UPDATE - 11/21@11:18AM: Here's a new Billboard article discussing the Rheostatics The Great Lakes Suite with some interview snippets from the band, including Alex Lifeson, who says the following:
... “I have been getting together with the guys occasionally over the years to play for the joy of it,” he notes. “There is no mystery or much forethought in approach; the freedom to play whatever your brain convinces your fingers to do is the charm of this project. I give no thought to the end result, only to the moment. This was an entirely organic experience.” ... “There are no rules or expectations,” Lifeson — who also mixed one track, “Lake Michigan Triangle,” featuring Wynne — says of The Great Lakes Suite sessions. “Everyone arrives, has a hug and sets up their gear. As soon as you’re set up and making noise, you play. Rush and Envy of None are different recording requirements that demand more traditional studio approaches.” ...
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The Rheostatics officially release their new album The Great Lakes Suite featuring Rush's Alex Lifeson TODAY. The band (including Alex) will also be hosting a pair of SOLD OUT shows at TD Music Hall in Toronto tonight and Saturday where they'll be performing the album live. From last month's release announcement:
... The album celebrates the influential band's incredible 45-year anniversary, and features 18 tracks of primarily improvised music and spoken word, performed by longtime members Dave Bidini, Dave Clark, Don Kerr, and Tim Vesely, with newer additions Kevin Hearn and Hugh Marsh, alongside legendary guitarist Alex Lifeson. ... Recorded over two spontaneous sessions in Toronto, The Great Lakes Suite features an impressive roster of talented and award-winning collaborators: Inuk throat singer, songwriter, and novelist Tanya Tagaq; musician and filmmaker Laurie Anderson; poet and storyteller Chief Stacey LaForme; poet and essayist Anne Carson; poet Liz Howard, fiddler and singer Kendel Carson, singer-songwriter Maiah Wynne (Envy of None) and renowned singer-songwriter and activist, the late Gord Downie. ...
Both Dave Bidini and Kevin Hearn appeared on CP24 Wednesday morning to discuss the album, and Hearn had the following to say regarding working with Alex Lifeson:
... Working with Alex was amazing. He was kinda like an older brother in a way - just seeing him work. He was playing a lot of acoustic guitar on this record, which is an aspect of his playing that I'd never really heard before. So that was really cool. ...
The entire album is now available on all streaming platforms, along with a double-vinyl release here and in record stores.
Tickets for all 58 shows on Rush's Fifty Something tour have been on sale to the general public for 3 weeks now. While the initial batch of cities (Toronto, NYC, etc.) sold out quickly, sales for the second batch of dates has not been nearly as robust, with plenty of tickets left. Prices on the secondary markets seem to have settled down as well, so if you missed out last month and still need tickets, you have several options. There has been little additional info given about the tour since the initial announcement, but we should start to hear more after the Holidays as the band ramps up rehearsals and starts hitting the interview circuit to promote the tour. It's unlikely that more US/Canada dates will be added at this point, especially since plenty of tickets remain for that 2nd batch of cities. But that doesn't mean they won't add more legs in the future, as Ged mentioned in an interview with the Globe and Mail earlier this month, saying that they are mulling the idea of extending the tour even further, outside of North America:
.. The tour has yet to begin, but already there is no end in sight, with concerts in Europe, South America and Asia being considered. "We're wrestling with extending the tour into 2027," Lee said. "I really don't know. We'll see how that all shakes down."
Ged also did an interview with the Canadian Press around that same time, sharing a little of what he, Alex and Anika might have in store for the fans:
... Lee said they've rehearsed at least 19 songs with Nilles so far, with about 38 songs on their ultimate set list. They plan to hire an additional keyboardist who will step in for Lee. "Every time we play those songs, it's more fun," he said. "By the time the tour starts, we'll have months of rehearsal under our belt." So far, Lee has no regrets about Rush's comeback, though he said it's impossible to ignore that Peart is the missing piece of their original trio. "When we used to have meetings, it was the three of us ... talking about the future," he said. "Now it's just me and Al. Being the buddies we are, it's taken our friendship a little deeper." As for the reunion itself, Lee said he can't help but feel optimistic. "The world is crazy right now," he added. "I think when you find something that makes you happy, you have to follow it."
Envy of None released their second album Stygian Wavz earlier this year via Kscope Records, and back in September the project released The Thrill - a 3-track single including an alternative version of Stygian Wavz's 4th track Thrill of the Chase, a demo version, and the album track itself. In addition to a digital release, earlier this month they released The Thrill as a 12" colored vinyl version with all proceeds donated to UNHCR's response to the Ukraine emergency - available exclusively from the band's merch store here.
Classic Rock magazine published an article this past week on Rush's brief collaboration with Aimee Mann on the band's Time Stand Still track from Hold Your Fire where she sang backup vocals. The article mentions how other artists such as Chrissie Hynde and Cyndi Lauper were considered:
... "We thought about asking Cyndi Lauper at first," Alex Lifeson told Kerrang! in 1987. If it seems weird now, it made more sense then: The Girls Just Want To Have Fun star was still in vogue, thanks to her 1986 hit, True Colors, while Rush were taking advantage of 1980s technology and embracing a more new wave sound. Unfortunately, Cyndi couldn't do it, so Rush approached another 80s megastar with a distinctive voice: The Pretenders' Chrissie Hynde. She too had scheduling conflicts. In the meantime, Rush and their management had been listening to Welcome Home, the 1986 album by Boston-based new wave act 'Til Tuesday, and were particularly taken with frontwoman Aimee Mann's performance on opening song, What About Love. ...
Today is the 36th anniversary of the November 21, 1989 release of Rush's Presto album. Back on December 4, 1989, shortly after the album's release, Geddy Lee appeared on Rockline to discuss the album and upcoming tour in support as heard here:
That's all for this week. Have a great weekend and - for my US readers - have a Happy Thanksgiving next week!!
