Rush is a Band

A blog devoted to RUSH:
Neil Peart, Geddy Lee & Alex Lifeson

Fri, Mar 29, 2024

Updates and other random Rush stuff

Fri, Nov 11, 2011@12:11PM | comments removed/disabled

Rush's long-awaited Time Machine 2011: Live in Cleveland concert video finally released this past week on DVD, Blu-ray, CD and on vinyl (Moving Pictures tracks only). The Blu-ray version of the video is currently only available at Best Buy in the US. It won't become available at other US retailers until a little over a month from now on December 20th. The Best Buy offer also includes the option of getting an XL RASH t-shirt with any purchase of the DVD or Blu-ray for a few dollars more. The blu-ray exclusive offer applies only to US retailers and does not apply to the Rush Backstage Club or retailers in any other country outside the US. The entire Time Machine CD is also available on iTunes at this link, and is up on Spotify at this link. Preview videos for Limelight, Working Man and Tom Sawyer are available for viewing online. Several reviews have come out recently including this Time Machine CD review from Purple Revolver, this DVD review from Something Else!, another review of the DVD from the Buffalo News, this DVD review from RIAB reader Todd Garbarini (RushSignals1982), this 3.5-star review of the CD from Rolling Stone, and this 5-star DVD review from Examiner.com.

Progress on Rush's upcoming Clockwork Angels studio album is moving ahead right on track with the band recently wrapping up the writing phase of the project. Last Friday Alex Lifeson was a guest on the Humble and Fred podcast and had the following news to pass on:

... We're in the studio right now. We're plowing away on a new record. Things are going really, really well. We've got all the material written. We've got a few tracks that Neil's done his drum parts on - that's slowly evolving. I'm pretty excited about it actually. It's very fresh - at least for me. From behind these eyes it seems pretty fresh and exciting. Strong melodies and really we're having a ball working on this record. You know Geddy and I have been writing music together for over 40 years and it's amazing to me how we are so excited to get into the studio every day that we work together. And we're like little kids - the kids that we always were when we started this many years ago. ... We're probably a little over a week ahead of our schedule right now, which is pretty amazing for us. ...

Then Neil's friend and riding partner Brutus chimed in with a little update of his own via the Bubba's Bar -n- Grill cooking forum last Saturday:

... Bubba just told me that he and his 2 amigos are putting some wonderful stuff down while recording over the last month or so. They have enough to complete what they started with the 2 teasers last spring. So it looks like an album's worth of stuff ready for the spring. ...

So the album still looks to be poised for a Spring, 2012 release. Great news!

Timed to coincide with the upcoming November 21st release of Rush's Sector box sets, Consequence of Sound is running a contest where you could win a limited edition Sectors print featuring the album covers of Caress of Steel, Exit...Stage Left, and A Show of Hands. For details on how to enter visit this link. UltimateClassicRock.com is also running a contest in celebration of the release where they are giving away a Moving Pictures lithograph signed by all three band members. For all the details and to enter that contest go to this link.

We learned earlier this week that Alex Lifeson will be among the performers at the 7th annual Andy Kim Christmas Concert next month. The concert will take place at the Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto on Wednesday, December 14th with all proceeds going to charity. In addition to Alex, performers will include Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning from Broken Social Scene, members of Finger Eleven and Ron Sexsmith. Tickets are $26 CND and can be purchased online at TicketWeb. Alex Lifeson also performed at last year's concert and you can check out videos and photos from that event in this post.

The Winter, 2011 issue of Guitar Aficionado magazine is a special wine issue and contains an interview with Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee. From the magazine's website:

In Guitar Aficionado's Winter 2011 issue, we bring you the rockers, vintners, and oenophiles that celebrate the grape. Rush's esteemed guitar and bass duo, Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee, discuss their decades-long love affair with the world's finest wines ...

Speaking of wine, Grapes for Humanity is an organization that helps to raise funds to benefit humanitarian causes around the world with the assistance of the international wine community and Geddy Lee is a member of the board of directors. Back in September all 3 members of Rush participated in the annual charity auction which ended up raising more than $50,000 for the charity. On the final weekend of the auction back on September 17th, about 60 wine lovers joined Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson at Union Station to take a Via Rail train to Belleville. They were then bussed to Huff Estate Winery in Bloomfield, Prince Edward County for an event featuring plenty of good wine, good food and great company. A photo gallery from the event was posted online at the Grapes for Humanity website and features plenty of great photographs of Geddy and Alex. You can check it out at this link.

Photographer and video director Andrew MacNaughtan has had a long relationship with Rush, working as photographer and videographer for many of the band's projects since back in the '80s. His latest project is a unique art book showcasing the beauty of Africa through a series of stunning black and white photographs called GRACE: Africa in Photographs. The photographs will be exhibited at Arta Gallery from November 16 - 20. From 49st.com:

... [MacNaughtan] travelled to Tanzania and Kenya in November 2010 with the purpose of capturing the spirit and beauty of the landscapes, wildlife and people to raise funds for the prevention, care and advocacy of children in HIV/AIDS affected regions.

The idea to use these photographs in a book was taken a step further when MacNaughtan enlisted the help of friends in the recording industry to lend poetic voice to the images. More than 30 artists including ... Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson ... graciously provided commentary to photos that inspired them.

Through ArtGivesHope, a charity founded by MacNaughtan in 2006, the sales of the limited edition images and book will support World Vision's Hope Program. His personal goal is to generate enough awareness and raise funds to sponsor 500 children in need.

To see a sampling of the photographs visit artgiveshope.ca.

Back in September we learned via RockstarWeekly.com that legendary Canadian musician Tom Cochrane would soon be releasing a new 4-song EP called Voices At 4 AM. The first single will be the title track which is a collaboration with several other artists including Alex Lifeson. Cochrane posted some updated information to his Facebook page earlier this week (thanks RushFanForever):

There are only 500 Limited Edition Worldwide... The first 50 sold will be Super Limited Edition... 5 of the 50 will be signed at random... We are talking about the extremely limited deluxe set of material created by Tom Cochrane & Andrew Cole Feat. Alex Lifeson, Kenny Aronoff, Kenny Greer, Bill Bell Music & Chris Chaney. 50 of these Super Limited Edition "Sets" will be available for pre-order purchase this December!!! The remaining 450 will be sold through our website. (Please note this package will not be available in stores) [TC TEAM]

Back in July the final US Space Shuttle mission (STS-135) was launched, and last month on October 13th the four-member crew of the mission presented highlights to agency employees at its Washington, D.C. headquarters. Reader Asif K pointed me to the YouTube video of the presentation and at about the 12:30 mark they play some video highlights from the mission with Rush's Countdown as the background music. The mission commander then talks a little about Rush. Back in May the same song was used as wake-up music on the second-to-last Space Shuttle mission (STS-134).

Nicky Wire of the Manic Street Preachers attended the 2011 Classic Rock Awards earlier this week and was awarded the Songwriter Award. But more importantly, he was wearing a Rush t-shirt as shown in this Facebook photo. Nicky Wire is known to be a huge Rush fan. A couple of years ago he wrote an 8-page feature on Rush album art which appeared in the June, 2009 issue of Prog magazine. And back in late 2007 Nick interviewed Geddy and Alex for the December, 2007 issue of Classic Rock magazine after their Wembley show. Rock photographer Ross Halfin was on hand for this and took this great photo of Wire with Alex and Geddy where Wire proudly displays his Rush jean jacket. There's also video of this backstage meeting between Wire and the boys at this link. The clip also has Nick showing off his collection of buttons and patches and declaring Geddy as the greatest bass player of all time. Thanks to Distant Early Warning for the heads up.

Reader sbabsovitch recently caught the Southern Gentlemen Tour featuring Kevin Griffin (Better than Ezra) and Ed Roland (Collective Soul) and reports that throughout the show, Kevin Griffin talked about being a huge Rush fan and at times broke into a few Rush songs including The Spirit of Radio and La Villa Strangiato.

Rush's 2112 is one of the featured tracks this Month on the Jammit mobile app for the iPhone and iPad. Thanks to BW&BK for the heads up.

Speaking of 2112, the AV Club Toronto recently profiled the album as part of their Beaver Hour Index. You can check out the article at this link (thanks Ajax5).

The AV Club Chicago posted an article yesterday (thanks undernorthernlights). where they speak with veteran drummer of the Chicago music scene Mike Kinsella about his favorite songs to air-drum too. Rush's Subdivisions make his list:

... I've probably watched [the Rush documentary] like four times-but you sit there, like, "Oh, it's going to be crazy when he plays [Subdivisions]," but when he's playing it, it looks like he's just reading a book or something. Like, he's doing all these complicated little polyrhythm things and it sounds like he's doing a whole lot, but he really looks more like indie. So after watching that, I feel like, "Oh man, maybe I'm trying too hard while playing it." ...

You can read the whole interview at this link.

St. Catharines native Neil Peart has been added to the city's list of Significant Local Individuals according to CKTB 610 Talk Radio. Being on the list means that St. Catharines developers & council members can name a new street or park after the individual. So maybe there will be a Neil Peart Park or Neil Peart Street in St. Catharines sometime in the near future.

Speaking of Neil, on former Miami Dolphin great Jimmy Cefalo's radio show this morning the Rush quote if you choose not to decide... was uttered by the show's producer Manny. Reader daviecop was listening in and immediately emailed the show, thanking them for the Rush reference. A discussion of the band followed and led to a poll on the show's Facebook page to determine the worlds greatest drummer; Gene Krupa, Neil Peart or Buddy Rich.

Geddy Lee gets a mention in this Kansas City Star article on the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City:

... A few steps from the Cobb/Dodgers autographed ball are three huge cases of autographed baseballs. Two cases each contain 200 signed Negro Leagues baseballs. All 400 baseballs were donated by Geddy Lee, the lead singer and bass guitarist from the rock group Rush. Lee is a huge baseball fan and sports memorabilia collector. Lee, who had visited the museum while stopping in Kansas City, bid on those signed baseballs at auctions for the express purpose of donating them to the museum. ...

Here's the video for Tom Sawyer featuring the cast of History of Rush, Episode 17 from the Time Machine video bonus features (thanks rushmixtape5):

That's all for this week. Happy Veterans Day to all you veterans out there, and happy National Metal Day too! Enjoy all of your Time Machine swag and have a great weekend everyone!

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