UPDATE - 3/14@2:38PM: Earlier today, Envy of None debuted a new video for The Story from their upcoming new album Stygian Wavz, due out March 28th:
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Alex Lifeson's Envy of None project dominated the news this past week, with Alex hitting the interview circuit in the lead up to the release of the project's new album Stygian Wavz, due out in 2 weeks from today. Some of the more notable interviews were with Ultimate Classic Rock (excerpts with full interview coming later), Q104.3 (video here), and PROG magazine (article feature in issue #158). A common thread from the 3 interviews was in regards to the prospect of Envy of None performing some live shows. Here's what Alex told PROG:
... "We would love to play live," Lifeson replies. "It would really be a great show with the right lighting and adding some musicians for a live presentation. Playing these songs live with Maiah as the focus with the production and the sound quality that we could achieve would be really fabulous." But caveats apply. "Everybody is busy, everybody's got stuff and it's definitely difficult for me to plan something like that. I wouldn't write the idea off and it's a possibility if all things can align." ...
In his interview with New York's Q104.3, Alex touched on the potential of Rush reforming:
... we've had the conversation, because we can't avoid it. But honestly, Geddy's my best friend. I talk to him... I must talk to him every day. We get together for dinner, we play tennis, we're doing all this charity work together. He's my best bud, so, yeah, I go over there. He plays bass, I play guitar ... yeah, we'll play a little bit. I go over there ostensibly to play with him and we end up just sitting and drinking coffee and laughing the whole day. So it's not just Rush, Rush, Rush, Rush, Rush. I have a deep loving relationship with this man, and it's not all about creating something that we did from the past. You never know what life brings you. Right now I'm super happy doing what I'm doing. I'm engaged with a lot of musical stuff. I love being a musician. I love playing guitar. I love playing guitar so much, it's not just a vehicle for making a living, it's me, it's at the core of my essence. So it doesn't have to be about Rush or Envy Of None. I mean, I do what I do. ...
Alex also was a guest on Loudwire Nights yesterday evening where he revealed that he and Geddy were almost a part of Ozzy Osbourne's last show with Black Sabbath:
... "I don't know if I was really a fan of Black Sabbath, but I did get a couple of records back then and I enjoyed listening to them. I respected Tony [Iommi's] guitar playing ... There was an interesting parallel for their beginnings and our beginnings." As Lifeson shared this, he quickly pivoted to discussing Back to the Beginning, the concert that will capture Ozzy Osbourne's final show as a solo artist and the final show of the original Black Sabbath lineup. "We were asked to be part of it and we'd agreed to do it, but other things came up and sadly, we had to back out of it," Lifeson said. "It would have been a lot of fun. We enjoy playing with other people and it gets Geddy [Lee] and me together to do stuff." ...
You can listen to the entire 16-minute interview online here. Stygian Wavz is slated for release via Kscope Records on March 28th, and it will be available in colored vinyl, standard black vinyl, CD, Blu-ray, digitally and as a special deluxe edition box set (autographed version available). For more details on the various album formats and what they include, visit the official Envy of None store and watch the video trailer. Since first announcing the album back in October, the band has released three singles including the title track, Not Dead Yet, and Under the Stars. That Was Then had also previously been released as a single back in 2023. The entire tracklist is as follows:
Envy Of None - Stygian Wavz
1. Not Dead Yet [03:29]
2. The Story [04:41]
3. Under The Stars [04:32]
4. Thrill Of The Chase [03:40]
5. Handle With Care [04:14]
6. That Was Then [03:46]
7. Raindrops [03:33]
8. New Trip [03:55]
9. Clouds [04:02]
10. The End [03:58]
11. Stygian Waves [03:37]
Reviews of the album have also been trickling in over the past few weeks, including reviews from Metal Talk, The Razor's Edge, RockPoser.com, Velvet Thunder, and Ramzine. The PROG magazine feature mentioned above also has a review of the album, which you can check out here.
Rush will be releasing a Rush 50 Super Deluxe Box Set compilation anthology in celebration of the band's 50th anniversary one week from today. Although we've known about the set since early December, Rush made it officially official back on January 28th, along with a few more details and an unboxing video. From the announcement:
On March 21, UMe/Mercury and Anthem Records label groups celebrate the half-century milestone marker for Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame icons with RUSH 50, a wide-ranging 50-track super deluxe anthology that encompasses the entirety of the band's long and storied career for the first time across all the band's label groups, bookended with the first ever reissue of their debut 1973 single and a live recording of the last song they ever performed together as a band at their final concert in 2015 at The Forum in Los Angeles. ...
"50? Is that all?...seriously...it's a cool collection...but look at all those songs - I'm exhausted just reading the effin list!" - Geddy Lee ...
The set will be available in five distinct configurations, including the (1) Super Deluxe Edition ($374.98), (2) Rush Store Exclusive Super Deluxe Edition, (3) 7-LP Deluxe Edition ($249.98), (4) 4-CD Deluxe Edition ($99.98), and (5) Digital Edition ($26.49). The Rush Backstage Store exclusive edition includes an additional four bonus lithos showcasing Rush through time, newly illustrated by FANTOONS from the characters created for the graphic novel depicting the band in the '70s, '80s, '90s and 2000s. As mentioned above, Rush 50 will be officially released on March 21st, and it can be pre-ordered via Amazon and other retailers. You can view all the details regarding the different configurations and what they include, along with the full tracklist at Rush.com. The PROG magazine feature mentioned above also includes a short review of the set which you can check out here.
The PROG magazine issue mentioned above also has an interview with guitarist Chris Herin of Detroit-based prog rockers Tiles, who officially released his debut solo album Hiding In Plain Sight back in November, and one of the guest musicians on the album is Rush's Alex Lifeson. Alex plays on a track titled Second Ending which also features vocalist Matthew Parmenter of Detroit-based band Discipline. From the interview:
... [Alex] plays on a song called Second Ending, and it's a very moody and atmospheric-type piece. I'm sure all us Rush fans know that Alex has moved away from a lot of soloing and does like to work with the different textures. In fact, you probably wouldn't know it was him unless you were told. It's not a lot of flashy rhythm guitar playing or soloing. We would get multiple takes from ever yone and it was so much fun listening to how Alex came up with those textures and how they interlocked. I'd almost like to do an alternate mix of it, where it's all stripped back, and let Alex's art carry the arrangement. I think people would really be interested in hearing that. ...
Some other notable guests on the album are 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 - who also produced Hiding In Plain Sight. 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. Videos for a few of the album's tracks are available on YouTube, including The Darkest Hour, Warning Signs, and The Heart of You. The album is available on digipack CD and streaming, and you can order it online here.
On this past week's episode of Rush Roundtable on the Rushfans YouTube channel (episode #267), the panel shares what they believe are the biggest musical surprises from Rush's studio albums.
That's it for this week. Happy Pi Day everybody and have a great weekend!
