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, and they'll be opening up a Rush-themed Henderson Brewery at Toronto airport later this year. As if all that wasn't enough, earlier this week Rush launched a new Rush Beer HQ social media channel with an all-new beer-tasting video from Ged and Al which you can watch below or on YouTube. You can follow the new Rush Beer HQ on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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. A couple of weeks ago the band officially released 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. Last week, the band released an official, animated music video for the EP's new track That Was Then. The video features a wild motorcycle ride with stunning visuals, and was directed by Olivier Boscovitch, known for his amazing visual work for electronic artist David Guetta. You can watch the video on YouTube at this location. Andy Curran spoke with Prog's Jerry Ewing about the new track and associated animated video, saying the following (thanks RushFanForever):

... "The video was created by the super talented Olivier Boscovitch," explains bassist Curran, formerly of Coney Hatch. "I discovered some of his work online and reached out to him and he loved the song That Was Then. He was inspired by the dark and haunting lyrics that Maiah wrote for the song. He pitched the concept of a girl riding a chopper and travelling through a fictional trippy landscape , basically her life, while being chased by a bad assed villain in a muscle car. The driver of the car represents the person in our lives that we're getting away from. Olivier's amazing graphics are a testament to his unique creativity, we're very lucky to be working with him. I'm super proud of the new song. Ty Dennis played a killer drum track that breathed new life into the song and we're very grateful that Alex reached out to him. I think the track itself shows a real growth for Envy of None. It's like we've hit out stride creatively and a nice marker to punctuate that our first record was not a one and done thing. It really opened the floodgates for us writing wise and we're well on our way to a second record." ...

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.

A tribute album for Canadian rock trio Triumph has been in the works for the past few years, and it looks like it will finally see the light of day later this year according to a recent interview with drummer/vocalist Gil Moore, who said that the tribute LP should arrive "third or fourth quarter this year" via Round Hill Music. According to a recent Guitar World interview with guitarist Rik Emmett, Andy Curran and Rush's Alex Lifeson perform a cover of Blinding Light Show for the album (thanks RushFanForever):

.. I do know that Andy Curran did a version of "Blinding Light Show" with Alex Lifeson. He played it for me, and it was wildly different from what we did. It was terrific, but completely reimagined. It's weird to have these reinterpretations of our songs. I can only imagine what it was like for Leonard Cohen to hear two dozen versions of "Hallelujah" in one year. I take a cue from him. Whenever somebody asked him, "What do you think of that version of 'Hallelujah,' he said, 'Oh, that's one of the best things I ever heard.'" [Laughs]...

Also slated to appear on the album are Sebastian Bach, Anthrax's Joey Belladonna, Heart's Nancy Wilson, Starship singer Mickey Thomas, and many others. The project is being overseen by producer Mike Clink, who produced Triumph's 1986 album Sport Of Kings. More information as we learn it.

Guitarist Chris Herin of Detroit-based prog rockers Tiles has been working on a solo project over the last few years which will boast an impressive list of guest musicians as seen in this recent Facebook post. One of those guest musicians is Rush's Alex Lifeson, who plays on a track titled Second Ending which also features vocalist Matthew Parmenter of Detroit-based band Discipline. Some other notable guests on the album will be Doane Perry, Michael Sadler, Peter Frampton, Kim Mitchell, and Crown Lands. Tiles has several connections with Rush, most notably their producer - former Rush producer Terry Brown. Brown introduced Lifeson to the band's work back in the 2000s and Lifeson ended up guesting on their 2008 Fly Paper album, adding guitar tracks to the song Sacred and Mundane. Rush album artist Hugh Syme also did the album's cover, as he did for most of Tiles' previous albums. Herin posted another update this week alongside a photo of Terry Brown in studio, saying the following:

Working on the final mixes for my solo album - finally - with Terry Brown MixMusic (no he's not sleeping). The Laser's Edge Group is setting the wheels in motion for a release this fall. ...and the artwork is done. HUGH SYME - Syme Studio did a very nice job (as we've all come to expect!).

A new book from author Darin Graves titled 2112 was released last month. As the title suggests, the book draws heavy inspiration from Rush's 2112 album as described in the press release:

... The nine-chapter book chronicles the unfolding circumstances of a planet regulated by a governing body called the Priests of the Temple of Syrinx. After wiping out the prior commanders and bolstering territory for the new order through galactic bloodshed, the Priests kees the remaining populace under tight leashes. Apart from art created by the new authority, all forms of individual art are prohibited and punishable by law. Shoved to the edge, mankind is left with the option to either fight to the death or submit their lives. ...

Guitarist magazine posted their list of 30 beautiful acoustic guitar chords you need to know this past week, and Alex Lifeson is mentioned:

Example 20. F#7add4 - Most associated with Alex Lifeson of Rush fame, this F#7 add4 makes a great ringing acoustic chord and, as Alex would certainly tell you, can be moved around the fretboard to good effect, offering an interesting alternative to more than one barre chord.

MusicGrotto.com posted their list of the 31 Best Songs From 1981 this past week and Rush's Tom Sawyer was included at #30:

Rush is on the list with Tom Sawyer, which comes from the album Moving Pictures. It's easy to say this is their most well-known song, and it's a track that the band plays during every concert since it's a fan favorite. It hit number eight on the Mainstream Rock chart and 44 on the Billboard Hot 100. This track has been in movies and television shows such as Family Guy, The Waterboy, and I Love You, Man.

Brett Milano wrote a piece for uDiscoverMusic.com this past week titled Fly By Night: The Album That Pointed To Rush's Future, where he does a deep dive into Rush's first album with Neil Peart:

... Fly by Night didn't make Rush rich and famous, but it did free the trio to reach past the hard rock format and explore any and every musical idea that came to mind. That freedom would pay off grandly in the years to come.

A new Max Webster biography from author Bob Wegner titled Max Webster: High Class had its official release party this past Tuesday, and it's now available to purchase via highclassmax.com. Max Webster were early labelmates with Rush at Anthem back in the '70s and opened for them many times. Rush also collaborated with Max Webster on the track Battle Scar from their 1980 Universal Juveniles record. So the book contains several references to Rush, Anthem and the Toronto music scene of the '70s. For more information, visit highclassmax.com (thanks Gregg L).

Some newly restored 4K footage from Rush's 1976 2112 tour surfaced online this past week. The seven minutes of Super 8 footage was shot at a Rush show in Oshawa, ON on June 18, 1976 on the 2112 tour, and finds them performing Anthem, Fly By Night, By-Tor & The Snow Dog, Overture/Temples Of Syrinx and In The Mood. You can check it out below or on YouTube here. Also popping up on YouTube this past week was some audio from Rush's first (possibly) live performance of The Twilight Zone from that same tour on November 13th, 1976 in Rockford, Illinois at the Rockford Armory. You can listen to that audio on YouTube here.

In this week's episode of Rush Roundtable (#187) on the Rushfans YouTube channel, the panel continues their Roll the Bones song discussions, focusing on Neurotica and You Bet Your Life:

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