The Rheostatics officially released their new album The Great Lakes Suite featuring Rush's Alex Lifeson yesterday, and last night the band (including Alex) hosted the first of a pair of SOLD OUT shows at TD Music Hall in Toronto where they performed the album live. From last month's release announcement:

... The album celebrates the influential band's incredible 45-year anniversary, and features 18 tracks of primarily improvised music and spoken word, performed by longtime members Dave Bidini, Dave Clark, Don Kerr, and Tim Vesely, with newer additions Kevin Hearn and Hugh Marsh, alongside legendary guitarist Alex Lifeson. ... Recorded over two spontaneous sessions in Toronto, The Great Lakes Suite features an impressive roster of talented and award-winning collaborators: Inuk throat singer, songwriter, and novelist Tanya Tagaq; musician and filmmaker Laurie Anderson; poet and storyteller Chief Stacey LaForme; poet and essayist Anne Carson; poet Liz Howard, fiddler and singer Kendel Carson, singer-songwriter Maiah Wynne (Envy of None) and renowned singer-songwriter and activist, the late Gord Downie. ...

From all accounts the band put on an impressive performance, and several photos (thanks Carlos T) and videos have already sprouted online, including this video with several highlights from the show and this one featuring Alex on Mishipeshu/The Drop Off. The band also broke out a cover of Gordon Lightfoot's The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, which fit in nicely with the album's theme. Here's a Billboard article discussing the album with some interview snippets from the band, including Alex Lifeson, who says the following:

... "I have been getting together with the guys occasionally over the years to play for the joy of it," he notes. "There is no mystery or much forethought in approach; the freedom to play whatever your brain convinces your fingers to do is the charm of this project. I give no thought to the end result, only to the moment. This was an entirely organic experience." ... "There are no rules or expectations," Lifeson - who also mixed one track, "Lake Michigan Triangle," featuring [Maiah] Wynne - says of The Great Lakes Suite sessions. "Everyone arrives, has a hug and sets up their gear. As soon as you're set up and making noise, you play. Rush and Envy of None are different recording requirements that demand more traditional studio approaches." ...

Both Dave Bidini and Kevin Hearn appeared on CP24 Wednesday morning to discuss the album, and Hearn had the following to say regarding working with Alex Lifeson:

... Working with Alex was amazing. He was kinda like an older brother in a way - just seeing him work. He was playing a lot of acoustic guitar on this record, which is an aspect of his playing that I'd never really heard before. So that was really cool. ...

The entire album is now available on all streaming platforms, along with a double-vinyl release here and in record stores.