Internationally recognized wine expert Mark Oldman just released his new book Oldman's Brave New World of Wine and Alex Lifeson along with dozens of other celebrity wine lovers are profiled in the book. Alex discusses his favorite wines, wine-based experiences, and a few tricks he's picked up over the years. Here's an excerpt:
Bandmate Geddy Lee and I went to California's Turkey Wine Cellars in late September of 1998 to spend a few days working the harvest. We pulled all of the leaves and spiders and all that stuff out of the bins, and so we were covered head-to-toe in grape juice. Later, Ged and I stopped at this restaurant for lunch. Our shirts and fingers were all purple-we were so proud! People were like, "Yeah, you guys are locals, aren't you? We'll get you some service right away, sir." -Alex Lifeson
Rush hits yet another state fair tonight, playing the Grandstand at the New York State Fair in Syracuse, NY for show #29. For everybody going to the show have fun, be safe, and make sure to share your photos/videos/reports.
The Rush Backstage Club is running a new contest where you could win a 23"x36" Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage poster. Unfortunately it's not autographed by the band though. The contest runs until September 15th and you can sign up to enter at this link. The posters can also be purchased through Amazon in the 24"x36" size or a larger 27"x40" size. Thanks to hermy for the heads up.
... I think the documentary, above anything else, made us accessible to women. Believe me, it hasn't gone unnoticed that we're seeing a lot more women at our shows than ever before, and that's probably not by accident. Something is definitely bringing women in. I think the documentary affected them somehow. ... Perhaps a lot of women - maybe their husbands or boyfriends were lifelong fans - might never have thought of coming to see us live, but they saw the documentary and see us in a new light. ...
On the idea of playing Moving Pictures in its entirety:
... Actually, the idea came from Neil. He had seen Steely Dan play last year, and they were doing a different album every night. So that got him thinking that maybe we should do something like that. We always needed to address the song Camera Eye because it's the most-requested track in our catalogue. So the decision to do Moving Pictures from beginning to end meant that we could do Camera Eye but also do something interesting that we knew our fans would enjoy. It's been absolutely terrific, I must say. We start playing Moving Pictures, and by the time we're done, it feels like time just flew by. The fans love it, we love it - I'm really glad at how it's being received. ...
He adds this interesting tidbit regarding the Limelight solo:
... I've always enjoyed the elasticity of that solo, particularly the way it sounds on the record. It has a certain tonality I just love. I do like playing the solo live, but I think I prefer listening to it on the album. On record, it has a magical quality to it - it really conveys the pathos of the song and the lyrics. I've never been able to re-create that live. I get pretty close, but it's never exactly the way it is on record. I'll keep trying, though. ...
And he expands on their plans for recording the new album Clockwork Angels:
... When we finish the tour, we'll review the songs we wrote. There's bound to be some changes and modifications. In fact, I think both Caravan and BU2B will be re-recorded. ... Because they've grown. And, you know, why not? We'll see what happens and see if we can better them - although we are happy with them as they are now. The title track, Clockwork Angels, is becoming quite an epic, so we'll have to see where that goes. It's going to be a lot of fun getting back in the studio, especially at this point in the game, when we're playing at our peak. ... we haven't made any decisions as to where we'll record when we pick things up again. You know, I have my own studio at home, so I'd love to do the guitars there. The thing about Nashville is, that's where Nick lives. He'd been away from home a lot, and I think he was really hoping that we'd agree to work there. We didn't have a problem with that. It's good for us to go away sometimes and be a little more focused - certainly, there are distractions when you're home. So going to Nashville and working for a week was no big deal. Blackbird is a terrific studio. Great gear, great rooms, a wonderful staff - it was a no-brainer to be there. Moving forward, however, we'll see. You know, Neil lives in Los Angeles, so I'm sure he wouldn't mind if we did the drums there. I want to do the guitars in my home studio. I don't know how Geddy feels about going to separate studios to do vocals and bass tracks. It's all a ways off, though. We still have a bunch of touring to do. ...
It's a well-done, extensive interview that I think every Rush fan will enjoy. You can check it out at this link. Thanks to Dalton for the heads up.
Rush Time Machine Tour: Allentown Fair open thread
Rush takes the Time Machine to the Allentown Fair this evening where it's going to be a HOT one; temperatures are going to reach the mid-90s! For everybody going to the show tonight have fun, stay cool, be safe, and be sure to share your photos/videos/reports.
Universal releases yet another Rush compilation today as part of their new ICON series. The package includes 12 Rush songs from the period when the band was on the Mercury record label (through 1987), including some very interesting selections not included on past compilations. Here's the complete tracklist:
1) Working Man 2) Fly By Night 3) The Necromancer 4) The Twilight Zone 5) Closer to the Heart 6) Circumstances 7) Freewill 8) Limelight 9) The Analog Kid 10) Red Sector A 11) Marathon 12) Force Ten
Rush continues their journey east, playing the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH this evening for stop #27 on the Time Machine Tour. For several weeks rumors were swirling that this show would be filmed. Unfortunately I'm now hearing that this won't be the case and that plans to film the Columbus show have been scrapped in favor of another show later in the tour. I have no information on what the reasoning behind this decision was, or which show will end up being filmed. In either case, it should be a great show to a packed house. Earlier this week it looked like the show had been sold out but Live Nation pushed the stage back and opened up a few more sections, so as of right now tickets are still available. There are several pre-show gatherings happening at the Gordon Biersch Brewery, O'Shaughnessy's Pub and The Frog Bear & Wild Boar. I'll be at the Gordon's gathering if you'd like to stop in and say hello. For everybody going to the show tonight have fun, be safe, and make sure to share your photos/videos/reports.
Date/Time: Sunday, August 29th @ 7:30PM Show Number: 27 Venue:Nationwide Arena Place: Columbus, OH
UPDATE - 8/28@9:56AM: Here's a review from the Pioneer Press (thanks katskahnne). It sounds like Alex had a good birthday:
... Lifeson - who celebrated his birthday Friday with the onstage presentation of a foot-long Pronto Pup and a pork chop on a stick - let loose with the kind of classic rock solo filled with the grandeur of guitar gods. ...
----- snip -----
Rush plays the Grandstand at the Minnesota State Fair this evening for show #26 on the Time Machine Tour and to celebrate Alex Lifeson's 57th birthday. Fellow longtime rockers KISS will also be playing the Fair later next week, and the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune recently featured a couple of articles on the fans of both bands. There's this article which focuses on the love 'em or hate 'em attitude most people have regarding the two bands. And our own Rush/Geddy Lee superfan PetieLee was profiled (along with her awesome Rush tatoos) in this article titled Some fairly fanatical fans. For everyone going to the show have fun, be safe, share your photos/videos/reports and wish Alex Lifeson a happy birthday for us all ... And don't forget to keep voting for Rush in the NASA Space Rock contest (the cheating by certain Trekkies seems to have been curtailed for the time being)!
Date/Time: Friday, August 27th @ 7:30PM Show Number: 26 Venue:Minnesota State Fair Place: St. Paul, MN
UPDATE - 8/28@7:54PM: I'm now hearing that plans to film the Columbus show have been scrapped in favor of another show later in the tour. I have no information on what the reasoning behind this decision was, or which show will end up being filmed.
Rush rolled the Time Machine through the US heartland this past week playing shows in Wichita, St. Louis, Chicago and Omaha. This coming week they'll make their way east starting off with a show at the Minnesota State Fair tonight where fans can wish Alex Lifeson a Happy Birthday, then onto Columbus, Allentown, Syracuse and New Jersey before taking another extended break. Sharing the bill with Rush at the Minnesota State Fair will be fellow longtime rockers KISS, and the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune recently featured a couple of articles on the fans of both bands. There's this article which focuses on the love 'em or hate 'em attitude most people have regarding the two bands. And our own Rush/Geddy Lee superfan PetieLee was profiled (along with her awesome Rush tatoos) in this article titled Some fairly fanatical fans. Rumors still abound that the show at Nationwide Arena in Columbus will be filmed. That show had been sold out but just yesterday Live Nation pushed the stage back and added a few more sections. Before you purchase any tickets be sure to check out the updated seating chart at Ticketmaster! Most broker sites still have the old seating chart up which is causing a bit of confusion.
... the band has six songs pretty much ready to go and three others almost done. The group plans to write at least a couple of additional songs after the tour. ... "There is the epic song, 'Clockwork Angels,' which is really taking shape. It's a multi-parted piece, very dynamic," Lifeson says. "Then there's some stuff that's very melodic and on the softer side, on acoustic, with a strong melody. So there's great diversity there. Honestly, I can't wait until we start really working on these songs. We've sort of got them to the stage where Geddy and I were happy with the arrangements and then Neil kind of comes in and starts working on his drum arrangements, and they go from there. So they're sort of in that pre-drum stage right now, and it's great to see them come to life." ...
You can read the entire article at this link (**SETLIST SPOILERS**).
Neil Peart continues to battle inner ear issues on the tour and has been wearing headphones in lieu of in-ear monitors ever since the 2nd Red Rocks show back on August 18th. Neil Peart drum tech Lorne Wheaton posted the following to his MySpace page last Thursday:
Feeling for the boss, who is dealing with an inner ear issue. Back on the cans for a while. Mood: anxious 3:46 PM Aug 19
As an apology for the canceled/rescheduled 2nd Chicago show back on July 7th, Rush had free baseball caps passed out to all concertgoers on their way out of Monday's makeup show at the Charter One Pavilion. The cap is light gray with a blue Rush 1974-2112 baseball logo on the front, an embroidered number 3 on the side and the words The Rain Date - Rush - Chicago 2010 stitched on the back. These have inevitably already made their way to eBay.
The night before the St. Louis show Geddy Lee attended the Cardinals-Giants baseball game. Cardinals coach Tony La Russa acknowledged Geddy Lee in the post game interview, stating that he was a special guest of the Cardinals. You can see a photo of La Russa and Geddy after the game by clicking on the thumbnail.
Also at RushTrader.com is a recently posted rare old interview with Geddy Lee from 1989. It was a radio interview conducted by John Sebastian of the 60's pop group The Lovin' Spoonful. The two discuss Rush's career to that point and new album at the time, Presto. You can give it a listen at this link (thanks Ant).
Late last week we learned that NASA was conducting a Space Rock contest where they are asking folks to vote for their favorite wakeup songs to be played on the upcoming STS-133 Space Shuttle mission. One of the songs being considered is Rush's Countdown. Over the past week there has been a flurry of voting with the lead bouncing back and forth between Countdown and the Star Trek Theme. But now Steppenwolf's Magic Carpet Ride has jumped into the fray and pushed Rush back into third place because of one enthusiastic Star Trek fan's admitted cheating. Cheating or not, the top 2 songs will be chosen so it's important that we put Rush back into the top 2. You can vote for Rush at this link. You may vote as many times as you wish. Vote often!
Earlier this week we learned that VH1 will be airing an updated version of thier 100 Greatest Music Artists of All Time special over 4 nights starting with a 2-hour program on Monday, September 6th. The list was determined by polling well-known music artists and industry experts including Rush's Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson. VH1 conducted the same poll back in 1998 as their first ever countdown special. At that time Rush did not make their list, but this time they come in at #75. You can read the official press release at this link.
Rush is featured in the latest issue of the Columbus-based free music magazine Melt. The August/September 2010 issue has Rush gracing the cover along with a 2-page article on their upcoming show at the Nationwide Arena on Sunday. You can check out the article by clicking on the thumbnails. Thanks to Power Windows for the heads up.
The latest issue of Guitar World's special Guitar Legends series focuses on the 30 Greatest Classic Rock Guitar Heroes. Featured on pages 48-9 is our own guitar hero and birthday boy Alex Lifeson. Thanks to Power Windows for the heads up.
Speaking of Lerxst the birthday boy, Gibson.com recently posted an article profiling Alex Lifeson and the Gibson guitars that he currently uses and has used over the years. The article is titled Caress of Steel: Rush's Alex Lifeson and His Guitarsenal and you can check it out at this link (thanks RushFanForever).
Reader Ant from over at RushTrader.com let me know that he recently dug up and posted an old interview with Geddy Lee to the site. This rare radio interview was conducted back in 1989 by John Sebastian of the 60s pop group The Lovin' Spoonful for a radio broadcast. Geddy talks about Rush's career up to that point and discusses the band's Presto album. You can listen to the interview at this link. There's also currently a great bootleg of the Irvine show from earlier this month posted in the Listening Room section of the website.
Reader chino23 let me know of a small Rush reference on last night's episode of the Canadian police drama Rookie Blue (season 1, episode 10). At one point one cop asks another what kind of music he likes and the other cop replies HUGE Rush fan.
In the latest installment of his music discovery podcast and blog Bands Like Rush, Ben Sommer talks to guitarist/singer/songwriter Jared Mullins of San Diego power rock trio Heavy Glow. Ben describes the band as ... Cream crossed with early Rush circa Fly By Night, only with a white-boy baritone blues singer. The podcast also includes 2 full tracks from their most recent self-titled album; Grinning In The Dark and Trailin' St. Judas Blues. To find out more about the band check out their website at this link. You can listen to the podcast or read a transcription at this link.
Reader BigLeaf sent me this Toronto Star article on the recent demolition of McClear Place Studios in Toronto where Rush frequently recorded. From the article:
No, the receptionist at the McClear recording studio told the Rush fan, the members of the band were not around.
Moments later, a man wearing cycling attire and pushing a bicycle walked by the fan. The fan barely noticed - though the cyclist was Rush drummer Neil Peart.
"I guess he thought he was a bike courier or something," said former McClear transfer engineer Dean Allen, "because he was all dressed up in bike gear. Rolled right past him, and the guy didn't even know."
Peart made his incognito entrance into a studio that was itself easily ignored. To its right was the Club Toronto bathhouse, to its left townhomes. The nondescript McClear building, at 225 Mutual St., near Carlton and Jarvis Sts., was only one storey tall. ...
Last year Canadian rapper D-Sisive released his album Let the Children Die where he extensively samples Rush's The Necromancer for the song The Super Bowl is Over. You can listen to the track on YouTube at this link. Thanks to Claudio D for the heads up.
The Drum Channel recently posted to their YouTube channel a short preview video from their upcoming DVD release of Mike Portnoy's appearance on their Art of Drumming program with Terry Bozio. In the video Portnoy discusses Neil Peart and how he influenced his drumming. You can watch the video below or at this link (thanks speckbrot).
On this day back in 1953, our favorite guitarist - Alexandar Zivojinovich (aka Alex Lifeson) - was born in Fernie, British Columbia. He turns 57 today which makes him the youngest member of Rush, being born about a month after Geddy Lee and just under a year after Neil. Happy birthday Lerxst! May you have many more. Next up is Neil, who'll turn 58 on September 12th.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Rush on display at Portraits of Bluesfest 2 this evening
Alan Sculley of Allentown's The Morning Call newspaper recently interviewed Alex Lifeson (**SETLIST SPOILERS**) regarding the band's upcoming show at the Allentown Fair next Tuesday. Alex talks about the Moving Pictures album, the tour and a good bit about the band's upcoming Clockwork Angels album:
... The timing for Rush's tour is a bit unusual for the band. Traditionally, it has only toured after a CD has been released or between album projects. This tour comes in the middle of writing and recording "Clockwork Angels."
"The idea was to get back on the road, tour, and then come right back into continued writing and then recording in tour shape," Lifeson says. "There's nothing that compares to the kind of shape you get into playing-wise when you're on tour." ...
... Lifeson says the band has six songs pretty much ready to go and three others almost done. The group plans to write at least a couple of additional songs after the tour. At this point, the CD is shaping up to be a musically varied work.
"There is the epic song, 'Clockwork Angels,' which is really taking shape. It's a multi-parted piece, very dynamic," Lifeson says. "Then there's some stuff that's very melodic and on the softer side, on acoustic, with a strong melody. So there's great diversity there. Honestly, I can't wait until we start really working on these songs. We've sort of got them to the stage where Geddy and I were happy with the arrangements and then Neil kind of comes in and starts working on his drum arrangements, and they go from there. So they're sort of in that pre-drum stage right now, and it's great to see them come to life." ...
Epic song?! Multi-parted piece?! Yes!! You can read the entire interview at this link (**SETLIST SPOILERS**). Thanks to RushFanForever for the heads up.
Rush transports the Time Machine to Omaha, NE tonight for their first show in that city in nearly 20 years. The last time they played Omaha was at the Civic Auditorium Arena on the Roll the Bones tour back on November 4, 1991. For everyone going to the show have fun, be safe, and make sure to share your photos/videos/reports... And don't forget to keep voting for Rush in the NASA Space Rock contest (you can vote multiple times)!
Date/Time: Wednesday, August 25th @ 7:30PM Show Number: 25 Venue:Qwest Center Place: Omaha, NE
VH1 will be airing an updated version of thier 100 Greatest Music Artists of All Time special over 4 nights starting with a 2-hour program on Monday, September 6th. The list was determined by polling well-known music artists and industry experts including Rush's Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson. VH1 conducted the same poll back in 1998 as their first ever countdown special. At that time Rush did not make their list, but this time they come in at #75. From the press release:
VH1 goes back to its music roots and revisits the age-old question: "Who is the greatest music artist for all time?" Determined by a poll of well-known music artists and music experts in the industry, VH1 will reveal this definitive (and sure-to-be highly controversial) list declaring who is the greatest of the great. Hosted by Jim Shearer (VH1's "Top 20 Video Countdown"), the 4-night special, VH1's "100 Greatest Artists of All Time," premieres Monday, September 6 at 10/9c with a 2-hour premiere.
This definitive countdown covers all genres of music - from rock to pop to rap to metal - to answer who is worthy to possess the title as "the greatest music artist of all time." Over the 200 musicians including Alicia Keys, Ozzy Osbourne, Sean "Diddy" Combs, Iggy Pop, Nas, Rob Halford (Judas Priest), Geddy Lee (Rush), Alex Lifeson (Rush), Michael Diamond (Beastie Boys), Daryl Hall, John Oates, Noel Gallagher (Oasis), Gene Simmons (KISS), Adam Levine (Maroon Five), 50 Cent, Nelly Furtado, Mandy Moore, Carrie Underwood, Adam Clayton (U2) and many more voted on who they believe deserves this highly coveted title.
In 1998, VH1 launched the same list as the channel's first countdown special; however; much has changed since the dawn of the new millennium. VH1 puts this debate up for a vote again to see which rock pioneers still matter and which new acts rate in the age of download-to-own music and ever-changing pop culture. The countdown will include special, rarely-seen performance footage along with brand new, totally original interviews with music's most famous faces including interviews by Adele, Backstreet Boys, Brandy, Bret Michaels, Chris Daughtry, Hall & Oates, Keane, Ozzy Osbourne, Ray J, Sheryl Crow, Usher, Whitney Houston and many more. ...
... The poll reflects changing tastes. The list features over 30 artists who did not make the cut in 1998 including ABBA, Journey, Hall and Oates, Rush, George Michael, Mariah Carey, Sade and Cheap Trick. ...
... TheGreatest.VH1.com will have exclusive extras including interviews and commentary. Additionally, online visitors will be able to participate by using VH1's voting tool that allows users to pick their favorite artists, weigh in their opinions and socially broadcast their take on the list through Twitter.com and Facebook.com. ...
You can check out the entire list of 100 artists at this link.
Internationally recognized wine expert Mark Oldman just released his new book Oldman's Brave New World of Wine and Alex Lifeson along with dozens of other celebrity wine lovers are profiled in the book. Alex discusses his favorite wines, wine-based experiences, and a few tricks he's picked up over the years. Here's an excerpt:
Rush rolled the Time Machine through the US heartland this past week playing shows in 
Neil Peart continues to battle inner ear issues on the tour and has been wearing headphones in lieu of in-ear monitors ever since the 2nd Red Rocks show back on August 18th. Neil Peart drum tech 
On this day back in 1953, our favorite guitarist - Alexandar Zivojinovich (aka 
