UPDATE - 2/13@12:26AM: Well, obviously no Rush tonight. Notice how the show was themed around the different provinces of Canada moving from east to west? Also notice how Ontario and the Great Lakes region were skipped over? What I'm now hearing is that this portion of the show was scrubbed due to the nature of today's tragic events. Apparently it had a full rock and roll metropolitan vibe to it and was cut for sensitivity. The word is now that Rush may tentatively play at the closing ceremony. Sorry everybody - I'm as pissed off as you are.

UPDATE - 2/12@6:57PM: BBC America showed Alex and Geddy at BC Place not long ago and said We have been informed Rush are to perform sometime tonight with their 70s classic hit Closer To The Heart (thanks Sean). Not sure if that means they aren't going to play YYZ or if they'll play both songs.

UPDATE - 2/12@11:52AM: I also just learned that they may be playing Closer to the Heart tonight as well. :)

Rush fans everywhere are anxiously awaiting the band's expected performance at the 2010 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in Vancouver this evening. Although Rush's management was unable to confirm their appearance due to a non-disclosure agreement, according to this press release from yesterday Rush will indeed be among the performers. From what I've heard they'll be playing a version of YYZ as part of a larger performance showcasing Canadian music. Fittingly enough, today also happens to be the 29th anniversary of the release of Moving Pictures! However, according to this Winnipeg Press article, Geddy may be lip-synching the lyrics. ;) The Chicago Sun Times is running a poll asking readers who they think should perform at the opening ceremony (remember - the lineup of performers hasn't been officially announced). To vote for Rush go to this link (thanks malterb). The opening ceremony will air on NBC beginning at 7:30PM EST tonight.

Earlier this week Neil Peart updated the News page on his website, describing in painstaking detail his experience recording The Hockey Theme for TSN back in December. He gives the entire back story of how the project came to be, how he became involved and his experience recording the song and filming the video including plenty of great behind-the-scene photos and interesting anecdotes. He also posted the quiet version of The Hockey Theme that he refers to in the update to the homepage of his website. Andrew Olson also noticed that the September 2009 article on Neil Peart that appeared in American Motorcyclist has been added to the Articles section of Neil's site at this link.

A couple of weeks ago I reported that the long-anticipated Rush documentary had been completed and will likely premier sometime this Spring. I recently learned (thanks RushFanForever) that this information was confirmed via a post to the official Banger Films Facebook page later that week:

... the Rush Doc is done and dusted. Look for some announcements and possibly a premiere in the Spring!! January 31 at 4:23pm

This past Tuesday I was a guest on weekly internet radio talk show Used Bin Radio. I chatted with hosts Brad and Joe for about 20 minutes about all the exciting things that are currently happening in the world of Rush and had a blast. You can listen to the podcast at this link; my bit begins at about the half-hour mark.

Reader, Rush fan, and composer/performer Ben Sommer recently created a music discovery podcast and blog called Bands Like Rush where bands that have some kind of connection to Rush are interviewed. To kick off the site, Ben interviewed 2 members of Detroit-based progressive rockers Tiles. Besides making great progressive rock music, Tiles has many connections with Rush. Original Rush producer Terry Brown has worked with Tiles since 1997's Fence the Clear, and Rush album artist Hugh Syme has done their last 3 album covers in addition to playing some keyboards on their latest album. Also on their latest album - Fly Paper - Alex Lifeson was a guest musician on the track Sacred & Mundane. I conducted a brief interview with guitarist Chris Herin and producer Terry Brown back when Fly Paper was released which you can check out in this post. Ben's interview is much more lengthy and in-depth; he talks with Chris and bassist Jeff Whittle for around 45 minutes about the band's history, their do-it-yourself approach to making music and running their business, why Tiles is known as the Anvil of Progressive Rock, and the pros and cons of being constantly compared to the band Rush. The interview also includes many amusing anecdotes and stories about their work with Terry, Hugh, and Alex Lifeson and Chris describes how he met Neil Peart at Terry Brown's 60th birthday party. You can read the entire interview or listen to the podcast at this link.

In the wake of The Who's halftime show performance at the Superbowl this past Sunday, the Bleacher Report featured an article where they list 5 othter bands that they think are deserving of this honor. Number 2 on their list was Rush:

RUSH might be the most controversial selection for those who are not fans of the band. However, this is one of the most technical, influential, and greatest rock bands ever to hit the stage. They have reached legendary status even though they are still snubbed by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Perhaps no band is better equipped to pull off a similar medley of their music as quickly as RUSH could.

They have still been touring into their late 50's and producing high quality musical releases as well. Most recently drummer Neil Peart was asked to help revamp the Hockey Night in Canada theme music, and has landed the drum set he used to get into the Hockey Hall of Fame. This band is from Canada, but they have always toured in the United States.

RUSH is the most capable band of surprising, while making a few new fans.

Thanks to John at Cygnus-X1.net for the heads up.

UK-based digital radio station Planet Rock is conducting a poll to determine the Greatest Live Album of All Time. You can vote for one of Rush's many live albums at this link.

Washington University's Student Life newspaper compiled a list of the Top 10 Power Trios and Rush made the cut at #4. Here's what they said:

They might be the biggest nerds in rock. They might glorify Ayn Rand in song. They might even be Canadian. But despite these shortcomings, Rush is at the center of the prog-rock universe. If you ever wondered what "1984" in space would be like, look no further than "2112." Oh, and two words: Neil Peart. Two more words: best drummer.

Chris McDonald's recently released academic study of Rush - Rush, Rock Music and the Middle Class: Dreaming in Middletown - was reviewed by Ted St. Godard for the Winnipeg Free Press last week. You can read the review at this link and purchase Chris's book at this link. Thanks to RushFanForever for the heads up.

RushFanForever also located this review of the Rush road crew documentary Backstage Secrets conducted by RIAB reader Skip Daly for GuitarInternational.com. You can read Skip's very informative review at this link.

Rolling Stone magazine's Rock and Roll Daily blog is running a poll to determine rock's best drummers. You can go make your voice heard and vote for Neil Peart at this link. Thanks to B-Man for the heads up.

A couple of weeks back I mentioned that MusicTap.com recently ran an informal poll to determine the most underrated guitarists. Alex Lifeson was the runaway winner of the poll. Here's what was said:

"An amazing and versatile player that's proven himself time and again, but is rarely listed with the big boys."; "Geddy Lee and Neil Peart get a lot of attention on bass and drums, but Alex seems to get left behind."; "He is often overlooked, but not always. He is one of the best guitarists working in rock. Rush would not be complete without him and he has some of the tastiest solo's ever - "Limelight" might be the best solo ever recorded. Funnily enough, he has gotten more dissonant and harder as he gets older, although his playing is becoming more articulate. If you see them live (or on video), you realize how much he contributes and how comfortable he is with the instrument."; "...appreciated by hardcore musicians and fans of Rush but he would not show up on most people's lists and given the fact that this group has been shunned by the HOF perhaps he does qualify as underrated."

Thanks to Matteo for the heads up.

Speaking of Lerxst, he also made MusicRadar's list of 17 Unsung Les Paul Legends coming in at #2. Here's what they said:

You may well associate Alex Lifeson with an ES-355 (thanks in part to his signature model) as much, if not more than with a Les Paul. And that's one of the reasons the founding member of prog legends Rush didn't make our original countdown. But like many guitarists of his ilk, Lifeson refuses to be tied down to just one model, having dabbled with Strats, PRS Guitars, mandolins and bouzoukis over the years. The top two, however, remain the ES-355 and the Les Paul - and Alex Lifeson deserves a nod for both.

Thanks to RushFanForever for the link.

Rocker Rob Zombie's newest album Hellbilly Deluxe 2 was released last week and contains a track titled Werewolf, Baby which contains an obvious nod to Rush's La Villa Strangiato towards the beginning of the song (at about the 25-second mark). Zombie is a well-known Rush fan; in TV promos for his Halloween 2 movie last year he was wearing a Fly By Night t-shirt, and his remake of the original Halloween movie included Rush's Tom Sawyer on the soundtrack. You can listen to Werewolf, Baby on YouTube at this link. Thanks to AndyV for the heads up.

That's it for this week. Don't forget to look for Rush at tonight's Winter Olympics opening ceremony. Have a great weekend!

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