Music Radar posted a new interview with Geddy Lee earlier this week where he discusses how preparations for the band's upcoming Fifty Something tour are going. However, the article has since been taken down with no explanation, and it now links to this old article from back in October (???). So if you missed it before it was taken down, Geddy was asked about the possibility of fans hearing any new Rush material on the tour, and he mentions that he and Alex are too busy right now trying to learn 40-ish Rush songs to fill out the setlist to be actively thinking about new music ... at least for now:

... "My intent, before we got into this celebration of Rush's history, was to put some music together ... Now, I assumed I would be doing that on my own, not with Alex, but when we started jamming, I started seeing the possibility of doing something with Alex - but all of that went on hold now because there's too much work. There's too much work to do for this tour to even think about that. But if we manage to survive the tour, and go back to Canada and have a rest, who knows what'll happen, but I suspect some music will eventually come out. ...

He also did not rule out involving new drummer Anika Nilles:

... Yeah, especially if Anika can still stand us! [Laughs] It would be fun to see what she can do in a creative situation," says Lee. "Like, that would be fun. But it's all speculation until it isn't, so ...

Speaking of which, drummer Mike Portnoy sat down for an interview with Radio Futuro last week, and was asked about his thoughts on Rush's new drummer and their decision to go on tour:

... It's extremely exciting. I, as a fan, can't wait to see how they do this and what it's gonna be like. Neil Peart was not only one of my biggest drum heroes, but he was somebody that I was honored to become friends with in the last decade or so of his life. So, yeah, as a fan of the band and as a friend of Neil's, I'm very happy to see them doing this, and I can't wait to hear what they do.... like everybody else in the world, as soon as the announcement was made, I started pulling up videos on YouTube and saw [Anika] playing with Jeff Beck and doing the jazz fusion kind of stuff she does ... She's obviously a tremendous drummer, so I'm really curious to see how it sounds. ...

He also expresses some relief that Rush didn't reach out to him to fill Neil's shoes:

... 'Would you ever play with Geddy and Alex? Would you ever?' Of course. Those guys are my heroes. But in all honesty, I'm kind of glad that they didn't even ask me, because that would be way too much pressure, way too much pressure. So, it's much better this way. I get to enjoy it like a fan." ...

Earlier this week Rush announced the release of their long-anticipated 40th anniversary Grace Under Pressure box set. The set will feature a brand-new Terry Brown album mix commissioned by Rush, the first-ever release of the complete concert film and album of the September 21, 1984 Maple Leaf Gardens show, and liner notes from Geddy Lee reflecting on the album over 40 years after its release. Physical editions of the set will be available as a Super Deluxe version only, either with 4-CDs or 5 LPs. In addition, a Super Deluxe Digital Edition and a Dolby Atmos Digital Edition will be made available, along with the Grace Under Pressure Tour: Live in Toronto 1984 being offered separately as a video DSP. The set will release on March 13th with pre-order/pre-save links available here. You can get all the details in this post.

In his Music Radar interview mentioned above, Geddy made the following comments regarding the set and Terry Brown's involvement:

... Terry called Alex and I, and he said, 'Guys, I'd like to remix this record. What do you think?' I said, 'Sure. Have at it!' Nothing to lose, everything to gain," says Lee. "It's not gonna change that version that fans love. But it's another take, and I think it sounds great. I think he did a great job because he is a good producer, and because Peter Henderson did a terrific job recording that record, it's kind of a win-win.

Alex Lifeson and Morley have teamed up to introduce a new dual wah and volume pedal in celebration of 50 years of Rush's All the World's a Stage live album. The Lerxst ATWAS WAH/Volume Pedal is a refinement of Morley's renowned optical wah and volume, with an onboard Wah Boost for additional gain needs. The pedals are now available to order via the official Lerxst Reverb shop, and you can check out a video of the pedal in action below or on YouTube. From the product listing:

... Inspired by Lifeson's decades-long relationship with Wah and Volume pedals as tools of musical expression, the ATWAS is engineered to respond naturally to playing dynamics while preserving the player's core tone. From subtle swells to commanding lead lines that cut through the mix, the ATWAS is built failsafe for real-world stages, studios, and sessions. "All the world's a stage, and how you control dynamics on that stage matters," explains Lifeson. "Wah and volume pedals have always been essential tools for me, not just effects. With the ATWAS, we focused on creating something that feels completely natural underfoot, preserves your tone, and gives you control without distraction." ...

Speaking of pedals, Geddy Lee and Tech 21 Introduced their new Geddy Lee Amalgamation Signature Chorus pedal earlier this week. From the press release:

The Geddy Lee Amalgamation Signature Chorus​, as one would expect, is specifically tailored for bass. And specifically, with Geddy's valuable input. Housed in a compact pedal, the Geddy Lee Amalgamation offers an unusual amount of flexibility to achieve a variety of choral effects. It is capable of recreating the kinds of choral tones typically attainable ​only in a pro studio.​ With its Detune control​, you can adjust the pitch of the choral voicing, adding sonic girth to create thick, lush, bass-compatible chorus. Engaging Deviate mode alters the Detune function and adds an additional voicing for even more depth -as if 3 people are playing at the same time. Other features include Speed and Depth controls to adjust the modulation, from sober to slightly tipsy to downright "wobbly." Operable with 9V alkaline battery (not included) or optional DC power supply. Designed & Manufactured by Tech 21 USA, Inc.

There was yet another Rush reference on the popular American quiz show Jeopardy! this past Tuesday evening. It was a $400 clue in a category called A Cult Band. Here it is:

This Canadian trio was once known as the biggest cult band in the world

They also showed a picture of the band. The answer of course was, Rush. One contestant answered incorrectly with The Tragically Hip and neither of the other two attempted to answer. Jeopardy! seems to have a love affair with Rush, and have used the band in MANY clues over the last several years.

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27 years ago this past week, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson appeared on Rockline to discuss the band's Different Stages album, which had released a couple of months prior. It was an uncertain time for the band in the wake of Neil Peart's tragedies, so it's interesting to hear the pair navigate the questions about the future of Rush at the time as demonstrated by these comments from Alex Lifeson:

... there are no plans to go into the studio right now or to tour right now in view of everything that's happened with Neil's family in the past. Meanwhile we're just in a bit of a state of limbo until we get a sense of Neil getting grounded again and finding his direction in his life. So, for now, we're just kind of waiting and we'll see what happens. ...

That's all for this week. Have a great weekend and stay warm everybody!