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Showing posts from 2014

Rush 2015 Tour Rumors Begin To Gain Steam

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Despite recent favorable comments from both Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson about a potential Rush tour in 2015, nothing has been formally announced. If anything, comments also made by Neil Peart suggest he's thoroughly enjoying his time off so, up until now, it seemed fairly certain that Rush would not tour any time soon (certainly not in the spring of 2015 as originally suggested). Now, however, some leaked unconfirmed tour dates has opened up the speculation game. Yesterday, two 2015 tour dates appeared - and then disappeared - from various concert ticket sites including Ticketmaster. The dates in question were a June 23rd show at the TD Garden in Boston and a June 29th show at Madison Square Garden in New York City. I've also heard from a very reliable source that the band is schedule to perform at the Scottrade Center in St.Louis sometime in June. Granted, this is all very sketchy information and I was prepared to disregard it until something a little more concrete was

Rush R40 Bonus Content Now Available as a Free Download

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When Rush released their concert video box-set R40 in early November, a special edition of the set was made available at both Best Buy and the Rush Backstage Club . This special edition included an additional DVD disc dubbed the "R40 Completist". Now, Eagle Rock Entertainment has made the "Completist" content available for free download at www.r40bonus.com . The band also released a special trailer for the special edition box-set via Best Buy which can be viewed at this LINK . For complete liner notes and box-set artwork of the R40 Box Set, please click HERE . To purchase R40 , click HERE . Thanks to reader RushFanForever for the news.

Rush Performance on 'The Colbert Report' Among the 10 Most Memorable Moments

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Back in 2008, a turning-point in the popularity of Rush occurred; they made their first appearance on American television in more than 30 years with a memorable visit and performance on The Colbert Report . Now, six years later as the show is set to wind down, the Wall Street Journal takes a look at the 10 Memorable Moments From ‘The Colbert Report’ which includes Rush's appearance: Rush Make Their First American Television Appearance in 33 Years July 16, 2008 One of the earliest “gets” of “The Colbert Report” was Canadian prog-rock band Rush, who chose the Comedy Central show as the setting for their first American television appearance in more than 30 years. The gimmick was that Colbert’s director, Jimmy, was a huge Rush fan, and Colbert invited the band on the show because he had lost a bet. Unfortunately, video of Colbert’s interview with the group and its subsequent performance of “Tom Sawyer” isn’t available, but for those of us who remember it vividly, one of the best

'Tis the Season - A Great Collection of Rush-Themed Gifts Now Available

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With the 2015 holiday season upon us, what better time to share the gift of Rush with a friend or loved one? Aside from the usual collection of music CD's and concert films from the band, there are a plethora of other Rush-themed gifts to choose from. For the gambler, there are several collections of Rush playing cards to choose from including a beautiful Gift Tin which houses two separate deck of cards. Also new this year is a Rush Sectors Playing Cards set. Of course you can also choose from a single deck of cards if you prefer. For the food afficionados, you can carry your lunch in style with the new Rush Lunchbox or drink your favorite hot beverage in a 2112 Coffee Mug . Feel like giving someone a challenging gift? Perhaps the Rush Signals 1000 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle will fit the bill. Of course you can never go wrong with the more surreal Rush Bobblehead Dolls :-) Of course one of the most popular items in the Rush world are t-shirts, and there are plenty to cho

Neil Peart of Rush: The World’s Audience (The Interview)

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Neil Peart appears on the cover of the December 2014 issue of Rockcellar Magazine . Inside the issue is a lengthy interview with the Rush percussionist titled Neil Peart of Rush: The World’s Audience (The Interview) . The topics covered include Neil's newest book Far & Near , the Clockwork Angels graphic novel, writing and more. Here are some excerpts from the interview: RCM: How are decisions made in Rush? NP: Something I always say about a band of three, especially like us, is we can’t be a democracy. You can’t have two against one. It’s never going to work it, has to be consensus. You have to keep working on something and then it goes back to something we talked about a little while earlier, you have to keep plugging away. We’ve had songs that the two of us like and the other one doesn’t. RCM: Do you enjoy revisiting both your first books and early Rush albums? NP: Well, with my first book, The Masked Rider, yes, I can still live with it. Musically, I’m more satisfi

Rush to Reissue Mercury-Era Albums Throughout 2015

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Update (12/10/2014): Amazon Pre-Ordering Links for most of the upcoming vinyl releases are now available below: Fly By Night - [ Vinyl ] - [ Blu-Ray Audio ] Caress of Steel - [Vinyl] 2112 - [Vinyl] All The World's a Stage - [Vinyl] A Farewell to Kings - [ Vinyl ] - [ Blu-Ray Audio ] Hemispheres - [Vinyl] Permanent Waves - [Vinyl] Moving Pictures - [Vinyl] Exit...Stage Left - [Vinyl] Signals - [ Vinyl ] - [ Blu-Ray Audio ] Grace Under Pressure - [Vinyl] Yesterday we reported that Rush was preparing to release Fly By Night on Vinyl and high definition Blu-Ray audio format in January. Today, Rush.Com have just announced that that is just the beginning. According to the band, 14 Mercury-era albums will be reissued throughout 2015. From the announcement: 12 MONTHS OF RUSH: 14 Albums from Mercury era for release in 2015 All titles will be reissued on high-quality VINYL with a download card for Digital Audio version, high resolution Digital Audio releases,

Neil Peart News, Weather, and Sports Update - December (July) 2014 - "Bamm Bamm and the Lemon Slug"

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Neil Peart has just posted a new edition of his "News, Weather, and Sports" blog entry on his website . This entry, which is dated as July 2014 even though he's had several entries since that date, is titled quite interestingly Bamm Bamm and the Lemon Slug . As it turns out, Neil participated in the annual 24 Hours of LeMons "racing" event in Tooele, Utah. From his entry: Your reporter poses with his full-face helmet and fireproof gloves, wearing his fireproof suit, socks, long underwear, and shoes (I know—red; they were out of black, see, and I thought, “Okay—I will rock those red shoes”). I am about to take my first driving shift in the “24 Hours of LeMons,” in Tooele, Utah. (Pronounced “Too-ill-uh.”) The endurance racing series, punning on the famous 24-hour race in Le Mans, France, was conceived around 2006 by journalist Jay Lamm. His mission was to give low-budget enthusiasts an opportunity to race—safely and humorously. Explained in Mr. Lamm’s own pi

Rush's Fly By Night May Receive a 40th Anniversary Vinyl Reissue

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Update: MusicTap has just confirmed the re-issue of Fly By Night stating that it will also be released in the Blu-Ray Audio format. From the announcement: With Blu-ray Audio creeping into the audiophile’s world, it is now the time for those adopting bands that have rabid audiences to bring their music out in the new format to assure their fans the best format to enjoy them with. On January 27, Mercury Records will reissue a Blu-ray Audio version of Fly By Night, their 1975 classic that introduced drummer extraordinaire, Neil Peart to an adoring fan-base. Click HERE for more information. Ordering links outside of the UK are still not available but expected to be announced soon. Rush's sophomore release Fly By Night will be turning 40 next year, specifically on February 15th, and it now seems possible that Rush may re-issue the album on vinyl to celebrate the occasion. A new listing for the album has just appeared on the United Kingdom version of Amazon . The release date is s

Clockwork Angel's Inspired "The Anarchist" Fine Art Print Now Available

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For a number of years now, Graham Whieldon, the UK based digital artist, has created some stunning Rush-inspired fine art. Last August he announced a new project; one that centered around Rush's Clockwork Angels album. Today, that vision as become a reality with the introduction of "The Anarchist" At this end of Chronos Square thunders a nightmarish double-decker carousel that holds the fate of all within the decrepit skeletal cage of it's clattering frame, the ultimate wheel of fortune - pick a card; bet your life. To help celebrate the release of Graham's latest artwork, he's holding a special contest geared specifically towards Rush fans. From his announcement: Spot The RUSH References Competition Now that The Anarchist is complete it's time for some Festive fun, and the chance to win yourself a Limited Edition Macrograph of your choice from my collection. Within the Anarchist picture, I have painted 22 deliberate Rush references - excluding cl

Clockwork Angels: The Comic Scripts Companion Book Now Available

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With the sixth and final installment of the Clockwork Angels Comic Book series released, author Kevin J. Anderson has just announced the release of a companion book titled Clockwork Angels: The Comic Scripts which is now available in both print and e-book form from Amazon.Com . From the listing: Clockwork Angels is a steampunk fantasy adventure—and an innovative multimedia feast! Based on a story and lyrics by legendary drummer Neil Peart, Clockwork Angels became the worldwide bestselling concept album by Rush and was developed into a New York Times bestselling and award-winning novel by Kevin J. Anderson. Anderson and Peart, working with comics artist Nick Robles, brought the epic tale to a visual canvas, a six-issue graphic novel published by BOOM! Studios. Clockwork Angels: The Comic Scripts pulls aside the creative curtain, showing the original scripts, panel by panel, interactions between author and artist, as well as all the secret “Easter eggs” intentionally planted thro

Rush's R40 Box Set Enters the Billboard Charts at #2

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Rush's latest offering, the R40 box set, has entered the Billboard Music Video Sales chart at the #2 spot. Even though the last four video releases from Rush (Clockwork Angels, Time Machine Tour, Snakes & Arrows Live and Replay X3) all entered the charts at the #1 spot, a #2 showing for R40 is still impressive given its roughly $100 price point. It will, however, be interesting to see how long R40 will remain on the charts. The Clockwork Angels tour video remained on the charts for an impressive 43 weeks while the similarly packaged Replay X3 only lasted for a total of 11 weeks. For more information on the R40 box set, including complete liner notes, tracks, artwork and more, click HERE . To purchase R40 , click HERE . Thanks to Ed from RushIsABand for passing along the news.

Alex Lifeson Limited Edition Signed Prints Now Available

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Over the past few years, including this year , Alex Lifeson has participated in the " Brush of Hope " charity auction, producing and donating original artwork to the cause. This year, Alex's painting fetched an impressive $10,100 in the auction. Now, the The Kidney Foundation of Canada have just announced the availability of two limited-edition signed prints by Alex Lifeson from previous charity auctions: Now, the Kidney Foundation of Canada - Atlantic Branch and Alex have teamed up to produce these two limited edition set of prints. Only 300 prints have been made of Self Portrait #1 and only 200 prints have been made of Greek Salad. Each print is numbered and Alex Lifeson has personally signed each individual print. That's right, each print has Alex Lifeson's ORIGINAL signature on it. The print is on high quality, heavy stock. In addition, each print comes with a Certificate of Authenticity, signed by the Executive Director of the Atlantic Canada Branch of

Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson Talk ‘R40′, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Future of Rush

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Radio.com has posted a new, lengthy Q&A session with both Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson where, among other topics, the question about 'What's next' for Rush was addressed: Do you think you’ll tour again before going back into the studio? Lifeson: I don’t know. Some days I feel like being back out on the road and taking advantage of the fact that it’s our 40th anniversary, and on other days, I kind of sit around here messing with musical ideas and I think, “We’ve got to get together and start writing.” I think that whatever we do, it’s not going to be until next year. I was over at Ged’s the other day, in fact—he’s just redone his little [home] studio, [and] we were both chomping at the bit to get together and start writing. He wants to try out his millions of new bass guitars that he’s got now. So we’ll do some writing, and we’ll see where that goes. Lee: I just want to play. I wouldn’t mind going back on tour. I’m really dying to play, I have all of these new old in

Geddy Lee Answers Fan Twitter Questions in New Rolling Stone Article

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Geddy Lee admits he's not big on social media in a new interview that was just posted on Rolling Stone magazine's website. So too offset his absence from the social media scene, he decided to answer some fan tweets such as: I'm going to move on to questions we solicited from Twitter. Why isn't 2112 21 minutes and 12 seconds long? It's just a few seconds more to make a great effect. [Laughs] I think we recorded that before digital clocks and we weren't paying that much attention to that aspect. It's like a baseball player I read about once that retired when he had 2,999 hits. In those days, they didn't keep track and with one more he would have been in the 3,000 club. Geddy also talks in length about the next possible tour and what songs the band may perform: How about the two books of "Cygnus"? Ah, well, that would be cool. Yeah, that would be super cool. "Cut To The Chase"? I like that song. I don't know if the others guy

Celebrate Rush Week with CBC Music

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To help celebrate the release of Rush's latest box-set R40 , CBC Music has just posted a number of articles and special features on Rush, including a new retrospective piece written by Dave Bidini, the Canadian musician and writer who was a founding member of the rock band Rheostatics, and currently performs with Bidiniband. Click any of the following to access all of the 'Rush Week' CBC content: Neil Peart's Guide to Neil Peart's Drums Neil Peart on the 10 best Rush songs ever Rush, a legacy: 40 years of being unapologetically uncool Rush: 40 things you didn't know about the legendary prog rockers Win a Rush R40 box set by proving you are the world's biggest Rush fan From Trailer Park Boys to Freaks and Geeks, a brief history of Rush in pop culture An MPC full of Geddy Lee: 11 great songs that sample Rush

Geddy Lee Performs "The Seeker" at 'The Who Hits 50!' Benefit Concert

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As we reported last month, Geddy Lee was one of numerous musicians taking part of 'The Who Hits 50!' Benefit Concert which was in support of the Teenage Cancer Trust . The concert took place last night and, as somewhat expected, Geddy was front and center performing his (and Rush's) rendition of the Who's classic "The Seeker". As fans know, Rush covered 'The Seeker' on their 2004 cover's album Feedback . The MC for the evening, Chris Evans, introduced Geddy who said the following before his performance: Well, Hello! Very happy to be here to celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Who for the Teenage Cancer Trust. Thank you all for supporting the Teenage Cancer Trust. This is The Seeker! Geddy was joined on stage with The Who's house band during 'The Seeker'. Check out The Who's Facebook Page for a full report on the benefit concert. Numerous videos of Geddy's performance have appeared online, including this one . Thanks t

New Rolling Stone Interview with Geddy Lee States that Rush are Undecided on 2015 Tour

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With the release of their newest box set, Rush: R40 , Rolling Stone magazine took the opportunity to speak with Geddy Lee about the offering and the band's plans to tour in 2015: In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Geddy Lee says that announcement may have been a bit premature. "We're still talking," he says. "Everybody has a different idea how they want to spend the next couple of years, so we haven't come to a decision. I'm ready and happy to play if everyone else agrees. I think in the next couple of months we'll decide to do something or not." Geddy was referring to Alex Lifeson's earlier statement signaling the band would be touring in 2015. He went on to say: "It's one of those things where everybody enjoyed their break so much. It doesn't feel like it was very long ago that we played our last show in Kansas City. So it's like, 'Do we have to talk about this already?' But slowly we're getting around to f

Win a Neil Peart Autographed 12 Year Old Bottle of The Macallan Whiskey

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The organizers of RUSHfest Scotland , Scotland's premiere convention for Rush fans, are hosting a worldwide raffle where one lucky winner will receive a 12 year old bottle of The Macallan whisky signed by Neil Peart. The proceeds of the raffle will be donated to the Macmillan Cancer Support . From the announcement: The 12 year old Macallan, which will come with a certificate of authenticity, is no longer in production and sure to go up in value within the whisky collector community. www.themacallan.com/the-whisky/sherry-oak/sherry-oak-12/ It is a well known fact amongst RUSH fans that Neil Peart’s favourite tipple after a show or a bike ride is a ‘wee measure’ of Macallan! Here are just a couple of quotes from his self-penned travelogue books... Each drawing entry is just £5 GBP (~$8 USD), and is open worldwide. The more you donate, the more times you get entered into the raffle as each multiple of £5 GBP counts as an additional entry in the raffle. The drawing will be

Neil Peart: A Rare, Intimate Interview with George Stroumboulopoulos Airs This Sunday

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Update: The complete, unedited video interview is now online at this LINK while the full radio episode can be accessed HERE . For more information, please click HERE . Neil Peart was recently interviewed by George Stroumboulopoulos regarding the release of Neil's latest book Far and Near: On Days Like These . The interview will air this Sunday evening, November 9th on CBC Radio 2's The Strombo Show with George Stroumboulopoulos. From the press release: "One likes to believe in the freedom of music..." The Strombo Show will run the gamut this Sunday night, keeping the spirit of radio alive by delivering the best records in the best order. It's a show for music lovers by music lovers. We'll be ranging over three hours of commercial-free music to honour both old and new. George Stroumboulopoulos will be joined by Neil Peart, drummer and lyricist of the legendary band RUSH, for a rare and intimate conversation from George's home. Aside from being

Rush Premiere "The Loser" featuring John Rutsey

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Last week, Rush premiered one of the bonus tracks from their upcoming R40 boxset. The track, "I’ve Been Runnin'" was recorded during the band's concert at the Laura Secord Secondary School in St. Catharines, Ontario during the Spring of 1974. The latest track also from that performance is called "The Loser": Radio.com has posted another segment of their interview with Alex Lifeson where they discuss the track: What do you remember about the song “The Loser?” I honestly don’t remember that song, and I didn’t remember it until I actually saw the footage of us playing it. And I didn’t remember it was called ‘The Loser.” So much for my memory! We wrote so many songs in the early days, and half of them fell by the wayside. A while back, Alex uncovered a demo tape that he and I had done for copyright purposes. Since we couldn’t write music, the only way you could submit a song for copyright in those days was, you’d record it. Alex would play guitar and I wo

Special NYC Event with Geddy Lee

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Rush.Com has just announced that there will be a special event in New York City on Friday, November 7 with Geddy Lee: Rush fans in the NYC area: On Friday, November 7, Geddy Lee will be taping a special episode of Speakeasy with his friend and author, Michael Chabon. Front & Center Presents Speakeasy: An intimate conversation with Geddy Lee of Rush Location: New York, NY | McKittrick Hotel (542 W 27th St, New York, NY 10001) Event time: 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm There will be 50 tickets available for this event for fans to be in the studio audience that will go on-sale on Tuesday, Nov 4 at 10am ET. https://www.citiprivatepass.com/landing/speak_easy_geddy_lee.html Rush.com will also be giving away a few pairs so stay tuned for your chance to win! We'll have more news as it becomes available.

Ultimate Classic Rock Lists the Top 10 Rush Songs of the 1970's

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Ultimate Classic Rock, the online Classic and Hard Rock music magazine, has just posted a list of their Top 10 Rush songs from the band's first official decade: the 1970's: The Top 10 Rush songs demonstrate how Canada's favorite power trio have always been more than the sum of their parts. Now obviously, those pieces — guitarist Alex Lifeson, bassist / vocalist Geddy Lee and drummer Neil Peart are at the head of the class when it comes to musicianship, but there is more than just virtuosity at play. One thing that often gets lost in translation is that Rush really do have a grand sense of humor. So if you are taking them more seriously than they take themselves, what can we tell ya? We think they're just peachy. So let's get ready to take off with the Top 10 Rush Songs of the '70s. Any list of this nature is, ultimately, subjective however there were some interesting entries including the often overlooked 'What You're Doing' from the band's self

Alex Lifeson Talks About Rush's Long-Lost Song "I’ve Been Runnin"

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With the upcoming release of Rush's R40 Box Set this November 10th, Radio.Com took the opportunity to sit down with Alex Lifeson to discuss the release and, in particular, the bonus disk which includes some rare and never-before-seen Rush performances: Tell me about the song “I’ve Been Runnin'”; not only had I never heard it, I’d never heard of it. John wrote the lyrics back then. Geddy and I would generally write the music. Sometimes we would have band rehearsals and it would be all three of us, but it was always difficult to work out songs like that. It was easier for us to work on the music together and then teach it to John and go from there. We still do that with Neil [Peart], in fact. John did write the lyrics in those days for the most part. It was so weird when he didn’t want us to use his lyrics on the first album when we started to record it. It was a very strange time for us, just before he left the band. But to be honest with you, I’d totally forgotten about “I’

Neil Peart's Time Machine / Clockwork Angels Tour Kit on Display at Just Drums in Toronto

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Update: Click HERE for a fantastic photo gallery of Neil's kit from this event. Roland Canada has just announced that Neil Peart's drum kit from Rush's Time Machine and Clockwork Angels tour will be on display at Just Drums in Toronto on November 15th. Neil's long-time drum tech, Lorne Wheaton, will be on hand at the event: ...Get your picture taken with Neil's kit, chat with Lorne, and learn how this Hybrid Kit all works. Join Roland Canada V-Drums Specialist Darren Schoepp at 1pm and 3pm for an Interactive Presentation that includes the history of Neil Peart and V-Drums, a detailed look at the technology of the Time Machine Kit, and a Q&A session with Darren and Lorne. Come see an exclusive custom TD-30KV Steam Punk themed V-Drums kit honoring Neil, and check out many other custom V-Drums finishes. Additional Experience: hands-on Hybrid kit demo stations, V-Drums test drive zone, one day V-Drums Contest, V-Drums Specialists demonstrations, and in-store

Alex Lifeson Participates in the 2014 Kidney Foundation's "A Brush of Hope" Charity Auction

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Update: Click HERE to access the auction of Alex's painting. As he has done numerous times in the past, Alex Lifeson has once again created a painting which will be auctioned off for this year's A Brush of Hope charity auction, an event sponsored by The Kidney Foundation of Canada . Last year's self-portrait submission fetched an impressive $7,600 at auction and given the subject matter of this year's entry , the bidding could certainly exceed that impressive mark. The 2014 Brush of Hope Masquerade Gala and silent auction took place last night at the Fredericton Convention Centre in Fredericton, NB. The live eBay auction kicks off today, October 31st at 12PM and will run through Sunday, November 9th. For the latest up-to-date information on the auction and other news, please make sure to follow A Brush of Hope's Facebook Page . Thanks to Ed from RushIsABand for passing along the news.

Geddy Lee to Perform in "An Evening Of Who Music" Benefit Concert

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The Who's Facebook Page has just announced an upcoming benefit concert in support of the Teenage Cancer Trust . According to the announcement , Geddy Lee will be among some of the "...best artists in the world all performing Who classics..." that evening: An evening of music in aid of Teenage Cancer Trust The house band for the evening is The Who's band featuring Simon Townshend, Zak Starkey, Pino Palladino, Billy Nicholls, Frank Simes, Loren Gold and John Coury, and they will be joined onstage by some of the best artists in the world all performing Who classics. Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder, Liam Gallagher, Ricky Wilson from the Kaiser Chiefs, Manic Street Preachers’ James Dean Bradfield, Geddy Lee from Rush , The Strypes, Brody Dalle, Tom Odell, Amy Macdonald, Andy Burrows and Rizzle Kicks as well more to be announced soon, have chosen their favourite WHO songs to perform in aid of Teenage Cancer Trust. The concert will take place on November 11th at the O2 Shepher

Grapes Under Pressure 3 Charity Event Update: Message from Geddy Lee and Photo Gallery Now Online

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Over the past month, both Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson were busy supporting the Grapes For Humanity charity organization, whose main focus is to provide a better quality of life for victims and survivors of disasters. Earlier this month, there was a charity auction that contained numerous Rush related items. The auction was a tremendous success and raised thousands of dollars for the cause. Geddy Lee recently posted a message at Rush.Com thanking all those who participated in the auction: On behalf of Alex, myself and the entire GUP team I'd like to say a huge ginormous THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH to all of our fans, friends, and followers who took the time and spent their hard earned money to support this Grapes Under Pressure 3 Ebay auction in support of Grapes for Humanity Canada. Your money will go a super long way to help rebuild health care facilities in the Philippines that were damaged or destroyed in the Haiyan Typhoon. You have helped a lot of people! Thank you all for

Miniature Replicas of Neil Peart's "Hockey Theme" and "Time Machine Tour" Drum Kits Now Available from Axe Heaven

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Over the years, Axe Heaven has produced a number of hand-crafted miniature guitars and drums from a variety of rock stars including a great collection for Rush. The company has just announced two new entries into their Rush collection - both replicas of two of Neil Peart's drum kits. The first miniature reproduction is of The Hockey Kit used by Neil Peart to record his version of "The Hockey Theme" for TSN's NHL broadcasts. Similar to the original, The Hockey Kit features the logos of the original six NHL teams. The second miniature reproduction is based on the kit Neil used during Rush's Time Machine and Clockwork Angesl tours. Click here to view the kit in more detail. Each AXE HEAVEN® ornamental replica drum set is about a 1:4 scale and is individually handmade from solid wood & metal parts. Each bass drum is approximately 3.5” in width and comes complete with all the parts shown (minimal assembly required). These beautifully handcrafted min

Geddy Lee Featured in "The Mind of the Baseball Collector" Documentary

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Airing on Monday, October 13th at 7pm on Canada's SportsNet is a documentary titled "The Mind of the Baseball Collector" which features, among other baseball collecting enthusiasts, Geddy Lee: The Mind of the Baseball Collector looks at the addictive world of sports memorabilia collecting. The past comes to life through the collections and stories of: rock legend Geddy Lee, eclectic collector and lawyer Allan Stitt and the Guinness Book of World Records holder of the most autographed baseballs, Dennis Schrader. "The Mind of the Baseball Collector" marks the final edition in a series of baseball documentaries produced by Fadoo Productions ; the same production company behind some of the more recent Rush concert films. Geddy's love of baseball is well known. In 2008 he donated nearly 200 autographed baseballs to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and, more recently, he purchased the film rights to Dave Bidini's Baseballissimo . A short trailer for th

Far and Near: An Interview with Neil Peart

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In connection with the release of his latest book, Neil Peart recently sat down with Phil Simon for an interview that has now been published in the Huffington Post : From a very early age, I've been a fan of the Canadian trio Rush. I recently had a chance to sit down with Neil Peart, the band's longtime drummer and lyricist. A prolific writer, Peart has just published Far and Near: On Days Like These, his latest collection of observations and stories. He was kind enough to send me a signed copy and I've been poring through it. Like his other texts, one not need to be a Rush fan to appreciate Peart's story telling. It's a beautiful text, rife with interesting photos, anecdotes, and factoids, as well as the occasional political commentary. For instance, the 2013 government shutdown of national parks nearly derailed Peart's travel plans. Click HERE to read the entire interview. Additionally, before conducting the interview with Neil, Phil was asking fans for

Neil Peart News, Weather, and Sports Update - October 2014 - "Science Island"

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After skipping over September, Neil Peart has returned with a new update to his "News, Weather, and Sports" website blog with an October 2014 entry titled Science Island . Neil begins this entry talking about his time spent in the Laurentian Mountains of Quebec; a location he has vacationed in for thirty-four years (and counting) of his life. He reveals that his favorite spot in the world is Lac St. Brutus, a lake which has four major islands, each about an acre in size, one of which Neil owned for a number of years: "...For all of August (the heart of summer, just as February is the heart of winter) I was fortunate to be at the lake, with Carrie and Olivia joining me for two weeks in the middle. (Leaving a solitary “reading week” on each side—hurray!) Nearly every day, five-year-old Olivia and I liked to venture out on the lake in our small electric boat, or in my sleek rowboat, and we often stopped at that little island. While pulling the boat up on the rocky shore,

Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson Donate Numerous Items for Grapes Under Pressure 3 Charity Ebay Auction

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Rush.com recently announced that Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson have once again donated some incredible Rush-related items for the Grapes for Humanity Canada charity organization: "...Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson will launch the most rock memorabilia on eBay as part of their Grapes Under Pressure 3 initiative in support of Grapes for Humanity, an organization that helps to raise funds to benefit humanitarian causes around the world with the assistance of the international wine community. Included in this auction will be a wide range of rare, vintage & autographed Rush items! We’ve already unveiled Geddy’s shoes worn on the R30 tour and the awesome 1980’s era Rush road case. These items and more start rolling out at 6pm ET until 10pm ET tonight, so check back in to see what other goodies get revealed and make your bid! The auction closes in 10 days on October 13. View the GUP3auction items here: www.ebay.ca/sch/grapes4humanity and BID!. ALL proceeds will be directed to G

Five Rush Albums Appear on PROG Magazine's "100 Greatest Prog Albums of All Time" List

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PROG Magazine's August 2014 issue included a compiled list of the 100 Greatest Prog Albums of All Time as voted on by "Thousands of readers and musicians..." While no Rush albums cracked the Top 10 on the list, there were five albums in total from the band's catalog that did appear throughout the list. Those albums, and their positions, were: 69. Permanent Waves (Rush) 53. A Farewell to Kings (Rush) 23. Hemispheres (Rush) 15. 2112 (Rush) 13. Moving Pictures (Rush) The albums occupying the Top 3 spots were: 3. Selling England by the Pound (Genesis) 2. In the Court of the Crimson King (King Crimson) 1. Close to the Edge (Yes) Of all the bands that were represented on the list, only Yes (7), Marillion (6), Pink Floyd (6) and Genesis (6) had more albums. The entire list, including the comments on the five selected Rush albums, can be viewed online via this LINK .

Neil Peart's New Book "Far and Near: On Days Like These" Now Available

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As a follow-up to his 2011 book FAR and AWAY: A Prize Every Time , Neil Peart and ECW Press have just released Far and Near: On Days Like These : Whether navigating the backroads of Louisiana or Thuringia, exploring the snowy Quebec woods, or performing onstage at Rush concerts, Neil Peart has stories to tell. His first volume in this series, Far and Away , combined words and images to form an intimate, insightful narrative that won many readers. Now Far and Near brings together reflections from another three years of an artist’s life as he celebrates seasons, landscapes, and characters, travels roads and trails, receives honors, climbs mountains, composes and performs music. With passionate insight, wry humor, and an adventurous spirit, once again Peart offers a collection of open letters that take readers on the road, behind the scenes, and into the inner workings of an ever-inquisitive mind. These popular stories, originally posted on Peart’s website, are now collected and cont

Alex Lifeson to participate in the 7th Annual Scott Medlock-Robby Krieger Invitational Golf Tournament and All-Star Concert

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Earlier this week, the line-up for the 7th Annual Scott Medlock-Robby Krieger Invitational Golf Tournament and All-Star Concert was announced and Alex Lifeson will be among the line-up of stars and musicians taking place in the charity event. From the announcement : The seventh annual Scott Medlock-Robby Krieger Invitational Golf Tournament and All-Star Concert will return to Moorpark Country Club on Mon., Sept. 22 for the benefit of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The event will be hosted by artist Scott Medlock, renowned for his paintings in the world of sports, and Robby Krieger, the legendary Doors lead guitarist. The event has raised nearly $1 million for St. Jude, and the fundraising goal this year is $300,000. Microsemi Mercedes-Benz of Long Beach, Waste Management and Monster Energy are sponsors of the day-long event, which will kick off with a golf tournament at 10:30 a.m., followed by a 19thhole reception presented by A La Maison, Mastro's Steakhouse and

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