Rush's Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson are 2 of the many artists featured in an upcoming independent documentary from Beyond The Edge Media on Cleveland's iconic Agora Theater, titled Live at the Agora: The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of a Rock and Roll Cathedral. The groundbreaking venue played host to Rush several times in their early career, most notably on August 26, 1974 for WMMS' Night Out at the Agora live radio broadcast. That broadcast is the source of a few better-known bootleg, and live cuts of Garden Road and Bad Boy from this recording were used on the Rush 50 compilation box set. The film has no set release date as of yet, but they've been posting some rough clips from the movie over the past month, including this clip featuring Geddy and Alex chatting for nearly 3 minutes about how promoters and club owners helped bands break through in the early '70s. There's also an older trailer for the film here, although it does not include Ged or Al. You can learn more about the film at agoradocumentary.com, and watch more clips on director/producer Jay Patrik Boland's YouTube channel.

Alex Lifeson and IK Multimedia announced earlier this week the release of a White Anniversary Edition of their TONEX Pedal, complete with a sleek all-white finish and a signature from Alex Lifeson himself:

... This isn't just a cosmetic update. The Lifeson edition comes loaded with captures of his own amps, letting you step straight into the expansive, shimmering soundscapes that powered Rush's most iconic records. Paired with the full library of AmpliTube and TONEX models, it's a stage- and studio-ready powerhouse that combines collector appeal with real sonic depth. Whether you're chasing Lifeson's lush chorus-laden clean tones, soaring leads, or want a flexible modeling pedal that covers everything in between, this signed anniversary model delivers a blend of inspiration and functionality few pedals can match. ...

The pedal is only available in limited numbers, and you can purchase one for yourself exclusively via Reverb while they last. Alex Lifeson put out a short video via Instagram introducing the pedal:

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Back in late 2023, Geddy Lee wrote a book of baseball stories titled 72 Stories from the Collection of Geddy Lee that he included as part of a package given to the winning bidders in a baseball auction that included much of Ged's extensive collection. He then announced via Instagram back in October of last year that he would be releasing the book for wide distribution sometime in 2025. A special, limited-edition version of the book was briefly made available around Christmas at the Rush Backstage Club. That edition is autographed, and comes encased in a red cloth-bound slipcase which includes an exclusive, custom-made Geddy Lee baseball, created specifically for this project. The standard version of the book will be available next month, with a slated release date of September 30th (just in time for the MLB playoffs) and pre-orders are available here. And if you missed out on the special edition last year, it's been made available again, and you can order one at this location. John at Cygnus-X1.net has posted an excerpt from the book's Introduction and made it available online here.

Toronto-based rock historian and author Martin Popoff was the subject of a recent profile in the Toronto Star, where they chat with the prolific author about his career and how Trump's tariffs are affecting his mail-order portion of his business (thanks RushFanForever). Popoff has written a number of Rush biographies and articles over the years, including the highly successful Contents Under Pressure:

... For many of his books, Popoff will receive a modest advance, with royalties starting when he meets a certain sales threshold. In other cases, he takes a flat fee up front. Among his biggest titles is 2004's "Contents Under Pressure: 30 Years of Rush at Home and Away," which has sold more than 37,000 copies. ...

15 years ago this past Tuesday, there was a Rush reference on the TV show Rookie Blue (Season 1, Episode 10 - Big Nickel). While on a long car ride to pick up a prisoner, officer McNally asks Swarek, "What kind of music do you like listening to?" Swarek replies, "Rush, I'm a big Rush fan". She answers, "Who?" and he says, "I like The Who too. Classic Rock, you know". Here's the clip:

That's all for this week. Have a great Labor Day weekend!!