Back in March MIDIpedals.com posted part 1 of an extensive interview they conducted with longtime Rush roadie Tony Geranios (aka Jack Secret). In part 1 Tony talks about the early days with Rush, connecting the non-MIDI Taurus Pedals to Geddy's Oberheim synths, and about the redundant MIDI and sampling setup when they are touring. Part 2 of the interview is now also available. Topics in part 2 include his nickname, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, upcoming tour rehearsals, sausage, chicken, Barbies, his shop in Vegas, and much more! You can listen to both parts of the interview (along with part 1.5) at this link. Thanks to the interviewer Terry Goyette for the heads up and for the great interview.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Rush Clockwork Angels tour UK/Europe pre-sale info; 2nd Toronto show added
UPDATE - 5/15@9:50AM: The tour section is now updated. Pre-sales for both German dates began earlier this morning. UK pre-sales begin tomorrow.
The Rush.com newsletter sent out an update last night with more details on all of the various pre-sales for the UK/European dates - some of which are already underway. They've also indicated that they'll be adding a 2nd Toronto show on October 16th as we had expected. Below are all the details from the newsletter. I'll be updating the tour section with the new information later this morning.
Germany Fan Pre-Sales, VIP Packages and General Ticket Onsale Information
June 4th 2013 - Cologne, Germany @ The Lanxess Arena (Einlass: 19 Uhr,Beginn: 20 Uhr) June 6th 2013 - Berlin, Germany @ O2 World Arena (Einlass: 19 Uhr, Beginn: 20Uhr) The Exclusive fan pre-sale for RUSH tickets in Germany will begin Tuesday, May 15th at 9:00 AM (local time) on Ticketmaster. Public On-sales will begin on Saturday May 19th at 9 AM (local time). Ticketmaster: www.ticketmaster.de (Hotline: 01805.969 000 555, Verbindungspreise: 0,14 /Min. aus dem deutschen Festnetz, max. 0,42 /Min. aus dem deutschen Mobilfunknetz)
VIP packages will also be available to purchase, RUSH VIP Clockwork Angels Tour Package Includes:
* One reserved ticket located within the first 15 rows of the stage * Exclusive Rush Tour Gift Item * Official Tour Program * Set of Official Guitar Picks * Commemorative Concert Ticket * Commemorative Tour Laminate
UK Fan Pre-Sales, VIP Packages and Regular Onsale Information
May 22nd 2013 - Manchester, England @ The MEN Arena May 24th 2013 - London, England @ The O2 Arena May 26th 2013 - Birmingham, England @ The LG Arena May 28th 2013 - Sheffield, England @ Motorpoint Arena May 30th 2013 - Glasgow, England @ SECC
Fan Club and Website pre-sales begin on Wednesday May 16th at 9 am local time Planet Rock, Live Nation pre-sales begin on Thursday May 17th Public On-sale will be Friday May 18th at 9am local time and will be available from www.ticketmaster.co.uk, www.livenation.co.uk or www.ticketline.co.uk
* One reserved ticket located within the first 15 rows of the stage * Exclusive Rush Tour Gift Item * Official Tour Program * Set of Official Guitar Picks * Commemorative Concert Ticket * Commemorative Tour Laminate
More European dates to be announced shortly.
Due to demand, a second show has been added in Toronto!
Oct 16, 2012 Toronto, Canada @ Air Canada Centre
Ticket pre-sales will begin next week. Details to come!
WIN Alex Lifeson's personally worn Stethoscope-by helping Irvine Welsh's Ecstasy Go Worldwide!
Wanna win the stethoscope worn by Alex while playing the character Dr.Fig on Irvine Welsh's Ecstasy? All you need to do to qualify is support at "postcard & scenes" level or higher, and post Alex's name in the comments section. Go here to win http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/103683
Details: When you contribute you will get the perks listed for your amount, and are eligible to win a stethoscope worn by Alex Lifeson on the set of Irvine Welsh's Ecstasy (and in the film!). The stethoscope is the same shown here for his role as Dr. Fig: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfUbHN9Mk4A
Alex's stethoscope will be sealed and signed with a message personally inscribed to you by Alex. All you have to do is contribute to the campaign at "postcards & scenes" level or higher to be eligible and help Irvine Welsh's Ecstasy go worldwide! Make sure to place "Alex" in the comments section after your contribution. However never fear! We will also ask at the end of the campaign where you were referred to make sure that Alex fans are placed in the drawing at the end of the campaign. You can get bonus entries for posting on other facebook pages, and if you email others (when we ask for referrals if anyone mentions your name you will have an extra entry into the contest!). In addition to receiving reward perks for your chosen perk, you will also earn an extra entry per extra $10 contributed (ex: $50 = 5 entries plus 50 plus Special Backer's Collector's Edition blue ray or dvd with Director's cut, with favorite scenes at the end by Rob, Irvine, select cast and their interview, plus never before seen scenes, and a special for your eyes only Q & A portion with cast).. .Support now and help Irvine Welsh's Ecstasy to have a fighting chance against the big guys in theaters world-wide.
You will get something for your contribution in addition to qualifying for the drawing: INCENTIVE REWARDS perks for your contribution include: Personal voicemail "Thank You" messages by Alex Lifeson, signed post cards.... tickets to see the ENTIRE cast at the US & Canada premieres and many more rewards. Still listening? We need your help to bring Irvine Welsh's Ecstasy nationwide and help us to give it a fighting chance against the big guys
UPDATE - 5/14@1:38PM: There's also an O2 Priority pre-sale for all the UK dates starting on Wednesday at 9AM (thanks Melissa).
UPDATE - 5/14@11:32AM: Until I hear otherwise, I'm going with the assumption that the Planet Rock VIP and Live Nation VIP pre-sales are separate.
UPDATE - 5/14@11:12AM: Hold the phone... it's possible that the Planet Rock VIP pre-sale and the Live Nation one are totally separate. Still gathering details - everything is confusing as hell as usual...
UPDATE - 5/14@10:59AM: The VIP pre-sale will be sponsored by Planet Rock and to participate you need to register for free at this link.
UPDATE - 5/14@10:37AM: I've added the UK dates into the tour section. Despite the fact that these shows are over 1 year away, tickets go on sale this weekend! I'm still gathering all the details, but it looks general ticket sales for the UK dates will be this Friday, May 18 at 9AM. It also looks like there will be VIP tickets available through Live Nation UK this coming Thursday, May 17th at 10AM.
This past week Geddy Lee revealed in his Planet Rock interview that Rush would indeed be taking the Clockwork Angels to the UK and Europe at some point in 2013. In confirmation of this early this morning Rush.com posted some official dates including 5 in the UK in late May and 2 in Germany in early June with the promise of more dates to come. Here they are:
May 22: Manchester, England - Arena May 24: London, England - O2 Arena May 26: Birmingham, England - LG Arena May 28: Sheffield, England - Motorpoint Arena May 30: Glasgow, Scotland - SECC June 4: Cologne, Germany - Arena June 6: Berlin, Germany - O2 Arena
UPDATE - 5/14@9:38AM: The interview is now available outside the UK at this link at about the 23-minute mark (thanks The Clansman 2112).
Geddy Lee will be guest on BBC Radio Ulster's After Midnight with Steven Rainey tonight at midnight (7PM EST). Although it will be available online it seems to be geographically restricted to the UK. There's a 3-minute preview clip available for listening currently, but the entire interview should be available after the show airs. From the website:
Steven Rainey catches up with Geddy Lee of Canadian rock band Rush. The band are about to release their 19th studio album and Steven gets an inside look at the making of the record, as well as the secret behind staying together after over four decades as a band.
The third and final round of pre-sales for Rush's 2012 Clockwork Angels tour are just about complete, with general ticket sales kicking off today. This third round included 11 dates: Indianapolis, Columbus, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Toronto, Montreal, Cleveland, Charlotte, Tampa and Seattle. As of this post VIP ticket packages still remain for Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, Detroit, Columbus, Minneapolis, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Montreal, Boston, Cleveland, Charlotte, Atlanta and Phoenix. Live Nation, radio and venue pre-sales for most of the Canadian dates will run today from 10AM to 10PM. For more information including passwords (where available), just check out the tour page, and for more details on how all the pre-sales work check out my ticket sales and pre-sales guide. General ticket sales for Indianapolis, Columbus and Tampa began earlier this morning at 10AM with all 5 Canadian dates, Cleveland and Charlotte going on sale tomorrow at 10AM, and Seattle on Monday at 10AM.
Geddy Lee was interviewed yesterday by Darren Redick of the UK's Planet Rock radio and had a little news to report regarding the tour. When asked about the possibility of a UK/European tour Geddy said:
Yes, we are coming over. I guess I'm probably not supposed to announce it yet. But we're working on the details now. I hope to be here in the Spring of 2013.
Darren also asked Geddy how they'd be changing up the stage show and visuals given that much of the steampunk theme of the Time Machine tour will likely carry over to the Clockwork Angels tour:
We're kind of redesigning a few aspects of the set. It will be a different show but it'll still have the same kind of steampunk aesthetic vibe. ... with new videos
And when asked about whether they'd be recording a live DVD for this tour Geddy remarks:
We haven't discussed it yet but I imagine so. It's become kind of a regular thing for us. When we put a new tour together, because of the fact that they are all so different from each other visually, it's nice to have that historical record. So - yes - we probably will film it at some point.
The first reviews of the Clockwork Angels album came out earlier this week. On Monday Joe Bosso of MusicRadar.com posted his colorful, track-by-track review of the album at this link. Next up was Dominic Hemy of The Digital Fix who had this to say about the title track:
Now we're getting stuck into new territory! What immediately jumps out at you about the title track is how it harks back to the Rush of the late 70s. The various sections that make up this mini masterpiece feel slightly indulgent yet sit together so comfortably. The feel too, is very evocative of that era - lurking somewhere between 'Xanadu' and 'The Trees', albeit far more powerful than they have ever been.
And there was also this track-by-track review from Riff Magazine, and this short review from PlanetMosh.com. The most interesting thing about that last one is that it includes The Pedlar 1 and The Pedlar 2 in the track list, making a total of 14. Although these may just be lyrical connectors and not actual tracks. It's a bit confusing because the press track listings don't include these apparently but the back of the album does.
In addition to their review, MusicRadar.com also posted an interview that Bosso conducted with Rush producer Nick Raskulinecz which you can check out here. Nick first talks about how the recording differed from that of Snakes & Arrows:
... "This one we started from scratch. They didn't talk about doing a concept album - that came later. But when I sat down with them three years ago, I said, 'I want to hear unbridled Rush. I don't want to focus on three-and-a-half minute songs; I don't want verse, chorus, verse, chorus - none of that. I want you guys to play, no holds barred. Let's just make music.' And that's what we did." ...
He then goes on to discuss how songs were constructed and tracked, and how Neil's steampunk concept came to life:
... "That really started to come to light in Toronto. Two weeks or so into it, as Geddy and Alex were writing more music, we all kind of looked at one another and said, 'Hey, this is really turning into something. It's tying together.' Then one day, Neil walked in the room and said, 'It's done. I finished it.'
"For the next 20 minutes, Neil talked about this vision he had for the concept of the record, and it was one of those moments I'll never forget. Listening to him, watching him speak - it was amazing! I wish we were filming him so we could put it on YouTube. And right there, the whole record just clicked. Once Geddy and Al heard where Neil was going, they churned out some amazing music. I think Headlong Flight came the next day." ...
Back in February we learned that sci-fi author and friend of Neil Peart Kevin J. Anderson would be writing a novelization of Rush's upcoming Clockwork Angels album which would be released in the Fall by ECW Press. Yesterday Anderson posted the book's cover art to his blog which you can check out here. The artwork simply uses the Clockwork Angels album cover art over a black background and cites Anderson as the author with a subheading which reads From a story and lyrics by Neil Peart. The book is slated for release on September 1st, 2012 under the title Clockwork Angels: The Novel and will be 264 pages long. It can be pre-ordered at this location.
This past Friday evening the Governor General of Canada - David Johnston - presented the Governor General's Performing Arts Award (GGPAA) for Lifetime Artistic Achievement to Rush during a ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa. The following evening there was a public Gala at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa in honor of the award recipients where all 3 members of the band were in attendance. The band was introduced by South Park creator Matt Stone who had the following to say:
... "I remember buying their cassettes, tearing home on my BMX, running inside and throwing them into my Walkman, and sitting down to my drum set and just destroying my mom's afternoon," Stone recalled. "Rush was definitely the first band I ever loved." ...
They then showed a short 6.5-minute film tribute to Rush produced by the National Film Board of Candaa called Inner Rush which you can check out online at this link. From the website synopsis:
This short film pays tribute to Rush, one of rock's most successful and popular bands of all-time. 'Humility' and 'rock and roll' don't usually appear together, yet the members of Rush (Geddy Lee, Neil Peart, and Alex Lifeson), reflect here on a career of making music built on craft, heart and a uncompromised commitment to push the limits - to always 'get better'. ...
Rush did not perform at the Gala, but a children's choir did a short version of The Spirit of Radio which was then followed by the full National Arts Centre Orchestra doing a version of Tom Sawyer which you can check out in this camera phone video. There was also one very cool additional surprise. The final honoree was Des McAnnuf - a director who had put together a musical theatre version of Tommy back in 1993. The closing number was he and his house band doing a medley from Tommy. They began with I'm Free and as they finished that up they introduced a special guest - The Who's Pete Townshend - who joined in on Pinball Wizard followed by We're Not Gonna Take It. Given that The Who were such a big influence on Rush, this was very appropriate. The band did get to meet Townshend and had their picture taken with him which you can check out here. The award ceremony and Gala were covered extensively in the Canadian press and several photo galleries are available online. Paul from The Canadian Music Scene posted a batch of photos from the Red Carpet before the Gala at this location. There's also this photo gallery from the Toronto Star, this one from The Calgary Sun, another from the Ottawa Citizen which includes one photo of Geddy with his mother, and this extensive photo gallery from photographer George Pimentel which includes the shot of Rush with Pete Townshend that I'd mentioned above. For complete coverage of the event, check out this post.
"The Alex Lifeson thing, that happened by absolute fluke," he says of the Rush guitarist's work on the track Losin'. "We started going through the songs and wondering which iconic Canadian guitarist could make an appearance on the record. . . . I thought, 'Well, Alex Lifeson, that would be really amazing. If we could get (him) that would be a real coup.' And he actually just happened to walk into the control room some days later."
The album also features appearances from Ed Robertson and Steven Page of the Barenaked Ladies along with several other Canadian musicians. You can purchase the LOSIN' track with Alex Lifeson via Amazon or via iTunes, or purchase the entire All is More Than Both album (Amazon, iTunes).
I'd mentioned a couple of weeks ago that Rush is the subject of an 8-page feature story in the June, 2012 issue of Mojo magazine. The entire article has been transcribed by John at Cygnus-X1.net and posted here. It's essentially a short biography of the band and doesn't contain any new interviews or information on the new album.
San Francisco Chronicle pop culture critic Peter Hartlaub mentions his favorite band Rush in this article profiling bay-area sports talk radio personality Marty Lurie:
I'm sure there are people out there saying "I'd love to have a job getting paid to talk about baseball," but that's a fundamental misconception. Take the hobby, pastime or celebrity that you love the most. In my case it would be the band Rush. I would consider it a joy to talk about Rush with fans for an hour. It might be fun to do an entire afternoon. But two afternoons? Twenty afternoons? Every weekend, year after year, decade after decade? With fans bringing up the same old complaints that the band overpaid for Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee needs to be traded for another bassist? I wouldn't last a month.
Rush's YYZ makes Ultimate Classic Rock's list of the Top 10 Drum Songs (thanks Duffy) coming in at #3:
Neil Peart has been proving himself as one of the most technically advanced drummers in rock for decades now. But if he and his bandmates are trying to avoid that "Nerd" tag, maybe figuring out how to play the airport identification code for their local Toronto airport in morse code on each of their instruments, as they do on this track from 1981's 'Moving Pictures,' wasn't the right move.
Bradly Birzer recently penned an article for the National Review on progressive rock titled A Different Kind of Progressive which makes heavy reference to Rush:
... It's hard to imagine that my generation has not been significantly influenced by the libertarian lyrics of Neil Peart of Rush. I write this with absolute certainty regarding myself , and with only a little trepidation do I speak for many when making this huge claim. "From a better, vanished time ... " Peart understood.
As I watched Rush play "Tom Sawyer" on The Colbert Report a few years ago, none of the song's power or intensity seemed diminished to me. In ridiculous public-school detention in 1981, as a lonely and confused 13-year-old, I could relate to Peart's "his mind is not for rent to any god or government." While I've certainly and happily rented my mind (for what it's worth) to JPII and B16, I've never given a moment - even in charity - to the government. A year later, when Peart wrote, "Some will sell their dreams for small desires," I assured myself I would fight for integrity and human dignity. Do I give the NRO reader the mind of a 14-year-old raised in a dysfunctional family in otherwise idyllic Kansas? Yes, I do.
But, good Lord. What would I give to know that all 44-year-olds had once taken such words to heart while in junior high? ...
Reader Adam M let me know about a guy named Bob Rush who is running for Assembly in California. He has a website up at www.rush2012.com. :)
For all of you with streaming NetFlix service, Rush's 2112/Moving Pictures Classic Albums special is now available for free streaming. You can add it to your queue at this link (thanks Alec P).
Reader RushFanForever recently located a video on YouTube from 1994 depicting some behind the scenes coverage of the Roll the Bones video shoot. It shows the band making the video and includes interview snippets with the band members and the video director. You can check it out at this link.
This coming Monday, May 14th marks the 10th anniversary of the release of Rush's 2002 comeback album - Vapor Trails - which marked the end of the band's 5-year hiatus after the personal tragedies suffered by Neil Peart in the late '90s. The album was Rush's 17th studio album and peaked at #6 on the Billboard album charts but has yet to be certified Gold. Vapor Trails has been widely criticized by fans over the years for its production and sound quality. Re-mixes of 2 tracks from the album - One Little Victory and Earthshine - were included on Rush's 2009 compilation album Retrospective 3 and were generally well-received by fans. Back in February of last year Alex Lifeson and Rich Chycki both confirmed that a complete re-mix of the album was in the works, but there's been no word on the project since. It's speculated that it may have been put on hold after Rush switched record labels late last year.
Here's the video of the choir version of The Spirit of Radio along with the NAC Orchestra's rendition of Tom Sawyer from last weekend's Governor General's Performing Arts Award Gala:
That's all for this week. Only one month left until the release of Clockwork Angels! Have a wonderful weekend everybody.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Clockwork Angels novelization cover art now available
We're very pleased to show off the just-released cover for Clockwork Angels: The Novel-one of my most beautiful covers ever. The central image is from the forthcoming Rush album, with the type and cover design by Neil Peart. ECW will publish the hardcover in September (available for preorder now), a full-color volume with paintings and complete lyrics (and the novel itself, of course). From the sample pages I've seen already, this will be a gorgeous book.
The novel is a colorful steampunk fantasy, and I think it has a great deal of heart. Neil and I are very pleased with how it turned out-the creative synergy was amazing. Clockwork Angels: The Novel follows the story mapped out in the songs of the album, but the book isn't only for Rush fans (then again, who isn't a Rush fan???). I hope you'll all enjoy the read. ...
Back in February we learned that sci-fi author and friend of Neil Peart Kevin J. Anderson would be writing a novelization of Rush's upcoming Clockwork Angels album which would be released in the Fall by ECW Press. Amazon.com recently added the book's cover art to its listing here (thanks Lerxster). The artwork simply uses the Clockwork Angels album cover art over a black background. The book is slated for release on September 1st, 2012 under the title Clockwork Angels: The Novel and will be 264 pages long. The cover art cites Anderson as the author with a subheading which reads From a story by Neil Peart. From Anderson's blog announcement of the novelization:
... I worked together with Neil to flesh out the epic story told over the course of the music, as well as the artist Hugh Syme whose paintings fill the CD booklet. In a young man's quest to follow his dreams, he is caught between the grandiose forces of order and chaos. He travels across a lavish and colorful world of steampunk and alchemy, with lost cities, pirates, anarchists, exotic carnivals, and a rigid Watchmaker who imposes precision on every aspect of daily life. To whet your appetite, Rush released the first two tracks, "Caravan" and "BU2B"-listen to those songs to get an idea of the story's beginning.
I'm writing the chapters now, incorporating the lyrics into the narrative, and having a fantastic time. More details to come, but for now-to quote a line from Caravan: "I can't stop thinking big."
The third and final round of pre-sales for Rush's 2012 Clockwork Angels tour are beginning to wind down, with general ticket sales kicking off tomorrow. This third round included 11 dates: Indianapolis, Columbus, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Toronto, Montreal, Cleveland, Charlotte, Tampa and Seattle. As of this post VIP ticket packages still remain for Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, Detroit, Columbus, Minneapolis, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Montreal, Boston, Cleveland, Charlotte, Atlanta and Phoenix. Various CITI, Live Nation, radio and venue pre-sales have ended for the US dates, as have the AMEX pre-sales for the Canadian dates. Live Nation, radio and venue pre-sales for most of the Canadian dates will run tomorrow from 10AM to 10PM. For more information including passwords (where available), just check out the tour page, and for more details on how all the pre-sales work check out my ticket sales and pre-sales guide. General ticket sales for Indianapolis, Columbus and Tampa begin tomorrow at 10AM (local venue time) with all 5 Canadian dates, Cleveland and Charlotte going on sale Saturday at 10AM, and Seattle on Monday at 10AM.
Geddy Lee was interviewed this morning by Darren Redick of the UK's Planet Rock radio and had a little news to report regarding the tour. When asked about the possibility of a UK/European tour Geddy said:
Yes, we are coming over. I guess I'm probably not supposed to announce it yet. But we're working on the details now. I hope to be here in the Spring of 2013.
Darren also asked Geddy how they'd be changing up the stage show and visuals given that much of the steampunk theme of the Time Machine tour will likely carry over to the Clockwork Angels tour:
We're kind of redesigning a few aspects of the set. It will be a different show but it'll still have the same kind of steampunk aesthetic vibe. ... with new videos
And when asked about whether they'd be recording a live DVD for this tour Geddy remarks:
We haven't discussed it yet but I imagine so. It's become kind of a regular thing for us. When we put a new tour together, because of the fact that they are all so different from each other visually, it's nice to have that historical record. So - yes - we probably will film it at some point.
UPDATE - 5/10@2:40PM: Darren Redick's show with the Geddy Lee interview is now available for streaming on demand via the Planet Rock website at this location (thanks asif). Geddy's interview starts at around the 41-minute mark.
UPDATE - 5/10@10:20AM: UK/European fans rejoice! Geddy confirmed that the band will be touring Europe in the Spring of 2013. He also confirmed that they will likely be filming the tour and releasing a DVD/BD although didn't give any details.
UPDATE - 5/10@9:54AM: Geddy started off speaking a bit about the Governor General's Award. He then went on to explain the concept behind Clockwork Angels. Now they are playing Far Cry and will speak with Geddy a bit more after that.
UPDATE - 5/10@9:43AM: They are currently playing Headlong Flight and Darren Redick announced that Geddy was there (he's in London?) and would be coming up next.
As I'd reported earlier in the week, Geddy Lee will be a guest on Darren Redick's show on UK digital radio station Planet Rock this morning. He should be coming on at any time now. They'll mainly be chatting about Rush's upcoming Clockwork Angels album but I imagine that Geddy will also be asked about the potential for a UK/European leg of the Clockwork Angels tour next year. You can listen live to Planet Rock online at PlanetRock.com.
Back in March MIDIpedals.com posted part 1 of an extensive interview they conducted with longtime Rush roadie Tony Geranios (aka Jack Secret). In part 1 Tony talks about the early days with Rush, connecting the non-MIDI Taurus Pedals to Geddy's Oberheim synths, and about the redundant MIDI and sampling setup when they are touring. Part 2 of the interview is now also available. Topics in part 2 include his nickname, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, upcoming tour rehearsals, sausage, chicken, Barbies, his shop in Vegas, and much more! You can listen to both parts of the interview (along with part 1.5) at this link. Thanks to the interviewer Terry Goyette for the heads up and for the great interview.
In addition to their review, MusicRadar.com also 
This 
I'd 
UPDATE - 5/10@2:40PM: Darren Redick's show with the Geddy Lee interview is now available for streaming on demand via the 
