We finally received our first bit of official news regarding Rush's new studio project earlier this week. In a short interview with The Canadian Press Neil Peart discussed his recording of a new version of The Hockey Theme for TSN which debuted last night. In the interview he also had a good bit to say about Rush's next project:

... "We're thinking of writing and recording a few songs and maybe releasing them, and playing them live, and then going back and doing some more later. ... Peart says he's started writing new lyrics while bandmates Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson are preparing at their Toronto studio ...

So this is the first official confirmation that Rush is currently working on new material. Neil also indirectly confirms a tour when he mentions releasing a few songs and playing them live. I think that just about every Rush fan can agree that this is great news. However, the news that Rush probably won't be releasing a traditional album before the start of a summer tour has some fans up in arms. Many seem to think that this means Rush won't be releasing an album at all, but I'd say it's much too early to jump to any conclusions. And just because they may not release a traditional album before the tour doesn't mean they won't still do so after the tour. Alex Lifeson first mentioned the possibility of Rush releasing new music in a non-traditional way back in this August 2008 interview with Classic Rock Magazine, so this news should not come as a complete surprise:

We really need to sit down and decide what we want to do with our next record. Whether we do an album or whether we just write songs over a period of time and release them as we go along. That's kind of attractive to me.

So what do you think of the possibility of Rush releasing their next helping of new material in a non-traditional way? Take the Poll and let us know. As far as what fans are most looking forward to from Rush in 2010, our last poll indicates that it's another tour with a new studio release coming in a not-too-distant second. Although a few of you are most looking forward to the Rush documentary.

As I'd mentioned above, Neil Peart's new percussive-centric version of The Hockey Theme debuted yesterday evening during the Philadelphia Flyers at Toronto Maple Leafs game on The Sports Network (TSN). Video of the song was posted to the TSN website last night and has also shown up on YouTube. The video runs about 1-minute long and features Neil pounding away on his custom NHL kit along with hockey video highlights interspersed throughout. There's also a version with just Neil at this link. And in this interview with The Globe and Mail Neil gives some background on his involvement with recording the new Theme:

... "I tell Americans there is no analog for this song in the U.S. People hum it. They have it as a [cellphone] ring tone," ... "I gave a little speech in the studio before we started [recording] saying: 'Every mother, father, grandfather, grandmother, child, moose and beaver will see and hear this.' "I’ll be very curious to know how Canadians respond to this." ... "The year before last, [TSN] first approached me about doing something and we'd just finished a Rush tour. ... This year was just perfect. I had time off and I was reinvigorated," he said. "I knew the [Hockey Theme] arranger because he was at the Buddy Rich tribute show. We needed a whole orchestra [17 musicians in all] but I knew people who could arrange that. It all came together." ... "We played the song a few hundred times. We filmed every step of the way as a documentary [for the Drum Channel website]. I'd go home and listen to it and we only had a minute for the song but I'd say: 'There's room for more drums in there.' I put everything I knew into that one minute," Peart said. "I start off with some Latin patterns I'd just been working on. There are three different rhythmic steps. There's a faster one at the start, then some slower rhythms, then the climax with the full Buddy Rich snare drum roll. As a band, we wanted to be true to the melody of the song. At the same time, I’m not going to play those parade drums." ... "I'm not co-ordinated; I say I'm dis-co-ordinated because I can get my four limbs to work independently," he said. "I was hopeless as a sports player as a kid. But drumming gave me the endurance so if I couldn't do things well I could at least do them for a long time [hence the cycling, swimming and cross-country skiing]." ...

Neil's custom NHL kit which he used for the recording sessions is currently on display at the 2010 NAMM show in Anaheim, CA this week, and will eventually be heading to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.

Speaking of the NAMM show and Neil Peart, way back in April of 2008 I mentioned how Sonic Reality had completed a Neil Peart drum sampling session engineered by Nick Raskulinecz with the end goal being the creation of a Neil Peart Studio Profile to be used with music software. Sonic Reality is finally ready to release the end product and is debuting it at NAMM this week according to this article in Macworld:

Neil Peart Drums Vol. 1: The Kit This sample library for BFD2 and Infinite Player, and powered by Kontakt, is part of Sonic Reality's Drum Masters series. Neil Peart, drummer of the band Rush, collaborated with Sonic Reality and producer/engineer Nick Raskulinecz to digitize the sound of Snakes and Arrows’ Custom DW Drum Kit. It features deep level dynamics, humanized random alternating hits, discrete multiple mic mixing, and more. It gives e-drummers, keyboardists, and composers the ability to play rock drum samples with the distinctive Neil Peart sound, and have a drum kit suitable for many styles of music from Progressive Rock to Heavy Metal. It comes mapped in GM, iMap, V-Drum and a Custom Map mode to be controlled by any electronic drum kit. It also includes discrete mic mixing and album-quality presets. It ships in the first quarter, but the price has not been announced.

Thanks to ghost__rider for the heads up.

Neil Peart is all over the place lately. Earlier this week we learned about a recent article at Sabian.com where Neil talks about Sabian's new Paragon Brilliant line of cymbal and how he assisted in its development. You can check out the article at this link. And DRUM! Magazine recently posted a short article and video where they spoke with Sabian's Chris Stankee about working with Neil Peart to design a new Chinese cymbal:

Do artists really influence the designs of the cymbals that bear their names? And, if they do, by what process does a drummer design a cymbal?

We sat down recently with Sabian's west coast artist relations director Chris Stankee to discuss the design of a new Chinese cymbal with Neil Peart. You'll see how over the course of two years Neil and Chris worked together, They would receive new prototypes, test the, take them on the road, and then ask the factory for changes. With each generation of the design, this cymbal got closer and closer to what Neil heard in his head.

You can check out the article and video at this link. Thanks to RushFanForever for the link.

Chris McDonald is the author of the recently released book Rush, Rock Music and the Middle Class: Dreaming in Middletown. Chris was interviewed yesterday afternoon on CBC Radio Nova Scotia's Mainstreet Cape Breton program with host Wendy Bergfeldt. Chris talked about Rush, his book and philosophy for around 20 minutes and the host even gave a shout-out to riab listeners. For those of you who missed the live broadcast, the interview will be posted to the Mainstreet Cape Breton website later today.

After being hijacked by hackers this past weekend, the official Rush Facebook page is back up online. How do you know it's official? It's linked from Rush.com. Rush also has on official Twitter page at this link. And in case you weren't already aware, you can follow RushIsABand.com on Facebook at this link and also on Twitter. Reader DigitalMan745 also wanted me to let all you Facebookers out there know about this new Facebook group supporting Rush's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And speaking of Twitter, reader Riff Raff noticed this article which lists the 370 passwords not allowed by Twitter. Number 280 on the list is rush2112. :)

Rush's Permanent Waves is the subject of an hour-long In The Studio with Redbeard rockumentary radio show airing all this week. The show features interview segments with all 3 members of Rush from past In The Studio interviews where they discuss the album. Permanent Waves celebrated its 30th anniversary this past January 1st. The interview segments from the special (usually around 20 minutes worth) should be posted to the In The Studio website by early next week (in the player on the home page).

Spanish reader and freelance writer Fran R was lucky enough to chat with jazz drumming great and one of Neil Peart's drum teachers - Peter Erskine - back at Drumfest 2008 in Seville, Spain. He videotaped the interview and just recently posted it to YouTube at this link. Erskine speaks about his involvement with the Buddy Rich Memorial concert, Neil Peart and playing with big bands.

The latest edition of the UK's Classic Rock magazine celebrates the music of 1980 and one of the albums featured is Rush's Permanent Waves which is included on the cover. Thanks to RushFanForever for the heads up.

Reader Paul K located this GoLite Xanadu Shelter at Steep and Cheap. The item description must have been written by a Rush fan. :)

Technology consultant, author, Rush fan and RIAB reader Phil Simon recently posted a guest article at the Men With Pens blog titled Three Ways to Get a Rush from Your Writing where he uses Rush and Rush's lyrics to relate some points about writing. You can check it out at this link. And if you are interested, check out Phil's book Why New Systems Fail: Theory and Practice Collide. While the subject matter is not directly Rush-related (obviously), Phil intersperses Rush references throughout the book.

The annual Consumer Electronics Show took place last week in Las Vegas. Gizmodo ran this article on 3D TV sets and one of the featured photos is from Rush's Snakes & Arrows Live (thanks Matt M). Every year at the show the folks at DTS put together a demonstration blu-ray disc to highlight surround sound. These discs are highly coveted even though they're given away for free at the show, and you can find them on eBay going for $50 or more. Reader rosmakloma let me know that this year's disc includes Rush's Far Cry. You can see screenshots of the disc cover and tracklisting by clicking on the thumbnails above.

Reader RushFanForever let me know that Rush gets a mention in the recently released book In Concert: KSHE and 40 plus Years of Rock in St. Louis. The specific reference is in regards to Rush's April 13, 1975 show at Aviation Field for the KSHE Kite Fly Festival.

Reader Brian C located this paper on the website for Texas law firm Haynes Boone titled Big Money vs. Grand Designs: Revisiting the Executive Right to Lease Oil & Gas Interests. I'd say there's a good chance the author is a Rush fan. :)

Jeph Jacques is the writer and illustrator of the webcomic Questionable Content (which occasionally references Rush). He recently put together a blog post containing a stream-of-consciousness list of band comparisons including this one:

Dream Theater's mom is Rush, who is actually hotter than her daughter in a weird cougary way.

Heh. Thanks to Kelly D for the link.

Reader Show Dont Tell located this old Japanese Rush interview from 1984 on YouTube. It's a good interview but unfortunately the quality is pretty bad and the background music drowns out some of the interview. You can check it out at this link.

Massachusetts-based Rush tribute band Lotus Land will be performing a show on February 19th at Patriot Place in Foxboro, MA opening for KISS tribute band ALIVE, attempting to recreate a little bit of history; Rush opened up for KISS many times back in the early '70s. You can purchase tickets via Ticketmaster at this link. Thanks to Cindy for the heads up.

Here's Neil Peart playing his version of The Hockey Theme:

Have a great weekend everybody!

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