A new interview with Geddy Lee is featured in the February edition of Record Collector magazine. The main focus of the interview is on Geddy's My Effin' Life book, but he touches on a number of other subjects as well. Here's what he had to say when asked about what's next for Geddy:
... I don't know. One thing I do know is that I don't want to plan my life too far ahead. Another thing is that my life with my wife comes first, so any other idea - whether it's musical or not - is subservient to those decisions. Would I do a musical project? Yes, I would. Will I? We'll see. I'm up for it, but there's the task of promoting this book, and once that's out of the way, I think there'll be a clear view of some musical endeavour that will draw me back in. ... [I'm] pretty effin' good at [doing nothing] [laughs]. I say that, but my wife would vehemently argue that I'm never doing nothing, because I've always got a project on the go. I've just finished another little book that I'll save for another conversation, and I have so many other ideas for other types of book. I'm obsessive about my bird photography: I have two years of bird photographs that I haven't sorted through yet. And then there's all those bass guitars that are staring at me very guiltily, saying, "What the fuck, man? What are we doing here if you're not gonna play us?" All those things are begging for an answer, and I have to attend to them. ...
One interesting take away from this is Geddy revealing that he has finished another little book. It also sounds like Ged is ready to move onto musical projects once he's finished promoting My Effin' Life. John at Cygnus-X1.net has transcribed the entire article and made it available online here.
Former Dire Straits frontman Mark Knopfler has recruited an impressive lineup of all-star guitarists - including Rush's Alex Lifeson - for a new recording of his classic 1983 solo single Going Home (Theme from Local Hero) to help raise funds for the Teenage Cancer Trust and Teen Cancer America. The song will be released via BMG under the project name Mark Knopfler's Guitar Heroes on March 15th. In addition to Lifeson, the song's lineup includes David Gilmour, Pete Townshend, Ronnie Wood, Brian May, Bruce Springsteen, Tony Iommi, Eric Clapton, Joan Jett, Joan Armatrading, Hank Marvin, Slash, Tom Morello, and the very last recording by the late Jeff Beck. It was produced by Knopfler's longtime collaborator Guy Fletcher. The song also features Ringo Starr on drums, Sting on bass, and Teenage Cancer Trust patron Roger Daltrey on harmonica. From the announcement:
... "What I really want to do, more than anything else, is just to thank each and every one for this sterling response," says former Dire Straits frontman Knopfler. "I really had no idea that it was going to be like this. It hit Guy and I quite early on that we had to extend this piece somehow, to take in the number of people who joined in. Before I knew where I was, Pete Townshend had come into my studio armed with a guitar and an amp. And that first Pete power chord...man, I tell you. We were in that territory, and it was just fantastic. And it went on from there. Eric [Clapton] came in, played great, just one tasty lick after another. Then Jeff Beck's contribution arrived and that was spellbinding. I think what we've had is an embarrassment of riches, really. The whole thing was a high point." The new version of the song, an instrumental theme to the 1983 Scottish comedy-drama Local Hero, was recorded at British Grove Studios, in West London, with some artists taping their contributions in person, and others sending in sound files from their own studios. Guy Fletcher then edited the contributions into a nine-minute piece. Speaking of Jeff Beck's participation in the recording, Fletcher says, "It was absolutely meant to be. And what he did with it, it just brings you to tears." The song also features Ringo Starr on drums, Sting on bass, and Teenage Cancer Trust patron Roger Daltrey on harmonica. ...
You can listen to a 15-second preview snippet of the track on YouTube here, and pre-order it at this location.
Prog-fusion supergroup Trifecta announced earlier this week the release of their 2nd album The New Normal due out in April. The album features Trifecta's core of former Steven Wilson alums Nick Beggs, Craig Blundell and Adam Holzman, along with guest appearances from Rush's Alex Lifeson and fellow Steven Wilson alum Theo Travis. The 19-track album follows up the band's 2021 debut effort Fragments, and will be released on KScope records on April 12th. The New Normal will be available on LE white vinyl double LP, black vinyl double LP, on CD and as a digital album, with pre-orders available here. You can watch a 1-minute trailer for the album on YouTube.
To commemorate the 4th anniversary of the passing of Neil Peart last month, Rush tribute band YYNOT hosted their 2nd annual Bubba Bash in celebration of The Professor at the Keswick Theatre outside Philly (Glenside, PA) on Saturday, January 6th. The show was "In Celebration of Neil Peart", and featured YYNOT along with special guests Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater, etc.), Frank Bello (Anthrax), Jason Bittner (Shadows Fall, Overkill, etc.), Jon Dinklage (Clockwork Angels string ensemble), Joe Bergamini (drum instructor, author, etc.), John Wesley (Porcupine Tree), Seven Antonopoulos (Opiate for the Masses), and more. All proceeds from the show go to benefit Cedars Sinai Hospital, and you can send along your donation here. The show was professionally filmed, and the band began posting pro-shot video from the event last week, starting with a performance of YYZ with special guest Mike Portnoy which you can watch here. This past week they added performances of Hemispheres: Prelude featuring Ed Toth, and Afterimage featuring Jason Bittner and John Wesley. Be sure to follow YYNOT on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube for all the latest updates.
Speaking of Rush tributes, a new Rush tribute project called Rush for Cover has been in the works for the past couple of years and will finally be seeing the light of day this coming April. Rush for Cover is a collaboration between Twice As High Records and JIB Machine Records, and consists of nine brand new interpretations of classic Rush songs by an international cast of independent, underground artists (none of whom are trios themselves). Pre-orders for the album will open on Friday, March 15th along with a charity auction with 100% of the proceeds going to cancer research funds, including the Glioblastoma Foundation and the Jimmy V Foundation. The charity auction will include a one-of-a-kind test pressing of the tribute album, signed by all of the artists, a stack of original Rush vinyl (including a sealed original pressing of Clockwork Angels, some promo 12"s, some original 45s), and more. The official release date for the album is Friday April 26th, and you can learn more at rushforcover.com.
Rush superfan Ray Wawrzyniak was a recent guest on the Why Music Matters podcast with Jeff Miers to discuss his Rush fandom and his extensive Rush memorabilia collection, as featured in the Rush: Time Stand Still documentary. You can check out the interview on YouTube here.
Al Melchior wrote a piece for American Songwriter on Rush's 2112 this past week titled We Have Assumed Control: The Otherworldly Meaning of 2112 by Rush.
On the latest episode of Rush Roundtable (#216) on the Rushfans YouTube channel, the panel continues their Test For Echo album discussion with the track Totem.
That's all for this week. Have a great Superbowl weekend everybody!
