RUSH IS A BAND

Friday, February 5, 2010

Updates and other random Rush stuff

We were hit with a big Rush rumor yesterday; that Rush will be performing at the 2010 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in Vancouver next Friday, February 12th. The word is that they'll be playing a version of YYZ as part of a larger performance showcasing Canadian music. The opening ceremony will air on NBC beginning at 7:30PM EST on Friday, February 12th. There's been no official confirmation of this or of who any of the performers will be; the organizers are being very tight-lipped about the whole affair.

Last week the tour date rumors started to fly when 105.7 WAPL out of Appleton, WI began announcing on the air that Rush will be playing Summerfest in Milwaukee on July 3rd. They even had a page up on their website promoting the event that has since been taken down. Apparently there was a mix-up and the station jumped the gun on the announcement. So I'm assuming that this information was likely accurate even though it was released prematurely.

As if the Winter Olympics and tour date rumors weren't enough, I've also heard a rumor that one of songs they are working on in the studio is an instrumental track titled The Unfinished Business. It's not clear whether this is in any way related to Rush's 6-minute instrumental The Main Monkey Business from Snakes & Arrows or if it's a completely new track. The original studio version of The Main Monkey Business was reportedly much longer than the version that appeared on the album.

Earlier this morning I posted a great new interview with Neil Peart that was in today's Belleville Intelligencer. They spoke with Neil on a variety of subjects including his recent recording of The Hockey Theme for TSN, the outcome of the band's November meeting and Rush's next project. Neil had a lot of interesting things to say regarding how Rush has adjusted its approach to recording and touring due to the ever-changing state of the music industry. He also mentions how he has garnered some inspiration from Porcupine Tree's latest effort The Incident which includes a 55-minute track. You can read the entire interview at this link. Neil was also recently interviewed for the February 2010 edition of At: Guitar Center magazine. Neil talks about his approach to drumming and writing lyrics, his kit, touring and his views on the current state of the music industry, reiterating much of what he said in the Intelligencer interview. You can read this interview at this link.

Earlier this week we learned that the March 2010 issue of The Walrus magazine contains a feature on Rush titled Living on a Lighted Stage: Are we finally ready to take Rush seriously. It's a 4-page feature that discusses all the attention that Rush has been garnering in recent years, and talks at length about the upcoming Rush documentary. It sounds like the author was given a sneak peek of the film and the article includes many quotes from filmmaker Sam Dunn. It also confirms what I'd mentioned last week; that the movie will contain footage of the Canadian Bandstand gig that Rush played at Laura Secord High School in St. Catharines, ON in 1974 with John Rutsey on drums. The article also talks about author Chris McDonald's recently released academic study of Rush - Rush, Rock Music and the Middle Class: Dreaming in Middletown, RushCon, and includes some remarks from Geddy himself. You can read the entire article on line at this link.

On Wednesday we learned some details regarding the upcoming Rush and Philosophy book that Open Court Publishing will be releasing as part of their popular Culture and Philosophy book series. The table of contents for the book - listing the authors and titles of all the essays it will contain along with section titles - was posted to co-editor Durrell Bowman's website at this link. The book will be divided into 4 sections containing 16 essays with a complete title of Rush and Philosophy: Always Hopeful, Yet Discontent. For all the details check out this post.

Between Sun and Moon handmade jewelry by fellow Rush fan Katy has been turning out Rush inspired jewelry for over 4 years now. All of Katy's pieces are inspired by Rush, named after Rush lyrics and are usually made while she's listening to Rush! Check out her brand new website and webstore. Valentine's day is coming up fast and even if your lover isn't a Rush-lover, they will love a Valentine's Day gift from Between Sun and Moon. I've given my wife (definitely not a Rush fan!) a few of Katy's pieces and she absolutely loves them. Your order will come all wrapped up and ready to give along with your personal gift card message. Katy is still offering RushIsABand.com readers Free Priority Mail with any $30 purchase (coupon code: rushisaband) or just email Katy after you place your order and she will adjust it. Order by next Tuesday, February 9th to ensure delivery by Valentine's Day. Thanks Katy!

John at Cygnus-X1.net pointed me to this article posted at the website of ABC affiliate WJRT titled Subdivisions: Listening Room chief learns Rush holds the key to life. The article discusses Rush's Subdivisions and the band's impact on rock music over the years.

Rocker Joan Jett caused quite a flap last week when in several interviews she accused Rush of ridiculing her all-girl 70s band The Runaways when they opened for Rush back in 1977. Jett was making the interview rounds promoting the soon to be released biopic film The Runaways and made the following comments in this JAM! Music article:

... Their Order of Canada is probably safe. But Joan Jett says members of Rush were anything but polite Canucks when the Runaways opened for them in the 1970s. In the new film biopic about the band titled The Runaways, Jett (played by Kristen Stewart) is derided by an unidentified rock group they're opening for. She later retaliates by breaking into their dressing room and urinating on one of their guitars. Jett doesn't hesitate to identify the real-life inspiration for the scene. "Rush! They sat on the side of the stage and laughed at us," Jett says. "That sort of stuff pisses me off." ...

She also said the following in this HitFix.com article (thanks Ant):

... "And by the way, the group that refuses to give the Runaways a sound check in the movie is Rush", Jett said. ...

The Runaways actually attended a party in Rush's honor in December of 1976 as pictured here but didn't tour with them until a couple of months later in February of 1977 where the alleged incident(s) would have taken place.

Reader, Rush fan and life coach Tripp Lanier recently interviewed Esquire and ESPN Magazine's Chris Jones about his experiences with George Clooney, John McCain, various sports stars, etc. Since he's from Canada Lanier asked him if Rush was a great band or the greatest band. It gets a little bumpy at that point; apparently the answer is neither. You can listen to the interview at this link. The Rush bit is right at the end.

Online radio show The Used Bin recently aired an episode titled Bootlegs and a Babaloo. Host Joe Carona discussed how he snuck in backstage through the kitchen entrance at the Great Western Forum back in 1980 on the Permanent Waves Tour to meet Geddy Lee and how he obtained a bootleg recording of the show. He then played a rare live bootleg version of Hemispheres on air in its entirety. You can listen to the episode at this link. The Rush piece runs from about 49:30 to 1:12:10. Thanks to RushFanForever for the heads up. You may recall that I was a guest on The Used Bin this past August. The hosts are big Rush fans and often discuss the band on the program. Thanks to RushFanForever for the heads up.

The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is an annual music festival that has taken place outside Nashville, TN every summer since 2002. This year's official lineup will be announced next Tuesday, February 9th and the festival will take place June 10-13. Reader barboy2112 just noticed this Examiner.com article from back in September which speculates on the 2010 headliners. They include Rush on their list saying the following:

Progressive rock legend Rush has never played Bonnaroo, but their influence is heavily felt every year at the festival, with bands like Umphrey's McGee and Les Claypool listing them as primary influences. Therefore, it's not surprising that Rush is often cited by Bonnaroo fans on their short list of groups they'd like to see headline Bonnaroo. With guitarist Alex Lifeson announcing that Rush will begin work on a new studio album in fall of the year, 2010 seems like a perfect time for Rush to finally make their Bonnaroo appearance. The only thing that makes this slightly unlikely is that Rush hasn't had a radio hit since the 1980's, making them less popular than the typical Friday and Saturday headliners.
Odds of Appearing: 10:1

I doubt this will occur, but stranger things have happened.

Drum Workshop recently posted a video to their YouTube channel where COO John Good takes viewers on a tour of the Drum Workshop booth at the recent NAMM show including Neil Peart's NHL kit which he used for recording The Hockey Theme (thanks RushFanForever).

That's it for this week. Many thanks for all the birthday wishes (I turned 40 yesterday!) Have a great weekend!