacists. The article is prefaced with: The punk rock lifer reps for the ultimate prog-rock band In advance of the June 12 release of Rush's new Clockwork Angels, punk-rock stalwart Ted Leo shares his tale of a life touched by the prog-rock cult heroes. "Plus c'est la change, Plus c'est la meme chose": A life with Rush in six scenes... In the article, Ted highlights five 'scenes' from his life growing up and the influence Rush had for him during that time. From riding in his family's van and listening to Red Barchetta over and over again, dreaming of alloy air cars joining the chase, to dealing with bullies and how Tom Sawyer saved the day t

Geddy Lee Classic Rock Video Interview Now Online

Image
The CD that is included with the July 2012 issue of Classic Rock Magazine includes a humorous 7-minute video interview with Geddy Lee. The interviewer asks Geddy a series of questions including: Have you ever used the phrase Do you know who I am? (Answer: Yes, with his wife in the morning...) Have you ever stolen anything from a hotel room? (Answer: Yes, a power converter) Have you ever been star-struck? (Answer: Yes, in meeting Pete Townshend at the Governor General's Awards Gala) What would save first if your house was on fire? Have you ever recorded a song you didn't like? (Tai Shan fans need not listen) You can view the entire video below or directly at YouTube . Thanks to Ed from RushIsABand for passing along the link.

New Video Interview with Geddy Lee from Stormbringer

Image
There is a new video interview with Geddy Lee that was conducted by Austria's Stormbringer.at . The interview, which took place in Cologne, Germany, clocks in at over 16 minutes long. In it, Geddy discusses the new album and the influence of the Steampunk theme on the concept story, his own past, the upcoming tour, and, perhaps most importantly, confirms that Rush have no intentions of retiring any time soon. You can watch the video below or via this LINK . Thanks to Eric from Power Windows for passing along the news.

New Audio Samples From Clockwork Angels Now Available

Image
Last week, we were treated to 30-second audio samples from each of the tracks of Clockwork Angels from WalMart . Those samples were based on the first 30 seconds of each song. Now, the Italian website ibs.it has posted new 30-second clips of each track, coming from different sections of each song, all including some of Geddy's vocals. Thanks to Ed from RushIsABand for passing along the news. Related News Stories [ Inside Rush: Clockwork Angels Radio Special - June 2nd, 2012] [ Clockwork Angels Track Audio Samples Now Online - May 31st, 2012] [ 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] [ Rus

Inside Rush: Clockwork Angels Radio Special

Image
Update (06/11/2012): The one-hour special is now online at SoundCloud . Thanks Ed / RIAB! A one-hour long radio special titled Inside Rush: Clockwork Angels , created by FMQB Productions in association with Anthem Records, will air on radio stations across the nation during the week of the album's release (June 11th). The special will be hosted by Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins. Corgan is expected to have conversations with all three members of Rush about the new album, the music creation process, the upcoming tour and more. In addition to airing on radio stations, the special will also be available on SoundCloud . We'll have more details on the special as they become available. And for those of you who haven't pre-ordered Clockwork Angels yet, you can do so via this LINK . Pre-order today and help Rush's new album debut at #1! Thanks to Ed from RushIsABand for passing along the news. Related News Stories [ Clockwork Angels Track Audio Samples

Share This