A new book from author Daniel Bukszpan celebrating Rush's 50 year career will be released this coming Tuesday on October 8th. Rush at 50 comes in at 192 pages and examines the history of Rush through the lens of 50 milestone events and an illustrated gatefold timeline. From the product description:

... This richly illustrated and entertainingly written book from Rush expert and music journalist Dan Bukszpan pays tribute to the trio on the 50th anniversary of their debut album by curating and examining 50 of the most significant milestones in their career.

Bukszpan covers everything down through the decades:
* The band's formation by bassist Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson in suburban Toronto and their early gigs and tours opening for the likes of Kiss
* Their breakthrough in the United States thanks to a Cleveland DJ
* The role of co-founding drummer John Rutsey
* Rush's early Led Zeppelin-influenced efforts and their breakthrough, 2112
* The band's ever-evolving musical style through the 1970s and 1980s
* The controversial influence of novelist Ayn Rand on Neil Peart's lyrics
* Geddy Lee's instantly recognizable vocal style
* Recording sessions with various producers in Wales, Quebec, and elsewhere

In examining 50 touchstones, Buszpan presents a unique look at Rush's career arc from Toronto bar band to international mega-platinum stadium fillers. Every page is illustrated with stunning concert and candid offstage photography, including gig posters, 7-inch picture sleeves, ticket stubs, and more. ...

The book is currently available for pre-order via Amazon at this location.

Two years ago on the 3rd anniversary of Neil Peart's passing, Rush tribute band YYNOT held a charity concert dubbed Bubba Bash in celebration of The Professor at the Keswick Theatre outside Philly (Glenside, PA). The event was a huge success so they brought it back the following year, and they announced earlier this week that they'll be bringing it back for 2025 as well. Bubba Bash 2025 will take place on Saturday, January 4th, with tickets going on sale next Friday, October 11th, and pre-orders available now (code AXS). Like the previous 2 years, the show will be "In Celebration of Neil Peart", and feature YYNOT along with special guests Frank Bello (Anthrax), Jason Bittner (Shadows Fall, Overkill, etc.), Jon Dinklage (Clockwork Angels string ensemble), Joe Bergamini (drum instructor, author, etc.), John Wesley (Porcupine Tree), Seven Antonopoulos (Opiate for the Masses), Randy Jackson (Zebra) and more! All proceeds from the show will go to benefit Cedars Sinai Hospital, and you can send along your donation here. YYNOT has made a name for itself in recent years for being one of the premier Rush tribute bands, as well as a great prog-rock band in their own right with 3 albums of original material under their belt. Like previous year's events, it will also be professionally filmed with Executive Producers Michael Mosbach and Tim Starace. You can check out some of videos from last year's event on YYNOT's YouTube channel here (thanks RushFanForever).

A new docu-series celebrating 40 years of Canadian rock legends The Tragically Hip premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last month, winning the TIFF 2024 People's Choice Documentary Award. The series is titled The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal and it was produced/directed by Mike Downie, brother of The Hip's late frontman Gord Downie. It includes new interviews with the band, family, friends, and famous fans including Will Arnett, Dan Aykroyd, Jay Baruchel, Sarah Harmer, Justin Trudeau, and Rush's Geddy Lee. The series is also now available on Amazon Prime, and you can check out the trailer on YouTube. TIFF posted a short clip from the series where the band talks about how bands like Teenage Head and Rush influenced The Hip in their early years. You can check that out below or on YouTube.

Independent Danish book publisher Bjooks has released a new, Kickstarter-funded book titled The Minimoog Book, which includes a foreword penned by Rush's Geddy Lee. The book began shipping last month and can be ordered at this location, with more details available on the Kickstarter page.

Songs by Adele, Bob Dylan, Green Day, R.E.M., Burna Boy, Rush and many others were blocked on YouTube in the United States this past week for a few days. The block stemmed from a legal dispute between YouTube and the performing rights organization SESAC. The two parties came to an agreement this past Sunday as detailed in this Variety article.

The annual European Rush fan convention Rush Eucon will take place in 2 weeks over the weekend of October 18-19 at The Live Rooms in Chester. Proceeds from ticket sales will go to Jessie's fund and Brain Tumor Research in honor of Neil Peart. For more information, follow Rush Eucon on Facebook and Twitter, and get tickets via seetickets.com. On a related note, RUSHfest Scotland has just announced details for their 2025 event. RUSHfest Scotland will take place the weekend of May 9-11 at Drygate Brewerey in Glasgow. For tickets and all the details, visit rushfestscotland.co.uk.

On the latest episode of Rush Roundtable (#247) on the Rushfans YouTube channel, the panel wraps up their Vapor Trails discussion with the closing track, Out of the Cradle:

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