Although we'd all like to see the members of Rush get busy on a new album, they are at least managing to keep busy in other, non-musical ways - especially Alex Lifeson. Earlier this week we learned that Alex will be a presenter at the 24th annual Gemini Awards where the Trailer Park Boys will be receiving a special award - presumably presented by Lerxst. And just yesterday it was announced that a new television project from the Trailer Park Boys has been greenlit and that Alex Lifeson will be involved. The show's working title is The Drunk and on Drugs Happy Funtime Hour and it's been greenlit for six episodes that will air on Showcase in 2010. Alex will play a German scientist who teaches children about nutrition? Yikes! Alex Lifeson is also participating in The Kidney Foundation of Canada's A Brush of Hope project. Alex Lifeson along with dozens of other Canadian celebrities have donated paintings that were put up for auction on eBay last week. The auction will run through this weekend and you can bid on Alex Lifeson's painting (shown above) at . As of this posting the bidding on Alex's painting has surpassed the $2000 mark!
Backstage Secrets is a 5-part documentary from WhistleStop Productions which aired on HD TV in Canada last year. The documentary follows various members of the Rush road crew during a typical day out on the road with the band. It was shot in High Definition and Dolby 5.1 surround audio during the Canadian leg of the 2007 Snakes and Arrows tour. We learned yesterday that the series is finally available for purchase through a few online distributors including Amazon. You can purchase the documentary as a home-use 2-disc set for $24.95 at this link.
Rush's Working Men compilation will be released this coming Tuesday November 17th in the US and Canada. In Germany and other parts of Europe it released today and those in the UK will be able to get their copies on Monday.
Geddy Lee has been confirmed as a guest judge at the great Canadian chef cook-off Gold Medal Plates which takes place next Thursday, November 19th at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
The Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) kicked off earlier this week and runs through tomorrow, November 14th at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, IN. As previously mentioned on this site, both Neil Peart's original Slingerland drum kit and his Snakes & Arrows kit are on display at the show. The Slingerland kit was recently purchased on eBay and restored to a playable condition by the new owner with the help of Michael of NeilPeartDrumsticks.com. The kit is on display in booth #1254 and attendees can play it themselves for one minute with a donation of $10 to the American Cancer Society. See this post for all the details. Neil's Snakes & Arrows kit is on display at the Guitar Center booth (#620). Admission to the Convention Expo Hall is $15. For all the details check out the PASIC website at www.pasic.org. Andrew Olson has created a special page on his Neil Peart site completely dedicated to the PASIC show and has collected a bunch of great photos of fans behind the kits. You can check it out at this link.
So what's the coolest - Alex presenting at the Gemini Awards, Geddy being a guest judge at Gold Medal Plates or Neil's Slingerland and Snakes & Arrows kits at PASIC? Take the Poll and let us know. On the last poll we asked which of the 8 missing tracks are you most excited to see on the R30 re-release? The clear winner with over 40% of the vote was La Villa Strangiato with By-tor and the Snow Dog making a respectable showing with 20%. Here are the complete results.
On Sunday we found out about a new documentary from filmmaker Paul Miilm which explores the Niagara music scene of the late 60's and early 70's of which Neil Peart played a major part. It's titled The Big Story of Small Potatoes and will be released sometime this month according to the film's website. Neil Peart was not interviewed for the documentary but Jimmy Johnson, who later became a guitar tech for Alex Lifeson, is interviewed. The film makes reference to several bands that Neil played in including JR Flood - which has a portion of their song Giant Killer (which Neil plays on) included on the soundtrack. The film's website also includes a list of several bands that Neil purportedly played with.
Reader ddrylie noticed that DW Drums is releasing a new version of their Snakes & Arrows snare drum. This new version's finish is described as Birdseye Maple w/ Walnut inlay, Candy Black Burst and Black Nickel Hardware. It's currently available for pre-order at a number of online vendors.
Rush biographer Jon Collins recently posted to his website that a paperback version of his 2006 book Chemistry is in the works. The contents of the paperback version will be identical to the hard cover although it will include corrections. Thanks to RushFanForever for the heads up.
AnalogKid at Counterparts located this 1984 interview with Van Halen's David Lee Roth where he talks about Rush for a about a minute or so. The Rush piece begins at about the 6-minute mark and you can check it out on YouTube at this link.
The Bob and Tom Show is a US syndicated radio show that has featured Rush as guests in the past. Lerxst62 spotted this quote on Bob and Tom's page of recent Colorful Quotes from their radio show:
"How can you not like the band RUSH? That's like trying chocolate for the first time and saying, oh, that's interesting."
- Ian Bagg on RUSH
Musicradar.com recently published their list of the 50 Greatest Drummers of All Time. Coming in at #4 is Neil Peart. Thanks to RushFanForever for the heads up.
This recent lifehacker.com article discussing music streaming service Grooveshark uses Rush in the graphics accompanying the piece. Thanks to dmowry for the heads up.
Technology consultant, author, Rush fan and RIAB reader Phil Simon recently posted an article to his blog titled Project Management Lessons from Rush where he uses rush lyrics to relate some points about IT projects. You can check it out at this link. And if you are interested, check out his book Why New Systems Fail: Theory and Practice Collide. While the subject matter is not directly Rush-related (obviously), Phil intersperses Rush references throughout the book.
Rush Tour Forum member abdabs recently saw Guy Fieri of the Food Network during a live performance at the Metropolitan Food and Entertainment Show in Washington DC. During a cooking demo he was cutting up bell peppers really fast and fancy with the whole audience cheering him on. At one point he looked up and said kinda like a Rush drum solo.
This next Rush reference (and the screengrab) comes from Power Windows. During the November 2nd episode of Adult Swim's The Venture Bros, titled Perchance To Dean, Dr. Venture introduces his son Dean to progressive rock, explaining that all of his greatest ideas were hatched while listening to King Crimson, Yes, etc. After falling into a Floyd Hole during a long session of Prog Rock, Dean is found passed out on the floor with various album covers strewn about, including Rush's 2112, and possibly Hemispheres.
Also from Power Windows, in the opening scene of the November 4th episode of Gary Unmarried (Gary Tries To Do It All), Gary complains about the cost of his daughter's youth orchestra by saying ... it seemed pretty expensive, I could see if the orchestra played a little Rush or AC/DC or something.... You can watch the full episode online at CBS.com.
Salon.com contributor (and RIAB reader) Bob Calhoun posted to the Open Salon blog earlier this week an article titled 2012 vs. 2112: CGI Apocalypse vs. the Ayn Rand Rock Opera. The article was inspired by this weekend's release of the apocalyptic thriller 2012. Calhoun suggests that the filmmaker should have instead made a movie based on Rush's 2112 and then goes on to describe the story behind the song and its political overtones in relation to Ayn Rand and Objectivism. There's also this cool graphic accompanying the article.
This past Monday, November 9th marked the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The event inspired Neil Peart to write the song Heresy which appeared on Rush's 1991 album Roll The Bones. In remembrance of that day, here are the opening verses:
All around that dull gray world
From Moscow to Berlin
People storm the barricades
Walls go tumbling inThe counter-revolution
People smiling through their tears
Who can give them back their lives
And all those wasted years?
All those precious wasted years -
Who will pay?
John located this video of a group of young kids from the Rocket For Kids program performing The Spirit Of Radio live at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, New Jersey on March 15th 2009.
Three Eyes at Counterparts located these very cool videos (part 1, part 2) of the JHSS Senior Guitar Ensemble playing a tribute to Rush at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland Ohio this past summer.
Have a great weekend everyone!
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