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Showing posts from October, 2012

Backstage Interview with Rush: Going for Laughs and Hall of Fame Status

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During Rush's recent stop to the New York/New Jersey area, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson both sat down with the Wall Street Journal to talk about the band's longevity, their "shifting business model" and their recent nomination for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. From the article: With its reputation for intricate concept albums and shredding musical chops, the members of Rush are often perceived as a self-serious prog rockers. Rush fans know better. The band’s sense of humor has come to the fore, including with a big presence in the 2009 comedy movie “I Love You, Man.” On Rush’s current Clockwork Angels tour, singer Geddy Lee performs in front of a big fake brain floating in a tank, part of a steampunk theme to the show. And at one point in the concert, the three band members appear in a short film as devious gnomes. Getting a laugh also played into their decision to license music for a current Volkswagen commercial, in which a Passat driver air drums furiously to

Deluxe Reissue of 2112 Coming December 18th

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Update (10/25/2012): Rush's Sound Engineer Richard Chycki has confirmed the 5.1 remastering of 2112 through a tweet he just posted: Yep, words out. I've been working on the surround remix of #Rush #2112 for months. Queue rear waterfall. According to a short posting at Musictap , Mercury records is preparing to reissue a "Deluxe" version of Rush's seminal album 2112 on both CD and Blu-Ray. The release date has been set for December 18th. This release should not be confused with the 2010 documentary Classic Albums: 2112 & Moving Pictures which was also released on Blu-Ray. At this point, there are no further details on the release including whether the album was remastered in 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound formats. Despite the lack of details, it's probably a safe assumption that this re-issue of 2112 will follow along the same remastering guidelines that were applied to the recent Sectors box sets. We'll have more information as it surfaces. M

Rush's Signals 30th Anniversary 'In the Studio' Special to Air in November

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In celebration of the upcoming 30th Anniversary of the release of Rush's classic album Signals , the nationally syndicated rock star interview radio show Redbeard's: In The Studio will host an hour-long radio special on November 12th. According to the announcement from the website, both Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart will be part of the radio show as they discuss the album. A short 90-second preview of the special can be heard HERE . What is unclear at this point is whether the special will be simply a rehashing of older interview segments or if there will be new comments from both Alex and Neil. Time will tell. :-) Many thanks to Thomas O'Connor for the news.

50% off Neil Peart's "Taking Center Stage" Instructional Video

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Hudson Music is holding a special promotion where you can get a 50% discount on the purchase of Neil Peart's latest instructional video Taking Center Stage: A Lifetime of Live Performance . This promotion relates to the Instant Download version of the video which costs just $20 with the discount. This is a group participation discount. Full details on the promotion and ordering instructions can be found at this LINK . About the video : Neil Peart examines the challenges of live performance. Drawing from over 30 years touring the world, Neil breaks down, demonstrates, and performs classic drum parts from songs spanning the entire Rush catalog, thereby giving the viewer the most in-depth insight into Neil's body of work ever documented. Filmed in various locations over the course of a year, Neil takes you on a behind-the-scenes look at Rush's 2010-11 Time Machine Tour. Beginning with a visit to his personal pre·tour rehearsals, Neil shows the ways in which he prepare

Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson Comment on Rush's Nomination into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

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It's been nearly two weeks since the news first broke that Rush made the nomination list for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2013. At that time, the band formally acknowledge the nomination with this statement: “We are honored to be among the nominees for this year’s Rock ‘N Roll Hall of Fame. We are especially thrilled for the many, many dedicated RUSH fans to whom this nomination is so very important.” – Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart Now, in separate interviews ahead of their stop in the New York/New Jersey area, both Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson have commented further on the nomination. In an interview from the New Jersey Star Ledger titled Rush takes Clockwork Angels Tour to Newark and Brooklyn , Geddy Lee had this to say about the nomination: After years of campaigning by fans, Rush finally earned a nomination to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame — prompting some zealots to suggest that the long-snubbed trio should tell the selection committee to take a hike. &qu

Rush Returns Home - Rocks Out Toronto

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Rush returned home to Toronto over the past weekend, playing a sold-out show at the Air Canada Centre on Sunday night followed by a second show at the Centre last night. There were several positive reviews posted about the first show, including: The Angels Are Out When Rush Present A Clockwork Show in YYZ Rush still find risks to take at their latest ACC show Rush unites fathers and sons in delight And here's a review of the second show: The Angels Are Out When Rush Present A Clockwork Show In YYZ For The 2nd Night In addition to the two concerts, the 12th annual RushCon fan convention took place. The popular convention featured a weekend of Rush-related activities including a performances by the Rush Tribute band Lotus Land, guest speakers John Arrowsmith and Kevin J. Anderson, a tour of Anthem Records and more. A great article about the convention can be read at this HERE . And while the band was in town, several members of the Clockwork Angels String Ensemble appe

Neil Peart News, Weather, and Sports Update - October 2012 - "The Better Angels"

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Neil Peart has just posted a new update to the News, Weather, and Sports section of his website. This October 2012 installment, titled "The Better Angels" focuses on his extensive motorcycle travels over the course of the first leg of Rush's Clockwork Angels tour. With his riding partner Brutus at his side, Neil made is way from Manchester, NH (opening night) throughout the back-roads of the United States. I was personally thrilled to read that Neil came to within 15 miles of my house when he rode along the Delaware River in New Jersey: Next morning, from a Walmart parking lot in Newburgh, New York, Michael and I unloaded and packed the bikes. We followed sweet little roads through the Delaware Water Gap area of New Jersey, quiet and densely forested, across a tiny toll bridge over the Delaware to the Pennsylvania side. (Right around there I once saw a black bear cub.) We had another remarkably long stretch of serene riding, narrow roads winding through woods and

Rush's Clockwork Angels Tour Resumes Tonight in Bridgeport, CT

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After a well-earned ten-day rest following the launch of their Clockwork Angels World Tour, Rush is set to take the stage once again tonight at the Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The band will be touring over the next three weeks before taking their next break. This leg will cover primarily the East Coast of the United States and Canada with stops Toronto, Montreal, Philadelphia, New York, Newark (NJ) and as far west as Cleveland. As most fans know by now, the set list from the first leg of the tour changed nightly. There is some speculation that additional changes may creep into the set list on this latest leg. We'll continue to track the set list changes as they occur. For those attending tonight's show in Bridgeport, and the future shows on this leg, have a great time! If anyone takes photos from the upcoming shows, we'd love to see them and post them on the site. To see some great photos from every show on the first leg, visit the Tour Dates

Premiere Guitar Interview: Rush's Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee

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The digital edition of Premiere Guitar Magazine has just posted a lengthy interview/article with both Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson. Titled Glittering Prizes, No Compromises , the interview takes a deep look into the creation of Clockwork Angels as well as Rush's history and influence on other musicians. From the article: With the release of this year’s Clockwork Angels, the Canadian legends prove they haven’t changed their devil-may-care attitude one bit. A steampunk concept album that finds the band bringing subtle keyboard and piano elements back into the mix, Clockwork is chock-full of classic Rush hallmarks—from Lifeson’s gloriously echoing, “Limelight”- like solo in “The Anarchist” to Lee’s jaw-droppingly nimble-fingered breakdown in “Caravan” and the newfound fire in Peart’s drum work. But there are also fresh elements that make it perhaps the band’s most listenable outing in years. Lee’s singing, particularly on the beautifully simple “The Garden,” exhibits more control

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Plays The Music Of Rush Tribute Album Coming in November

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Coming November 13th on both CD and Vinyl is a new Rush tribute album of the classical music nature: The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Plays The Music Of Rush . From the press release: From the world-famous orchestra that brought you symphonic interpretations of Queen, Pink Floyd and ABBA comes a brand new set of studio recordings celebrating the music of Canadian Prog Rock legends, Rush! Includes dramatic reinterpretations of the Rush classics Tom Sawyer, The Spirit Of Radio, Red Barchetta, Limelight and more! Conducted by BAFTA award winning musician and composer Richard Harvey! The complete track list of nine songs are: 1. 2112 Overture 2. The Spirit Of Radio 3. Tom Sawyer 4. Red Barchetta 5. Subdivisions 6. Fly By Night 7. Closer To The Heart 8. Limelight 9. Working Man Classical music interpretations of Rush albums is nothing new. Tribute albums such as 2002's Exit...Stage Right: The String Quartet Tribute to Rush and 2005's The String Quartet Tribute to

Clockwork Angels Charting Update - Week #16

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Week Sixteen had Clockwork Angels moving back up in the charts, albeit by only one spot. The album is now sitting in the #116 spot in Billboard's Top 200 Album List . Here's how the album is performing across all Billboard Charts : Top 200 Albums: #116 - up 1 spot from last week. Top Rock Albums: #44 -- down 2 spots from last week. Top Hard Rock Albums: #7 -- down 1 spot from last week. At sixteen weeks, Clockwork Angels has surpassed Snakes & Arrows' charting life which fell out of the Top 200 in its sixteenth week; failing to ever re-enter the charts. On a related note, The Wreckers held on to the #7 spot in the Mainstream Rock Charts . Haven't purchased your copy of Clockwork Angels yet? If so, you can do so HERE . Related News Stories [ Clockwork Angels Charting Update - Week #15 - September 21st, 2012] [ Clockwork Angels Charting Update - Week #14 - September 21st, 2012] [ Clockwork Angels Charting Update - Week #13 - September 13

Rush Finally Nominated for Induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

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Update (1:00pm EST): Rush have posted a response to the nomination on their website : “We are honored to be among the nominees for this year’s Rock ‘N Roll Hall of Fame. We are especially thrilled for the many, many dedicated RUSH fans to whom this nomination is so very important.” – Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart Look out the window and you might just see some pigs flying around. At long, LONG last, Rush has made the nomination list for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2013. Both Billboard Magazine as well as The R&RHOF Facebook Page have confirmed the news. Nominees for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2013 have been announced. Rush, Deep Purple, Heart, Procol Harum, The Paul Butterfield Blues Band and Randy Newman are among the names being submitted to voters for next year's induction honors. Also on the list are Donna Summer, Chic, Joan Jett, Albert King, Kraftwerk, The Meters, N.W.A. and Public Enemy. Other than Heart, Joan Jett and Chic, this

Win Autographed Neil Peart Items in the Taking Center Stage Book Contest

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Update (10/16/2012): The contest is now over. Here's a list of the winners. Congratulations to all of them! Sam Olson – Autographed Coffee Mug Mark Gausel – Autograped Far & Away Novel Doug Sadowski – Framed Autographed Statement from Taking Center Stage DVD Rich Ranus – Autographed Anatomy of a Drum Solo Poster Joseph Pesch – Autographed Anatomy of a Drum Solo Poster Click HERE to view the answers to the trivia questions. Less than 20% of the entries answered all the questions correctly. Clearly, the "bass drum" question tripped a lot of people up as the correct answer was 2 . Thanks again for all those who participated - and to Joe Bergamini and Hudson Music for sponsoring this contest. Last month, we let you know that Hudson Music was preparing to release the official companion book to last year's NEIL PEART: TAKING CENTER STAGE - a lifetime of live performance instructional DVD. The book, which has been available for sale at the merchandise tables

Rush Clockwork Angels Tour Update: First Leg Complete

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Rush have just completed the first leg of their Clockwork Angels Tour after performing at the Rexall Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada last night. The band will now take a ten-day break before resuming the tour on October 10th at the Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The band will then continue throughout the East Coast of the U.S. and Canada during October before their next break during the first week of November. By all accounts, the tour has been a rousing success. Fans and critics alike have been dazzled by the band's performance which has been highlighted by some incredible lighting and pyrotechnic effects. The addition of the string ensemble to the tour has also been met with great enthusiasm while the nightly adjustments to the set lists have provided a sense of spontaneity that arguably has been absent from the most recent Rush tours. Some fantastic photos from nearly every show are available on the Tour Dates page. Please contact me if you'd like

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