A new book from author Daniel Bukszpan celebrating Rush's 50 year career will be released this coming fall. Rush at 50 comes in at 192 pages and is slated for release on September 17th. It will examine the history of Rush through the lens of 50 milestone events and an illustrated gatefold timeline. From the product description:

... This richly illustrated and entertainingly written book from Rush expert and music journalist Dan Bukszpan pays tribute to the trio on the 50th anniversary of their debut album by curating and examining 50 of the most significant milestones in their career.

Bukszpan covers everything down through the decades:
* The band's formation by bassist Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson in suburban Toronto and their early gigs and tours opening for the likes of Kiss
* Their breakthrough in the United States thanks to a Cleveland DJ
* The role of co-founding drummer John Rutsey
* Rush's early Led Zeppelin-influenced efforts and their breakthrough, 2112
* The band's ever-evolving musical style through the 1970s and 1980s
* The controversial influence of novelist Ayn Rand on Neil Peart's lyrics
* Geddy Lee's instantly recognizable vocal style
* Recording sessions with various producers in Wales, Quebec, and elsewhere

In examining 50 touchstones, Buszpan presents a unique look at Rush's career arc from Toronto bar band to international mega-platinum stadium fillers. Every page is illustrated with stunning concert and candid offstage photography, including gig posters, 7-inch picture sleeves, ticket stubs, and more. ...

The book is currently available for pre-order via Amazon at this location.

Back in August of 2022, South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone hosted a pair of concerts to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the show at the Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado. The setlist included a number of South Park songs mixed in with Ween and Primus tunes, along with a surprise performance from Rush's Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson of Closer to the Heart with Primus and Matt Stone on drums (video here). The concert was televised and the audio can be found on streaming services, but it will now also be available on vinyl as part of a special Record Store Day release TOMORROW, April 20th. The 3-LP set is pressed on Towelie-Blue vinyl and will be limited to 4000 copies. You can check out all the details, including the full 22-track setlist here, and get a list of participating stores here.

Grapes for Humanity is an organization that helps to raise funds to benefit humanitarian causes around the world with the assistance of the international wine community, and Geddy Lee is a member of the board of directors. The charity is currently hosting their 2024 Grapes for Humanity Canada Fine Wine Auction to raise funds to aid in the battle against the threat of climate change. The proceeds will benefit Nature Conservancy Canada, The Halo Trust, and Tree Canada. The auction kicked off a couple of weeks ago via Waddington's, and will run through this coming Monday, April 22nd. The auction includes several items of interest for Rush fans including autographed bottles of wine from Geddy Lee's personal cellar, a Geddy Lee signed book bundle, a signed Alex Lifeson Epiphone Les Paul, a signed Geddy Lee Fender Jazz bass, and dinner for 8 at Barberian's Steak House in Toronto hosted by Geddy and Alex. For all the details and registration information, visit Waddington's at this location.

A new Rush tribute project called Rush for Cover has been in the works for the past couple of years and will finally be seeing the light of day later this month. The album features nine, new interpretations of classic Rush songs by an international cast of independent, underground artists (none of whom are trios themselves), and is a tribute album created by Rush fans for Rush fans. The album will be available on opaque creamsicle and opaque sky blue vinyl along with a limited digital release, and they are now taking pre-orders at rushforcover.com. A corresponding charity auction is also now underway with all proceeds going to the Glioblastoma Foundation, The V Foundation for Cancer Research (founded by ESPN and legendary basketball coach Jim Valvano) and the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. The auction includes several unique items including the original painting used for the cover of the album by fan and artist Kelly Drew, a one-of-a-kind test pressing of the album signed by all of the artists, a stack of original Rush vinyl (including a sealed, original pressing of Clockwork Angels, various promo 12"s and original 45s). The auction will run up through the official release date next Friday April 26th. You can learn more and pre-order the album at rushforcover.com.

PopMatters posted an article this past week in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Rush's debut album. You can check that out online here. Speaking of Rush's debut album, heavy metal band Prong recently shared their cover of Working Man which appears on the band's latest album State of Emergency. This past week the band also posted an official lyric video for the track which you can check out below or on YouTube. Prong's Tommy Victor had the following to say about the cover:

... Rush had the big riffs and that's something PRONG always wants as well. Especially in the song 'Working Man' with that all-time classic opening riff. PRONG being a power trio also connects us to this great Canadian band, and ironically we're going out on tour with another great Canadian band, Vöivod! ...

Back when Neil Peart was still with us and regularly posting content to his official website at NeilPeart.net, he had a regular feature where he reviewed books he'd been reading called Bubba's Book Club. He originally shared 17 of these posts to his blog, but sadly after his passing and subsequent reformatting of the content at NeilPeart.net, there are currently only 7 available. However, Eric over at Power Windows has compiled all 17 posts and made them available in his transcript archive.

Premier Guitar posted a review of Lerxst Amps' Lerxst CHI Combo this past week, making the following conclusion:

... The Lerxst CHI combo is a convenient, versatile amp with more than enough punching power to keep up with a heavy drummer, and still sounds great when reined in to basement practice levels. While saturated rock sizzle is very much its forte, the medium-grind overdrive tones are appealing, and both cleans and clipped settings on the rhythm channel are useful and satisfying. Independent rhythm and lead gain controls would have been a plus, but the CHI combo has much to offer just as it is, whether you're a Rush fan or not.

Hall of Fame baseball pitcher (and major Rush fan) Randy Johnson was a recent guest on the Dan Patrick show and had an interesting with Dan about Rush, drumming and Neil Peart. You can listen to the interview on YouTube here at around the 12-minute mark (thanks Douglas B).

On the latest edition of Rush Roundtable on the Rushfans YouTube channel, the panel talks about Rush albums that the band could have played live in their entirety. The episode was first recorded 3 years ago, but is just now finally seeing the light of day.

That's it for this week. Have a great weekend!