Rush continued on their trek across Europe this past week playing the a show in Malmo, Sweden this past Sunday and then hitting the Emerald Isle for the first time ever on Thursday to play a show at The O2 in Dublin. Tomorrow they'll cross the Irish Sea and head over to Scotland for a show at the SECC in Glasgow. Then it's on to Merry Old England for a string of 5 dates beginning with a show on Monday at the Motorpoint Arena in Sheffield. Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson conducted a number of interviews in the Irish and UK press over the last week in the lead-up to shows there. On Tuesday Irish radio station Radio Nova aired a Rush special where DJ Marty Miller and Rock Report host Carol Dooley talked Rush for much of the hour and had Rush lighting director Howard Ungerleider in the studio to talk about the stage show. Interspersed throughout their chatting with Howard they aired portions of an interview with Geddy Lee that they conducted on Monday. You can listen to the podcast of the interview in this post or at this link. Geddy was also interviewed on Monday by Matt Cooper of Ireland radio station Today FM for an interview that aired on his show The Last Word this past Wednesday. You can check out that interview in this post. Alex Lifeson did several newspaper interviews over the last week including one with JournalLive.co.uk, one with UK newspaper The Star and another with the Sheffield Telegraph.
Alex Lifeson also conducted an interview with MusicRadar.com last week where he talked about Moving Pictures, breaking down each of the 7 tracks on the album. You can check out that interview at this link. And MusicRadar.com looks like they'll be running some kind of contest next week since they posted the above Alex Lifeson article to their Facebook Page along with the following message earlier today (thanks RushFanForever):
UK-based RUSH fans! Make sure you check out MusicRadar on Monday for a massive competition that will allow you to get pretty damn close to your heroes!
The Moving Pictures 5.1 surround sound 30th anniversary deluxe edition (CD+DVD, CD+BD) was released back on April 5th. After its release Moving Pictures re-entered the Billboard 200 after over 30 years at #137 for the week of April 9th before dropping off the charts for the following week of April 16th. It then was back on the charts for the week of April 23rd at #51, at #100 for the week of April 30th, #125 for the week of May 7th, #159 for the week of May 14th and has bounced back a bit this week where it currently sits at #122 for the week of May 21st. Earlier this week Rush announced a new 30th anniversary Moving Pictures contest via their Facebook page.
Test your knowledge of the classic RUSH album by entering the Moving Pictures Contest, featuring visual and audio games and you could win a complete Rush CD collection, an autographed lithograph and a highly collectable Moving Pictures program from the original tour!
To enter the contest just go to this link.
Speaking of contests, UK drum magazine Rhythm has teamed up with Sabian cymbals to offer the chance for you and a friend to get an onstage tour of Neil Peart's Time Machine Tour kit by Neil's drum tech Lorne Wheaton. Here are the details:
Enter this exclusive competition and you, along with a friend, will be in with a chance to meet Neil's right-hand man, drum tech Lorne Wheaton who will take you onstage for a guided tour of Neil's phenomenal drum set-up (click here for a sneak preview).
The kit tour will take place at London's O2 Arena on Wednesday 25th May, and the prize also includes two pairs of tickets to watch the band perform that evening.
To be in with a chance of winning follow this link and tell us, in no more than 25 words, why you are the world's biggest Neil Peart superfan and deserve this all-access pass to check out Neil's kit. The more creative you are the better!
It looks like residents of countries outside the UK are eligible but they need to take care of their own travel arrangements. Entries will be accepted through Friday, May 20th at 9AM.
Rush made a cartoon-form appearance on Wednesday night's episode of the animated series South Park (Season 15, Episode 3 - Royal Pudding). Here's the episode's synopsis to set things up:
The prince of Canada is about to take a princess and thousands have gathered for the royal wedding. Ike Broflovski is obsessed with it. When they're about to get married, the princess is abducted. All Canadians must find her, and Ike answers the call to arms.
At one point Ike is watching the news where they are covering a candlelight vigil for the princess where Rush is performing. Rush plays a version of Candle in the Wind but with a distinctive Rush sound and Geddy sings the line, ... it seems to me you lived your life like a flower breaking wind... and then farts. Alex then shoots himself and Geddy breaks down crying. You can watch the entire episode online at this link; the Rush part comes in at about the 6-minute mark.
Rush made Gibson.com's list of The Top 10 Rock Trios coming in at #3 behind The Jimi Hendrix Experience and Cream. Here's what they had to say:
Via regular reinvention, perseverence and undeniable musicality, Rush have reached legend status. It’s a weird set-up: drummer Neil Peart writes the lyrics; Geddy Lee has a “unique voice” and manages to play bass/synths/footpedals and sing it all simultaneously. Alex Lifeson continues to chop out riffs and solos that all bear his unique signature. Rush remain a band no one would ever have invented, yet they remain huge after 37 years together. Even Rush instrumentals can send a crowd ballistic...
You can check out the entire list at this link.
The latest issue of Spin Magazine includes an article titled Playlist: The 30 Greatest Instrumental Songs Ever and Rush's YYZ made the cut. Here's what they had to say:
Rush, YYZ (1981)
With Moving Pictures, Geddy Lee and Co. proved they were mightily virtuosic, historically nerdy (rendering the letters "Y-Y-Z" in Morse Code via various musical arrangements), and capable of damn catchy melodies. Then, of course, there's the drum solo.
You can check out the entire list at this link.
Last year Sonic Reality released their Neil Peart series drum sample instrument library Neil Peart Drums Volume 1: The Kit for both the Infinite Player software powered by Kontakt and for FXPansion's BFD software. Cakewalk announced just yesterday that it is now also available for SONAR X1 Session Drummer 3. Here's a behind-the-scenes video from the recording sessions for the sample library showing Nick Raskulinecz and the Sound Reality guys setting up the mics and then a couple of minutes of Neil pounding away on his kit. Thanks to Power Windows for the heads up.
Greg Prato recently interviewed Melvins frontman Buzz Osborne for an UGO.com article and asked about his memories of opening for Rush back in 1994:
BUZZ OSBORNE: Nothing too dramatic. Their audience hated us something fierce. What a surprise.
UGO: Did you get a chance to hang out with Rush and jam on "I Think I'm Going Bald"?
BUZZ OSBORNE: Sure why not? We jammed onstage every night with those guys. The guitar player even showed me how to play some of their hardest songs! Songs I'd never even heard of because I never listened to Rush. For the first few shows I actually thought the guys IN the band were the road crew. I didn't know what they looked like. Hell, I never even bothered watching their set! We would get done and I would leave. At one point I even told the bass player, who I thought was simply working for Rush, to "Get me a Coke"...which he did! I told him thanks and that I'd cut him a deal on a Melvins shirt after the tour. ...
You can check out the full interview at this link.
Last summer Rush and the Rush documentary Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage were featured in the July, 2010 issue of Classic Rock's Prog magazine for a 6-page article. John at Cygnus-X1.net recently scanned and transcribed the entire article and made it available on his website at this link.
Reader dman2332 located this list of 65 Greatest Songs for Atheists and Agnostics which was linked from a CNN article about Pitzer College being the first college in the US to offer a major in secularism. The list was compiled by Pitzer College professor Phil Zuckerman. Rush's Faithless comes in at number 11.
This CTV article on the reopening of the landmark Toronto bike shop Duke's mentions Geddy Lee as being one of the many celebrities that have been spotted buying bikes at the store.
Prog rock keyboardist/composer/producer/engineer Erik Norlander (Rocket Scientists, Asia) was recently featured in Goldmine magazine for an article titled 10 Albums that changed Erik Norlander’s life. One of the albums on his list is Rush's A Farewell to Kings:
The standout album for the power trio of my generation. There was, of course, Cream about 10 years earlier. But Rush added some more modern elements, such as synthesizers, bass pedals and orchestral percussion, along with writing some very compelling long-form songs that do not come off as indulgent — but rather the right length for what they had to say.
Thanks to RushFanForever for the heads up.
If anyone in the Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario area is looking to adopt a cat, Geddy Lee - this week's Local 2 Pet of the Week - is looking for a good home. I bet he's an impatient cat... get it? :)
Here's a 1:05 edit of the original rearscreen animation created by Cranbunny for The Way The Wind Blows on the Snakes & Arrows tour (thanks Power Windows):
That's all for this week! Have a wonderful weekend everybody!
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