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Showing posts from March, 2014

Not Fade Away: Rush’s Simple, Straight-Ahead Debut Turns 40

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A look-back at Rush's debut self-titled album was discussed in an article posted today at Radio.Com. The article is titled Not Fade Away: Rush’s Simple, Straight-Ahead Debut Turns 40 which also includes comments by Geddy Lee: “Our parents were hard-working,” Lee explains. “Life was a struggle for most people, no one was wealthy. You thought a lot about your future, and what kind of life do you want to live? Is it going to be enough for me to have that kind of life, where it’s all about work, and a beer at the end of the day and a hug from your kids, and do it all again? So, it’s kind of an ode to that guy who we worked so hard not to be, in a sense. We wanted to be musicians, and that was our ticket out of there. That was our escape for what was sort of inevitable for all of our friends and the world that we came from.” Geddy goes on to discuss the influential impact of long-time producer Terry Brown: “The first version of our first record was really crappy, and that’s when we me

Rush Plotting 41st Anniversary Tour for 2015

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Rolling Stone Magazine just published an article titled Rush Plotting 41st Anniversary Tour for 2015 . The article, quoting Alex Lifeson, indicates that there may be a new tour in the works for the Spring of 2015. From the article: Rush wrapped up their worldwide Clockwork Angels tour just seven months ago, but they're already planning a lengthy "41st anniversary" tour for 2015, according to guitarist Alex Lifeson. "The three of us just had a meeting," Lifeson tells Rolling Stone. "We said, 'Let's not talk about anything band-wise for the next year. Let's separate ourselves and come back rejuvenated.' Unfortunately, the other people at that meeting didn't hear what we were talking about, so there are already plans being made for spring of 2015. It's going to be a 41st anniversary tour, or whatever they're going to call it." The specifics of the tour are still in flux. "We haven't really talked seriously about w

Rush 2015 Wall Calendar Now Available for Pre-Order - Cover Art Revealed

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NMR Distribution has just released the cover art for the upcoming 2015 Rush Wall Calendar. Few details aside from the cover art are known about the 16-month calendar at this time, except that the measurements (12" x 12") mirror those of previously released Rush Wall Calendars. This will mark the twelfth consecutive year that a Rush Wall Calendar has been released, dating back to the original 2004 Rush Wall Calendar . The 2015 version is scheduled for release on or about July 15th and can already be pre-ordered via Amazon at this LINK . If you missed out on the 2014 calendar, you can still order it HERE , although be prepared to pay a pretty penny for it. To view all of the artwork and photographs from every Rush Wall Calendar, click HERE . Thanks to Ed from RushIsABand for the news.

Neil Peart News, Weather, and Sports Update - March 2014 - "Not All Days Are Sundays"

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Neil Peart has just posted a new update to his "News, Weather, and Sports" website blog. This March 2014 entry, his second of the new year, is titled "Not All Days Are Sundays" . The entry details an extensive vacation Neil and his family took in February in the Laurentian Mountains of Quebec. This would be the first Canadian winter experienced by Olivia; Neil's 4-year old daughter. From the entry: If this year did not quite offer “The Best February Ever” I crowed about back in 2008 (mostly to do with the weather, which has its own vagaries, of course), it was still pretty great. I was able to spend the entire month there, and in the middle, welcomed Carrie and Olivia for a week. Four-and-a-half-year-old Olivia would finally experience her true Canadian half—winter! If we Canadians know what it’s like to be alone in the snow, we also know what it’s like to be together in the snow. It was an extreme delight for me to introduce Olivia to a whole new world

Rush Ranks #35 on Billboard's List of 2013's Top Money Makers

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As they do every year, Billboard has just released a list of Music's Top 40 Money Makers of 2013, which includes concert revenues as well as sales of albums, singles, videos and more. Coming in at #35 on the list was Rush with earnings of $9,050,583.42 during the year. Not a bad amount considering they only performed in 37 shows during the year. The list was topped by Taylor Swift, who earned a whopping $39.7M during the year. Rush wasn't the only rock outfit to make the list, which was littered with plenty of pop and hip-hop acts. Bon Jovi and the Rolling Stones came in at the #4 and #5 spots respectively while Fleetwood Mac's 2013 World Tour landed them in the #10 spot. Click HERE to see who else made the list.

Alex Lifeson Helps to Raise Awareness for the Kidney Foundation of Canada

A new press release from The Kidney Foundation of Canada was recently posted regarding the launch of a free Online Risk Assessment tool. The press release also states that March is "Kidney Health" month. Alex Lifeson, whose father passed away from kidney disease, has been instrumental in raising awareness of this foundation and the disease: "Thanks to celebrity spokesperson Alex Lifeson's participation in a new public service announcement, we are able to help raise awareness of the risk factors for kidney disease. Canadians will also have a health information e-tool at their fingertips and a printed risk assessment they can share with their healthcare provider - crucial resources for their kidney health management." Thanks to Eric from Power Windows for the news.

American Idol Finalist Caleb Johnson Performs Rush's Working Man

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Tonight's episode of American Idol featured a significant Rush sighting when one of the finalists, Caleb Johnson, decided to perform Rush's classic anthem "Working Man". Caleb proclaimed that Rush was his "favorite band of all time" and that he wanted to sing one of his "favorite songs of all time". And sing it he did. Caleb's powerful vocals did the Rush song justice. The judges were largely impressed, too. Harry Connick, Jr. felt that Caleb, if not the performance, was a bit predictable while Keith Urban enjoyed the performance but suggested Caleb exit the band environment and focus more on being a solo artist. Jennifer Lopez, however, absolutely loved the performance and was "waiting for something like this all night". I uploaded a video of Caleb's introduction and performance on YouTube Hopefully you'll be able to view it before it's removed :) Caleb Johnson - Working Man - American Idol 13... by IdolxMu

Rush ReDISCovered Debut LP Box Box Set Coming April 15th

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The Rush Backstage Club has just announced the official details of the upcoming 40th Anniversary re-release of Rush's debut album. From the Backstage Club : 2014 marks the 40th anniversary of Rush's debut album. This release features their debut vinyl album re-mastered with impeccable care at Abbey Road studios by Sean Magee, who has been previously responsible for all recent Beatles vinyl re-masters. The Re-discovered vinyl is encased in a 12 x 12 high quality box. Pressed on audio-phile 200 gram vinyl on the Direct Metal Mastering process, this is the highest quality vinyl currently available. This release contains a re-production of the original 1974 Canadian retail poster (only 500 were ever originally printed) and individual Moon Records publicity photos of Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson & original drummer John Rutsey. This release also contains a first time ever Rush Family Tree, tracing origins of the band dating back to 1965 and a memorabilia collage of early C

Rush's Debut Album Released 40 Years Ago This Month

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Though the first incarnation of Rush actually began in August of 1968, it wasn't until March of 1974 when they finally released their debut, self-titled album. "Rush" would be the only album featuring the original Rush drummer and co-founder John Rutsey. Upon its release, the band drew immediate comparisons to Led Zeppelin with their heavy, straight-forward hard rock sound, but it was their "Working Man" anthem that broke them into the spotlight in the U.S.A. Rush and its management formed their own record label, Moon Records, and released the album in Canada, pressing 3,500 copies with the 'Rush' logo colored red. The album was originally scheduled for release in December 1973 however due to shortages in oil at the time, and given that vinyl is a petroleum byproduct, the album's release was delayed until March of 1974. The album would later be re-released by Mercury records on August 10th, 1974 after the band signed a contract with the record la

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