Earlier this year, Edge Factor completed production of their long-awaited documentary Masters of Resonance, featuring Neil Peart and the R40 drum kit. The film will be getting its first pre-release theater screening as part of the Rush Family Reunion event at the Fox Theatre in Toronto tonight with tickets available at this location. The film will then make its official world premiere at the GRAMMY Museum at LA Live on August 8th before it hits the film festival circuit and gets released to video-on-demand streaming channels, beginning with iTunes, later this year. Specific screenings and pre-sale information will be posted to mastersofresonance.com as it becomes available. Here's a synopsis of the film as provided by the filmmakers:

When was the last time an object spoke to you, and you listened?

Storyteller and Founder of Edge Factor, Jeremy Bout once believed that a drum was a glorified pail with a lid on it. All drum kits sound the same if you hit them with a keen sense of rhythm, right? Then he met John Good, Co-Founder of DW Drums and realized, "Boy, was I wrong." The innovation, craftsmanship, and sheer brilliance behind the science of drum making inspired Jeremy and the filmmakers at Edge Factor to share the legacy of John and the DW team, in the music documentary film Masters of Resonance.

This film takes you on a journey from the forest to the stage and pulls back the curtain on drum making. It begins with sustainably harvesting the wood in the forests of Michigan, then shows the design, manufacturing, and painting operations in the DW Drums factory. The finished product is revealed, as completed drum kits are played by many of the biggest names in the music industry. These processes are perfectly demonstrated as the DW Drums team creates the iconic Rush R40 tour drum kit, using 1500 year old Romanian bog oak. Along the way, you will witness the unique relationship that these drum makers share with musicians, as Jeremy interviews world class drummers from the DW Drums roster.

Rush drummer Neil Peart, beautifully captures the message of the film when he asks, "What could be more transcendent than a musical instrument?" It's the team's unending pursuit of excellence, willingness to embrace failure to find solutions, and the dedication of each team member that empowers DW Drums to create objects that live forever in the music they create.

For more information about the film and to keep up on the latest news, visit the website at mastersofresonance.com, and follow them on Facebook and Twitter. You can watch the trailer on YouTube at this location.

The graphic novel representation of Kevin J. Anderson and Neil Peart's 2015 novel Clockwork Lives - the follow-up to Clockwork Angels - releases via Insight Comics this coming Tuesday, June 26th. Insight Comics has provided a sneak peek of several panels from the graphic novel, including a pdf download of several panels from the book here, a preview of the first 12 pages here, and several other panels available via the Amazon listing. The 176-page, full-color, hardcover book is beautifully-illustrated with a cover design from Hugh Syme, and can be pre-ordered at this location.

As I'd mentioned above, the 2nd annual Rush Family Reunion Rush fan gathering is taking place this weekend in Toronto. The event kicked off last night with a party at Alex Lifeson's Orbit Room with guest speaker Terry Brown. Tonight's festivities will include a pilgrimage to the Lee-Lifeson Art Park in Willowdale followed by the above-mentioned pre-release screening of Edge Factor's Masters of Resonance documentary at the Fox Theatre. Tomorrow fans will take a harbor cruise on the tall ship Kajama with an all-Rush DJ, and top things off with a Saturday night performance by Rush tribute band 2112: For the Love of Rush at the Duke Live. For all the details, visit the group's Facebook page here.

Last July Jacob Moon and David Barrett, along with drummer Rob 'Beatdown' Brown, performed a free concert of Rush and Rush-inspired music at the Lee Lifeson Art Park in Toronto's Willowdale neighborhood. The crowdfunded event was such a success that they are aiming to perform another such concert, tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, July 25th, also funded through crowdsourcing in order to make the concert free for the whole community. As part of last year's crowdfunding campaign, they also recorded and released a cover of Rush's Time Stand Still produced by Terry Brown. This year the goal is to reach $2112, and use some of those funds to record a cover of Rush's New World Man. To learn more about the crowdfunding campaign along with all the related perks, and to make your contribution, go to this location.

Here's the trailer for Edge Factor's Masters of Resonance featuring Neil Peart and the R40 drum kit:

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