UPDATE - 11/14@11:14AM: The embedded Geddy Lee My Favorite Headache video seems to have caused some issues with the post, so I removed it. You can still check it out at this link.

This past week was especially busy in terms of DVD news. We got to see a bunch of screengrabs from the DVD and learned some juicy details regarding the menu screen and the packaging. You can also download a free mp3 of 2112 from the DVD from BestBuy.com at this link. See this post for all the details. Rush also seems to be in the process of updating their official MySpace page in preparation for the release on November 25th.

Last weekend Rush fan, photographer and artist John Kane hosted a Rush-themed art exhibit at The Front Street Coffee House in Salem, MA titled Workin' Them Angels: Rush through the Camera Eye. Several members of this site were lucky enough to attend and by all accounts it was a huge success. Also in attendance was Donna Halper - the woman credited with discovering Rush. Donna gave a little speech discussing her career in radio and her special relationship with Rush. John has posted a bunch of great photos from the event at this link, and there are still some t-shirts and posters available at John's CafePress store. John also wanted me to let everyone know that he is working on a series of Rush paintings and sculptures that will be for sale soon, and there will be another event in the near future. Details to follow.

In her speech at the art exhibit Donna Halper also alluded to the fact that Rush had a special surprise in store for us in the near future but was not at liberty to divulge any details. This goes along with the vague rumor I'd been hearing that the band is working on something as well as considering a 2009 tour. Hopefully we'll get some concrete information from the band in the coming weeks. Donna also decided to become a member of RIAB and has left several comments in a few recent posts. And - as if all the planets of the Solar Federation were aligning - just a day before the art exhibit we learned that the folks at RushCon are considering Cleveland and 3 other cities as alternate locations to Toronto for 2009's RushCon. For those of you who read my Rush History 101 post from the other day you already know the relationship between Donna Halper, the city of Cleveland and Rush. But if not, go school yourself. To go vote for your city of choice [begin subliminal message] CLEVELAND [end subliminal message] for next year's RushCon, go to this link. :)

For my next poll I thought I'd mirror the RushCon poll and ask you the same question to gauge what RIAB readers think. I promise I won't fix the results! Take the poll and let us know where you prefer RushCon 9 take place.

The results of my last poll where I asked everyone whether their first copy of Hemispheres was on vinyl, 8-track, cassette or CD are in. The overwhelming winner was vinyl with over half the vote. Both cassette and cd got about 20% of the vote, and 8-track only received 2%.

We learned earlier today that Rush's appearance on VH1 Classic's upcoming new program That Metal Show will air on Saturday, December 27th. You can check out all the details and see some pics from the appearance in this post.

Monday I let you know that Wired.com has put forth 3 questions to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame regarding why Rush has not yet been inducted. And we also celebrated the 10th anniversary of Rush's 4th live album Different Stages last week.

A couple of weeks ago I let you know that for the 3rd year in a row Alex Lifeson was participating in The Kidney Foundation of Canad's A Brush of Hope project. Lifeson along with a number of other Canadian celebrities created paintings to help bring attention to the crisis surrounding kidney disease and kidney-related illness around the globe. The winning bid on Alex's painting was $1225. Of the painting Alex states:

It was painted from a photo I'd taken at a friend's cottage in Muskoka looking out at Georgian Bay at dusk during the summer of 2006. The painting is done in acrylic and I used a sheet of paper towel fixed to the board to add texture.

Thanks to Blabbermouth.net for the info.

Speaking of Lerxst, Alex Lifeson's Toronto night club The Orbit Room will be having their 14th anniversary party this coming Saturday, November 29th and the house band The Dexters will be playing. It's very likely that Big Al himself will be attending as he's done in recent years past. Thanks to El Queso for the heads up.

Andrew Olson has added a section to his Neil Peart fan site celebrating the Buddy Rich Memorial Concert. Check it out here.

In the latest issue of Rolling Stone magazine (issue #1065, 11/13) AC/DC graces the cover and gets a 4800 word feature story by David Fricke. Rush also gets a mention on page 16 in the Editor's Notes section. In a piece titled We (Finally) Salute AC/DC editor Will Dana discusses how up until now the magazine had overlooked AC/DC's career outside of a good review for Back In Black. Sound familiar? They go on to state:

... Recently, we stunned hardcore fans of Rush - another band we long neglected - with a lengthy feature on the group. Rushies didn't know whether to cheer or throw their calculators at us. Fricke expects the reaction from AC/DC nation to be simular. "I don't know how shocked they will be, but they'll think - What took you so fucking long?" - he says". ...

Thanks to artmac for the heads up. In case you'd missed the Rush Rolling Stone feature story (they didn't give them a cover though) you can check it out here.

The holiday special issue of Guitar Player contains a bonus photo section featuring several artists' guitar rigs, including Alex Lifeson's. Thanks to entrenous for the heads up and the scans.

Online retailer FYE is running a promotion where you can sign up to win a signed Snakes & Arrows tourbook. Just go to this link to enter. Thanks to Power Windows for the heads up.

The 2008 Rush Mid-West TabCon will take place all this weekend at St. Francis High School in St. Francis, WI. For more information be sure to visit the Rush TabCon website and to view videos of past performances, check out the Rush TabCon page on YouTube.

Italian reader Luca let me know that Tsunami Edizioni will be distributing an Italian translation of the Jon Collins Rush biography Chemistry in March 2009. This will be the first such book to be made available in Italian. Che Bello!

Several readers let me know that Palladia HD is airing R30 in High-def throughout the month of November. Here's the schedule.

Reader rush_head let me know that Rockline will be airing a Holiday Encore Presentation of their most recent Rush interview on Wednesday, November 26th.

I've mentioned several times in the past about Alex Lifeson's friendship with professional golfer Rocco Mediate. He's interviewed in the latest issue of Cigar Aficionado and he talks about his best friend on the tour, fellow golfer Lee Janzen. He states that it was their mutual admiration for Rush that made them friends; when you meet another Rush fan there is an instant connection.. Thanks to Power Windows for the heads up.

Here's a blog post from life coach Tripp Lanier where he discusses how impressed he was with Neil Peart's recent news update and how Neil is still coachable after all these years. This past summer Tripp also penned this humorous blog post where he discusses shame and how it relates to his being a huge Rush fan.

On this day back in 2000, Geddy Lee released his one and only solo album, My Favorite Headache. Here's a video of the Electronic Press Kit for the album. Have a great weekend everybody!

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