UPDATE - 12/7@10:12AM: Reader RushFanForever emailed Brian Greenway himself regarding the video for In the Danger Zone shown below. He confirmed that it's not Alex in the video - it's Greenway mimicking Alex's solo.
UPDATE - 12/5@9:04AM: The Wounded Bird Records website is now saying that Alex Lifeson's Victor solo project is available for purchase.
The chances of a new Rush album and tour in 2010 seem to be getting better and better. Over the Summer Alex Lifeson teased us with talk of Rush getting back in the studio and possibly touring. But fans were a bit skeptical to say the least due to the then impending birth of Neil's new daughter along with Lerxst's penchant for off-the-cuff remarks. Then Neil Peart announced that Rush would be meeting in Los Angeles in November to discuss future plans. Since November came to a close Rush fans have been anxiously awaiting word of what became of that meeting, and we may have received our first rumblings a couple of days ago from Geddy Lee. This past Wednesday in Toronto Geddy was a special guest at the 25th annual Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) Miracle Day charity event. According to reports from a few lucky fans who were there and spoke to the man himself, Geddy said that Rush plans on entering the studio very, very soon and are hoping to then tour this summer. I'd argue that this statement holds a little more weight than Alex's musings over the Summer since they come post-band meeting, and likely mean that Neil Peart is on board as well. Now we just sit and wait with our fingers crossed for the official word.
The full concert Blu-ray version of R30 releases this coming Tuesday, December 8th. The Rush Backstage Club recently listed the item on their website and caused a bit of controversy because their tracklisting included the 8 missing tracks as bonus tracks rather than being integrated into the existing tracks in the order they were performed. Thankfully this seems to have been a mistake on the part of the Rush Backstage Club. Reader sean emailed them and received verification that the content of the blu-ray is the full concert in order and that the extra 8 tracks are not separate from the original 22 tracks. If you haven't already ordered your copy, you can do so at this link.
This past Tuesday the Drum Channel posted the following to their Twitter page:
Neil Peart was in the DC Studios again yesterday filming a special on Classic Rush albums for VH1... look for it soon!
I unfortunately haven't been able to get any more information regarding this. But I'm still assuming that this would have been for one of VH1's Classic Albums documentary specials put out by Eagle Rock Entertainment that they run periodically. I'd first heard a rumor about a year ago that Moving Pictures would be getting the Classic Albums treatment, so perhaps they are finally getting around to it.
Rush's Show Don't Tell off of 1989's Presto is one of the featured tracks on the new Atlantic Records Time Capsule box set which was announced via a press release earlier this week. The numbered, limited edition set comes in a custom-made metallic box and celebrates the label's entire history going back to 1947. It includes nine CDs containing 165 tracks from 141 artists along with several extras such as a 140-page book featuring over 200 rare and/or previously unseen photographs from the Atlantic archives. You can get more information at AtlanticTimeCapsule.com and order your copy at this link. Speaking of Presto, reader RushFanForever noticed that Wolfgang's Vault recently posted a Presto-era interview with Geddy Lee where he discusses the album. You can check it out at this link.
Earlier today we learned that Alex Lifeson's long out-of-print 1996 solo project Victor will be reissued by Wounded Bird Records some time in the near future. Wounded Bird Records specializes in the reissue of albums from the 60's, 70's and early 80's on CD, and all of their releases are properly licensed from the owner of the original masters. The exact release date is not yet known.
A few months ago two new documentaries exploring the Canadian music scene in the '70s and '80s were shown on the CBC over a series of 4 weeks. The documentaries were titled This Beat Goes On and Rise Up respectively. Rush along with several other Canadian artists were featured and the documentaries included new interview segments with Geddy Lee. Reader RushFanForever gave some great reports on the Rush content of each documentary in this post. Both documentaries will be available for purchase on DVD this coming Tuesday, December 8th and can be pre-ordered at the following links: This Beat Goes On, Rise Up. According to BW&BK a portion of the proceeds from the sales of the DVDs will go to support MusiCounts, Canada's music education charity associated with the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, which helps to keep music alive in schools across the country.
A few weeks ago we found out about a new documentary from filmmaker Paul Miilm which explores the Niagara music scene of the late 60's and early 70's of which Neil Peart played a major part. It was released late last month and is titled The Big Story of Small Potatoes. Neil Peart was not interviewed for the documentary but Jimmy Johnson, who later became a guitar tech for Alex Lifeson, is interviewed. The film makes reference to several bands that Neil played in including JR Flood - which has a portion of their song Giant Killer (which Neil plays on) included on the soundtrack. The film's website also includes a list of several bands that Neil purportedly played with. Reader RushFanForever recently located an interview with filmmaker Paul Miil where he discusses how he had originally intended the film to focus on Neil Peart:
... Miil originally intended for this to be a documentary on local legend Neil Peart, the drummer of Rush. But as he sought out information on his subject, he continuously got redirected to people who knew people who played in the scene. Talking to these people and scouring through the seemingly endless six-degrees of separation, Miil began to realize that his initial scope was too small, and there was more going on in the region than just Peart's history.
"At that point, I started thinking, 'Wow, maybe I should really be starting to think about doing this on all these bands, as opposed to just the one guy'," said Miil. "Because the one guy, he's not really that interesting - sure, he's famous and everything, but that whole story that I didn't know about - and I grew up here - I think that's a lot more interesting." ...
You can check out the film's trailer at this link and purchase a copy at this link.
While on the subject of Rush documentaries, Backstage Secrets is a 5-part documentary from WhistleStop Productions which aired on HD TV in Canada last year. The documentary follows various members of the Rush road crew during a typical day out on the road with the band. It was shot in High Definition and Dolby 5.1 surround audio during the Canadian leg of the 2007 Snakes and Arrows tour. We learned a few weeks ago that the series is finally available for purchase through a few online distributors including Amazon. You can purchase the documentary as a home-use 2-disc set for $24.95 at this link.
The 5th annual Andy Kim Christmas Show takes place this coming Wednesday, December 9th at The Mod Club in Toronto. The list of performers has not been released yet, but Alex Lifeson performed at last year's show and it's possible he'll make another appearance. I'll keep an ear out and let you know.
If you read the fascinating post at Power Windows about the Permanent Waves album art that I'd let you know about last week, you'll know that the building on the left of the cover is Murdoch's Bathhouse. From the Power Windows post:
... the cover photo shows waves rushing under the building and splashing over the Galveston Seawall before the building was eventually destroyed by the hurricane. Murdoch's was eventually destroyed once again and has been built and destroyed by hurricane multiple times throughout its history; this closeup photo of the granite markers shows the present state of the most recent incarnation of Murdoch's after being destroyed yet again on Septmeber 13, 2008 by Hurricane Ike (exactly 47 years plus 2 days after the cover photo was taken during Hurricane Carla). ...
Reader Jay thought it would be neat to get a current picture of Murdoch's Bathhouse from Google Maps Streetview and match it up with the Permanent Waves cover. You can see the very interesting result by clicking on the above thumbnails.
Speaking of Permanent Waves, earlier this week we learned that the album will be the subject of an hour-long In The Studio with Redbeard rockumentary radio show the week of January 11th. The show will feature interview segments with Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson presumably from past In The Studio interviews where they discuss the album. Permanent Waves celebrates its 30th anniversary this coming January 1st. In The Studio ran a similar special celebrating the 35th anniversary of Rush's debut album back in April and did not include any new interview segments - just bits and pieces from old interviews. For a list of stations and air times go here.
The season 3 finale of VH1 Classic's That Metal Show with Eddie Trunk aired this past Saturday. The guest was original KISS drummer and founding member Peter Criss. In the Throwdown segment Rush's YYZ was pitted against Led Zeppelin's Moby Dick to determine the best rock instrumental. The ensuing discussion caused Peter Criss to dig up some Rush memories which you can check out in this post.
RushFanForever let me know that Guitar World Magazine recently posted an old Alex Lifeson Inquirer interview to their website. The interview originally appeared in their special Guitar Legends issue that was released a couple of years ago. You can check out the interview at this link.
John at Cygnus-X1.net wanted me to let you know that it's time once again for the Cygnus-X1.Net year-end Holiday Rush Contest. This year, the prizes center around the recent release of Rush's Live Compilation Working Men but there are some other great prizes as well. To see the complete prize package and to submit your entry form go to this link. The winner will be selected on or around December 24th. Thanks John!
Classic Rock Revisted recently asked Geddy Lee what he was doing for the Thanksgiving holiday, obviously forgetting that he's Canadian:
We’ve already had our Thanksgiving up here in the Great White North, we celebrate Thanksgiving in early October.
Thanks RushFanForever for the heads up.
Southgate Michigan rockers Thorofare will be performing a one-time show on December 23rd at The Modern Exchange with the theme Bands That Ought To Be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They'll be performing songs by a number of bands including Alice Cooper, Ted Nugent, Humble Pie, and Rush. Thanks to Power Windows for the heads up.
Canadian rocker Gordie Johnson (Grady, Big Sugar) was recently interviewed for Exclaim! Magazine and admits that he ... wanted to play a double-neck Gibson because of Alex Lifeson, not Jimmy Page. Thanks to SaskRushFan for the heads up.
Back in 1988 Alex Lifeson made a guest appearance on Brian Greenway's (April Wine) solo album Serious Business. Lerxst played the guitar solo on the song In the Danger Zone. Reader Jason H located the music video for the song on YouTube. It looks like Alex Lifeson might even appear in the video - they show someone other than Greenway playing the solo but never show their face. Here's the very cheesy 80s video:
That's it for this week. Have a great weekend!
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