Alex Lifeson's Envy of None project with Andy Curran, guitarist Alfio Annibalini and vocalist Maiah Wynne released their self-titled, debut album last April, and it's currently available for purchase and streaming worldwide via several different online retailers and services, including Amazon and the official Envy of None merch store. Today the band is officially releasing their new EP That Was Then, This Is Now via Kscope Records. The EP includes one newly-recorded track titled That Was Then, remixes of Dumkoptf and Dog's Life, Lethe River, and You'll Be Sorry, which was previously released as part of the deluxe edition of their 2022 self-titled debut. Reviews of the EP began rolling in this past week, including this one from The Razor's Edge and this 8 out of 10 review from Distored Sound magazine:
... New song That Was Then has a hint of STEVEN WILSON's The Future Bites, and ends with a clattering of live drums and Lifeson's leads, bridging not only the band's influences but the gap between albums as well. What sets ENVY OF NONE apart from many of their prog peers is that, well, they're actually pretty cool. Lifeson's guitar work is smooth, Wynne's voice is full of breathy melancholia, and what the band achieve together is nighttime music that suits dancing, driving, intimacy, as meditative as it is propulsive. That Was Then, This Is Now is a welcome starting point for those who missed their debut, and is a chance to be grateful that one of the best to ever pick up a guitar is still delivering the goods as he approaches his fifth decade in music.
The EP is available digitally and on vinyl, and can be ordered via the Envy of None website and other online retailers. The vinyl edition can also be ordered via Amazon here.
Earlier this week the Gibson TV YouTube channel released a special, new episode of their My First Gibson video series featuring Rush's Alex Lifeson. The 3 minute video features Lifeson describing his first experience with Gibson guitars. From the video description:
As a kid, Alex Lifeson would spend every Saturday playing guitar at Long and McQuade's, his local music shop, until they kicked him out. Watch this episode of My First Gibson to hear the story of Alex's first Gibson and the guitar players that inspired his choice.
You can watch the video below or on YouTube at this location.
Back in August of 2021 Rush teamed up with Henderson Brewing Company to release their first Rush-branded beer - Rush Canadian Golden Ale - and followed that up with Moving Pictures Ale later that year, Moving Pitchers beer last March, Signals 40th anniversary Belgian Ale back in October, and Xanabrew which launched just last month. They've also teamed up on an entire line of Rush-branded merchandise which you can find in their online Rush store. Earlier this week they announced their biggest collaboration yet; global restaurateur HMSHost revealed a new partnership with Henderson and Rush that will bring a new specialty bar to Toronto Pearson International airport (aka YYZ). From the press release:
... The 28-seat Henderson Brewery @ YYZ will be in a prime, pre-security area of Terminal 1 easily accessible to both domestic and international passengers, as well as visitors to the airport. Loyal fans of RUSH will be excited to know that the bar will be outfitted with original artifacts from RUSH's touring and recording career. Locals can make a quick trip to the airport for exclusive gear and takeaway beer only available at YYZ, as Henderson Brewery @ YYZ will be situated just steps away from the escalators leading into the terminal from the Union Pearson Express. "HMSHost has built its reputation on bringing the very best of the local food and beverage scene to the airport environment - and now we're bringing the best band ever to emerge from Toronto alongside the coolest craft brewery to the Toronto Pearson International Airport," said HMSHost Vice President of Business Development Amy Dunne. "What could be more appropriate than our Rush Canadian Golden Ale having a home at YYZ?" said Geddy Lee of RUSH. "The opening rhythm of our 'YYZ' song was inspired by the morse code for YYZ airport. We would get so excited to see YYZ on our ticketed bags as it meant we were coming home. Even though the song is instrumental, it's about our city, where we came from, and how good it is to come home." ...
According to this Tweet from Henderson Brewing, the restaurant will open later this year. You can see an artist rendering here, or in the aforementioned tweet:
Announcing Henderson Brewery @ YYZ, A taproom in T1 of Toronto's Pearson Airport! The bar boasts artifacts from RUSH's touring and recording career and will provide a unique experience for RUSH fans from around the globe. Henderson Brewery @ YYZ will open later this year! 🛩️ 🍻 pic.twitter.com/QH2odFkgkX
- HendersonBeerCo (@HendersonBeerCo) June 5, 2023
Foo Fighters guitarist Chris Shiflett announced earlier this week that he is launching a new podcast about all things guitar called Shred With Shifty. The show will be produced by Double Elvis, and feature Shiflett asking his guitar-playing guests about their musical history and inspirations. This first episode is slated to launch on June 22nd and will feature Rush's Alex Lifeson. Other guests will include Weezer's Rivers Cuomo, Chic's Nile Rodgers, Brad Paisley, Pearl Jam's Mike McCready, Bon Jovi's Richie Sambora, Brothers Osborne's John Osborne, Blackberry Smoke's Charlie Starr, Lindsay Ell, Brent Mason and Jawbreaker's Blake Schwarzenbach. You can find out more and watch a short trailer for the show in this Variety article.
Rush's Signals 40th anniversary box set officially released back in April and is now available for purchase via this link, or via Amazon and other online retailers. The set is the latest in a string of 40th anniversary box sets offered up by the band over the past several years, beginning with a 2112 set back in 2016. It is available in three distinct configurations, including a Super Deluxe Edition, an LP Picture Disc Edition, and a Dolby Atmos Digital Edition. To compliment the two official videos for the album's bookend tracks (Subdivisions and Countdown), the band released visualizer videos for the remaining six tracks in the lead up to the release which you can check out on Rush's YouTube channel here. There's also an unboxing video which you can watch here, and John at Cygnus-X1.net has scanned all the artwork and made it available online here. Earlier this week AXS TV surprised rock vocalist (and huge Rush fan) Sebastian Bach with a copy of the box set, and posted a video of the former Skid Row frontman unboxing the video which you can check out on YouTube here (thanks Eric at Power Windows).
Goldmine magazine posted their list of the Top 20 most out-of-character debut albums this past week, and Rush's eponymous album took the top spot (thanks RushFanForever):
Scan over from Ram Jam a few inches in your vinyl collection and you'll soon see Rush, the Canadian power trio who invented a new peanut butter and chocolate concoction called progressive metal. But the debut, like Ram Jam's, sounds like the work of a different band from all that came after. The secret sauce is the arrival of drummer and lyricist Neil Peart (replacing John Rutsey) for the sophomore Fly by Night album. But even Alex and Geddy are courting a different rock and roll philosophy on Rush, which is the work of a band sounding like a riffy version of Led Zeppelin or Bad Company, very heavy for 1974, especially coming out of Canada. Rush would evolve rapidly through various eras moving forward, but the sheer volume of music to come, along with the imposing presence of Peart, would forever put the debut way to the side when the catalog of these Canuck legends is debated, hence our pick of Rush as the No. 1 most out-of-character debut album of all time.
Earlier this week, MSN.com posted their list of The best drummers of all time and Rush's Neil Peart made the cut at #4:
Neil Peart (Rush): Neil Peart is regarded by audiences, critics and other musicians as one of the greatest rock drummers of all time: in particular, many consider Peart to have been one of the best soloists during concerts. But Neil is not only a drummer: most of the lyrics of 'Rush's' songs, in fact, were written by him.
XS Rock posted their list of The Best Straight Up, No Frills Hard Rock And Metal Bands Of The 80s this past week, and Rush was included:
Rush, started earlier but found great commercial success in the 80s. Formed way back in 1968, Rush consisted of the trio Geddy Lee (bass, vocals, keyboards, composer), Alex Lifeson (guitars, composer), and Neil Peart (drums, percussion, lyricist). The band mixed elements of progressive rock, heavy metal, jazz, and blues into a different sound that was all their own. Hit songs like "Tom Sawyer", "Limelight", "Subdivisions" and "The Spirit Of Radio" turned Rush into international superstars. Rush ended with Neil Peart's death in 2020. Rush released the following albums during the 80s: Permanent Waves (1980), Moving Pictures (1981), Signals (1982), Grace Under Pressure (1984), Power Windows (1985), Hold Your Fire (1987), and Presto (1989).
In this week's episode of Rush Roundtable (#185) on the Rushfans YouTube channel, the panel continues their Roll the Bones song discussions, focusing on The Big Wheel and Heresy:
That's all for this week. Enjoy your weekend everybody!!
