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Showing posts from August, 2015

Alex Lifeson Celebrates His 62nd Birthday!

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Alex Lifeson, one of the founding members of Rush and the band's seminal guitarist, is celebrating his 62nd birthday today. It was on this date back in 1953 that Rush Guitarist Alex Lifeson (born Aleksandar Zivojinovich) came into the world in Fernie, British Columbia. As Rush fans know, Lifeson co-founded the band in the summer of 1968 along with John Rutsey, the band's original drummer. Alex was also responsible for bringing front-man Geddy Lee into the mix. While Alex is obviously best known for being the guitarist for Rush, he's also the part owner of the Toronto restaurant The Orbit Room, is a licensed aircraft pilot, motorcycle rider, a gourmet cook, an artist and has also dabbled with a little acting now and again. Happy Birthday, Alex and many happy returns!

Rush Toons Books by Fantoons Now Available

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After their successful Kickstarter campaign that was launched earlier this year, Fantoons has now begun shipping their 170-page 'Rush Toons' book. From their Etsy Store : A 170-page fantoons book packed with RUSH comic strips, parodies, art and illustrations about the mother of ALL power trios. Created by David Calcano and launched in 2012, FANTOONS is an on-going comic strip that brings you comedy and art based on the greatest rock bands on the planet. We’ve released two books so far, and for this book, we’re exclusively going to cover the mighty RUSH! We’ve created comics, art, and parodies with their rich history, covers, and of course ourselves…the obsessive fans. You know… the guys that crashed their site when the R40 tour was announced; if you clicked & refreshed the page more than 4 times you are one of us. The book, which costs $40.00USD, can be ordered via this LINK . Many thanks to creator David Calcano for bringing this book to light and for keeping us in

Rush to Reissue Atlantic-Era Albums on Vinyl

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Last December, we first reported that Rush were preparing to reissue all of Rush's Mercury-era albums on Vinyl. Today, news from the band's official merchandise store, the Rush Backstage Club , has announced the release of the Atlantic era albums on vinyl as well. Beginning in September, Presto, Roll the Bones, Counterparts, Test for Echo, Feedback, and Snakes & Arrows will all receive the vinyl treatment. Each can be pre-ordered via the Backstage Club through the links below: Presto - available September 11th Roll The Bones - available September 11th Counterparts - available October 10th Test for Echo - available October 10th Feedback - available November 13th Snakes & Arrows - available November 13th Thanks to William Winsborough for the news.

Baseball Hall of Famer Randy Johnson Receives a Replica Neil Peart R30 Drum Kit at Jersey Retirement Ceremony

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Randy Johnson, aka "The Big Unit", the former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher who played from 1988 to 2009 for six teams, primarily the Seattle Mariners and Arizona Diamondbacks, had his Arizona jersey number, 51, retired in a ceremony yesterday. During the ceremony, Johnson received a very special gift - a replica Neil Peart R30 Drum Kit. Johnson, who is a drummer himself, is friends with the band, particularly Geddy Lee, and was seen in numerous venues throughout the R40 tour as the unofficial band photographer. A video of the entire jersey retirement ceremony is available via the embedded viewer below, or directly at this LINK . Johnson receives the drum kit at the 5-minute mark and his expression as it is revealed to him is, in a word, priceless. Your browser does not support iframes. Thanks to Denis Naranjo and  Joe Pesch for the news.

Canadian Consulate of Los Angeles Honors Rush for Canadian Excellence

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Last Wednesday night, prior to Rush's concert in Irvine, California, the band was honored by the Los Angeles chapter of the Canadian Consulate. In recognition of the numerous times the band had performed in Los Angeles over the years, the consulate bestowed upon Rush the first Honoree for Canadian Excellence at a special reception. Some photos and a short video were tweeted by the Consulate and can be viewed at the links below. Who else but @rushtheband could be our 1st honorees for Canadian excellence in LA? Rocked this town 36 times! pic.twitter.com/oCKVxHQFIG - Canada in L.A. (@CanCGLA) July 30, 2015 . @rushtheband say a few words at last night's celebration. pic.twitter.com/sSVApzKZ5G - Canada in L.A. (@CanCGLA) July 30, 2015 Thanks to Ed from RushIsABand for the news.

Rush's R40 Live 40th Anniversary Tour Draws to a Close in Los Angeles Tonight

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Update: There was a very touching moment at the end of Working Man. See the video below for all the highlights of the band's farewell. Update: James Fell of the Los Angeles Times has just posted a brief interview with Geddy Lee titled For Rush's Geddy Lee, touring means training . Click HERE to read it. When they turn the pages of history, Rush's history, the summer of 2015 will always be looked upon as one of the most exciting in the band's history. For more than forty years, Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart have provided generations of fans with musical memories that will last a lifetime. From their thought-provoking albums to the incredible live shows, Rush have never ceased to amaze. Yet as the old saying goes, all good things must come to an end, and so, a mere three months after it began, Rush will bring their latest chapter to an end, tonight, in Los Angeles. The R40 Live 40th Anniversary North American tour began on May 8th in Tulsa, Oklahoma and tr

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