#rush

Jordan Schlansky has a very specific favorite mastering of “Tom Sawyer” - the song that opens the show - so Conan surprises him with Geddy Lee, the lead singer of Rush, so he can ask some niche questions.

Rush fan Mike Z recently acquired an old rough cut demo tape of Rush's Presto that had been discovered amongst the belongings of a former Alex Lifeson guitar tech who passed away (likely Jimmy Johnson). The old TDK cassette tape was labeled RUSH Rough mixes, and included the Le Studio logo and address/phone. With the help of fellow Rush fan Danny de Hoyos, the pair digitized the cassette and made it available on YouTube

The Rush drummer blows the roof off the dump during Drum Solo Week.

Drumming for the band will be Anika Nilles, an award-winning German composer and producer who previously toured with Jeff Beck and has released four solo albums.

Neil Peart's final book - a coffee table book highlighting his extensive "Silver Surfers" car collection - officially releases today

Kantor’s ambitious dinner was a testament to his Rush fandom (the New York state native fell in love with the band as a junior-high-school student in the early ’80s and never looked back), and also his latest foray in a culinary crusade. He hopes to help bring what he calls “thinky” food — reminiscent, let’s say, of a well-wrought Neil Peart lyric — to a city whose gastronomic endeavours, he finds, veer closer to the Top 40.

Kantor’s ambitious dinner was a testament to his Rush fandom (the New York state native fell in love with the band as a junior-high-school student in the early ’80s and never looked back), and also his latest foray in a culinary crusade. He hopes to help bring what he calls “thinky” food — reminiscent, let’s say, of a well-wrought Neil Peart lyric — to a city whose gastronomic endeavours, he finds, veer closer to the Top 40.

Prolific novelist Kevin J. Anderson has made no secret of his love for prog rock — and now he's taking his prog-rock fixation to the next level. He announced on his Facebook page that he's writing the novel version of Rush's new album, Clockwork Angels. Writes Anderson: After dropping hints for a while, finally the big announcement, a new project unlike any other I've ever done...and something that I consider very cool. Most of you are aware of my long-standing friendship with Neil Peart, the drummer and lyricist from the legendary rock band Rush, as well as how much Rush has influenced my work. My first novel Resurrection, Inc. was closely inspired by the Rush album Grace Under Pressure, and I can point to dozens of other novels and stories that bear a clear Rush influence. For more than twenty years, Neil and I have wanted to collaborate on something MAJOR, a way we could tie together our imaginations, and at last that's happening. I'm writing the novelization of Rush's forthcoming album Clockwork Angels, their first new CD in five years. Imagine if someone had written the novel of The Wall, Tommy, or Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band when those classic albums were released. For Rush fans, CLOCKWORK ANGELS is that project. I worked together with Neil to flesh out the epic story told over the course of the music, as well as the artist Hugh Syme whose paintings fill the CD booklet. In a young man's quest to follow his dreams, he is caught between the grandiose forces of order and chaos. He travels across a lavish and colorful world of steampunk and alchemy, with lost cities, pirates, anarchists, exotic carnivals, and a rigid Watchmaker who imposes precision on every aspect of daily life. To whet your appetite, Rush released the first two tracks, Caravan and BU2B - listen to those songs to get an idea of the story's beginning. I'm writing the chapters now, incorporating the lyrics into the narrative, and having a fantastic time. More details to come, but for now-to quote a line from Caravan: "I can't stop thinking big." [via Vintage Vinyl News]

The process which began early last year with the recording and release of Caravan and BU2B is finally starting to come to a close. According to recent interviews by both Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, Rush's upcoming Clockwork Angels studio album is nearing completion. Geddy was interviewed by Rolli...

"Neil Peart is the subject of the cover feature in the September, 2009 issue of the American Motorcyclist - the magazine of the American Motorcyclist Association."

"Samantha is a 16-year-old Rush fan from Summerville, Georgia who was diagnosed with cancer back in August of 2007. 3 months into her treatment she was approached by the Make-A-Wish Foundation and asked how they could help to make her wish come true. The Make-A-Wish Foundation is a nonprofit organization that grants wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions. They've granted wishes to 1000s of children since their inception in 1980 and are run entirely on donations. Samantha's wish was to meet her favorite band - Rush. This marked the first time Rush had ever been approached for a Make-A-Wish request. Here is Samantha's amazing story in her own words. "

"As I'd mentioned in last week's Happy Birthday Neil post, Hamilton, Ontario is the birthplace of our favorite drummer Neil Elwood Peart. Apparently Hamilton rock radio station Y108 has started a petition to have a stretch of Red Hill Expressway in Hamilton renamed to Neil Peart Way."

"If you could ask the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame about a Rush candidacy, what would you ask? Tell us below and we'll sift through the queries and lob the best three at Cleveland and see what comes up."

"The Rush "SNAKES & ARROWS" MVI comes in a deluxe box, and includes these 13 new songs in hi-resolution audio, the entire album in 5.1 surround sound, a video documentary on the making of the album, and more (see below)."

First single from the new album. {{{O.O}}}

"The true spirit of radio. It is hard to do Geddy Lee justice, but nothing is going to stop kids from trying. Some results better than others."

"progressive rock band comprising bassist, keyboardist and vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart."

"Celebrating the 30th anniversary of Rush, Contents Under Pressure is a new authorized history book of the band."

"This is a 400 page coffee table book with all of Rush's tour books to date, a total of 15 books."

"It has recently been reported that the band are now at work on a new studio album, which should see the light of day sometime in 2006."

"The percussionist's wife, L.A. photographer Carrie Nuttall, has captured the essence of Peart the musician and perhaps the essence of Peart the man in Rhythm & Light, a new book of photos of the early Vapor Trails sessions."

"CGI animation of Neil Peart playing YYZ."

"The legal action we are embarking on now will hopefully bring attention to the fact that people cannot and should not be treated this way."

Distant Early Praline is my favorite.