... You and [surround co-mixer] Richard Chycki really seem to be in tune in how you approach mixing your material.
Rich is very settled in with the way that he hears the band, which certainly helps. Actually, he just moved into my home studio, Lerxst Sound, back in May. We just did a big renovation there; we redid the control room. Now we're all set to do some serious work out of there. Well, more serious work.
So there are other things in the works?
Yeah, I hope so! I mean, I've got some time off [chuckles]. I've been a little bit unmotivated lately, since we've been working so much over the last 7 or 8 years. But the things that we've done physically in the studio have been inspiring, so we're planning to do a bunch of things. Rich has a number of projects, including some Rush stuff, that he'll be continuing to work on at the studio. [Just what some of those projects might be will be covered in an interview I did with Chycki that will post in the fall.] ...
It's good to hear that they're working on some more projects! Thanks to rosmakloma for the heads up.
Last week I pointed out the big ad on the home page of Neil Peart's official site announcing the impending launch of Bubba's Bar 'n' Grill. It depicted a lit-up neon sign at night which reads Opening Soon! Bubba's Bar 'n' Grill: Good Simple Food. The ad now links to a new page on Neil's site which announces that the grand opening of Bubba's Bar 'n' Grill will occur this coming weekend on July 4th and offers some more details:
NEIL PEART Launches Online Cooking Department
Celebrated Rush drummer, lyricist, and author Neil Peart is proud to announce the launching of a new cooking department on his Web site (neilpeart.net), Bubba's Bar 'n' Grill.
The motto at Bubba's place is "Good Simple Food," and Neil's kitchen alter-ego, Bubba, offers helpful cooking tips and easy recipes - a modest variety at first, to grow over time - presented through stories that aim to illuminate, instruct, and entertain. From Bubba's Mission Statement:
"I have learned a few things about preparing good simple food that might be worth sharing. In this space I will assemble and present some of that lore, along with some simple recipes, because it seems a shame that other Bubbas (of any gender and ethnicity) should have to suffer the foolishness of my youth - I was in my forties before I learned to cook anything more complicated than soft-boiled eggs."
Visit Bubba's Bar 'n' Grill, where you will learn about "The One Hour Rule," "The Queen's Portion," and why Bubba says, "If you want to impress a woman, bake her a pie."
Grand Opening July 4, 2009 Free Fireworks Displays! (*U.S. Only)
Mmmm... my mouth is watering just thinking about it. Thanks to plunge for the heads up.
Back on September 21, 1984 Rush recorded a show at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto which they later released on both VHS and LaserDisc. In 2006 they released a remastered DVD version of the concert as part of the Replay X3 Box Set which also included a bonus audio CD of the Grace Under Pressure Tour video. They later made the DVD available to be purchased as a separate item, but not the audio CD. According to MusicTAP Mercury Records will finally be releasing this audio CD as a standalone product on Tuesday, August 11th. More details as I learn them. Thanks to Pat for the heads up.
For the third yearin a row Neil Peart has won Drummer of the Year in DRUM! Magazine's Reader's Poll. He was also voted as the Best Progressive Rock Drummer. The complete results will be published in the August 2009 issue of the magazine. Thanks to Michael of NeilPeartDrumsticks.com for the heads up.
A couple of weeks ago on Thursday, June 18th the Drum Channel's DC Live program hosted a live chat with Neil Peart, Doane Perry (Jethro Tull) and Terry Bozzio (Frank Zappa). The trio chatted about drumming and answered some fan questions for about an hour and a half and then performed an unbelievable half-hour drum jam session. If you missed the show the first time around or want to watch it a again, you can do so at the Drum Channel website here. Thanks to AFarCryfromFBN for the heads up.
5 years ago yesterday Rush released their 8-song EP Feedback which featured the band covering songs that were influential for the band members during the 1960's. The album was released in celebration of the band's 30th anniversary and the tour in support of the album was dubbed the R30: 30th Anniversary Tour. On the tour Rush performed The Seeker, Heart Full of Soul, Crossroads and Summertime Blues from the album. Feedback peaked at #19 on the Billboard album charts.
Neil Peart has once again updated the News page on his website, describing some recent hiking/sightseeing trips in Southern California and focusing on one particular boat trip to Santa Cruz Island with Craiggie - an old hometown friend from St. Catharines, Ontario (where Neil grew up) who Neil happened to cross paths with in Southern California. He also has a little to say regarding Bubba's Bar 'n' Grill:
... With a nice long stretch of time at home in Southern California this year, I have been able to work on a good flow of prose writing, especially for the new cooking department, Bubba's Bar 'n' Grill....
But the real gem of this particular update is buried within Neil's usual prose about two-thirds into the update:
... At the same time, under that same marine layer, my wife Carrie was seven months pregnant. [Pause for sharp intake of breath and shiver of apprehension.] Our baby was growing and kicking, protected and insulated in its own oceanic fluid, its own marine layer. The anxious (not to say terrified) father kind of wished the baby could stay there, safe from harm, and not have to embark upon a life of menace and potential tragedy. He had lost before, and probably couldn't stand to lose again. People kept saying it was going to be all right, and he tried to keep telling himself that. Even in the June Gloom. ...
Neil and his wife Carrie are pregnant and look to be expecting baby sometime later this summer! As a Rush fan who watched helplessly from afar as Neil went through the dual tragedies of losing his only daughter Selena and wife Jackie over a decage ago, it's really wonderful to see that Neil has come to a place in his healing process where he is ready to be a father again. I know I don't typically get very emotional here, but I have to admit that I tear came to my eye when I read this latest update. A big congratulations to Carrie and Neil. It's not clear at this time how this big bit of news will affect any plans for Rush in the upcoming year, but my guess is that it may understandably delay things a little. We'll see. But for right now I feel nothing but joy for Neil and family. :)
As I'd mentioned above, Sirius/XM's The Boneyard will be featuring a Rush Interactive Countdown Weekend starting this evening at 6PM EST and running through the weekend. You can vote for your favorite Rush song by dropping them an email at Boneyard@siriusxm.com, then the Boneyard air staff will count down the top Rush songs all weekend.
Earlier this week Warner Music Japan reissued Rush's first 12 studio albums along with Retrospective 1 and Retrospective 2 as Mini-LP Super High Material CDs (SHM-CDs). Although these are not remastered recordings, the SHM-CDs supposedly improve the original audio quality through the use of a special polycarbonate plastic and will play in any CD player. SHM-CDs feature improved transparency on the data side of the disc allowing for more accurate reading of CD data by the CD player laser head. The CDs are packaged as mini-lps in cardboard sleeves, faithfully reproducing the original LP's style and artwork. You can check out some closeup images of all the mini-lp artwork compared to the original LPs at this link.
The makers of Rock Band are teaming up with Pepsi and MTV for a promotion involving Rock Band giveaways along with a contest for the best fan-made Rock Band video. Readers rushmixtape5 and TheHonestMan both noticed a commercial for the contest running on VH1 and MTV which uses Rush's Limelight. I've so far been unable to find a video of the commercial online, although RushFanForever located this Limelight video entrant in the contest.
The 2008 novel Primeval: Shadow Of The Jaguar by author Steven Seville contains several Rush references. The character Connor has 2112 on his mp3 player's playlist (page 43). In one part of the book the characters split up and are told to tune their radios to channel 2112 (pages 106,206). And in the acknowledgments the author states Nothing can survive in a vacuum, and as the song goes, no-one can exist all alone; he's obviously a Rush fan. Thanks to Power Windows for the info.
... got a little bit of (Pink) Floyd, a little bit of Rush, a little bit of blink in there. It's crazy, but it somehow sounds exactly like where we left off (in 2005). It's an amazing song...
DeLonge also recently told Rolling Stone (June 11th issue with Lady Gaga on the cover) the following regarding the song:
... One of our new songs sounds like we mixed Rush and post hardcore with some drums and bass beats....
There's a quick Neil Peart reference in the second episode of season two of the Japanese anime series K-On! which aired April 9th, 2009. When one of the characters goes to the music store to buy a Les Paul guitar, a Pearl Drums banner on the wall has been reworked to read Peart, the best reason to play drums. Check out a screenshot here. Thanks to Power Windows for the info and the screenshot.
RushFanForever also dug up a copy of a 1983 book titled Heart Of Gold - 30 Years Of Canadian Pop Music by Martin Melhuish. It contains an entire chapter on Rush which you can check out by clicking on the thumbnails above.
Here are a couple of 2112 movie sightings courtesy Power Windows. In the trailer for the 2008 film Who's Your Monkey one of the characters is wearing a 2112 t-shirt. And in the 2008 film What Just Happened there's a scene late in the film where Robert DeNiro's character is trying to catch a plane home from Cannes and the plane's ID number is CS2112F.
Power Windows also reported on a Rush reference from Rifftrax.com, a website produced by the stars of Mystery Science Theater 3000 which creates downloadable audio commentaries to play over movies. During the Rifftrax for the horror film Saw, released May 13th, 2008, when investigators find the doctor's pen light at the scene of a victim of the jigsaw killer, Danny Glover states Get a rush on these prints. Bill Colbert quips Geddy Lee preferably.
Reader Andy S located this article in the UK's Guardian where several music artists were asked to name the best working band or singer in the world today. One of the artists was Rush's Geddy Lee and here's what he had to say:
Geddy Lee of Rush on Radiohead
Describing someone as "the best" is something you do at school in grade 5, but Radiohead are the most interesting of the big groups. In terms of communication and reach, it has to be U2, but I like Radiohead's intricacy and melodic content. They've got a willingness to experiment with melody and texture that a lot of bands don't have. Plus, they manage to stay fresh. It's more about attitude than technology. I've often thought Radiohead carry on what began as progressive rock nearly 40 years ago. There's a similar spirit and willingness to explore.
It's literally impossible to talk about Canadian music and musicians without mentioning the genre's poster child, Rush. For over 35 years the trio of Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart has pioneered new ground with just about every release, consistently displaying the band's technical prowess without sacrificing commercial appeal. The band's musical creativity has influenced countless younger acts to learn how to play their own respective instruments. And by the looks of it, the Rush machine doesn't seem to be slowing down anytime soon. The band just wrapped up the final leg of its Snakes & Arrows tour, and are reportedly headed back into the studio again sometime this fall.
Snakes & Arrows Live was directed by Pierre and François Lamoureux of FogoLabs. A full service production company based out of both Montreal and New York City, FogoLabs is not new to the IMDA/DVDA awards having won 8 Excellence Awards over the years, this their 9th, including 'Facility of The Year' two years running. "I always have a great time recording Rush. They play so well that it makes life easier even though you have 80 odd tracks for 3 musicians! Kudos go out to Rich Chycki and Alex Lifeson who mixed the music, to Andy VanDette who mastered the mixes and to Denis Normandeau, my audio partner of 9 years, who encoded the music to DTS-HDMA for the Blu-Ray here at FogoLabs." said François Lamoureux, president of FogoLabs after receiving the good news.
A complete list of the winners can be seen here. Thanks to lilvictory for the heads up.
The Rush Backstage Club is running a new contest where you could win a unique orange Rush 2007 Snakes & Arrows tour poster from the June 25th Pittsburgh show. The contest ends on July 6th and you can sign up to enter at this link.
UPDATE - 6/24@12:53PM: According to this article in the Toronto Star on Larry Walker's induction into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, Geddy Lee is on vacation in Africa right now. So my guess is that this interview is either pre-taped or a previously-aired interview.
Sirius/XM's The Boneyard will be featuring a Rush Interactive Countdown Weekend starting this Friday and running through the weekend. From the website:
The Boneyard wants you to vote now for your favorite Rush song by dropping us an email to Boneyard@siriusxm.com. Then the Boneyard air staff will count down the Rush songs all weekend that get the most votes - in the order you placed them. The countdown begins Friday June 26 with Cane at 6pm eastern/3 pacific.
To promote the event, Geddy Lee will be appearing on The Boneyard's Lou Brutus show at 5PM EST today although it's not clear whether this will be a live appearance or a previously-taped interview. The interview will apparently also be re-run tomorrow and Friday as well. Thanks to rushfanatic500 for the heads up.
You may have noticed a new big ad on the home page of Neil Peart's official site announcing the impending launch of Bubba's Bar 'n' Grill. It depicts a lit-up neon sign at night which reads Opening Soon! Bubba's Bar 'n' Grill: Good Simple Food. There is otherwise no indication of what this all means, but one can theorize that whatever it is it'll have to do with food in some way. Indeed, back in the Official Announcement Concerning the Illustrated Roadshow Companion, Neil wrote about a possible new addition to his website called Chef Ellwood's Kitchen:
.... Cooking, for example, might become a new department on the Web site called "Chef Ellwood's Kitchen." Or sports cars -- I have written a fair amount about motorcycles and motorcycling, but relatively little about cars, though four-wheelers have fascinated me since boyhood, and absorbed much time and interest in my life. Over the past year I have been forging a sometimes rocky relationship with a 1964 Aston Martin DB5, and it has engendered plenty of stories -- at least for people interested in that sort of thing. Perhaps I'll open a new department called "Bubba's Garage." ...
Cool. So maybe we can look forward to some cooking tips from Chef Elwood. Stay tuned... Thanks to hermy and Andrew Olson for the heads up.
A few months ago - partly due to a push from RIAB readers - online rock t-shirt store Saltyrockz.comreleased their first Rush-themed t-shirt. The shirt depicted a red Rush Star with the names Geddy, Alex, Neilsuperimposed over it. Due to the great response they got from this shirt, they later rolled out 3 more Rush shirts in April - one for each member of the band. Their latest Rush t-shirt design will be released this coming Friday and carries a Fly By Night theme, depicting an owl in flight with a YYZ tag tied to its leg. You can check out a preview of the t-shirt by clicking on the thumbnail above.
A new interview with Alex Lifeson conducted by Mike Mettler of Sound & Vision Magazine titled Snakes Alive! The S&V Interview with Alex Lifeson of Rush has been posted online. The focus of the interview is the Snakes & Arrows Live Blu-ray which recently took home the Excellence in Disc Audio (Blu Ray Disc) award at the 2009 International Digital Media Alliance Excellence Awards. Alex specifically discusses his experience working with Rich Chycki, who apparently moved into Alex's home studio in May:
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A couple of weeks ago on Thursday, June 18th the 
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You may have noticed a new big ad on the 
