Rush is a Band

A blog devoted to RUSH:
Neil Peart, Geddy Lee & Alex Lifeson

Thu, Mar 28, 2024

Updates and other random Rush stuff

Fri, Apr 29, 2011@10:30AM | comments removed/disabled

Rush wrapped up the 1st leg of their 2011 Time Machine Tour last Friday night at the 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore, Maryland and are currently in the midst of an 11-day break. They'll then head across the pond for a series of European dates beginning with a show at the Hartwell Arena in Helsinki, Finland this coming Wednesday, May 4th.

The Irish Times published a short interview with Geddy Lee in yesterday's edition ahead of Rush's upcoming May 12th show in Dublin where they'll be playing Ireland for the first time ever. When asked whether Geddy thinks that Rush will make it to their 40th anniversary (just 3 short years from now) he says the following:

... I don’t see any reason not to. We made it this far. If we’re not sick of each other yet, we’re not gonna get sick of each other in the last couple of years. We’ve had moments where we’ve been frustrated and tired and not happy – that happens in life – but I don’t think we’ve ever looked at each other and said: “I don’t wanna do this any more.” ...

You can read the complete interview at this link.

The Drum Channel sent out the following update in their email newsletter last night:

You Will Not Believe This!
It is true, in the next few weeks we will tell you how to purchase the original master recordings of RUSH-2112 and how you can listen to Neil's drum track only, the band with Neil or the band only, and record yourself on drums with Geddy and Alex. You have to be a Newsletter subscriber to get access, so tell your friends to join the DC Newsletter. More about this coming soon!

These are likely the tracks that were put together last year for use in Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock. No details regarding the release have yet been provided. The Drum Channel is also currently offering a free pdf download of the drum transcription for Neil Peart's version of The Hockey Theme.

Speaking of Neil, earlier this morning I'd mentioned the following blurb that was posted in the most recent edition of Tool's official newsletter:

... recently DANNY got together for a drumming/recording session with NEIL PEART (RUSH) and STEWART COPELAND (THE POLICE). LES CLAYPOOL was also involved, but I'm not sure as to what capacity. Whether or not these guys will get together again, or anything will come from the initial 'session', I really don't know. ...

Although it's not mentioned, my guess is that this session probably occurred at the Drum Channel studios in Los Angeles since Neil is presumably home in LA with his family during the tour break.

Rush was featured in the latest installment of Gibson.com's World According to ... series where they compile quotes from past articles/interviews with the featured artist. Other artists that have been profiled in the series include Jimmy Page, Ozzy Osbourne and Slash. For the Rush feature Gibson.com collected some of the band members' thoughts on why their chemistry remains strong after 43 years. Here are a few of the highlighted quotes from the article:

... Geddy Lee on what makes Rush work, as told to UGO.com in 2005

“We’ve been lucky to have the kind of personalities that accommodate each other. We like each other and it just works between the three of us and we all have equal say in everything; we’re one of the smallest democracies working today. Also, we always bring a very healthy sense of humor to whatever we do. And that tempers the difficulties and the serious side of things and keeps it a fun experience. Without the fun you just can’t keep doing something for 30 years. The other thing is we’ve been fortunate that we have a sound that has found an audience and that audience has been so dedicated that they’ve created an atmosphere or a level of success that has enabled us to carry on.”

Alex Lifeson on getting the band back together, as told to CNN in 2002

“When Neil called, I have to say that my heart soared. And the reason really was because it said so much about his recovery ... that he was coming back to the world of the living. I mean, even if he wasn’t really ready for it, he was making an attempt and there was that little faint light in him that was glowing again.” ...

... Neil Peart on Rush fans, as written in his book Far and Away: A Prize Every Time, published this month

“Standing backstage while the opening movie played the other night, poised to run on, sticks in hand, ear-monitors in, I found myself excited by two thoughts. I was idly pondering how I might start my solo that night … and I also felt an unaccustomed eagerness – a curiosity to get out there to see the audience. Not to hear the audience, note – not to bask in their cheers and appreciation – but just to look at them. Their number, their faces, their reactions, their dances, their T-shirts, the signs they hold up. Even while I’m supposed to be up there entertaining people, they can be so entertaining for me.”

You can read the entire article at this link.

Just over 25 years ago back in 1986 Rush's record company at the time - Mercury/Polygram - teamed up with a company called Lifetime Learning Systems to create an educational and marketing campaign called Rush to Creativity. Yesterday I received scans of the original press release (page 1, page 2) announcing the campaign along with the actual 6-page packet itself (see thumbnails above). From the release:

... The two companies have combined efforts to distribute a free motivational learning kit entitled "RUSH to Creativity" to every public high school in America. Nearly 18,000 institutions will receive this integrative campaign, reaching 5-6 million students. A lesson plan for English curriculum is offered, with supplements for creative writing exercises, which utilizes lyrics from the group's latest hit album Power Windows. A promotional RUSH poster is included in the package. ...

There was a Rush reference on the season 2 finale of FX's Archer (Season2 , Episode 13 - Double Trouble) last Thursday, April 21st. Here's the official episode synopsis:

Krieger works to finish a top-secret project, and Archer brings a mysterious former KGB agent named Katya Kazanova home to meet Malory, unaware that Barry Dillon is heading his way to kill him.

Early in the episode Dr. Krieger is trying to impress Katya and mentions listening to Rush's Red Barchetta through his awesome van's stereo system and says to Katya, Please tell me you like Rush. Later in the episode we get a look at the actual van when the ISIS group pulls up in it. The van has a huge mural painted on the side which says Exit ... Van Left and depicts Doctor Kreiger peeking behind the curtain to a stage, mimicking the cover of Rush's Exit ... Stage Left (see the screenshot here). You can watch the episode's trailer here. The full episode is not yet online but should be in the near future.

There was also a Rush reference on last Friday night's episode of the SyFy Channel's Sanctuary (Season 3, Episode 12 - Hangover). Henry is getting access to the Sanctuary server's new passcode after a security breech and the passcode ends up being GEDDYLEE. Dr. Magnus then inquires Geddy Lee? to which Henry responds, Aha- it's the lead singer of Rush. Dr. Magnus then observes, Isn't that Will's favorite band? - which draws them to the conclusion that Will must have reset the passcode. You watch the reference in this video at about the 0:40-second mark.

And there was a possible Rush reference on last Friday night's episode of Smallville (Season 10, Episode 18 - Booster). In one scene there's an equipment case stenciled with the letters YYZ as seen in this screencap (thanks Power Windows).

MusicInTheAbstract - owner and operator of the MitA's Rush Oddities site - recently added several new Rush audio nuggets along with a couple of pics to his website. You can check them all out in this post.

Congressman and presidential candidate Ron Paul is featured in the May, 2011 issue of Esquire Magazine for an article/interview. At one point in the article they talk about some of Paul's younger followers lighting dollar bills and holding them up like lighters at a Rush concert. The article also contains a very confusing chart of conservative ideology which throws Rush in among the Randian/libertarian crowd with a caption that reads:

The lyrics of drummer Neil Peart were brimming with Randian objectivism, but then the maples formed a union and demanded equal rights. Just went downhill from there.

You may remember how Paul's son Rand Paul - a self-proclaimed Rush fan and now the junior Senator from Kentucky - had been asked by Rush's lawyers to stop using Rush music at his political rallies during his Senatorial campaign last year. Thanks to Art M for the heads up.

Music journalist Chris Harris recently wrote an article for his blog Gun Shy Assassin on yet another possible Black Sabbath reunion. In the article he predicts that the band will reunite but without bass player Geezer Butler:

...[I] think Geezer is the only one not signed up for one last reunion go, and that they’ll find a worthy bassist to fill in for him…someone with a name, like Geddy Lee, Les Claypool or Flea. Maybe they’ll just ask Blasko to do it. Who the hell knows? Maybe I am just looking into it way too much. But it’s a decent theory, if I do say so myself.

I seriously doubt it, but I can't help but think how cool it would be to see Geddy Lee jamming out to War Pigs with Ozzy, Tony Iommi and Bill Ward. :)

In a further demonstration of the fact that Rush's appeal knows no bounds, this article at GreekReporter.com on up-and-coming electronic musician DJ Zilos points to the heavy influence of Rush and Neil Peart on the Albany-based DJ:

... Zilos was influenced by music at a very young age. He used to watch music shows on TV and was caught by his parents banging away at anything that would make noise. His parents realized Zilos’ hidden talent and bought him his first drum. This eventually fueled his desire to pursue music. One of his first true inspirations was the famous drummer Neil Peart from the band RUSH. He quickly took to honing his drum skills by studying the techniques of Neil Peart. ...

Reader ewblank located an article at the Synthtopia blog which discusses using Moog Taurus bass pedals and is titled Beyond Rush Covers... What's The Moog Taurus III Good For?. Rush made extensive use of Moog Taurus pedals on their earlier albums.

Reader Dave Peart Lavin has created a new Rush-themed Facebook group called The Rush Atlantic Connection and is looking to increase the membership. If you are interested, you can check it out at this link. And speaking of Facebook groups, if you haven't joined the official Rush is a Band Facebook group, please do so at this link. It has close to 2800 members and is a great place to interact with your fellow Rush fans on Facebook. On a related note, you can also follow Rush is a Band on Twitter at this link; we just recently passed the 3000 followers mark!

Here's the Sanctuary Rush reference that I'd mentioned above (at the 0:40 mark):

That's all folks! Have a great weekend everybody!

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